PRINCIPLES OF INDIAN ETHOS - October 13th, 2010 PRINCIPLES OF INDIAN ETHOS 1) Know Yourself: Who are you?

All of us are part of supreme power (GOD) & hence all of us have all the divine qualities like integrity, patience, courage, loyalty, forgiveness, service attitude i.e. mind so if you try to develop our self by improving our qualities we will not only make our self happy but also the society be live in. 2) Individual development: 3) Self Management & Self Development: Self management is voluntary i.e. has to be done on your own Mahatma Gandhi says several things destroy us 1. Wealth Without Work 2. Pleasure Without Convenience 3. Knowledge without Character i.e. Knowledge without politeness 4. Commerce Without Morality 5. Science without Humanity Science but employment is getting slower i.e. less vacancy due to modern technology i.e. less number of workers. 6. Religion without Sacrifice i.e. provides charity or do nationPolitics without Principles for example fight for votings etc. If we get rid of all this qualities we can manage our self 4) Holistic Approach To Life: We should behave in same way of manner which we expect from others. Efficiency & effectiveness in an organization will increase only when there is co-operation team spirit & positive energy in employees. 5) Sewa Or Service Attitude: The person should have altitude of service providing & at the same time have happy face i.e. smile on face.eg: organization should be service oriented & not profit oriented, provide best possible service to your entire customer. Where the mind is without fear Ravindranath Tagore. 6) Self Sacrifice: Self sacrifice refers to sacrifice of self ego. We should be ready to sacrifice for others. 7) Team Spirit: Treat work as YAJNA together i.e. T- Together E- Everyone, A- Achieves, M- More. 8) Present Moment: Think only about a) What is there in front of you at present? b) We cannot change the past or predict future. c) So have total focus & dedication present in situation. d) Do not take unnecessary stress of work, take it as a play. 9) Perfection In Work: Bhagwad Gita emphasizes on while doing your present duty we should use our judgment & perform with utmost concentration. Do work without expecting what will be the result. Do the works for the sake of your organization result will follow automatically

10) Self Motivation: No one can encourage us for long. Nobody can encourage us more than our self. Work should be worship. If we love the work we do it will bring happiness & effectiveness. Do what you love to do a& love what you are doing 11) Ends Do Not Justify Means: Process to achieve ends what you earn does not tell how you earn. While earning a profit a business man should be careful that he follows the ethics & does not harm to the rights to stakeholders. 12) Creator & Creation: Creator is Subjective Creation is Objective Ethics & values are subjective quality i.e. They cannot be seen but felt. Inputs & resources required for production are Objective i.e. they can be seen or felt. If management pays attention to both this quality & mixes them properly it would be best form of management. 13) Day To Day A Balance Life: Indian believes in spiritual power. Spirituality helps us to treat everyone equally, respect, love them and understand the. India hence there is a fine blend of spirituality with materialism. Bhagwad Gita says Attachment is the root cause of all the problems 14) Bliss (Ananda): Happiness of Soul. One should be equanimous i.e. accept pleasure and pain joys and sorrows is a part of life. Dharma Right Artha Money Kama Work Moksha Freedom These are 4 Purusharthas of life. But while searching for Artha & kama one should be careful. Follow dharma (rightness) so that he can attain moksha (freedom from any salvation) which will make him blissful 15) Dignity of Work: Dignity of work is much important as far as Indian ethos is concerned. No work is great or small. Each work whether it is a peons job or General Managers job, is of equal importance, worthy & honorable. It lays stress on Sarvabhutastha Atmanam Sarvabhutani Chatmani which means to treat all as equals.

INDIAN ETHOS MANAGMENET: Oxford defines ethos as The characteristic Spirit and Beliefs of community/ people which distinguishes one culture from the other. Indian ethos is drawn from the Vedas, the Ramayana, Mahabharat, the Bhagwadgita, and Upnishads. Right from the Vedic age it has been discovered two basic universal truths of life. 1.The essential infinitude and divinity of all souls. 2.The essential oneness and solidarity of universe and all life. The first truth was expressed UPNISHADA as AHAM BRAHMASI (I am Brahman) Or AYAM ATMA BRAHMAN i.e. The Individual soul is Brahman Or TATTWAMASI (Thou art that). This is the first truth thought to every child. Even a poor uneducated man living in a hut knows that God is

in everybody and therefore there is sameness in all. The second truth is about a holistic universe. Where at a level of pervading consciousness everything is interconnected at VYASTHI LEVEL (Individual level) my limbs, hands, legs, ears, eyes, heart, lungs. Everything are me. I live in all of them. Their sorrows and joys are my sorrows and joys. Similarly at SAMASTHI level (the whole universe) I am not a single individual but I am a part of the whole universe just as my limbs are part of me. Modern science has accepted that in this holistic universe all minds and matters are interconnected at a deeper level. The basic unity of life cannot be broken. Love, sacrifice therefore emerge as the only for a meaningful living. On the basis of this holistic vision, Indians have developed work ethos of life. They found that all work, physical or mental, managerial or administrative have to be directed towards single purpose. The manifestation of the divinity in man by working for the good of others, for the happiness of others. These Indian ethos are required all over the world in present scenario in managing business and industry effectively and efficiently. Some of these ethos are as follows: THE VEDANTIC VIEW OF KARMA All work/Karma to manifest divinity, hence these must be pure, good, honest and sincere. Indian philosophy also teaches to perform every work without having any attachment to result, because results do not fall under the jurisdiction of a doer. Such thinking and understanding will change the whole attitude. Now the results will become a PRASAD-gratitude coming from the God himself. You can now accept the result with open mind without apprehensions-just as you accept members into Karma Yoga. THE SELF (ATMAN) AS THE SOURE OF ALL POWER: Considering motivations as internal every human being has the same divine atman with immense potentialities within Vedanta brings infinite expansion of mind, breaks down all the barriers and brings out the God in man. Motivation is to be internal and not external. Such motivation involves the inner beauty and does not promote any greed in an individual to have more and more in return of his work. WELFARE OF ALL (YAGNA SPIRIT) Vedanta teaches to perform all activities. ATMANO MOKHARTH JAGAT HITAY CHA Serve your personal interest but do not forget others Shankaracharya has given the concept to gain perfection in individual life as well as the welfare of the whole world. UNIQUE WORK CULTURE:B Work is considered as duty or SADHANA and there is no difference between KARMA (work) and DHARMA (religion). The term DHARMA does not indicate any particular religion. Dharma is a duty to be performed in a given situation. Thus Dharma is possible through Karma only. SKILL IN ACTION AND EVENNESS OF MIND. MEANS ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT AS THE ENDS. (YADRISI BHAVNAH YASYA SIDDHI BHAVANTI TADRUSI)

Thus society acceptable values are to be followed in determining the objectives as well as in the process of achieving these objectives. Integrated human personality of self-developed manager can assure best and competent management of any enterprise, involving collective works and efforts. The refined or higher consciousness will adopt holistic attitude. It will bring out the divine in man. It will achieve perfection or excellence in whatsoever sector you work. We shall achieve peace, harmony and prosperity within and without i.e., in or internal world and in our external world simultaneously. This is the ideal of Indian ethos: ATMANO MOKSHARTHAM JAGAT HITAYA CHA (For gaining perfection in individual life, as well as for the welfare of the world) Human and ethical values or qualities such as courage, vision, social awareness, fearlessness, integrity, pure and clear mind, truth, etc, are subjective and intangible concepts. These represent divine wealth. INSIGHTS INTO INDIAN ETHOS: Business need not be regarded evil, trained and unethical. Business is scared. It is a matter of attitude, approach and level of management consciousness. Indian ethos demands subjective management system. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Management attitude. Humanizing the organization. Interior sing management Self introspection Brain stilling (decision making in silence) Self dynamising meditation.

Indian Ethos is more vital to modern management than any other management theory for the simple reason that it takes into account a whole man rather than approaching man in a partial fashion as the other theories do. Each and every situation can be met effectively if one takes time to reflect over it. Reflection with a tranquil mind helps in drawing out solutions from within. Such guidance from within helps a manager look at the perceived problem situation in a creative manner. It leads to a more coherent and complete understanding. India belongs to feminine collectivistic category. In feminine oriented culture co-operation and sharing are the basic ethics and human actions are governed by the giving orientations. Feminine collectivistic managers are softness oriented. For them Caring and Sharing comes fist. Such managers tend to take a highly humanistic approach to management, and have a greater ability to inspire people. By taking care of subordinates, they are able to ensure achievement for them. Indian culture is predominantly a Spiritual and Inward looking culture. It has a socio-centric vision. The orientation of the spiritually dominated culture is that of welfare, the social good or the good of the greater members. Simple living and high thinking is the characteristic feature of our culture. One of the dominant features of the Indian culture is the Joint Family System. The values that are particular to our society are extremely important in the context of management, where group effort rather than an individual endeavour is more important. Living in a joint family, an individual endeavour is more important Living in a joint family, an indiviual is brought up in a system of management, which may be termed the KARAT style of management. Karta in a joint family is a fatherly figure. Everyone in the family reposes confidence in him, he is respected and he is open to constructive and respectful criticism. There is the warmth of relationship, closeness, consideration for others and a feeling of sacrifice for the larger family interest.

Another characteristic of Indian culture is PURUSHARTHAS - The Mission of Life. Purushartha means and connotes the aims, mission or purpose of life. These four Purusharthas comprise mans aspiration. Purusharthas are four in number impact and significance will be lost to a significant extent. THE CRITICLAL ASPECTS OF THE INDIAN ETHOS NEED TO BE IMBIBED BY AN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY SEEKING TO SET UP BSINESS IN INDIA: Before we talk about the culture specific system of management suited to Indian psyche, we should first understand and appreciate the salient characteristics of Indian culture. Such an understanding is essential before embarking on the task of building the indigenous system of management. These are: Essential divinity of human soul Essential owners and solidarity of universe and all life. Philosophy of an integral experience. Family is the basic unit of social system. Rishi and ashramiac culture. Purusharth the mission. Varna-Ashram system. Spirit is free enquiry, tolerance and selective assimilation.

The characteristics of Indian culture are that attends to be pervasive and enduring. When an international company is setting up business in India, it will have to look for the acceptability of their management in its present form in the Indian situation. The four basic cultural dimensions which may account for differences in management and HRD practices across culture are: The extent to which a society emphasizes collective rather than individual activity. The extent of power distance or tolerance for social inequality. The extent of acceptance of uncertainty. The extent to which a society emphasizes Masculine values and behaviour such as assertiveness, ambitiousness, domination etc. In the above diagram, the basic or the fundamental requirement for a manager is his VISION and attitude towards the environment in its totality i.e. Cosmic view based on cultural values. Next comes the emotional stability of the manager. He must be a self-controlled and self-propelled man. This can come by the heavy input of sattvic gunas and the constant practice of niskam karm. Job skills is the last input. Which though important, is not the Core Requirement as the westerners view it. Hence any international company should imbibe above mentioned features seeking the business in India.

Basic Principles of Indian Ethos - September 6th, 2010 Indian ethos for management means the application of principles of management as revealed in our ancient wisdom brought forth in our sacred books like our Gita, Upanishads, Bible and Kuran. There are 6 basic principles, which come to light in the holy books applicable in todays management world. They are : Each soul is a potential God

Holistic approach Equal importance to Subjectivity/Objectivity Karma yoga Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam Co operation Each Soul is a potential God A human being has a soul, a spark of the Divine. The divine resides in the heart of a person. The Divine means perfection in knowledge, wisdom and power. Therefore a human being has immense potential power or energy for self development. Thus human efforts can achieve even an apparently impossible goal and convert the impossible into a reality. The partnership of God and Man can bring about extraordinary or miraculous results; only if man chooses willingly to collaborate with God and actively participates in the affairs of the society by right action under his guidance and grace. He can bring about not only personal development, harmony, happiness but also prosperity of his own organization and the society without injustice to others. Of course here, also, God helps those who help themselves. Holistic Approach Holistic approach in Management is based on spiritual principle of unity, oneness, non-dual or Advaita concept. Under this principle of unity, the universe in an undivided whole where each and every particle is connected with every other particle. Thus, entire Humanity is ONE . Such an integrated human personality of self-developed manager and worker can assure best and competent management of any enterprise, involving collective works and efforts. It will achieve perfection or excellence in whatever sector you work. This is the ideal of Indian ethos : Atmano Mokshartham Jagat Hitya Cha. (For gaining perfection in individual life, as well as for the welfare of the world.). This is the message for all managers and workers given by the Indian ethos for management. Equal Importance to Subjectivity / Objectivity Indian ethos for management distinguishes between subject and object. Subject is subtle and intangible. Object is concrete and tangible or visible. We have the concept of the third eye, the eye of wisdom. It can see even that which the normal two eyes cannot. It can see the intangible i.e. invisible. Human and ethical values or qualities such as courage, vision, social awareness, fearlessness, integrity, pure and clear mind, truth, etc. are subjective, subtle and intangible concepts. These subjective or subtle qualities are as important as money, materials, machines, information or data as well as human skills. Inner resources of human beings are more powerful than external resources. [B]Creator is subjective. Creation is objective. Insight i.e., creator is more important than Outsight i.e., creation. Our body, senses, intellect, mind,etc., are objective, seen, tangible. But our soul atman is unseen, intangible, subtlest and subjective. Hence, wisdom manager/ worker is much more important and valuable than knowledge manager/ worker. Therefore, manager must develop his third eye, Jnana Chakhu , the eye of Vision intution, insight, foresight and such other divine qualities or values. This is the essence of Indian ethos for management. Karma Yoga It is yoga of selfless service to others. Karma Yoga is all about identifying your priorities and trying to

achieve them. Also, a person should have accountability i.e. he should always hold only himself responsible for whatever goes right or wrong. This brings about the union of human being with the Divine. Gita says that do your duty without ego and without calculations of gain or loss. One should believe in Nishkama Karma i.e. fruits of work should not be thought of while performing the duty. The memorable words of Gita are To work only you have the right and you have no right to the fruits of work. However, this does not mean that one should work day and night and the returns that he gets should be almost negligible. What the Gita tries to say is that let not the fruits of action motivate you as they might just divert your attention from work. When you are doing a job, put your heart and soul in to it. One has no control over the future hence never waste your present in useless dreams of future hopes and fears of present actions. WHY DO I WORK? 1. For my own salvation and personal growth. 2. For the good of the world. The inner joy of doing something gives the doer a sense of achievement and also helps him in respecting himself more than he used to. Money is important but running behind money all the time leads to tension, stress and total loss of peace. Self-motivation can assure self-development. When work is performed without passion, hatred, arrogance and desire we have individual development and social good. Indians always had two great truths of successful, harmonious and happy life: 1.Divinity of life can be used through self-development for personal growth and also for social welfare. 2.I cannot cheat you and nature without cheating myself. Working for harmony and peace results in a sense of fulfillment. It is becoming clear that a chapter, which had a Western beginning in business management, will have to have an Indian ending. Karma Yoga is not just meant for the common man but also for leaders and managers who if act responsibly will in turn influence the behavior of a number of people. Karma Yoga thus is a good pathway for: 1. Self-purification and Self-development. 2. Individual growth and welfare. 3. Collective growth and welfare. 4. Minimum play of passion, jealousy, hatred. 5. Team spirit and Teamwork. 6. Autonomous management, minimum control and supervision. 7. Manager acts as a Mentor. 8. Self-motivation. 9. Perfection. 10. All round happiness and prosperity. 11. Skills and values united. 12. Conflicts resolved by integration. Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam Yoga means excellence at work. Seek to perform your assigned duty or work in an excellent manner. Kaushalam denotes doing work with devotion and without attachment i.e. without being a work-a-holic. Such detatched attitude enhances its values and improves the concentration and skill of the worker. You work with smartness, determination and ability. Your head, heart and soul co-operate with your hands. You do not hanker over the fruits of action. You have no anticipation of reward, or personal gain. You become a tool of God to perform the work. Any work carried out with full concentration, dedication and with all abilities that a person has, becomes valuable and the person also becomes valuable to others as well as to society. In total quality management(TQM) Karma Yoga and Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam provide valuable contributions. Under this slogan we have one hundred percen concentraion coming from within. The extrinsic incentives e.g., money,

other perks, etc. play a very minor role as motivators. Co Operation Healthy competition is a powerful motivator for excellence and success, especially business success. The idea of cut-throat competetion is founded on the concept of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. Indian ethos says that for human beings the royal road is co-operation as a powerful motive for team work. We are human beings having mind and power of discrimination. The Gita says : By co operation and mutual help all shall achieve the highest human welfare. Unity is strength. Even in the holistic approach, we stress the co-operation integration, synthesis and team spirit for extraordinary performance, for enduring harmony and peace, because in our hearts chamber is living the pure conciousness of the Divine, i.e., Purnatman. Peaceful co-excistence, harmony, not struggle is the rule. Indian insight endorses this in the management of any enterprise. Excessive competetion at work can destroy many young people and our social life. Co-operation, united efforts and striving for success leads to all round prosperity and success leads to all round prosperity and success in any field of human enterprise.

Ancient Education System in India

December 15, 2011 Adi One comment

He who is possessed of supreme knowledge by concentration of mind, must have his senses under control, like spirited steeds controlled by a charioteer says the Katha Upanishad. From the Vedic age downwards the central conception of education of the Indians has been that it is a source of illumination giving us a correct lead in the various spheres of life. Knowledge says one thinker, is the third eye of man, which gives him insight into all affairs and teaches him how to act. India has a rich tradition of learning and education right from the beginning of time. There are Shastras and Sutras which detail the duty of a teacher and student. Ancient Education System in India is based on making of Man and not for just survival. The making of man was regarded as an artistic and true purpose of education. It was sought as the means of self-realization, as the means to the highest end of life. viz. Mukti or Emancipation. Ancient Education System in India is also to be understood as being ultimately the outcome of the Indian theory of knowledge as part of the corresponding scheme of life and values. The scheme takes full account of the fact that Life includes Death and this form the eternal truth. This gives a particular angle of vision, a sense of perspective and proportion in which the material and the moral, the physical and spiritual, the perishable and permanent interests and values of life are clearly defined and strictly differentiated. Education must aid in this self-fulfilment, and not in the acquisition of mere objective knowledge. According to the ancient Indian theory of education, the training of the mind and the process of thinking, are essential for the acquisition of knowledge. The pupil had mainly to educate himself and achieve his own mental growth. Ancient Education System in India had three simple process Shravana, Manana and Niddhyaasana. 1) Shravana listening to the truths as they fell from the lips of the teacher. This knowledge was technically called as Sruti (what was heard by the ear and not what was seen in writing). This is because the pronunciation

is of utmost importance. If the pronunciations of the words differ, then the true meaning of the phrase or word will also differ. 2) Manana implies that the student needs to interpret himself the meaning of the lessons imparted by the teacher so that they may be assimilate fully. Reflecting upon what has been heard (shravana). This is to remove any doubts about the knowledge that has been received via shravana. 3) Nidhyasana means complete comprehension of the truth that is taught so that the student may live the truth and not merely explain it by word. Knowledge must result in realization; meditating upon the essence of what has now been intellectually understood until there is total conviction. Ancient Indian schools known for their excellence 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Nalanda Thakshasila Vikramshila Vallabhi Nalanda

Ruins of the Nalanda University

In the words of the poet and Nobel prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) A most wonderful thing was notice in India is that here the forest, not the town, is the fountain head of all its civilization. Wherever in India its earliest and most wonderful manifestations are noticed, we find that men have not come into such close contact as to be rolled or fused into a compact mass. There, trees and plants, rivers and lakes, had ample opportunity to live in close relationship with men. In these forests, though there was human society, there was enough of open space, of aloofness; there was no jostling. Still it rendered it all the brighter. It is the forest that nurtured the two great ancient ages of India, the Vaidic and the Buddhist. As did the Vaidic Rishis, Buddha also showered his teaching in the many woods of India. The current of civilization that flowed from its forests inundated the whole of India.