Submitted By:-

Amit Singh (FT-11-1014)

Amit Goyal (FT-11-1008)

Anurag Singh (FT-11-1019)

Alishma Sahoo (FT-11-1003)

Kritika Soni (FT-11-1022)

Pallavi Shukla (FT-11-1023)

Satvinder Singh (FT-11-1027)

Ethical & Leadership Dimension of Lord Krishna in Bhagavat Gita

Submitted To:-

Prof. Saumya Shirina

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Table of content

1. Acknowledgement…………….………………………...…………………………..…3

2. Executive summary…………………………………………………………………....4

3. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………....5

4. Why did we choose Lord

Krishna?.........................................................................................................................5

5. Ethical aspect of krishna`s teaching……………………………………..……....…..5-7

When talking about ethics?

Ethical dimensions

Why did krishna support pandavas?

War ethics

6. Various leadership styles adopted by Lord

Krishna?......................................................................................................................8-9

Authoritative style of leadership

Directive style of leadership

Influencing style of leadership

Participative leadership style

7. Conclusion………………………………………….…………………………...……10

8. Bibliography……………………………………………………………………..…...11

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Acknowledgement

We owe a debt of gratitude to our learned and eminent faculty Prof. Saumya shirina for

giving us this opportunity .we owe great thanks to great many people who have helped and

supported us during this report. We would once again like to express our deep sense of

gratitude to our faculty, and academic guide, for his kind help, support and valuable guidance

during the report. Her help, stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped us.

Amit Singh

Amit Goyal

Alishma Sahoo

Anurag Singh

Kritika Soni

Pallavi Shukla

Satvinder Singh

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Executive summary

Bhagavad Gita teaches us the art of living. It brings proper perspective to our thought process

and guides your action towards success and fulfillment. It shows us the way forward.

Knowledge gives you proficiency. Applied knowledge is efficiency. Right knowledge applied

at the right time, right place and right way gives us effectiveness. Effectiveness leads us to

success and glory and that is what gita teaches us.

Generally a problem looks big and insurmountable when you don’t have a solution. The

moment you have the solution the problems disappears. Bhagavad Gita provides that answer

to our life’s problems. Running away from the problem does not solve it; it will only come

back and haunt you with even more vigour and ferocity. If you refuse to see the elephant in

the room, it does not disappear. We have to face it with courage and conviction as running

away is cowardice. Like Arjuna often we justify our inaction quoting precedents and rule

books.

In this report we try to mention the ethical path which Lord Krishna took during the Great

War “The Mahabharata” and try to reflect the leadership quality which Lord Krishna showed

during the war and guided Arjuna to achieve the victory and Lord Krishna’s obsession

throughout the entire Mahabharata was to establish a society where dharma was the guiding

principle. This is a society where there is protection and happiness for all, and where people

live in a balanced, spiritually orientated way, with respect for other people, creatures and all

of nature.

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Introduction

The Bhagavad Gita is considered among the greatest spiritual books in the world by

eastern and western scholars.

The Bhagavad Gita reveals the eternal principles which are fundamental and essential

for spiritual life from all perspectives and allows one to perfectly understand the

esoteric truths hidden within all religious scriptures

The Gita can help us learn to regulate our senses, control our minds and gain spiritual

strength

Why did we choose Lord Krishna?

In the entire Bhagavad Gita , there are many diverse characters impressing us with

their responses in the midst of great challenges.

However, Lord Krishna as a central character and he comes across as a master

strategist and tactful leader adopting different leadership styles according to situation

and people he had to deal with.

Speaking in modern parlance, Lord Krishna can be best described as ‘the greatest

crisis manager’ the world has ever seen.

Hence, Lord Krishna would be the best example when covering the ethical and

leadership dimension of a character.

Ethical aspect of Krishna’s teaching

Ethics consists of three components:

Man’s attitude towards people, all other living beings, and towards the entire

environment; they possess a developed consciousness and are advanced spiritually

who are well-disposed both to friends and to foes, to neutrals, to strangers, to the

envious, to relatives, to the pious, to the vicious.

Attitude towards god; Lord Krishna suggests regarding everything existing in the

universe as a manifestation of god in the aspect of the absolute. Love for god in this

aspect implies our love for the creation as for his integral part.

Attitude towards one’s own path to the perfection; god suggests that we regard

our lives as the opportunity to approach perfection by making efforts on

transformation of ourselves, as well as through active creative love-service to god,

which is manifested as our service to people

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In the month of magha (december) 5,000 years ago, on the battlefield at kurukshetra

just before the start of mahabharata war, Lord Krishna outlined to Arjuna a system of

ethics that has withstood the test of time in the Bhagavad Gita. Lord Krishna also tells

Arjuna not only how to build character but also the root cause of ethical failure and

how to avoid it.

Arjuna gave up the fight when he found that he was fighting against his brothers and

the relatives whom he loved and respect more than anyone. So he gave up the fight

and throws his bow (gandiv) and wept a lot.

Then the Lord Krishna encourages the Arjuna that his fight against the wrong and

injustice is very much valid and ethical at this point of time.

Here Lord Krishna explains in clear words the duties of members of a rightful society.

It pertains to functions and responsibilities according to the social rules and

regulations.

Arjuna was supposed to fight against the kauravs and was important so Lord Krishna

said Arjuna that fighting against them was ethical so he had to do his duty and follow

the karma which he was supposed to be done. Doing greater good many sacrifices is

to be made.

Ethics may seem improper some time but to make the society the better place to live

and maintain the prosperity ethical ways are to be followed.

When talking about ethics?

Krishna’s obsession throughout the entire mahabharata was to establish a society

where dharma was the guiding principle.

This is a society where there is protection and happiness for all, and where people

live in a balanced, spiritually orientated way, with respect for other people, creatures

and all of nature.

Ethical dimensions

Bhagawad geeta is the message of Lord Krishna given to his friend arjun,there was

fight of evil and unethical between kauravs and pandavas.

The work or karmas is driving force of the life and this work has to be ethical.

Managers who resort to unethical means to grab the immediate results are successful

only for short time like dhuryoddan

The lord advices that one is born into this life to play his part and whatever the role is

assigned to human, one has to perform his prescribed duties with the utmost devotion,

sincerity and humility.

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The distinction is to be made between ethical work, work which is useless and work

which is downright immoral.

If people feel that the organization which they are working is unethical, they are

caught in more dilemma like karna faced in fight.

In bhagvad gita, Arjuna asks Lord Krishna

“what is the force that binds us to selfish deeds, o krishna? What power moves us, even

against our will, as if forcing us?”

Lord Krishna replied:

It is selfish desire and anger, arising from the state of being known as passion; these are the

appetites and evils which threaten a person in this life. Just as fire is covered by smoke and a

mirror is obscured by dust, just as an embryo is developed in the womb, knowledge is hidden

by selfish desire. Arjuna, this unquenchable fire for self satisfaction is the biggest enemy of

the wise. Selfish desire is found in the senses, mind and intellect misleading them and

burying wisdom in delusion. Fight with all your strengths, o Arjuna, controlling your senses,

conquer your enemy, the destroyer of knowledge and realization.

Why did krishna support pandavas?

Krishna’s support for the pandavas was based solely on shared ideals, not on any

intrinsic favouritism.

There is an incident in the mahabharata where duryodhana complains that krishna

always favoured the pandavas.krishna’s reply was simple – “adopt a dharmic way of

life, and i will give you, duryodhana, the same support and guidance i give to the

pandavas.”

War ethics

Krishna also advised the pandavas that it is suicidal to behave honourably and

courteously towards an enemy who is willing to stoop to any level to kill you.

By the time krishna devised his seemingly cunning schemes to remove the key

players in the opposing army, all of them had themselves flouted the rules of warfare

too.

The most brutal example of this was the slaying of Arjuna’s son, abhimanyu. In such

circumstances, it is foolish to maintain decency towards people who themselves have

no decency and are trying to kill you at any cost.

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Various leadership styles adopted by Lord Krishna?

Lord Krishna changed his leadership style according to the situation recognising the

people and their potential. He clearly knew what appealed to whom and how to get

work done.

Equally outstanding are the ways in which he handled men like duryodhana and karna

at very crucial points in mahabharata. He effectively used different leadership styles

such as authoritative, directive, participative or even attractive styles of leadership,

changing sometimes as a chameleon but always safeguarding ‘dharma’ and always

working towards what is ‘right’.

Most importantly, being the people oriented leader that he was, he guided and

facilitated people to perform or achieve their goals. Imagine mahabharata for a while

without Lord Krishna and then we realise the vacuum in the absence of leaders.

1. Authoritative style of leadership

The story is about the fight between bheema and jarasandha in the presence of Lord

Krishna and Arjuna.

Jarasandha picks bheema as one worthy to fight. Bheema and jarasandha fight for

days, matching each other.

Every time bheema kills jarasandha, miraculously, jarasandha’s body rejoins. Bheema

realising that jarasandha was more than an equal match, looks up to Lord Krishna for

direction. Lord Krishna, who knew the story of jarasandha’s birth, picks up a stick,

breaking it in two halves and throws the two halves far away from each other and in

opposite directions.

Bheema understands and throws jarasandha to the ground, and splits his body in two.

He then throws the two halves of jarasandha’s body far away from each other in

opposite directions killing him. Lord Krishna appropriately uses authoritative style

of leadership in this instance.

2. Directive style of leadership

In the kurukshetra war with kauravas, Lord Krishna takes the reins as Arjuna’s

charioteer.

On seeing a reluctant Arjuna unwilling to fight and destroy his own relatives in the

war, Lord Krishna advices Arjuna in the nature of a discourse called bhagavad-gita

about the responsibilities of a soldier and the finer and broader aspects of human life.

Arjuna was a sensitive but extremely thoughtful, righteous person with a great sense

of duty. Here the tactful krishna understanding Arjuna’s personality uses directive

style of leadership effectively persuading Arjuna to begin the great war.

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3. Influencing style of leadership

Lord Krishna being a great supporter of pandavas does not spare even bhishma and

manages to find a way to tackle the veteran general of the kauravas who had led the

war for the first nine days causing extensive damage to the army of the pandavas.

Bhishma had a towering personality befitting the kings - a true soldier and a great

warrior, as strong as steel in character, symbolic of truth and duty and extremely

human. He was invincible and blessed to choose the manner and time of his death.

Lord Krishna takes yudhisthira to bhishma seeking the secret of becoming victorious

in the war. Bhishma, knowing that pandavas truly deserved to win the battle, tells

yudhisthira the secret of overcoming him as a prelude to winning the war. Bhishma

thus confronted by shikandi on the tenth day of the war refuses to consider him as a

man and throws down his bow and arrows choosing not to fight.

Lord Krishna thus uses an influencing style of leadership and tackles bhishma by

making him the general of the enemy front as an ally by a tacit understanding using

subtle diplomacy.

4. Participative leadership style

Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, was the very embodiment of satya (truth) and

dharma (righteousness). When kaurava’s guru and general drona was leading the

battle, tactful Lord Krishna uses yudhisthira cleverly. Drona was unconquerable and

was devastating the army of the pandavas.

Lord Krishna realises that the only way to rid drona was by exploiting his weakness

for his son-ashwatthaama. In the midst of all the think-tank of the pandavas, Lord

Krishna says that the only way to kill drona is to convey to him that his son

ashwatthaama is dead. Understanding that drona can only believe this story, if

yudhisthira says it, everyone look at yudhisthira to take up the responsibility.

Yudhisthira accepts the responsibility finally and says ‘ashwatthaama hathaha’

(ashwatthaama dead…) but his personality remains somewhat unblemished by clever

manipulation of Lord Krishna by getting an elephant called ashwatthaama killed and

the word elephant getting lost and unheard in the din of the battle.

A disheartened drona gives up the weapons and dies soon in the battle. Lord Krishna

thus achieves the objective of eliminating drona by using a participative leadership

style to prepare yudhisthira to accept the responsibility of telling a half truth.

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Conclusion

Lord Krishna was thus a great pragmatic and clever leader, using the resources of men

and material most efficiently and proactively. A leader in corporate world attempts to

do exactly the same, as increasingly, businesses are getting more people oriented.

Therefore there is great potential and opportunity to gain wisdom by drawing

examples from our great epics and use them as our guiding philosophy in the

corporate world as well as in our day to day life. While facing short term and long

term challenges, a leader is continuously working towards influencing people, making

powerful allies and neutralising competitors. A corporate leader is a visionary

working towards the well being of all stakeholders while being on a righteous path

(the dharma)

Lord Krishna always followed an ethical path as it should be noted that there was

neither advice nor any incident in the mahabharata where krishna would accept or

justify the killing on non-combatants. The struggle was only ever directed against the

individuals who were directly involved in upholding duryodhana’s powers through

the force of arms.

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Bibliography

Www.bhagavad-gita.org/

Www.bhagavad-gita.org/index-english.html

Http://bhagavadgita.swami-center.org/ethical-aspect.shtml

Http://conscious-manager.com/uncovering-the-leadership-lessons-of-the-bhagavad-

gita.html