Insight: Bhagavad Githa for Senior Leaders -

Bhagavad Githa is jewel of Vedic Knowledge. Lord Krishna is leading Arjuna, at the battlefield. Arjuna has a duty to discharge; to restore dharma, but encountered with a conflict of the vision and values. Arjuna loses heart as he sees the enemy troops across the great field, made up of friends, relatives, teachers and playmates, everyone he has loved and admired. He sees in their steely and determined faces a mirror of himself: a reflection of his own thoughts and action.

Until that moment, he never really questioned his values; he came face to face with his belief system. He directly saw his likes and dislikes clear for the first time - personal gain, personal glory, desire for power - he realizes helplessness, desire and anger were what had been motivating him throughout his entire life. Horrified, he was disarmed. Thinking the only way to renounce his anger and desire was to drop his weapons, lead a life of renunciation and refuse to fight, he cries out to Krishna, "Teach me what is “Sreyas” for me"

In response to Arjuna in his anguish, Lord Krishna with great compassion and smile imparts the Vedic teachings to Arjuna. Krishna saw the shishya in Arjuna and proceeds to explain that leaders must take value guided action to achieve higher goals, but the way that leaders conduct themselves and what they value are critically important if the higher good or dharma is to be the outcome. In short, the end will not justify the means. Even more fundamental, Krishna makes a distinction between doing and being: the leader must be coming from a place of living values, of right action itself, in order for "right choice" to triumph. In this case, for the war to be truly honorable Arjuna must be in tune with his higher purpose; he can no longer use his helplessness or ignorance as a fuel for action. He must put the good of the whole ahead of any personal gain or glory. Likes and dislikes must not be his motive force.