It is the order of the day to look for 'management lessons' in any
thing , be it "Bhagawath Geetha' , or' 'Thirukkural' or 'Ramayana" !
An attempt here to take a few tips for management from 'Ramayana'!
View , enjoy and learning part , I leave it to you!
THIS IS A REALLY GREAT ONE.....
In the Great Epics of India, Ramayan and Mahabharata, war ends not
with celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the
Ramayan, Ravan lies mortally wounded on the battlefield, when Ram
turns to his brother Lakshman, and says, “While Ravan was a brute, he
was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share
whatever knowledge he can.” The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan’s
side and whispers in his ears, “Demon King, all your life you have
taken not given. Now the noble Ram gives you an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with you. For that you will be
blessed.” Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman
goes back to Ram and says: “He is as arrogant as he always was, too
proud to share anything.” Ram looks at his brother and asks him
softly, “Where did you stand while asking him for knowledge?” “Next to
his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly.” Ram smiles,
places his bow on the ground and walks to where Ravan lies. Lakshman
watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan’s feet. With
palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, “Lord of Lanka, you
abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to
punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are
known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to
you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for
if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the
world.” To Lakshman’s surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his
arms to salute Ram, “If only I had more time as your teacher than as
your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, you are a worthy
recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share
much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my
life. Things that are bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards
them impatiently. But things that are good for you, fail to attract
you. You shun them creatively, finding excuses to justify your
procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but
procrastinated in meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, dear
Ram. My last words I give to you.” With these words, Ravan dies.
There’s similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war gets
over. The Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about
to assume control of Hastinapur, Lord Krishna advises them to talk to
Bhisma Pitamaha, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the
battlefield. As a result of a devine blessing, death would elude him
for some more time. “Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him
questions. He has a lot to tell,” says Krishna . Sure enough, when
prompted, the dying Bhisma spends hours discussing various topics:
history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics,
morality, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhisma’s discourse
is detailed in the Shanti Parva (discussions on Peace) and Anushasan
Parva (discussions on Discipline) that makes up a quarter of the
Mahabharata. After listening to their grand uncle, the Pandavas have a
better understanding of the world, and this makes them better rulers.
Ram asked Ravan for his wisdom before his death. The Pandavas listened
to a lengthy discourse from Bhisma as he lay dying on the battlefield.
In the context of commercial organisations, this is
Knowledge Management. Both these stories draw attention to the value
of knowledge. In triumph, it is easy to claim material possessions of
the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge
does not outlive death. It is lost for ever with the death of the
knowledgeable.
Every day, people leave organisations, taking their knowledge with
them – knowledge which they acquired because they were part of the
organisation. They take with them knowledge of clients, markets,
business processes, tricks of trade, etc. These may not be
confidential information or patented information, but it is
information that gives an organisation its cutting edge. Over the past
decade, a whole new business process known as Knowledge Management has
evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every
CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in
it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and
systems have been deployed. Unfortunately, for all the initial
enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking.
Often because they are like Sahadeva, the youngest Pandava. In the
Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences
such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is also cursed
in a manner that if he ever gave information voluntarily, his head
will split and he would die instantenously. That is why he is silent
throughout the epic. He knows every fortune and misfortune that his
family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn
them. When Dharmaraj Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother’s
prowess he is furious: “Why did you not tell me all that you knew?”
All he gets in response is Sahadeva’s silence. Most employees in an
organisation are Sahadevas (by choice). They are dumb when it comes to
sharing knowledge. Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a
Ram can do it, not a Laskhman . He must first believe in it.
We must respect the fact that everyone in
the organisation, even those who we do not particularly like, are
repositories of great wisdom – not only knowledge of things that work
but also knowledge of things that do not work. We must make conscious
efforts to capture as much of it as possible. Take a step back. Check
if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of Knowledge
Management. If you are, then remember that Ramayan and Mahabharata
were written at a time when civilization had just set in, probably six
or seven thousand years ago and even then our saints and sages knew
what will take India forward: Knowledge Management. It will be a pity
if we do not take advantage of lessons imparted by these immortal
epics. The advanced western world makes full use of these lessons,
unfortunately we still don't. We consider Ramayan and Mahabharata as
religous books, which they are NOT.
thing , be it "Bhagawath Geetha' , or' 'Thirukkural' or 'Ramayana" !
An attempt here to take a few tips for management from 'Ramayana'!
View , enjoy and learning part , I leave it to you!
THIS IS A REALLY GREAT ONE.....
In the Great Epics of India, Ramayan and Mahabharata, war ends not
with celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the
Ramayan, Ravan lies mortally wounded on the battlefield, when Ram
turns to his brother Lakshman, and says, “While Ravan was a brute, he
was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share
whatever knowledge he can.” The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan’s
side and whispers in his ears, “Demon King, all your life you have
taken not given. Now the noble Ram gives you an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with you. For that you will be
blessed.” Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman
goes back to Ram and says: “He is as arrogant as he always was, too
proud to share anything.” Ram looks at his brother and asks him
softly, “Where did you stand while asking him for knowledge?” “Next to
his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly.” Ram smiles,
places his bow on the ground and walks to where Ravan lies. Lakshman
watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan’s feet. With
palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, “Lord of Lanka, you
abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to
punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are
known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to
you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for
if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the
world.” To Lakshman’s surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his
arms to salute Ram, “If only I had more time as your teacher than as
your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, you are a worthy
recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share
much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my
life. Things that are bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards
them impatiently. But things that are good for you, fail to attract
you. You shun them creatively, finding excuses to justify your
procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but
procrastinated in meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, dear
Ram. My last words I give to you.” With these words, Ravan dies.
There’s similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war gets
over. The Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about
to assume control of Hastinapur, Lord Krishna advises them to talk to
Bhisma Pitamaha, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the
battlefield. As a result of a devine blessing, death would elude him
for some more time. “Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him
questions. He has a lot to tell,” says Krishna . Sure enough, when
prompted, the dying Bhisma spends hours discussing various topics:
history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics,
morality, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhisma’s discourse
is detailed in the Shanti Parva (discussions on Peace) and Anushasan
Parva (discussions on Discipline) that makes up a quarter of the
Mahabharata. After listening to their grand uncle, the Pandavas have a
better understanding of the world, and this makes them better rulers.
Ram asked Ravan for his wisdom before his death. The Pandavas listened
to a lengthy discourse from Bhisma as he lay dying on the battlefield.
In the context of commercial organisations, this is
Knowledge Management. Both these stories draw attention to the value
of knowledge. In triumph, it is easy to claim material possessions of
the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge
does not outlive death. It is lost for ever with the death of the
knowledgeable.
Every day, people leave organisations, taking their knowledge with
them – knowledge which they acquired because they were part of the
organisation. They take with them knowledge of clients, markets,
business processes, tricks of trade, etc. These may not be
confidential information or patented information, but it is
information that gives an organisation its cutting edge. Over the past
decade, a whole new business process known as Knowledge Management has
evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every
CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in
it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and
systems have been deployed. Unfortunately, for all the initial
enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking.
Often because they are like Sahadeva, the youngest Pandava. In the
Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences
such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is also cursed
in a manner that if he ever gave information voluntarily, his head
will split and he would die instantenously. That is why he is silent
throughout the epic. He knows every fortune and misfortune that his
family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn
them. When Dharmaraj Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother’s
prowess he is furious: “Why did you not tell me all that you knew?”
All he gets in response is Sahadeva’s silence. Most employees in an
organisation are Sahadevas (by choice). They are dumb when it comes to
sharing knowledge. Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a
Ram can do it, not a Laskhman . He must first believe in it.
We must respect the fact that everyone in
the organisation, even those who we do not particularly like, are
repositories of great wisdom – not only knowledge of things that work
but also knowledge of things that do not work. We must make conscious
efforts to capture as much of it as possible. Take a step back. Check
if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of Knowledge
Management. If you are, then remember that Ramayan and Mahabharata
were written at a time when civilization had just set in, probably six
or seven thousand years ago and even then our saints and sages knew
what will take India forward: Knowledge Management. It will be a pity
if we do not take advantage of lessons imparted by these immortal
epics. The advanced western world makes full use of these lessons,
unfortunately we still don't. We consider Ramayan and Mahabharata as
religous books, which they are NOT.
