OSWALD PEREIRA discusses the role of the Bhagavad Gita at the workplace, in business, home, in marriage and community living, giving examples of how top industrialists apply the 5,000-year-old scripture in their business. The Gita teaches us how to live and work wisely. It’s a blueprint for courageous, balanced, and ethical action in a chaotic world
In the age of deadlines, burnout, and boardroom politics, an ancient Indian scripture offers timeless clarity for modern professionals. The Bhagavad Gita, a 5,000-year-old dialogue between Lord Krishna and the warrior Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, is emerging not just as a spiritual classic but as a handbook for leadership, ethics, and mental resilience in the contemporary workplace.
From Battlefields to Boardrooms
Often dismissed as religious scripture for monks or mystics, the Bhagavad Gita is, in essence, a manual of action, or as Mahatma Gandhi called it, his “spiritual dictionary.” Its core teaching—Nishkama Karma, or action without attachment to results—is startlingly relevant in today’s high-pressure environments.
“You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions,” Krishna tells Arjuna in Chapter 2, Verse 47 (The Bhagavad Gita, trans. Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, 2007, p. 42). This wisdom advises professionals to focus on effort and excellence rather than obsessing over promotions, bonuses, or recognition. The outcome is important, but the obsession with it is not.
Corporate Leaders Who Echo the Gita
Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, frequently refers to this very verse. “We left the outcome to the market, the clients, and perhaps to God. Our job was to work hard with discipline and stay committed to excellence,” Murthy has said in several public talks (Economic Times, 2019). At Infosys, he built a culture of value-based leadership that encouraged process excellence over result-driven stress.
Similarly, Ratan Tata, former chairman of the Tata Group, embodies the Gita’s message of detachment. After the ambitious Nano car project failed commercially, Tata calmly noted, “A project does not fail if we learn from it” (The Hindu BusinessLine, 2014).
His composure reflected the Gita’s call for Sthitaprajna (man of steady wisdom, who is equanimous in success and failure (Gita 2.38, Easwaran, p. 41). In the Bhagavad Gita, Sthitaprajna refers to a person of steady wisdom or stable intellect, one who has achieved a state of inner balance and is not swayed by the dualities of life like joy and sorrow, or attachment and aversion. This state is characterised by equanimity, detachment, and self-control, as the person remains unaffected by external circumstances and desires.
Mastering the Mind: The Inner Warzone
In Chapter 6, Verse 5, the Gita declares: “Let a man lift himself by his own self alone…for the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is the enemy of the self” (Easwaran, p. 103). This focus on self-mastery resonates with the growing emphasis on emotional intelligence and mindfulness in the workplace.
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates and author of Principles: Life and Work (Simon & Schuster, 2017), attributes his success to practices aligned with the Gita’s wisdom. His structured routines of meditation and reflection helped him remain calm under pressure and minimise ego-driven decisions—values that mirror Krishna’s counsel.
Ethical Leadership and Dharma
The Gita’s notion of Dharma, or righteous duty, is not about rigid morality—it’s about acting in alignment with one’s role, talents, and conscience. Chapter 3, Verse 27 cautions against egoistic thinking: “All actions are performed by the modes of material nature, but the person deluded by ego thinks, ‘I am the doer’” (Easwaran, p. 65).
Azim Premji, former Wipro chairman and noted philanthropist, modelled this ethic in action. Known for rejecting unethical deals despite high stakes, Premji once said, “Success is not just about making money; it is about doing the right thing” (Indian Express, 2020). His approach reflects Krishna’s reminder to serve without attachment to the outcome (Gita 3.19, Easwaran, p. 66).
Sreedharan: The Gita’s Engineer
Perhaps the most striking modern embodiment of Gita-based work ethics is E Sreedharan, the “Metro Man of India.” Known for executing massive infrastructure projects like the Delhi Metro with punctuality and incorruptibility, Sreedharan attributes his resilience to daily reading of the Bhagavad Gita. “It taught me the importance of detachment and focus,” he once remarked (Forbes India, 2011). His life exemplifies Karma Yoga, the Gita’s call to serve the world selflessly (Gita 3.20, Easwaran, p. 66).
Beyond the Workplace: Gita at Home and in Society
The Gita is not just about corporate wisdom—it addresses family life, marriage, and civic responsibility. In domestic settings, Karma Yoga fosters unconditional service without transactional expectations. In marriages, the Gita’s call to remain balanced in pleasure and pain (Gita 2.38, Easwaran, p. 41) encourages forgiveness and resilience.
Even in community life, the Gita urges one to act for lokasangraha, or the welfare of the world. Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, in her memoir My Life in Full (Portfolio, 2021), recalls how her Indian upbringing, infused with spiritual and ethical grounding, shaped her inclusive and long-term leadership style.
Stress Management the Gita Way
In Chapter 5, Verse 12, Krishna says: “The person who is devoted to the path of selfless action attains the supreme peace…” (Easwaran, p. 95). This inner peace is not dependent on job titles or outcomes. Rather, it arises when action is done with sincerity and surrendered to a larger purpose—whether that’s God, humanity, or moral conscience.
A Guide for the Modern Mind
The Gita’s final message is a call to courageous, purposeful engagement with life: “Abandon all varieties of dharma and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear” (Gita 18.66, Easwaran, p. 316). In the modern world, this isn’t about giving up careers—it’s about surrendering ego and doubt to act with integrity and clarity.
Whether you’re a startup founder in Bengaluru, an executive in Mumbai, or an artist in New York, the Bhagavad Gita offers not rigid dogma but deep insight into how to live and work wisely. It is not a manual for escape—it is a blueprint for courageous, balanced, and ethical action in a chaotic world.
References
- Easwaran, Eknath. The Bhagavad Gita. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press, 2007.
- “Narayana Murthy: Infosys and the Values of Leadership,” Economic Times, 2019.
- “Ratan Tata on Nano’s Failure,” The Hindu BusinessLine, 2014.
- Dalio, Ray. Principles: Life and Work. Simon & Schuster, 2017.
- “Azim Premji on Ethics in Business,” Indian Express, 2020.
- “E. Sreedharan: Engineering a Better India,” Forbes India, 2011.
- Nooyi, Indra. My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future. Portfolio, 2021.
Oswald Pereira, a senior journalist, has written ten books, including Beyond Autobiography of a Yogi, The Newsroom Mafia, Chaddi Buddies, The Krishna-Christ Connexion, How to Create Miracles in Our Daily Life and Crime Patrol: The Most Thrilling Stories. Oswald is a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and practises Kriya Yoga.
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