Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 21 – Failure/Success

Chapter 2 Verse 37 हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम् | तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चय: || 37|| hato vā prāpsyasi swargaṁ jitvā vā bhokṣhyase mahīm tasmād uttiṣhṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛita-niśhchayaḥ hataḥ—slain; vā—or; prāpsyasi—you will attain; swargam—celestial abodes; jitvā—by achieving victory; vā—or; bhokṣhyase—you shall enjoy; mahīm—the kingdom on earth; tasmāt—therefore; uttiṣhṭha—arise; kaunteya—Arjun, the son … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagvad Gita 20 – Respect

Chapter 2 Verses 35 & 36 भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथा: | येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम् || 35|| bhayād raṇād uparataṁ mansyante tvāṁ mahā-rathāḥ yeṣhāṁ cha tvaṁ bahu-mato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam bhayāt—out of fear; raṇāt—from the battlefield; uparatam—have fled; maṁsyante—will think; tvām—you; mahā-rathāḥ—warriors who could single handedly match the strength of ten thousand … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 19 – Infamy

Chapter 2 Verse 34 अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् | सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्ति र्मरणादतिरिच्यते || 34|| akīrtiṁ chāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣhyanti te ’vyayām sambhāvitasya chākīrtir maraṇād atirichyate akīrtim—infamy; cha—and; api—also; bhūtāni—people; kathayiṣhyanti—will speak; te—of your; avyayām—everlasting; sambhāvitasya—of a respectable person; cha—and; akīrtiḥ—infamy; maraṇāt—than death; atirichyate—is greater Translation : People will speak of you as a coward and a deserter. For a … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 18 – Unique Gifts

Chapter 2 Verses 32 and 33 – यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम् | सुखिन: क्षत्रिया: पार्थ लभन्ते युद्धमीदृशम् || 32|| yadṛichchhayā chopapannaṁ swarga-dvāram apāvṛitam sukhinaḥ kṣhatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddham īdṛiśham yadṛichchhayā—unsought; cha—and; upapannam—come; swarga—celestial abodes; dvāram—door; apāvṛitam—wide open; sukhinaḥ—happy; kṣhatriyāḥ—warriors; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; labhante—obtain; yuddham—war; īdṛiśham—such Translation :- O Parth, happy are the warriors to … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 17 – Duty

Chapter 2 Verse 31 स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि | धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते || 31|| swa-dharmam api chāvekṣhya na vikampitum arhasi dharmyāddhi yuddhāch chhreyo ’nyat kṣhatriyasya na vidyate swa-dharmam—one’s duty in accordance with the Vedas; api—also; cha—and; avekṣhya—considering; na—not; vikampitum—to waver; arhasi—should; dharmyāt—for righteousness; hi—indeed; yuddhāt—than fighting; śhreyaḥ—better; anyat—another; kṣhatriyasya—of a warrior; na—not; vidyate—exists The … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 16 – Summary

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 30 देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत | तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि || 30|| dehī nityam avadhyo ’yaṁ dehe sarvasya bhārata tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi dehī—the soul that dwells within the body; nityam—always; avadhyaḥ—immortal; ayam—this soul; dehe—in the body; sarvasya—of everyone; bhārata—descendant of Bharat, Arjun; tasmāt—therefore; sarvāṇi—for all; … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 15 – Perspectives

Chapter 2 Verse 29 आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्य: | आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्य: शृ्णोति श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित् || 29|| āśhcharya-vat paśhyati kaśhchid enan āśhcharya-vad vadati tathaiva chānyaḥ āśhcharya-vach chainam anyaḥ śhṛiṇoti śhrutvāpyenaṁ veda na chaiva kaśhchit āśhcharya-vat—as amazing; paśhyati—see; kaśhchit—someone; enam—this soul; āśhcharya-vat—as amazing; vadati—speak of; tathā—thus; eva—indeed; cha—and; anyaḥ—other; āśhcharya-vat—similarly amazing; cha—also; enam—this soul; anyaḥ—others; śhṛiṇoti—hear; … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 14 – Repetition

Chapter 2 Verses 24-28 अच्छेद्योऽयमदाह्योऽयमक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च | नित्य: सर्वगत: स्थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातन: || 24|| achchhedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam akledyo ’śhoṣhya eva cha nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur achalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ The soul is unbreakable and incombustible; it can neither be dampened nor dried. It is everlasting, in all places, unalterable, immutable, and primordial. अव्यक्तोऽयमचिन्त्योऽयमविकार्योऽयमुच्यते | तस्मादेवं विदित्वैनं … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 13 – Integrity

Verse 23 from Chapter 2 is also something that I chose for the Bhagavad Gita recitation competition at the Ramakrishna Mission, Shillong way back in 1982. Its again a classic verse that speaks of how the soul is unaffected by weapons, fire, water or wind. नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावक: | न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो … Read more

Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita 9 – Reality

Chapter 2 Verse 19 Lord Krishna is considered an avatar of Vishnu and the most complete of his avatars. There can be a debate about whether Lord Krishna is a God or if there is a God at all, but its abundantly clear that Krishna is a being of supreme intelligence and he is far … Read more