Bhagavad Gita: A New Paradigm for Business Management

Abstract

The world is changing at a pace faster than ever before and equally there is a richer pace in the change of human beings as well. In today's scenario the Darwinian concept ‘Survival of the fittest’ applies well with only slight changes in scope and approach. It not only counts on the physical dimensions, but also connects to the spiritual and emotional aspects. In the present scenario, the efficiency and effectiveness of an individual are determined by the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Spiritual Quotient (SQ) and the Emotional Quotient (EQ) on both personal and the professional fronts. The Bhagavad Gita is considered to be one of the greatest scriptures of Indian spiritual thought. It contains within it, the distilled essence of the Upanishads, which encourage us to manifest total excellence in all that we do, and in all our relationships by discovering the latent divinity within us. Taking perspectives from the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu epic, this paper presents a management grid to link the profit-orientated approach with a purpose-orientated approach in running a business. Different aspects of aptitude and attitude towards competition and business sustainability are discussed with specific extracts from this Indian classic.