Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Satya Chaitanya

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Raja kalasya karanam.

India insisted that a leader of men should be a man of
certain qualities.
Here are some of the expectations from the leader as
India understood leadership.

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

The garbhini as the highest role model

Integrity: sheelam pradhanam purushe
Integrity and Shree
Integrity and Duryodhana
At the same time: Dont let your morals stand in the
way of your doing good Krishna. Satyad jyeyo
anritam vachah.

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Nyasa leadership as the path of the heroic

Veerabhogya vasundhara
Dynamism: charaiveti charaiveti

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Self-mastery and leadership: shama, dama, manasam,

tapas
The tree as the metaphor for shama and dama.

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Serenity and the awakening of intelligence.

Ordered flexibility. The Book of Five Rings. Tao. The
MB story of Ganga and Sagar. Krishna as an example:
his goal is fixed [dharma]; but he is not rigid in his
path. Like a river.

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Speaking of such a leader, the Mahabharata says:

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Kim tasya tapasa rajnah kim cha satyaadhvarairapi;

supalitaprajo yah syat sarvadharmavideva sah. [MB
Shanti 69.73]
What shall that leader do with tapas, or with vows or
with sacrificial rituals. The one who has looked after
his subjects well, he has already achieved the results
of all sacrifices and rituals.
Also, raja kalasya karanam.

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Chanakya on such leadership

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Prajasukhe sukham rajnah, prajanam cha hite hitam;

natmapriyam hitam rajnah, prajanam tu priyam hitam.
In the happiness of his subjects lies the happiness of
the king; in their good, his good. What he likes is not
what he should do; instead what his subjects like is
his what he should do.

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

Rajno hi vratam utthanam, yajnah karyanushasanam;

dakshina vrittisamyam tu, deeksha tasya
abhishechanam.
To a king, readiness to action is his religious vow ;
satisfactory discharge of duties is his performance of
sacrifice; equal attention to all is the offer of fees and
ablution towards consecration. [the metaphor of
leadership as a Vedic sacrifice]

Indian Leadership Philosophy

and the Leader

According to Indian perceptions, leadership should

help the leaders and the led grow to their highest
potentials; help the organization maximize its
potentials; do good to all the stakeholders in its widest
sense lokasangraha.
The butterfly effect. What you do has implications you
cannot even imagine.
The carpenters last house

Thank You!
Satya Chaitanya