Leadership lessons from Lord shiva :

Dr Shailesh Thaker
April 8, 2013

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Both Shiva and Indra are immortal deities. Shivas immortality is achieved by
tapasya; Kama, god of desire, is sacrificed during tapasya. Indras immortality
is achieved through yagna performed to satisfy bhoga, the fulfillment of
desire. As long as there is desire for bhoga, there will be yagna.
Yagna demands sacrifice, bali. But bali has consequences which Indra more
often than not cannot handle. Indra churns the ocean of milk for Amrita, nectar
of immortality; along with it comes Halahal, a poison that threatens to destroy
the whole world. Indra wants to consume Amrita but is unable to handle
Halahal. He does not know what to do with it? He offers it to Shiva who locks
it in his throat. With this one deed, Shiva becomes Mahadeva, God who is
greater than gods, while Indra remains Deva, god.
Every leader wants to generate Amrita that will give him immortality. He is
willing to perform a yagna and give a bali. But not every one is able to handle
Halahal. He cannot wish it away. Halahal is the husk of the grain, the garbage
of the household, the pollutant of the industry. Managing it is critical, else it will
return to haunt the Yajaman
Sati asked Shiva to show her his house. Shiva did not have any. What
protects you from the heat in summer? she inquired. Shiva took her down to
the valley full of Deodar trees. What protects you from the rain? she asked.
Shiva took her into a cave. What protects you from the cold in winter? Shiva
took her to the snowy peak of Mount Kailasa. Where do you keep fire? Shiva
took her to a crematorium where there was always a funeral pyre burning.
Sati declared Shiva to be Bhola, the simpleton, a guileless pure soul; she fell
in love. Satis father, Daksha, declared Shiva to be uncouth, uncivilised, a
destroyer of all things respected in culture. Shiva found Satis need for a
house incredible, an imagined unnecessary need. He found Dakshas
opposition to him bizarre: in nature nothing is excluded; everything has its
place.
Value is imagination.
When an animal is hungry, it values food. When an animal is frightened, it
values shelter. It is this notion of value that enables in maximising revenue.
Value transforms a commodity into a brand and allows for the charging of a

premium. People do not buy products or services or ideas; they buy value.
Value mitigates imagined fears, satisfies the predator and comforts the prey
that lurks in every human being.
The gods had to defeat the buffalodemon, Mahisha, and were told to release
their inner power, Shakti, and merge it outside to create the goddess of
external power, Durga, who would kill the demon. Shakti is our inner strength.
Durga is the strength that we get from outside. Praise for example empowers
us because we get Durga from outside. Insults disempowers us, we feel
stripped of Durga by our critic. Thus Durga is a currency of exchange, just like
wealth or Lakshmi.
In all human interactions there is exchange of Durga. We have a vast supply
of Durga to give, but we rarely take advantage of it. Instead we are too busy
taking power.
Team
empowerment:
Your teams failure to respond as you want them to frustrates you. But your
treatment frustrates them. You are not providing Durga worse, you are
taking Durga. No one feels empowered. A disempowered team is unable to
reach its goal. A motivational talk, or fake great jobs, as you call them, grants
power to people, makes them feel they can do it. Not everyone has Shakti,
most rely on Durga from external sources.
Management of desire
Humans can imagine a world where there is no hunger. Such a world is called
Kailasa. It is the mountainous abode of Shiva. Humans can also imagine a
world where every hunger is satisfied. Such a world is called Amravati, the
abode of the Devas. Kailasa is about yoga, outgrowing hunger pangs.
Amravati is about bhoga, indulging hunger pangs. Given a choice, humans
refer to Amravati as paradise, Swarga.
Vision statements about Kailasa or yoga are considered unrealistic and
spiritual, unfit for the business world, meant for hermits rather than
householders. Business exists to satisfy bhoga of the consumer and the
businessman. It is the desire of bhoga that creates the bazaar, the market
place, where goods are exchanged.
Kama is the god of desire who induces hunger not only of the stomach but
also the senses. In Kailasa, Shiva burns him to ashes. But in the marketplace,
he is resurrected again, and again and again.
Should employee focus on SQ?
Shiva, the ascetic god, sits in Kailas located high up in the snow capped
Himalayan range as well as in Kashi located down in the plains, on the banks
of the river Ganges. Atop Kailas, Shiva sits in serene meditation as the
teacher, Adi Nath.
Down below in Kashi, Shiva is Vishwanath, lord of the world, involved in
activities of life and death, along with his consort Annapoorna, the goddess of
food. Which Shiva matters more?

There is Kailas and Kashi in the corporate world too the boss sits in Kailas
while the customers, in Kashi. Who should one focus on? The boss upstream
or the customers downstream. Downstream is where performance happens
and value is created, but upstream is where appraisal is done, and promotions
granted.
This is the irony of the corporate world. Despite all efforts to create an
objective foolproof appraisal system, it relies heavily on the subjectivity of
those upstream while the real value is generated with customers way
downstream.
Office culture:
Chandra, the moon-god, disobeyed his father-in-law, Daksha Prajapati. An
angry Daksha cursed Chandra that he would suffer from the wasting disease.
Being a Deva, a sky-god, Chandra turned to Indra. The only person you can
turn to is Shiva, said Indra.
Chandra sat before Shiva, trembling, afraid and desperate for help. Shiva
opened his eyes, looked at the miserable moon-god. Without speaking a
word, Shiva picked Chandra up and gently placed him on his forehead.
Instantly, the moon began to wax once again.
Offices are filled with Daksha Prajapatis and Shivas. Daksha Prajapatis are
colleagues who cause us to wane. Shivas on the other hand have a calming
effect. Without doing too much, just by their mere presence, they can energize
and bring back enthusiasm in the most depressed of colleagues.
- See more at: http://www.drshaileshthaker.co.in/blog/leadership-lessons-from-lordshiva.html#sthash.PPIoluQs.dpuf

9 Important Lessons To
Learn From Lord Shiva
LIFE SKILLS JUNE 10, 2015

Lord Shiva is one of the three most powerful Hindu deities

alongside Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, who are together
known as the Great Trinity or Trimurti in Hindi. He is known as
the destroyer of evil forces and is known by various names
such as Mahadeva, Pashupati, Mahakaleshwar, Natraja, Bhole
Nath, etc. In most spiritual aspects, Lord Shiva is depicted as
a yogi who resides on Mount Kailash and is a family person.
He lives with his wife Goddess Parvati and has two divine
sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. He commutes on a divine bull
named Nandi.
Lord Shiva has many iconic features on his looks such as a
third eye on his forehead, a snake named Vasuki around his
neck, his throat is blue, a beautiful crescent moon on his
head, the holy river Ganga flowing down from his matted
hair, a trishul in his hand along with his musical instrument,
Damroo. As per the Hindu beliefs, Lord Shiva sits on a tiger
skin and he has a water pot or Kamandalam beside him. He
wears rudraksha beads on this body and he has ash smeared
over his complete body.
In todays life, where we all are getting devoid of our culture
and values, we must try to incorporate some of the lessons
taught by our rich Hindu culture. Lord Shiva is a true example

of a true teacher who signifies that with love and compassion

we can win the world and to eliminate social evils, we must
take a staunch stand. To know how you can develop your
inner strength and emerge as a person with fierce ideologies,
then read these 9 important lessons to learn from Lord Shiva:

1. Nothing Is Impossible If You Have

A Peaceful Mind
Lord Shivas matter hair is a symbol of unison of mind, body
and soul that enables him to focus better on his duties and
gives peace to his mind. Similarly, in our lives, whether we
want to study harder, attain more productivity at workplace,
concentrate better or aim at achieving better health
condition, then we must try to unite our body, mind and soul.
If we are able to focus on our mind, boy and soul, then we
can peacefully carry on our tasks and a peaceful mind helps
in releasing the happy hormones that keeps us protected
from stress and tensions. When we work peacefully, we save
our energies in doing constructive things and we are able to
face difficulties with a smile on our face.
Read: 16 Effective Ways To Obtain Peace Of Mind

2. Perceiving Things By Giving It A

Thought
The third eye of Lord Shiva symbolises that we must not
always believe what we see until we are able to see it from
the minds eye. This means whenever we face an adverse
circumstance, then we must not keep on thinking about what
we see in front of us. Rather than focusing on the problem by

its visual appeal, we must focus on the topics that are

beyond the problems. We must give our mind enough time to
think about the solution to the problem and must perceive
the situation from all the aspects.

3. Control Your Ego

Lord Shivas weapon Trishul is the indicator of controlling your
ego, mind and intellectual self. If you are challenged to do
something which your mind does not permit and out of ego,
you do it to show off yourself, then you have no control over
your mind, intellect and ego. Uncontrolled ego can be your
biggest enemy and may destroy your individualistic charm. It
may make you angry, irritated and frustrated and such
people are mostly disliked by everyone. You need to think
logically from your mind and keep aside your ego and stay
grounded. If you have complete control on your mind, then
you will able to take better decisions and you will feel great
when you express your true self. Instead of letting your ego
kill your beautiful persona, kill it and see how much people
will start adoring you.

4. Practice Meditation For A Focused

Mind
Lord Shiva is believed to be seated in a meditative pose and
he is symbolised to have an undeterred level of
concentration. He is known for his calm attitude due to his
prowess in practising meditation. In todays busy life, people
are constantly in stress regardless of their age and they find
it difficult to keep themselves focused. To keep stress at bay

and improve concentration, you must practise various

meditation techniques. If you have a meditative approach
while dealing with versatile situations, then you will be able
to handle them with a calm mind and you will have better
clarity about the subject while keeping you in best health at
all times.
Read: Why Should We Meditate Daily?

5. Life Is Ephemeral
The ash smeared on Lord Shivas body signifies that
everything is temporary in this Universe. Life is ephemeral
and we all are mortal beings. People are becoming selfish,
self obsessed with their beauty and intellect. But all these
things and your materialistic outlook too will be converted to
ash one day. You did not bring anything with you when you
were born and you will take nothing when you go from here.
Only your soul is immortal. Keep your soul clean by living life
with content and happiness while keeping others happy too.
Recommended: 11 Important Life Lessons To Learn From
Mahabharata

6. Manage Your Anger In A

Constructive Manner
Blue throat of Lord Shiva indicates control on anger and
channelling it into a constructive cause. Do you often feel
rush of blood and you fill with fury to take revenge on
someone? Then you need to control your emotions as later,
you may regret taking actions in such state of mind.

Whenever, you feel angry and you feel that your emotions
will burst out, just go for a work out or jogging or start
meditating in a calm place. Put your energies in constructive
manner that would otherwise get wasted in taking actions
that you dont intend to take in logical state of mind.

7. Develop Will Power With Exercise

Lord Shivas musical instrument, Damroo is a significance of
getting rid of evil and unnecessary desires from the body.
Eliminating evil from the body means cleansing your body
and making it free from diseases through proper exercise and
healthy diet. You must bring some activeness into your life in
the form of exercise and yoga and must have control on your
untimely food cravings. You must take utmost care of your
health and develop high will power through exercising.
Read: 7 Easy Steps To Develop The Habit Of Exercising

8. Dont Ignore Even Minute Details

While Taking Decisions
Holy Ganga river flowing down from the matted hair of Lord
Shiva signifies clarity and understanding of everything. Many
times, we take decisions on the basis of handful of knowledge
that we have with us. We tend to ignore having complete
details about the matter before pronouncing our decision. Be
it at workplace, relationships, fitness routine, studies, etc, we
jump into conclusions by getting influenced from other
people without proper understanding of the matter. But this
can lead us in taking wrong decisions which may give rise to
many other problems in future. So the next time you confront

a situation where you have incomplete details, dont embark

upon a decision on basis of others advices. Trust your
knowledge and then take decisions.

9. Remove Negative Thoughts

Kamandalam or water pot of Lord Shiva symbolises
purification of mind. You have lived your life worthlessly if
you have not eliminated negativity from your mind and
focused on positivity. Pessimistic approach drains your
knowledge, talent and skills and kills your souls beauty.
Negativity attracts stress, tensions, poor health and you are
least likely to cherish the life given to you. You need to opt
positive approach in your life to help your mind think
productively and to enjoy life with a cheerful attitude.

5 Entrepreneurial Lessons From 'The

Destroyer', Lord Shiva
Bangalore: Lord Shiva, also known by many other names and forms is one of most
influential denominations as per Hindu mythology. Often termed to be The
Transformer or The Destroyer, Shiva is also a part of the Trimurthis, one among the
three primary figures of God. Various historical and mythical researches prove that he
was an outstanding character, as he always chose to be one among all his creations and
thus it is recorded that this Hindu God lived in the dark cold mountains, thereby
depriving himself from the materialistic world.

In every entrepreneurs life at one point in time, they would play the role of Lord Shiva.
Especially in the current context where the startup eco system is booming every
entrepreneur must observe and inculcate certain qualities from the Supreme God.
Unlike being a Shiva entrepreneur who moves on to start something new after realizing
that his startup is not profitable. Here are few lessons that an entrepreneur must learn

from Lord Shiva along with few quotes from few Vedic literatures, apart from always
chanting Har Har Mahadev.

The

Fearsome

Rudra

If a man is doing something but has not the firmness of determination

within

his

mind,

then

he

will

never

be

successful.

Lord Shiva often considered to be the God of Gods also has a very fearsome form which
is known The Rudra. An entrepreneur must have traits of the Rudra as it is the only
form that has the courage to face any situation fearlessly. While running an enterprise or
a startup the front runner of the company must possess bold qualities which will help in
the quicker establishment of the business.
In terms of employee relationship an entrepreneur must closely follow Lord Shiva as he
is known to be a Shipra Kobi one who does not tolerate nuisance and Shipra Prasadi
one who loves and enjoys fun along with being kind and good to employees. For an
entrepreneur there must be no looking back and he must quickly fire unproductive
human resources while still retaining and safeguarding the best ones in business.

Maha

Yogi

and

Householder

One must have self-restraint. Eating too much, sleeping too much,
drinking too much these weaknesses will not help the aspirant. One must
have

balanced

life

and

one

must

have

restraint.

It is true and undeniable that an entrepreneur must have good multitasking skills. He
must know how to maintain a proper balance with the personal and the professional life.
Though Lord Shiva is known to be a Maha Yogi an ascetic sage who meditates and prays
for the well being of the entire creation, and though he secludes himself from
materialistic world; Shiva, also has a family that consists of his wife Parvati and his
children

Ganesha

and

Skandha.

Amidst great responsibilities that include saving the world from evils, he also makes time
for his family. When a person gets smitten by an entrepreneur bug the zeal and
enthusiasm would increase dramatically which would end up in him having a broken
personal life. An entrepreneur must have a balanced life and must know how to tackle
and navigate between his career and family to ensure both have fruitful results.

Ardhanarishvara
One must have respect for ones goal; one must have respect for ones
path.
One of key ways to gain quick success is by treating every individual equally. It is quite
surprising to know that women in our country are still not given the right respect and
status. Biased thoughts still exist in our society and it is still believed that only a man can
run a business successfully. This notion is total junk because if we look back at the past
our very own Gods have believed in the concept of giving a partner the right respect and
status and Ardhanarishvar, a composite androgynous form of Lord Shiva and his better
half Parvati, is still an example that stands tall.

It is always recommended not to get your business to the bed room but if an
entrepreneur has an educated partner then taking his or her assistance can reduce a little
stress. Also with this concept one can understand that an entrepreneur must not have a
biased mind set and must willingly treat everybody that includes all his employees
equally. When an employee is treated with great respect his morale increases which in
turn increases well being of the business.

An
One

artistic
must

have

creator

reverence

for

the

guru.

It is widely seen and heard that Lord Shiva smokes marijuana. This is a talk that has
been there for sometime but gained quick publicity in the modern times. Though there
are many clarifications on that part it is also said that Lord Shiva is the creator of weed
and this happened while the Devas and Rakshasas were churning the ocean of milk. It is
stated in the Vedas that Shiva, the supreme creator created cannabis from his body to
purify the elixir.

An entrepreneur must be an artist in creations and inventions. He must always keep in

mind that, with every creation there must be something that is either useful or
something that would help an individual in his self development. An entrepreneur must
never be self centered and must also use his creations for recreational purposes like what
the Lord himself does.

HariHara
Patience

Avatara
and

then

destruction

This incarnation of Lord Shiva is a combination of two Gods, Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva
(Hara). Vishnu is considered to be a calm and quiet God who sustains life on earth and
Shiva is infamously known to be the destroyer. HariHara avatar is combination of these
traits. While one looks at sustaining life on the planet the other focuses on cleaning up
the unwanted and beasty to start up something new.

An entrepreneur must adopt these lessons from Lord Shiva because at any point if there
is a crisis an entrepreneur must not kill his company but face and deal with all the

consequences and ensure that his startup or company is still safe. However, when things
go beyond control he must not flinch and step back but must have the courage to kill his
startup and begin with a new one to continue the cycle.
======

1) Humans have 3 levels of instincts - reptalian, mammalian and humanoid. His mastery over bull
and snakes shows his control over the 2 lower instincts. Also, wearing snakes as an ornament
shows his ability to manipulate dangers or adversities to his favour. Snakes are very dangerous
and non-domesticable, and a slight change in handling can get a bite from them. 2) Kamandal is
the storage vessel. It represents 'genesis', and the water inside is powerful to create new life and
to heal. He is the master of all healing and creations. 3) Ganga is the personified form of nature.
She is caring, protecting, providing and is a source of life and living. She is viraja-vahini - carrier
of all virtues and auspicions; she represents the flowing time and adaptation according to
situations. She has the power to wash away all fears and sins and give true liberation. However,
she is an element. She creates her way with power to swipe away all obstacles and in her fury,
she is death itself. Being Gangadhara (wearing on head), Siva provides the ultimate respect to
the ultimate power of nature while he harness the power of the element. How much ever we have
power to affect nature, we must not forget its divinity. We must always keep it pacified, not
allowing it to adopt its calamitous form. 4) Damaru is a simple musical instrument, source of
sound, and represents "srishti". He is passionate in music and has the ability of progenesis
(symbolized along with urdhwalinga) and master of all arts - teaches that art/enjoyment is also
needed in the life (along with his nataraja form). 5) Blue-throat (Neelakandha) shows that he is
ready to sacrifice his life for his people. He had drunk Kaalkoot (halaahal) posion emerged from
milk-ocean to save the world. His act also states that we must be ready to accept not just the
beneficial outcomes of our actions, but also the adverse outsomes. 6) Further, lord has a silver
ax - to remove all obstracles on our own, rather than depending any deities (Ganesha) and to
fight off all adversaries on our own. Rudraksha are seeds, seeds representing storage of life and
immortality. Wearing them, he shows he can protect life in this earth. The fawn (deer) in his
hands shows his tender side. He cares wild-life, protects them and is in harmony with nature. He
may be appearing fierce with all matted hair, ash, snakes and weapons, but if you seek his
protection, he will definitly take care of you. 7) Having skull in his hand, and seeking alms, he
shows that nothing is permenant. There is no use of accumulating thing when they all get lost at
some point. He instructs everyone to obtain only what we are in need, nothing more or nothing
less. 8) He shared half of his body with his wife and became ardhanareeswara. It teaches that a
husband and a wife are always equal and must be inseparable. They must live as a single unit, ill
of one being the ill of other. It shows that a husband and a wife have equal rights over one
another, needs each other and without the other are incomplete. 9) Being the master of ghosts

and other spirits, he shows that in Nature every one are "one". He is the friend to all social out
casts. Bhoota represents people without any identity (ie,like men who are not rich, popular,
handsome etc), he is the friend of them. Preta represents men without livliness, goals or with a
sane mind and Pisacha are men living with lower instincts and with low levels of morality. He is a
friend and father to all of them. He lives beyond the society and its stupid rules.