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Authors: Devdutt Pattanaik
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was a discussion as to what would be more impactful: providing latrines in villages, or laptops? The majority voted in favour of laptops.
But before we judge humanity harshly, we must remind ourselves that humans are 99 per cent animals (technically it is 96 per cent, but 99 per cent sounds more dramatic). Only a tiny percentage of our genes are exclusively human. In the evolutionary scale, fear is thus a far more familiar emotion than ideas that spring from the imagination. Fear has enabled us to survive for three billion years; imagination has been around for less than a million. In doubt, we naturally regress towards older, more familiar emotions. Further, the body physiology resists thinking and introspecting and analyzing, as brain activity needs glucose, a precious fuel that the body would rather conserve in the muscles in anticipation of a crisis. That is why the human mind prefers the tangible to the intangible, behaviour to belief, simpler ideas to complex ones, predictable models to models that thrive on uncertainty, the jati construct to the varna construct. Even though every culture and every organization bases itself on lofty ideals, when crisis strikes, everyone regresses, relying on age-old fear-based animal instincts of aggression, territoriality and domination. Imagination is then used to rationalize one's choice, ex post facto.
Perhaps, the time has come to realize our evolutionary potential, open our eyes once again, and do darshan. Darshan means looking beyond the measurable: if imagination has the power to make us value profit over people, it also has the power to make business growth an outcome of people growth, not regardless of it.
Trusting human potential is not easy. Including other truths is not easy. But to rise in grace, we must outgrow gravity.
III
Business Sutra
A Very Indian Approach to Management
usiness is yagna, the ritual described in the oldest and most revered of Hindu scriptures, the Rig Veda.
The yajaman initiates this ritual, makes offerings into agni, fire burning in the altar, exclaiming, "svaha"—this of me I offer, hoping to please his chosen deity or devata who will then give him whatever he desires, exclaiming, "tathastu"—so it shall be.
Svaha is what the yajaman invests: goods, services and ideas. Tathastu is the return on investment: revenue in the marketplace or salary paid by the employer, or even the services offered by the employee. It all depends on who plays the role of the yajaman, who initiates the yagna. The yagna can operate both downstream, as well as upstream, so the devata can either be the buyer or the seller, the investor or the entrepreneur, the employer or employee, director or doorman.
Paresh believes that because he pays a good salary, his cook prepares his meals just the way he likes them. He is the yajaman and the cook is the devata. The cook, however, believe that it is his skill at preparing good meals which gets him a good salary from Paresh. In the cook's imagination, he is the yajaman and Paresh the devata. Both do svaha, which gives them a satisfactory tathastu.
A yagna is declared a success only if it ushers in wealth and prosperity. Everyone agrees then that Lakshmi has arrived. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth. She is also goddess of auspiciousness; her image adorns not only Hindu homes but also Jain temples and Buddhist stupas, indicating her popularity even amongst those who shunned ritual.
Her name has two roots: laksh, meaning target and lakshan, meaning indicator. Was the purpose of a yagna the generation of wealth? Or was wealth generation simply an indicator of some other goal? The answer to this question is the typically Indian, "Depends!"
He of tamas-guna will agree with what the majority says.
He of rajas-guna will see Lakshmi as the target.
He of sattva-guna will see Lakshmi as an indicator of personal growth.
In most societies, he of tamas-guna makes up the majority
But before we judge humanity harshly, we must remind ourselves that humans are 99 per cent animals (technically it is 96 per cent, but 99 per cent sounds more dramatic). Only a tiny percentage of our genes are exclusively human. In the evolutionary scale, fear is thus a far more familiar emotion than ideas that spring from the imagination. Fear has enabled us to survive for three billion years; imagination has been around for less than a million. In doubt, we naturally regress towards older, more familiar emotions. Further, the body physiology resists thinking and introspecting and analyzing, as brain activity needs glucose, a precious fuel that the body would rather conserve in the muscles in anticipation of a crisis. That is why the human mind prefers the tangible to the intangible, behaviour to belief, simpler ideas to complex ones, predictable models to models that thrive on uncertainty, the jati construct to the varna construct. Even though every culture and every organization bases itself on lofty ideals, when crisis strikes, everyone regresses, relying on age-old fear-based animal instincts of aggression, territoriality and domination. Imagination is then used to rationalize one's choice, ex post facto.
Perhaps, the time has come to realize our evolutionary potential, open our eyes once again, and do darshan. Darshan means looking beyond the measurable: if imagination has the power to make us value profit over people, it also has the power to make business growth an outcome of people growth, not regardless of it.
Trusting human potential is not easy. Including other truths is not easy. But to rise in grace, we must outgrow gravity.
III
Business Sutra
A Very Indian Approach to Management
usiness is yagna, the ritual described in the oldest and most revered of Hindu scriptures, the Rig Veda.
The yajaman initiates this ritual, makes offerings into agni, fire burning in the altar, exclaiming, "svaha"—this of me I offer, hoping to please his chosen deity or devata who will then give him whatever he desires, exclaiming, "tathastu"—so it shall be.
Svaha is what the yajaman invests: goods, services and ideas. Tathastu is the return on investment: revenue in the marketplace or salary paid by the employer, or even the services offered by the employee. It all depends on who plays the role of the yajaman, who initiates the yagna. The yagna can operate both downstream, as well as upstream, so the devata can either be the buyer or the seller, the investor or the entrepreneur, the employer or employee, director or doorman.
Paresh believes that because he pays a good salary, his cook prepares his meals just the way he likes them. He is the yajaman and the cook is the devata. The cook, however, believe that it is his skill at preparing good meals which gets him a good salary from Paresh. In the cook's imagination, he is the yajaman and Paresh the devata. Both do svaha, which gives them a satisfactory tathastu.
A yagna is declared a success only if it ushers in wealth and prosperity. Everyone agrees then that Lakshmi has arrived. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth. She is also goddess of auspiciousness; her image adorns not only Hindu homes but also Jain temples and Buddhist stupas, indicating her popularity even amongst those who shunned ritual.
Her name has two roots: laksh, meaning target and lakshan, meaning indicator. Was the purpose of a yagna the generation of wealth? Or was wealth generation simply an indicator of some other goal? The answer to this question is the typically Indian, "Depends!"
He of tamas-guna will agree with what the majority says.
He of rajas-guna will see Lakshmi as the target.
He of sattva-guna will see Lakshmi as an indicator of personal growth.
In most societies, he of tamas-guna makes up the majority
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