Sri Sathya Sai provides Managerial Insights from Ramayana

For the survival and prosperity of any organisation, there should be perfect co-operation among all its employees. However, confidence or trust is an important aspect for such cooperation to be achieved among the personnel of an organisation. It is also to be realised that for such cooperation to be achieved, prior job experience becomes a prerequisite for managers in responsible positions. 

Hanuman with Mother Sita at Ashoka Vana in Lanka
This can be illustrated by means of an incident from Ramayana. Hanuman visited Lanka in search of Mother Sita. In that effort, he had to go through bedrooms in the inner apartments of Ravana, where women sleep during night time. Though he had to witness several disagreeable scenes in that situation, his mind did not waver a bit. He conjectured that Mother Sita, a paragon of virtues, would not reside in such rooms. Thinking thus within himself, Hanuman went out and sat on the branch of a Sinsupa tree. Neither Hanuman nor mother Sita had seen each other before, as the camaraderie between Rama and Sugreeva began only after Sita was abducted. Hanuman could identify her only with the help of certain ‘traits’. These traits constitute that which is described as character. She was wearing a yellow coloured jute sari and sitting in distress under a tree in Ashoka Van. Thus, recalling the events that occurred since her abduction, Hanuman began to sing the story of Rama sitting on the top branches of a tree. Sita heard the song and wondered how anybody amidst Rakshasas (demons) would sing the glory of Rama or utter His name. She also doubted if anybody was playing a practical joke on her. However, within no time, she could identify the legitimacy of Hanuman because of his humility and devotion to Rama. She, therefore, developed trust in Hanuman’s genuineness as a messenger of Rama. As he bowed before her, she asked him to relate his story first. After identifying himself as the devotee of Rama, he narrated the entire story of friendship between Rama and Sugreeva and the mission on which he was sent. She thus gradually developed confidence in Hanuman because of his good character. 

Rama and Ahalya
Though Rama set His feet on many stones while wandering in the forest, all of them were not transformed into humans. However, because of the steadfast devotion of Ahalya to Rama and her self-belief in her own purity, she was able to regain the human form from inertness with the touch of the Divine feet of Lord Rama. 

Likewise, subordinate employees should be able to repose full confidence in a superior manager to whom they report. In other words, there should be a similar sort of harmony (as that between Rama and Ahalya; and Sita and Hanuman) between the manager and his subordinates. 

But in today’s world, the industrial and business organisations are in a state of chaos. The reason for this is that neither managers nor workers volunteer to assume any responsibilities, but only crave for rights. However, it should be remembered that only those who accept responsibilities with enthusiasm would be endowed with rights. Like God, man also has all powers in him, but he is not able to realise this truth. A manager who is keen on practicing Man Management and accomplishing organisational objectives should manage himself at the first instance.

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