A Broad Vision in Business and Life: Sri Sathya Sai Paradigm

People have to serve the nation and society in so many ways and ensure that it progresses well. The feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ must be minimised in the service of society. If the society is not there, ‘I’ cannot exist. There is the need for a greater number of such individuals to form a healthy society. A healthy society can be formed only when many such people form part of it. Therefore, Satsang (good company) is very important. One must never give place to any agitation in the mind. We must increase our love for God, as He is the real friend. Worldly friends are only false associates. You and your ‘real friend’ have two different bodies but one single mind. Worldly friends and associates can be compared to frogs in a well. Frogs reside in the well as long as it contains water. However, God is not like that. God is in you, with you and around you. You are also God. You are not one person but three. 

The one you think you are – the Body.

The one others think you are – the Mind.

The one you really are – the Soul.

When you realise this, you will not be troubled by anything. Therefore, develop this love and faith in God. Without that, you cannot achieve anything. With that faith, you must embark upon any work in society. The most important thing that one should recognise is gratitude. You must always show gratitude to the organisation that gives you a job. Gratitude must first be cultivated at one’s own home. First show gratitude to your parents (for they bestow you with blood [meaning in this context the physical body], food, head [intelligence, thoughts and self-image] and Duddu [money]); then to your Gurus (these days it can be inferred as teachers). A person truly becomes a human being if he possesses gratitude. Broaden your mind and nurture love. Once a person cultivates human values, he would be able to achieve anything. It is important for people to comprehend the significance of Man Management in the modern world. One should consider how one would be able to manage the mind and direct it along the right path.

These are characteristics of a perfect person. Only when the leaders personify these qualities and practise them in real life will the country progress. In the Bhagavad Gita it is said, “Yogakshemam Vahaamyaham”. ‘Yoga’ means discerning that from others what we are not aware of; ‘Kshemam’ means welfare and security. Where there is God, there is victory. In all human undertakings in society, the following sequence of spiritual exhortations would have to be followed - God comes first, world next and then only ‘I’. Pandavas assigned first priority to ‘Krishna’ (referring to God); followed by ‘duty to society’ (referring to the world); and lastly ‘their personal interests’. That is why they always had Krishna with them in His physical form at the physical plane and His ‘infinite grace’ at the non-physical plane. On the contrary, as Kauravas gave God last priority, they swerved from the path of righteousness. One must have faith and confidence in God followed by belief in one’s own Self. It is very important, as without it, one cannot achieve anything in life. This will also help you in your professional life. An exemplary life is the fundamental basis for earning a good name for one’s parents and one’s institution. 

Source: Chapter 6, Management of Organisational Issues, Man Management: A Values-Based Management Perspective