Aakash Parihar

H14063

Veda Vyasa

Vyasa is a focal and respected figure in most Hindu customs. He is likewise now and again called Veda
Vysa or Krishna Dvaipyana. He is the creator of the Mahabharata, and in addition a character in it.
He is thought to be the recorder of both the Vedas and Puranas. As per Hindu convictions, Vyasa is a
symbol of the god Vishnu. Vyasa is additionally thought to be one of the seven Chiranjivins (enduring,
or immortals), who are still in presence as indicated by Hindu conviction.
Vyasa lived around the third thousand years BCE. The celebration of Guru Purnima is devoted to him.
It is otherwise called Vyasa Purnima, for it is the day accepted to be both his birthday and the day he
partitioned the Vedas.
Vyasa was grandfather to the Kauravas and Pandavas. Their fathers, Dhritarashtra and Pandu, the
children of Vichitravirya by the imperial family, were fathered by him. He had a third child, Vidura, by
a serving house keeper Parishram
The following qualities of Veda Vyasa will be emulated and a parallel will be drawn with the modern
context:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Selfless
Intellect
Immortal
Foresight
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Selflessness:
Veda Vyasa was one of the greatest sages to have
taken birth in this planet. He was famous for his
deeds of selflessness. He was called upon to
father the sons of Vichitravirya by the royal
family. Apart from that, the Mahabharata is full
of examples where Veda Vyasa showcased the
quality of being selfless. In the Mahabharata
there are numerous instances such as the fact that
Vyasa lived in a small hut and not lavish palaces
created for kings itself is proof enough that he
had chosen a life of selflessness and penance.
In the modern context, when it comes to our
personal lives, we see this everyday when
mothers always keep the childs needs before her
needs and the father always puts himself last
when it comes to fulfilling the wishes of the
family. This is illustrated by a story given in
Mahabharata itself as told by Veda Vyasa
himself. The story is of Indra and Suravi (Mother
of cows) and is illustrated below:
Vyasa said, 'O ruler, O child of
Vichitravirya, what thou sayest is
valid! We know it well that a child is
the best for goodness' sake and that
nothing is so great as a child.
Trained by the tears of Suravi, Indra
came to realize that the child
surpasseth in worth other significant
belonging. O ruler, I will, in this
association, identify with thee that
magnificent and best of stories, the
discussion in the middle of Indra and
Suravi. In days of yore, Suravi, the
mother of bovines was once sobbing
in the heavenly areas. O youngster,
Indra took sympathy upon her, and
asked her, saying, 'O promising one!
why dost thou sob? Is everything
great with the celestials? Hath any
hardship, little, come to pass for the
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universe of men or serpents?' Suravi answered, 'No malice hath come upon thee that I
see. In any case, I am bothered because of my child, and it is in this manner, O
Kausika, that I sob! It couldn't be any more obvious, O head of the celestials, there
savage planter is harping on my feeble child with the wooden stick, and mistreating
him with the (heaviness of the) furrow, in outcome of which my tyke fomented with
misery is falling upon the ground and is at the purpose of death. At sight of this, O
master of the celestials, I am loaded with sympathy, and my brain is fomented! The one
that is the more grounded of the pair is bearing his burthen of more noteworthy weight
(effortlessly), however, O Vasava, the other is incline, and frail and is a mass of veins
and corridors! He beareth his burthen with trouble! What's more, it is for him that I
lament. It's just plain obvious, O Vasava, sore delivered with the whip, and bothered
exceedingly, he is not able to tolerate his burthen. What's more, it is for him that,
moved by misery, I sob in greatness of heart and these tears of sympathy stream down
my eyes!' (Vyasa, n.d.)
This motherly love which has been told in the story can be extrapolated to the modern
organisational context wherein a leader in todays organisation needs to be aware of the needs and
aspirations of each of his subordinates. He should help them grow and prosper and lead in such a
way that all gain from that leadership. The leader should also be aware of the needs of the customer
so that the organisation as a whole is able to focus on the needs of the customer and is able to
delight him always with product or service they provide.
Intellect:
Veda Vyasa has been credited with reciting the Mahabharata to Lord Ganesha in one go and also
writing Yoga Bhashya, Brahma Sutra, etc. He is also said to be the one who broke the Vedas in
different parts and wrote them down (hence the name Veda Vyasa), until then the Vedas were
verbally passed down from generation to generation. This clearly shows the high intellectual
capacity that Veda Vyasa possessed. Also when Vyasa quotes Senajit on happiness and misery, it
exhibits the intellect he possessed. A few lines from the same are quoted below:
O Yudhishthira, is the thing that Senajit of awesome shrewdness said, that individual
who was acquainted with what is great or awful in this world, with obligations, and
with satisfaction and wretchedness. He who is lamented at other individuals' griefs
can never be cheerful. There is no end of melancholy, and pain emerges from bliss
itself. Satisfaction and wretchedness, success and misfortune, addition and
misfortune, passing and life, in their turn, hold up upon all animals. Hence the astute
man of quiet soul ought to nor be elated with euphoria nor be discouraged with
distress. To be occupied with fight has been said to be the Sacrifice for a lord; a due
recognition of the investigation of reprimand is his Yoga; and the endowment of
riches in penances as Dakshina is his Renunciation. All these ought to be viewed as
acts that purify him. By representing the kingdom with knowledge and strategy,
pushing off pride, performing gives up, and taking a gander at everything and all
persons with generosity and absence of bias, a high-souled lord, after death, sports in
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the district of the divine beings. By winning fights, securing his kingdom, drinking the
Soma juice, propelling his subjects, wielding sensibly the pole of Chastisement, and
pushing off his body finally in battle, a lord appreciates satisfaction in paradise.
Having concentrated every one of the Vedas and alternate sacred texts appropriately,
having ensured the kingdom legitimately, and having brought on all the four requests
to stick to their separate obligations, a lord gets to be blessed lastly wears in
paradise. He is the best of lords whose behavior, even after his passing, is extolled by
the occupants of city and nation and by his guides and companions." (Vyasa, THE
MAHABHARATA VOLUME 12, n.d.)
This kind of intellectual capacity and superiority is still revered in the Indian society wherein
Doctors, Scientists and Professors are held in high esteem and are respected. This is also a quality
that is required in todays leaders. Be it in any field. The authors alma mater BITS- Pilani also
followed the same rationale and hence the tag line they have used since their inception is Gyanam
Param Balam which translates to English as Knowledge is Power Supreme.
Knowledge has, unintentionally or intentionally, been a creator of power. He who holds knowledge
holds immense power over others. That is why countries which hold higher knowledge in terms
technological advancements hold power over other countries. In fact the other countries
automatically become followers and they try to emulate the knowledge intensive countries to reach
their point of development. This also holds true in modern organisations wherein a leader who has
knowledge almost always fares better that his peers who do not possess the same amount of
knowledge. For the subordinates also the leader who possesses knowledge is the one with which
the subordinates want to work, since they get more chances to grow both intellectually and
professionally.
Immortal:
Veda Vyasa is said to have been a Chiranjivin, which is an immortal. Even though he himself might
not be alive today but the books he wrote, especially the Mahabharata, have attained immortality
for him. Also, the ideas that Veda Vyasa talked about have stayed in the Indian traditions since.
This is the only way to attain immortality. An example of this is when he speaks to Yudhisthir about
the duties of a king. A few lines from the same are given below:
There is no wrongdoing, O Yudhishthira, in doing a demonstration with healthiness,
after full pondering, and discussion with men equipped for offering solid counsel. Our
errands fizzle or succeed through predetermination. In the event that effort, then
again, be connected, sin would not touch the lord. I should discuss to thee, O tiger
among rulers, the account of what happened to an old lord of the name of Hayagriva,
O child of Pandu, the story, viz., of the gallant Hayagriva of unstained deeds, who
in the wake of having killed countless enemies in fight, was himself crushed and killed
while without an adherent close by. Having accomplished all that ought to be finished
holding enemies under check and received each one of those first of means by which
men may be secured, Hayagriva gained awesome acclaim from the fights he battled
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and is currently getting a charge out of extraordinary joy in paradise. Mutilated by

thieves with weapons, intensely battling with them, and pushing off his life in fight,
the high-souled Hayagriva, ever mindful to his (royal) obligations, accomplished the
object of his life and is currently getting a charge out of incredible joy in paradise.
The bow was his (conciliatory) stake and the bowstring was the string for tying the
casualties. Shafts constituted the littler scoop and the sword the vast one, and blood
was the elucidated margarine that he poured. The auto was the sacrificial stone and
the fierceness he felt in fight was the flame, and the four premier of steeds yoked unto
his vehicle were the four Hotris. Having poured upon that conciliatory flame his
adversaries as drinks and afterward his own life-breaths toward the culmination of
the penance, that incredible lion among rulers, viz., Hayagriva, got to be liberated
from sin and is currently wearing in the districts of the divine beings. Having secured
his kingdom with strategy and insight, the high-souled Hayagriva of surrendered self
and awesome quality of brain and usual to the execution of penances filled every one
of the universes with his distinction and is currently wearing in the district of the
divine being. (Vyasa, THE MAHABHARATA VOLUME 12, n.d.)

Men are mortals but the ideas stay forever. In todays context also, leaders who have revolutionised
the world have passed away but the ideas that they preached have stayed after them. A good
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example of this is Mahatma Gandhi, who preached non-violence and Satyagraha is still considered
the Father of the Nation for the ideas he gave to world.
Similar is the case for organisational leaders today, a leader should be able to ideate and give a
purpose and direction to the organisation he leads. This is the primary role of a leader. The people
who believe in the idea and the organisations purpose are the ones who are required in the
organisation and the leader also ensures that. A very good example of these kinds of organisations
are Apple and Google. Steve Jobs on the one hand defined what Apple stood for on the other he
hired to work with him only those kinds of people who believed in the purpose. Same is the case
with Google. Google allows its employees to have free time in the office so that they can work on
their own ideas. This has been so successful that last year more than fifty percent of Googles new
products came from these ideas generated by the employees of the company. This was possible
only because of the fact that the founders of Google defined a purpose for the organisation and
hired only those kinds of people who believed in that purpose.

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Foresight:
Veda Vyasas foresight can be established from the fact that when Lord Ganesha asked
Veda Vyasa to recite the whole of Mahabharata in one go, he did so without any
hesitation. Also when the Pandavas re-begin the battle. Yudhishthira against Karna.
Vyasa tells Yudhishthira he will be king in 5 days. To illustrate this a few lines from
Mahabharata have been given below:
O Yudhishthira! O first one of Bharata's race, (if this had happen), then
awesome would have been thy sorrow. O supplier of distinctions, by good
fortunes the Rakshasa hath been killed in fight by the Suta's child. For sure,
Ghatotkacha hath been killed by death himself making the dart of Vasava an
instrument just. For thy great it is, O sire, that the Rakshasa hath been
killed in fight. Try not to respect outrage, O principal one of Bharata's race,
and don't set thy heart on sorrow. O Yudhishthira, this is the end of all
animals in this world. Uniting with thy siblings and every one of the famous
lords (of the host), battle with the Kauravas in fight, O Bharata! On the fifth
day from this, the earth will be thine. O tiger among men, dependably
consider righteousness. With a happy heart, O child of Pandu, practice
graciousness (to all animals), compensations, philanthropy, pardoning, and
truth. Triumph arrives where exemplary nature is." Having said these words
unto the child of Pandu, Vyasa made himself undetectable there and
afterward.' (Vyasa, THE MAHABHARATA VOLUME 7, n.d.)
This kind of foresight is of utmost importance for a leader in the modern organisation.
The leader should have the ability to understand the business and judge what the market
would look like 5-10 years from now. This kind of foresight helps the organisation be
prepared for the future and gives it a competitive advantage over others. This foresight
also allows the employees of the company to be able to cope up with sudden changes in
the organisation as when the leader communicates what he sees in the future for the
company the employees also gear up for the same.
In conclusion, it has been established that the qualities that made a man great in the ancient
times still hold good and can be emulated by the leaders of the modern times too. The
qualities discussed above, namely Selflessness, Intellect, Immortality and Foresight can be
considered to be the four cardinals of leadership. How they hold good has been discussed at
great length.

References
Vyasa, K.-D. (n.d.). THE MAHABHARATA VOLUME 1. Retrieved from Gutenberg:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15474/15474-h/15474h.htm#link2H_4_0331
Vyasa, K.-D. (n.d.). THE MAHABHARATA VOLUME 12. Retrieved from Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15476/pg15476-images.html
Vyasa, K.-D. (n.d.). THE MAHABHARATA VOLUME 12. Retrieved from Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15476/pg15476-images.html
Vyasa, K.-D. (n.d.). THE MAHABHARATA VOLUME 7. Retrieved from Gutenberg:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15475/15475-h/15475-h.htm
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