Knowledge Management in Vedic Society

A few lessons for the present age

Knowledge Management Technological Change

Knowledge Management has assumed the character of a necessary condition for wealth creation. Further, this acceleration in life cycle of technological change is necessitating continuous education and skill enhancement. The accepted practices of apprenticeship to gain skills and knowledge are becoming insufficient. Knowledge is being generated incessantly by nuclear groups and corporate bodies. Computer networks, and the internet have made the spread of this generated knowledge imperative and easy. Simple ethos of competition is engendering this. The problems are in the absorption and utilization of this knowledge. The entire gamut of this technological activity is covered by Knowledge Management.

Gods cited in the veda are powers Outwardly of physical nature Inwardly of psychic nature
Example a) Agni: Outwardly physical principle of fire. Inwardly the god of psychic godward, flame, force, will, tapas. b) Surya: Outwardly the solar light. Inwardly the god of illuminating revelatory knowledge. c) Soma: Outwardly the moon, the soma wine. Inwardly god of spiritual ecstasy, Ananda

Trayoh artha sarvavedeshu

Three meanings of all Vedas
Adhiyajna: ritualistic meaning generally together Adhidaiva: relating to deities Adhibhoutika: gross external meaning Adhyatma: esoteric meaning

Meaning of words
Conventional (ruda) (Superficial but symbolic) Real and intended meanings (yaugika) etymologically valid Vedic commentaries by Yaska, Saunaka Katyayana, Durgacharya Ananda Tirtha, Bhaskara, Raghavendra Tirtha, Sri Aurobindo, Kapali Sastry. The veda itself gives a key to veda.

Tacit and Explicit Knowledge

In understanding KM, Nonaka and Konno, distinguish between knowledge as tangible and intangible. Tangible knowledge is explicit while intangible knowledge is tacit. Explicit knowledge can be expressed in words and numbers shared in the form of data, scientific formulae, specifications,manuals and the like. Tacit knowledge is highly personal and hard to formalize, making it difficult to communicate and share with others. Subjective insights, intuitions and hunches fall into this category of knowledge. Tacit knowledge is deeply routed in an individuals actions and experience as well as in the ideals, values or emotions he or she embraces This classification seems to be a profound one in understanding the entire gamut of KM.

Tacit and Explicit Knowledge

Nonako and Konno elaborate on this model Tacit knowledge can only be shared, if the self is freed to become larger self that includes tacit knowledge of the other.In short selftranscendence is a key to group integration and conversion of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. Articulation of tacit knowledge involves techniques that help to express ones ideas or images as words, concepts, figurative language and visuals. Dialogue is suggested as another important mode of articulation.

Knowledge Management Capture of Knowledge

Knowledge creation is through organized innovation. R&D and also through process of interaction between tacit and explicit knowledges. Knowledge creation is through organized innovation, R&D and also through process of interaction between tacit and explicit knowledges. In fact this model of KM suggested is similar to the one found in Vedic society. This will be discussed in the next section. McAdam and Sandra say that Knowledge is systematically captured only at senior management level and to a lesser degree at middle management level! And tacit knowledge is addressed mainly through informal mechanisms .

Knowledge Management Earlier Societies

There were such societies earlier. One of the most prominent among these is the Vedic Society of Indian Civilization. Vid means to know. An entire culture and civilization was driven by this thirst for knowledge with one difference. The knowledge referred to in Vedic society covers a whole gamut of science, philosophies, technologies and all that man can inquire into and engage himself with. However, the guiding factor was to understand the nature of human being in relation to himself and also in relation to his natural context. For the Vedic Rishi (Seer) all nature and all creation is one unified whole, a complex system of which he is part. This theme was explored, and experienced for centuries together. The emerging knowledge was recorded, validated and revalidated through several methods of inquiry. Such activity engaged the mind of Indian Society for centuries together. Evidently there is much to learn from such a vibrant society in terms of Knowledge Management.

Vedic Period
Vedic period is approximately from 2500 BC (circa) 700 BC. Vedic society had created formal and informal institutions to sustain the concept. Even now, after 6000 years these institutions are extant in some weak form. The present society is associating knowledge (almost exclusively) with technology for creation of wealth, use of wealth, generation of technology, and use of technology. Knowledge (sharing technology) is organised around industry, R&D and teaching institutions. The generated wealth is managed in terms of distribution and performance through financial institutions. Human being has become a resource. Evidently there is difference in the understanding of the word knowledge.

Vedic Knowledge
The vedic knowledge is esoteric. In the language of technologists, it is essentailly tacit. It concerns everyone. It refers to questions about existence which arise in everyones mind sometime or the other during a persons life. Everyone can obtain this knowledge provided he makes up his/her mind and follows the paths of inquiry that have been identified by earlier seekers. If someone is capable, he can devise his own path for seeking. The instrument of inquiry is the inquirer himself. Whatever is experienced has to be validated by very well-defined systems of inquiry. Whatever some inquiry throws up can become valid to the inquirer only if it is experienced. There is a constant interchange between inquiry and experience in the present day terminology, constant inter-change between theory and practice.

Vedic Knowledge
Thus there is continuous creation of knowledge, codification of it and dissemination at various levels. Speed of knowledge creation and the need for diffusion and adaptation was not the one which guided the need for knowledge management methods as in the case of the technological knowledge management of the present. The basic character of knowledge determined the management techniques. Knowledge of that kind was pursued by the people (may be a few influential ones) or was allowed by the society for such a long time as millennia. Each Vidya or method of acquiring knowledge was handed down and preserved for a period of nearly 1500 to 3000 years by a line of teachers of 60 to 70 generations.

Knowledge Management The ways to influence the target groups

The fact is that knowledge was managed to create and retain this profound influence at various levels. Creation of knowledge: This is done by Upasanas or Vidyas techniques bys the seekers. Krishna Dwipayana Vyasa, the last Vyasa, is the manager of the generated knowledge for the benefit of the society. He has done it to teach the race that cometh. Vyasa means the compiler, the arranger. He arranged the extant knowledge into four vedas, Bhagavad gita, the Brahma sutras, 18 Puranas, Mahabharata and Bhagavata, to meet the knowledge needs of various levels and groups of people. Here by level we mean the level of desire for knowledge contained in the Vedas. Most of the people would like very clear explicit knowledge. The Puranas are intended for such people.

Arrangement of Veda
The arrangement of a veda is also interesting. the principal parts of each veda are known as the Samhitas and Brahmanas. The samhitas are collection of manthras, the veda proper. The Brahmanas are the commentaries interpretation of new suggestions. Again the Brahmanas are divided into brahmanas proper, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads. The Samhitas comprise the general vedic experiences and the mantras necessary for he propitiation and manifestation of the gods. And the brahmanas provide all the details connected with the ceremonies, sacrificial rites etc. The Upanishads are repository of knowledge of the Supreme being divested of ceremonies and allegories. The Samhitas have laid stress on the form of religious culture while the Upanishads on the spirit of it.

Recovery of Lost/working knowledge

Shri Aurobindo says that the Rishis in the later vedantic age sought to recover the lost waning knowledge by meditation and spiritual experience and they used the text of the ancient mantras as a prop or an authority for their own intuitions and peceptions. Similarly another statement
Agnimile purohitam yanjasya devanmrityajam hotram ratnadhatmam Ritualistic translation I praise Agni, the Purohita of the sacrifice, the god, the Ritwik, the Hota, who holds very much wealth. Psychological translation I seek the God will, the priest set in front of our sacrifice, the divine offerer who sacrifices in the order of truth, who disposes utterly the delight. Literal English translation. Agni I adore who stands before the lord, the god who seeks truth, the Warrior, the strong disposer of delight.

Tacit Knowledge to Explicit Knowledge

Bible and Quran are also such recordings of what Jesus and Prophet Mohammed said during their lives. Examples of explicit knowledge are contained in Yajurveda and Sutras. Here everything about the conduct of life and rituals are spelled out in great detail-to the level of the length and breadth and height of the Yajna Kanda the place where the fire is to be tended in a sacrifice and the size of the faggots to be fed to the fire. The language adopted is not poetic. It is simple narration in prose. Mantra Pushpam is a case of converting tacit knowledge into explicit mode and making it part of daily ritual to make ordinary people, with little interest in things other than the routine conscious of Truth and remind them of it constantly.

Lessons for the present Knowledge Management.

The above discussion of the Vedic Societies Knowledge Management gives us a few clues about the way we can manage KM in our technological activities. Tacit part knowledge should be conveyed essentially orally. This implies poetic and cryptic ways of expression. Aphorism-like statements, crisp formulations, and slogans to be generated which should be discussed and explained. Seniors should play a significant role in the KM Leader managers at every level should take the lead Every level should have differently designed knowledge packages (both tacit and explicit) Higher level KM involves more of tacit knowledge management. Lower level is more explicit knowledge. Historical documentation and life patterns of the people should be recorded and distributed. All this is like a journey and not a single stop situation.