I N D IA N I N STITU TE OF M A N A G EM EN T

I N D OR E

H U M A N V A LU ES F R OM B H A G A V A D G ITA

S U B M ITTED TO : P R OF (D R ) A K H A Y A N A Y A K

I N D IV ID U A L A SSIG N M EN T

U seful Life Lessons from B hagavad G ita

Report, 1 March 2022

Author: Roll Number:

R ishu R aj 2019IP M 092

During the course and my reading of the Bhagavad Gita, I came across many eye-opening verses
which helped me gain clarity on subjects like duty of an individual, God as a concept and the
meaning of spirituality as well as the path that leads to it.
The teachings that I take away from this course on Human Values from Bhagavad Gita which
will continue to inspire me in my personal and professional journey are listed below along with
the relevant verses from the Holy book itself:
Perhaps the most important teaching that I derive from the course is on self-belief. Self-belief as
a virtue is extremely important as we are an end-product of what we believe in, whether it is in
the personal space or the professional sphere of life. The following verse has been said about
self-belief in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 17, Verse 3):

सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भर्ति भारि |

श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्ध: स एर् स: || 3||

The faith of all humans conforms to the

nature of their mind. All people possess faith,
and whatever the nature of their faith, that is
verily what they are.
As said in the above verse, everyone is an outcome of what they have faith in, because faith is
derived from their nature. Hence, a positive self-belief is important. Self-belief not only leads to
a more optimistic and positive outlook about life in general, but also is the root cause of all
successes in life. Believing in something is the first step towards the goal, as it inspires action.
Without action there can be no fruit and it has been beautifully outlined in perhaps one of the
most popular verses from the Bhagavad Gita.

कमवण्येर्ातिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |

मा कमवफलहेिुभभवमाव िे सङ्गोऽस्त्वकमवति || 47 ||

You have a right to perform your prescribed

duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of
your actions. Never consider yourself to be
the cause of the results of your activities, nor
be attached to inaction.
In the above verse, it is said that performing duties is the right of every individual but not the fruit
of performing that duty. It is also said that one should not attach too much importance to
themselves being the cause of their successes, neither should one be attached to inaction. Hence,
the Bhagavad Gita says that everyone should always keep following the path that has been laid out
for them. It also outlines the importance of humility in the face of successes. In both personal and
professional life, it might be easy to attain success but that success should not be seen as a result
of their own efforts alone, hence outlining the need to be grateful for all things that went in our
favor as well as every kind of support that we received from other people, and God himself. One
should be stoic in the discharging duties and should not be affected by the results of the actions,
as long as the actions conform to the Dharma. The importance being unaffected by conflicting
emotions and fulfilling one’s responsibility has been outlined in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 2,
Verse 38):

सुखदु :खे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ |

ििो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैर्ं पापमर्ाप्स्स्यतस || 38||

Fight for the sake of duty, treating alike

happiness and distress, loss and gain, victory
and defeat. Fulfilling your responsibility in
this way, you will never incur sin.
Furthermore, it is important to know what I am meant for, in essence, knowing the way I would
like to shape my life, and leading on that path. Many times, we get inspired by how other people,
successful people, led their lives and we try to imbibe their values in our own lives, both, at a
personal as well as professional level. Looking at other people’s lives for inspiration and imbibing
their values in life is good but we should not imitate them. The Bhagavad Gita says one will have
more success in life by performing one’s own duties, however imperfectly, rather than doing what
others would have done, however perfectly executed. (Chapter 2, Verse 35)

श्रेयान्स्स्विमो तर्गुि: परिमावत्स्वनुतििाि् |

स्विमे तनिनं श्रेय: परिमो भयार्ह: || 35||

It is far better to perform one’s natural

prescribed duty, though tinged with faults,
than to perform another’s prescribed duty,
though perfectly. In fact, it is preferable to
die in the discharge of one’s duty, than to
follow the path of another, which is fraught
with danger.
The emphasis on living an original life, while performing one’s own prescribed duties and
struggling for attaining the results, has been outlined not once but at multiple places in the
Bhagavad Gita. (Chapter 18, Verse 47-48):

श्रेयान्स्स्विमो तर्गुि: परिमावत्स्वनुतििाि् |

स्वभार्तनयिं कमव कुर्वन्नाप्नोति तकल्बिषम् || 47||

सहजं कमव कौन्तेय सदोषमतप न त्यजेि् |

सर्ावरम्भा तह दोषेि िभमेनातिररर्ार्ृिा: || 48||
 It is better to do one’s own dharma, even though
imperfectly, than to do another’s dharma, even
though perfectly. By doing one’s innate duties, a
person does not incur sin.
One should not abandon duties born of one’s nature,
even if one sees defects in them, O son of Kunti.
Indeed, all endeavors are veiled by some evil, as
fire is by smoke.
In the end, we all should realize the purpose of this life, and in doing so, we realise the importance
of renunciation in attaining peace and thus, giving back to the society, because we’re all born as
human beings with a purpose; once a purpose is fulfilled, we should become grateful for the life
we have lived and renunciate whatever fruits our actions have borne. As written in the Bhagavad
Gita (Chapter 12, Verse 12):

श्रेयो तह ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं तर्तिष्यिे |

ध्यानात्कमवफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छ्ाल्बन्तरनन्तरम् || 12||

Better than mechanical practice is knowledge; better

than knowledge is meditation. Better than
meditation is renunciation of the fruits of actions,
for peace immediately follows such renunciation.
One of the most fruitful ways of engaging in this renunciation from the material world is to give
back to the worthy, also called charity. Charity should be performed simply because it gives
happiness and peace, without expecting anything in return, as stated in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter
17, Verse 20):

दािव्यतमति यद्दानं दीयिेऽनुपकाररिे |

दे िे काले च पात्रे च िद्दानं साल्बत्त्वकं स्मृिम् || 20||

Charity given to a worthy person simply because it

is right to give, without consideration of anything in
return, at the proper time and in the proper place, is
stated to be in the mode of goodness.
Hence, I would try to imbibe the above values as much as I can in my life and thus, lead a life
beyond ordinary. The most appropriate way to do so is to just discharge whatever I am supposed
to do without any expectations, in both personal and professional life.