Human Values From Bhagavad Gita

Values Assignment

Integrated Programme in Management

Indian Institute of Management Indore

By
Pradhyumna Sarode
2019IPM085
Introduction

The values to be gained from Bhagavad Gita may seem few in number, but the Gita doesn't
only tell us what values to follow. It is what it was meant to be for Arjuna on the battlefield.
It is for us when we are at similar crossroads in life and have little to no sense of purpose.
The Bhagavad Gita is a way of life not just for Hinduism but also for all human beings. There
is no coercion or punishment for not carrying out God's will. The Bhagavad Gita states
actions and the reasons why we are doing it. Unlike our current lives, it acts as a guidebook to
the spiritually rich life of happiness and hope. As, spirituality is solution to all of the world’s
problems which may or may not occur due to greed, desire etc.

Values for Personal Life

The value Bhagavad Gita espouses is spirituality as a way to cope with reality. The concept
of akarma is what is applied in personal relations and life to avoid over-attachment that blinds
you to the truth of the situation. Lord Krishna says it is unworthy to be mourning for
something that cannot die. Akarma is renunciation of all things that are material and related
to this world, including relationships like siblings, parents, friendships etc. The concept is a
bit too extreme but can be applied to compartmentalize the desires to fulfil their desires.
Karma is also something that we as Indians hold very close to our familial fabric. The
concept helps us to justify misfortunes and unnatural incidents happening to us due to
unknown reasons, whether they may be good or bad and out of our control. To take care of
our mental well being as physical as our ancestors clearly understood the connection of the
mind and the body. 
Similarly, other values which I espouse in my learnings from the Bhagavad Gita are

 Akarma
 Karma
 Perfection in Action
 Meditation(Sthir Buddhi)
 Change is the only thing permanent in this world
 Karmanye Vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadhachana
 Face your fears

Every action is a seed that will blossom into a fruit of our own choices made in the past.
There is no such thing as a free lunch is one of the things I found interesting in the concept of
Karma. We may not have seen our past deeds or misdeeds, but we should be grateful for the
life we have as greed is endless and ever-changing, but satiety and satisfaction are stable,
permanent and constant if one looks for it. There is a tale that encapsulates this beautifully is
that two men went in search of goodness in the world at the behest of Lord Krishna, who
instructed them to do so; one of them was filled with greed and evil while the other was
utterly opposite, innocent filled with piety. The greedy man returned first and went into a
great explanation of all the atrocities he saw to which Lord Krishna listened respectfully. The
next man appeared, and he went on and on about the good he saw in the world. It is the soul
that differentiates between good and evil. A happy man will see happiness everywhere, and A
trusting man will trust everyone.
It is our deeds and our thoughts that colour the world, which is the concept of Karma and
Akarma in a nutshell. These are the values I aspire to or admire the most in any individual. In
our fast-paced and ever-changing world, changes are to be welcomed no matter what our role
is in them. A stable mind can conquer any difficulties, whereas an unstable mind will
collapse even the greatest of the empires built in Indian history, e.g. Duryodhana. A sound
mind is one where desires flow like a river, but the reason is stable like an ocean that meets
the rivers soothing them into its calming embrace. A Sthir Buddhi is a quality to be taught in
society as it is the facilitator of communication between the soul and the mind. A mind free
of fears will be able to tackle any problem in life easily without being shaken. Hence, modes
of Prakriti are to be adhered to while avoiding anything that will lead us astray as it has been
done so to countless people unknowingly in pursuit of fake happiness..

Values for Professional Life

Work is an important part of our life. An average person will spend most of their life
working. Hence, the values for our professional lives are quite important and the Bhagavad
Gita teaches us

 Greed, Anger or Lust are not the way to success

 Leadership must have a purpose. (Ambition)
 Karmanye Vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadhachana
 Inner Peace
 Humility

Greed and ambition may count as the same values. Still, there is an eerie similarity of
ambition in the Bhagavad Gita with perseverance which would make us think that ambition is
just another form of perseverance. Hence, ambition here is going to be referred to as an
unfailing drive to achieve our goals the right way and path. The Bhagavad Gita, which acts as
a guide did, also enumerate the aspect of work as a selfless activity for the benefit of the
society is a good thing for the individual and society. The act of work is better than not doing
work as work is good for the proper functioning of the body and the mind, which will not sit
idle when one works and exhausts the energy for various desires.
The aspect of humility is to minimize conflicts within ourselves and avoid falling prey to our
false ego, which resides in our current world and not in the spiritual world. The work for the
benefit of the soul is true selflessness rather than being mired in selfish ambitions that will
lead down the path of hedonistic actions. The Gita doesn't forbid pleasure, but it warns that
the course of pleasure has darker undergrowth in the mind of the traveller, and the traveller
would lose himself in the present, forgetting the past and the future False humility is also not
desired as it leads to deceiving someone to believe in your values. We have to stay true to our
beliefs and be unshakable in our faith to values rather than the rules, as the principle is
supremely important than a rule made by men. Leadership is also an attribute admired, but a
true leader is someone who listens to the wise words of the Almighty whispered through the
medium of others. A leader enamoured with his own pride and ambition will not be able to
absorb the wisdom of others, and no matter how many times we warn him, he will still take
the same path again and again. Humility is required to keep our minds free from cluttered
emotions springing due to desire. All in all its is work makes the man, it is the choices and
our thought which make a person whole and full of life and it will be the greatest
achievement if we do not disrespect this privilege of being given knowledge and capacity to
act to not insult this gift.