INDIAN PHILOSOPHY MANAGEMENT

UNIT: 3
DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND EFFICIENCY FROM CLASSICAL
LITERATURE

THE NOTION OF TIME

 The tricky part about understanding Yugas in a historical context is that time is
relative.
 Yugas pertaining to the mechanics of the universe and affairs of the gods have a
different scale than those pertaining to human history.
 Here is the definition given in Surya Siddhanta :
 Time creates, maintains and destroys everything.
 There are two types of time, finite and infinite.
 Infinite time has no beginning or end.
 We are currently aware only of finite time, which has beginnings and endings.
 There are two types of finite time: practical and philosophical.
 Measurable time is practical.
 Time too small to be measured is “philosophical time.”
 Practical time begins with a unit called “respiration” (prANa).
 Philosophical time begins with an “atomic” unit (truTi).

SHORT TERM PLANNING

 Short-term planning is usually considered to take 12 months or less.
 Your daily, weekly, monthly, even quarterly and yearly goals – all can be filed under
“short-term goals.”
 They are stepping stones that will help you to reach your big goal(s).
 Here are some examples of short-term goals, divided into five categories:
  Career
 Education
 Personal development
 Finances
 Marketing

LONG TERM PLANNING

 Long-term planning involves goals that take a longer time to reach and require more
steps; they usually take a minimum of a year or two to complete.
 They aim to permanently resolve issues and reach and maintain success over a
continued period.
 A few examples of long-term goals:
 Career goals
 Academic goals
 Personal development goals
 Financial goals

PARADIGMS ON WORK AND EFFICIENCY

 Paradigms become so engrained in our culture that we can’t see anything that falls
outside of them.
 So, organizations can end up missing vital information because it doesn’t fit within
the paradigm’s boundaries. So how can they “open their eyes”?
 One of the fastest ways for an organization to shift a paradigm is by hiring new people
or bringing in “outsiders” who haven’t been paralyzed by the company’s accepted
norms and practices.
 New hirers and outsiders increase the diversity of thought within the organization and
make it much easier for people to see beyond their self-imposed limits.
 Diversity is a powerful force in helping to initiate paradigm shifts.
 To make sure that you are always stretching and bringing your best self to your
personal and work life, adopt the practices for the team to engage in each day with
such efficiency:
 Practice gratitude
 Have a good attitude
 Do more than you are paid for
  Tap into your creativity
 Work with a sense of urgency
 Act like the person you want to become

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION FROM RAMAYANA

 To make sure that you are always stretching and bringing your best self to your
personal and work life, adopt the practices for the team to engage in each day with
such efficiency:
 Ramayana stands as one of the Hindu epic mythology.
 A wise person won’t just look Ramayana as a story but also as a medium of
education.
 Over years, sages and gurus have espoused the significance of doing the dharma
(duty).
 Ramayana teaches us the lessons of leadership, governance, and management not only
in books but also in a few esteemed management institutions.
 Let us now dwell into the business lessons that we can learn from the Ramayana.
 To make sure that you are always stretching and bringing your best self to your
personal and work life, adopt the practices for the team to engage in each day with
such efficiency:
 A Clear Goal: Rama had a clear goal to rescue Sita by defeating Ravana. This clear
goal was drilled down to his followers and enabled a better understanding of the team
and which gave them direction to work towards a common goal. Similarly, in an
organization, there should be a clear goal.
 Motivation is Essential Aspect: Motivation acts as a stimulant for everyone to act as
desired to achieve organizational objectives. Without which the workforce will never
be pushed to give their best and work towards common goals. Lord Rama had an
army to fight Ravana. The army comprised of several tribes who were not trained
warriors. But Lord Rama motivated them to the extent where they were ready to fight
the daemons and win against all odds.
 Outside the comfort zone: Rama and Sita had to leave their palace and live in the
forest for fourteen years. This was taken as an opportunity by them to live with the
common man and understand the ground realities. Likewise, if we want to excel in
life, we have to leave our comfort zone and find opportunities where we can excel.
 Creating more Leaders: Lord Rama entrusted his followers to a great extent. When
Hanuman discovered Sita’s location then Hanuman with his own will set ablaze
 Ravana’s city. Though Lord Rama was not happy with his decision however he
distanced himself from that event and allowed Hanuman to keep taking his own
decisions. Later Hanuman used his intellect and rescued Rama and Lakshman from
Mahiravan. Like a true leader, Rama created leaders during his journey to save Sita.
However, all the leaders should work towards a common organizational goal.
 Effective Communication: Communication is the key to success, and one should
stick to it. Like in the battle between Bali and demon Mayavee where Bali had
ordered Sugreeva to wait outside till any one of them comes out. While Sugreeva
waited for almost a year and when neither of them came outside then he went back to
his kingdom and married Bali’s wife and took over the throne. When Bali returned, he
felt betrayed and fought with Sugreeva. The root cause of their enmity was
miscommunication and the lesson here are to be aware of the fact that clear and
effective communication should be made to everyone in the organization.
 Succession Planning: Every successful King plans the succession of his Kingdom to
the rightful heir. King of Ayodhya and Lord Rama’s father Dasaratha’s had planned
to have him as the successor to his throne. Though the plan was interrupted by
Kaikeyi however later in the Ramayana, Lord Rama also divided his kingdom into
two equal parts within Lava and Kusha. A successful corporate is the one that has
succession plans in place for every managerial level in the organization and ensures
they are trained for the position through career development programs.
 Optimal Utilization of Resources: Lord Rama was a great leader who was skilled in
managing the available resources and using them optimally to get the most out of
them. Even during the journey to save Sita he used stones to build a bridge over the
sea to reach Lanka. Rama ordered Nal and Nila to supervise the construction of the
bridge as they were skilled in construction works. Likewise, in every organization we
should have the right person at the right job to get the most out of them, also
providing them the right resources to further excel their performance.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION FROM MAHABHARATA

 Mahabharata is one of the oldest and greatest epics of Hindu mythology that the world
has ever witnessed.
 It is so vast, deep and meaningful that you can extract many moral and ethical life
lessons from it.
 The epic is itself a roller coaster ride, filled with numerous incidents that can change
the way you think and perceive things.
 Let's take a deep dive into our History and find out 6 great Management Principles
that you can learn from the greatest epic - The Mahabharata.
 Right mentor: Choosing your mentor is the first thing when you set foot into the
corporate world. Just like Arjuna had a Dronacharaya, it is important to master the
skills from the guru. Don’t let the difference of talent and age affect your leaning
capacity. Seize every opportunity to ask and verify the importance of a particular task
 and the things you stand to gain after the completion of the task. Have faith in the
mentor and stick to the training program no matter what! You will have an occasional
Eklavya trying to challenge you in front of your mentor. Stay agile and remain loyal
to your mentor.
 Team work with talent: Don’t build a team for the sake of having a size or number.
Instead, identify the key areas and talents that will help you achieve the objectives
with minimum casualty. Ideally, have a team of less than 6 members. Pandavas were
just five, but they had the perfect blend of guidance, talent, leadership, youth,
flamboyance and strength. Despite having a full-fledged army and league of
extraordinary warriors, hundred Kauravas could not defeat the fivers. All hundred
perished due to over ambitious aspirations and lack of coordination. Stay small and
grow big!
 Believe in second innings and many more: One defeat or loss should not be the end
of your career. Be strong enough to bounce back every time you are beguiled, abused,
or driven out. Pandavas were forced to learn the hard way due to the differences with
the ruling king. Make the most of the experiences and when the time comes, display
your full scale of armoury and corporate professionalism through determination and
hard work.
 Win the right allies: Having a right set of friends and loyalists in the corporate world
is the key to make a long lasting impression and earn fair reputation from the
competitors and allies. If you are alone and have no allies, learn to protect yourself
and stay away from controversies. Like Abhimanyu, you may be a casualty of
collective conspiracy.
 Make Promises sparingly: Commitments in corporate world are akin to sacrifices.
Learn to stay clear of promises that can ruin your aspirations. If you are bound to
promises, you may have to let go of many opportunities. If you refrain from adhering
to your promises, you will be tagged as an erratic corporate professional who has no
ethics.
 Have the right ammunitions: Merely having the power is not enough to trail the
corporate route. You should have the right set of skills, tools and attitude to win the
battle of wits. Articulation, right words and proper action are all part of the corporate
life that will earn you respect and further your career towards new heights.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION FROM BHAGAVAD GITA

 Bhagavad Gita is a descriptive scripture based on a profound conversation between
Arjun and almighty Lord Krishna. Via the holy Gita, Lord Krishna enlightened Arjun
and all of us with small references and gifted us the most valuable lessons of life.
 After reading Gita here are some amazing business lessons that we all can really use
in our professional lives.
 Lesson 1: 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: We shouldn't work for the rewards. You
should work hard for yourself and your sanity and the rewards would come as and
when they have to.
 Lesson 2: Leaders should embrace rather than avoid formidable challenges as
it brings out a leader’s greatest strengths: The testing times get the best out of a
leader.
 Lesson 3: Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjun, abandoning
attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yog: The lesson is,
we should not let the result of every situation affect our dedication and our mental
peace. Both success and failure are a part of our journey.
 Lesson 4: Krishna defines three specific disciplines required for effective
leadership: the discipline of learning, the discipline of speaking effectively, and
the discipline of equanimity: Being a leader is not just about knowledge, it is also
about managing a team well.
 Lesson 5: Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade
yourself, for the mind can be the friend and also the enemy of the self: Mind can
be a friend or an enemy. Therefore, it is always better to think positively and leverage
your brain power for the best.
 Lesson 6: The real test of a leader is to keep himself cool and calm even in the
circumstance of high pressure: Everyone is going through tough times but it is the
duty of a leader to keep everyone together and get things going.
 Lesson 7: Actions based upon sacrifice, charity, and penance should never be
abandoned; they must certainly be performed. Indeed, acts of sacrifice, charity,
and penance are purifying even for those who are wise: So if you are someone
with a roof over your head and food on your plate, do help others in whatever ways
you can. This will keep you grounded and make someone’s day.
 Lesson 8: A leader should always share his knowledge and should be
approachable: Never compete with your team. Be ready to teach them whatever you
know and help them succeed.
 Lesson 9: The intellect is said to be in the nature of goodness, O Parth when it
understands what is proper action and what is improper action, what is the duty
and what is non-duty, what is to be feared and what is not to be feared, what is
binding and what is liberating: Ruthless prioritization helps in organization of tasks.
 Lesson 10: The steadfast will that is developed through Yog, and which sustains
the activities of the mind, the life-airs, and the senses, is said to be a
determination in the mode of goodness: We all know our potential. But it is the
nature of nature to test us every now and then.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION FROM PURANAS

 Some key learning from Puranas:
  1. Reaching out to a good guru to learn. Reach out to the best in your field whether in
sports, Music or your chose field – Learn from the best to become the best.
 2. Hard work in the right direction under the guidance of a Guru (In Modern
management parlance, A Coach). A coach gives right direction to our hard work
and hence very important component towards our success.
 3. There are no Shortcut to learning. The entire process needs to be followed to
achieve mastery. Sheer hard work / efforts are crucial for Mastery.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION FROM KATHASARITSAGARA

 Ancient Indian literature abounds in invaluable lessons in leadership, though the
concept of leadership was usually that of the king as the leader.
 Since for our ancestor’s dharma was one of the most important preoccupations,
especially in relation to leadership, our literature has numerous stories that talk of the
importance of dharma for a king, which included the need for him to be virtuous as
well as have and display character and integrity.
 Our ancients believed, as modern management experts do, that integrity or character
is the very foundation of a leader’s effectiveness.
 Sheelam pradhanam purushe, the Mahabharata tells us: character is the most
important thing in a man. Without character a leader, our ancients had no doubts,
would not be able to command loyalty and commitment. It is a leader’s integrity that
generates trust in him and without integrity, no follower, be he a minister of the king,
a counsellor, an army commander, or a common citizen, will trust him.
 Somadeva’s Kathasaritsagara, that ocean of immortal stories, tells us the fascinating
story of King Yashodhana, whose life illustrates the kind of commitment and loyalty a
leader of men commands by virtue of his integrity.
Yashodhana [the name means one whose wealth was his renown] was the ruler of the
kingdom of Kanakapura [City of Gold] on the banks of the Ganga and he was
renowned all over the world for his virtues.
 The kind of feeling that integrity in a leader inspires in his followers. Integrity is an
immensely powerful influence on all around a leader. While it gives the leader great
inner strength, it inspires his followers to excel themselves in the leader’s cause – and
in their inspiration, even the ordinary among them metamorphose into unbelievably
powerful individuals. A leader’s integrity works miracles on the followers. Such is the
inspirational power of integrity that it creates the willingness to make great sacrifices
for the leader and even lay down their lives, if necessary. In India’s freedom struggle,
we have seen that this happened tens of thousands of cases under the inspiring
leadership of Gandhi, a leader who displayed unshakeable integrity.
 In the organizational context, as a human resources expert puts it, “a failure of
integrity poisons the outfit, destroys trust between people, and breaks down unit
 cohesion. While leadership qualities are diverse, integrity is simply a yes-or-no
question. You either have it or you don’t. For that reason, leaders must always display
the highest standards of integrity.”
 In a world filled with morally depraved political leaders and corrupt corporate houses,
when even the most powerful place in the world and the most powerful person in the
world have becomes synonyms for corruption, stories like that of Yoshodhana help us
keep our faith in integrity, that most valuable asset in a leader.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION FROM PANCHATANTRA

 Respect everyone
 Never underestimate one’s ability
 Respond Vs React
 Ego vs Attitude
 Talent and Trust
 Risk management
 Believe in yourself

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION FROM HITIOPADESHA

 Mitralabha: How to gain a friend- introduced with the statement that wise and
sincere friends may be poor or destitute, but it is they who may help one achieve
successes in life. The book recommends that the good find good friends, they are like
a vessel in which one deposits both joys and sorrows of life, and it is not words that
define a friend but their behavior and actions
 Suhrdbheda: How to lose a friend- introduced with the statement that great
friendships can be destroyed by the cruel and envious beings who envy such
friendship. The book states that misinformation creates wedge between friends, as
does a focus on disagreements, rash action without due investigation and a lack of
communication.
 Vigraha: War- a series of fables wherein war is described as a consequence of greed,
criticism of others, wicked people and their ideologies, cruel and ungrateful leader,
lack of restraint, lack of preparation, poor fortifications, weak military, weak
diplomacy, and poor counsel.
 Sandhi: Peace- state that it is always better to seek peace with seven types of people:
the truthful, the virtuous, the just, the strong, the victorious, those with many brothers,
and the self-destructing worthless. Peace can be achieved, states Hitopadesha, if one
examines one's own behaviour and one's own seeking as much as that of the
opponent, pays attention to the counsel of one's good friends, treats the opponent with
respect and understanding that is in tune with the opponent's character, forms one or
 more of sixteen types of treaties, reciprocal assistance and cooperative ventures
between the two sides thereby enabling the pursuit of truth.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION FROM JATAKA TALES

 The three characters: - the King (Leader), Guttila (Supervisor-Manager) and
Musila (Employee) respectively, it would definitely be thought provoking to
analyse and assess the duties/responsibilities of the three characters vis-a-vis
their attitudes and behaviour.
(a) Was it becoming of a teacher to harbour ill-conceived notions against his pupil?
(b) How proper was Musila's demand for equal pay, when he lacked maturity, service,
experience and correct altitude (to serve in the King's Court?)
(c) is competency the only/sole criticism to be considered for any appointment or salary
placement or promotion?
(d) Guttila's incompetence and failure, in not making Musila aware of the credentials
necessary to serve in the King's Court.
(e) The King's motive of directly conducting a contest and indirectly holding a festivity for
sheer merry-making of his-self and the township?
It is also extremely clear that none of the three characters were mindful of the consequences
to their actions and reactions; and all were driven by selfish objectives.
 Such an episode would, for certain, raise issues on matters of vital importance to
management; some of these being: -
 Counselling and Grievance Handling; Crisis Management; Conflict Management:
Communication; Leadership; Negotiating; Problem Solving and decision Making and
Valuing People.
 Mishandling of the issues, at every turn, had brought about the misfortune of losing a
valuable asset; viz. Musila, a clever and young musician, to the community.

VERNACULAR LITERATURE
Vernacular literature is literature written in the everyday language of a particular culture. It is
usually distinguished from works written in formal language, which in some cases can be
very different from a culture’s popular language. “Vernacular” refers to the speech or writing
of the general public or a particular segment of it. Dante’s Divine
Comedy and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales are early examples of vernacular literature. Some
authors, such as Mark Twain, wrote in the vernacular for dramatic impact or to simulate
characters’ speech patterns.
Widespread literacy is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history. For thousands of
years, only the wealthy and privileged learned how to read and write, such as religious
leaders and other authority figures. This elite system was reinforced by laws or traditions that
required works to be written in an official language of some kind. In medieval Europe, for
example, Latin was the language of state, religious, and historical documents, even though it
had not been spoken by ordinary people for hundreds of years. In India, Sanskrit had a similar
function, requiring scholars to learn the ancient language to study religious and historical
texts.
In modern times, vernacular literature sometimes refers to works written in the speech
patterns of common people, as opposed to forms such as Standard English. Mark Twain,
perhaps the most famous example, composed his classic Huckleberry Finn in the language of
its narrator, a poor, semi-educated boy from the rural American South. Later writers such
as William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, and Saul Bellow used vernacular to make characters
more realistic or to capture the poetry of natural speech rhythms. Anthony Burgess’
influential novel A Clockwork Orange is written in the vernacular spoken by the book’s
futuristic narrator, a variation on modern English invented by Burgess himself.

INSCRIPTIONS
Inscriptions were the writings engraved on hard surfaces. They were written mostly on rocks,
stones, walls of buildings, metals etc. They depicted important events of the past. Various
languages such as Prakrit, Sanskrit, Kannada etc., were used for writing the inscriptions.
They also give us rich information about the scripts used in our past. The Ashokan
Inscription, one of the earliest rock inscriptions, was written in Brahmi script. It depicts the
great Kalinga War which changed his life.

HISTORICAL RECORDS
Historical records, in a broad context, is a record collected about past events and
circumstances pertaining to a particular subject.
By definition, historical records include most data generated either manually or automatically
within an enterprise. Sources, among a great number of possibilities, include press
releases, log files, financial reports, project and product documentation and email and other
communications.
In a business context, historical records are used to make important strategic decisions about
the present and future. Managers use historical record to track organizational performance
over time, identify areas of improvement and make predictions about future trends.
Businesses are collecting more data than ever and often storing it for longer, both for their
own purposes and to satisfy compliance requirements.
Historical record can answer important questions such as the following:
 What were our sales last quarter?
 How many customer complaints did we receive last year?
 How has our website traffic changed over the past six months?
Organizations should have a plan in place for collecting, storing and managing historical
data. This will ensure that historical data is available when needed and can be easily accessed
and analysed.

Historical data is one of the many tools businesses use to satisfy compliance requirements.
Some organizations are required by law or regulation to retain historical record for a certain
period of time. For example, businesses in the financial services industry are subject to
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules, which require the retention of
business records for varying lengths of time depending on the type of record.
Other organizations may have internal policies for how long historical record should be
retained. For example, a company may keep financial records for seven years or customer
service records for five years.
It is important to consult with legal and compliance teams to determine how long historical
data needs to be retained. Once a decision has been made, it is important to have a plan in
place for how historical record will be stored and managed over time.
Data lifecycle management helps ensure data is not maintained without good reason or for
longer than needed and is appropriately archived or disposed of as appropriate.
This is because record storage requires resources to maintain, record lifecycle management
(DLM) is recommended to ensure that record is not maintained without good reason or for
longer than necessary and that it is properly archived or disposed of as appropriate.

TRAVELOUGES
A truthful account given by a traveller of their experiences on a journey.
People have always been fascinated with far off places and travelling. Therefore, travelogues
have existed since Ancient Greece, and have remained a popular non-fiction literary genre
since then. The first travel writer is widely viewed as being the Greek writer Herodotus. His
book, Histories (450BC-420BC) was a record of his travels across Greece, North Africa and
East Asia, it is widely regarded as one of the first travelogues.
Travelogues continued to be popular throughout the centuries due to the prominence of
explorers such as Marco Polo and Captain James Cook. As travel was widely inaccessible
during this period, travelogues allowed people to learn about different countries without
leaving their homes. In the 20th and 21st centuries, travelogues continue to be a popular non-
fiction genre. The success of travelogue writer, Bill Bryson led to the genre taking on a more
humorous tone, with the genre both informing and entertaining the reader.
Writing a travelogue
While there are no set rules for writing a travelogue, there are certain characteristics that are
frequently seen in this genre.

First-person narrative
As many travelogues detail the first-hand experience of a traveller, they are written in a first-
person narrative. A first-person narrative can be told from the perspective of the protagonist,
or of someone retelling another person's story. A key way to spot first-person narratives is to
look for words such as 'I' or 'me' when describing the narrator's thoughts. First-person
narratives are especially effective in travelogues as they relay the narrator's emotions and
thoughts while travelling. This form of storytelling can be seen in travelogues such as Bill
Bryson's A Walk in the Woods (1998). In the extract below, a first-person narrative is used
by Bryson to convey his conflicting thoughts about hiking the Appalachian Trail in America.
I wanted to quit and to do this forever, sleep in a bed and in a tent, see what was over the
next hill and never see a hill again. All of this all at once, every moment, on the trail or off.
Structure
There is no fixed structure for a travelogue, however many follow the same core pattern in
their stories. Most modern travelogues begin with the traveller explaining the events leading
up to their trip, as well as their reasons for travelling. The novel will then move on to detail
what happened to the narrator on their trip. This section of the novel will be the longest as it
will detail the people, food, landscape and cultures that the traveller experienced. Throughout
this portion, the traveller will give their opinions and thoughts on what they have seen. These
thoughts may be exaggerated and humorous, or heartfelt and sincere. Finally, the novel will
end with the traveller reaching their destination, either home or somewhere new. Upon
reaching their destination, the traveller may reflect on their journey and the impact it has had
on their life.
An example of this is seen in Elizabeth Gilbert's novel, Eat, Pray, Love (2006). The novel
follows Gilbert, who decides to embark on a year-long trip around Italy, India and Indonesia.
Gilbert decides to travel following a mid-life crisis at 30 years old, the novel concludes with
Gilbert finding love and peace and year on, due in part to her journey. The extract below,
taken from the end of the novel, shows Gilbert reflecting on how her mindset has changed
during her journey.
When I get lonely these days, I think: So BE lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness.
Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But
never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own
unfulfilled yearnings.