Bhagavad Gita is an inspirational source for everyone, common man, startup entrepreneurs, business tycoons. This ancient scripture has over 18 chapters, that details the counseling of Krishna to Arjuna during the Kurukshetra war, in the India epic of Mahabharata. Since Mahabharata was between the family and people loved by Arjuna, he was not prepared to fight with them. This is when Krishna counseled him and Bhagavad Gita is all about management. It is all about knowing the situation, planning and performing rightly.
We often search the words of wisdom or learnings from entrepreneurs but we forget that we already have our own rich intellectual heritage. Have we ever thought that entrepreneurship can be better learned if we consider our own roots and gain eternal management lessons from our past heritage? Our great religious epics have extremely useful quotes that still stand true, and even better than earlier times. I am sure many of us must have explored the treasures from Bhagvad Gita and below are some of the miraculous shlokas about life, career, wisdom, management and much more.
Here are 5 entrepreneurial lessons from Bhagvad Gita that enlightens to handle crisis situations, manage people effectively and pave the path to success.
Lesson 1: “Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurma Tey Sangostva Akarmani”
The true essence of “Karma” lies in these two simple yet effective lines. It simply means that you should focus on your work without anticipating the results or outcomes. You should not focus too much on the end results that you stop enjoying the journey. We often forget that it is important to enjoy the whole process rather than just hoping for something that is uncertain. Remember, hoping for good or being optimistic is not wrong, but it should always be done with actions. The learning is that if you enjoy your work and walk consistently to reach your goals, success will definitely follow.
Lesson 2: “Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grhnati naro parani tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi”
It is easy to say that adaption and change management is key to success but one of the biggest lessons for the entrepreneur is to adopt the change as quick as possible. Don’t be adamant and continue your journey with versatility. This lesson is about the importance of adaptability, versatility and innovation and change according to the requirements. It is vital for entrepreneurs to understand the changes and adapt them as effectively as they can. Pave your entrepreneurship journeys like a traveller, who enjoys the experience of travel but does not get attached to the city or the place travelled. The faster you adapt, the better it is.
Lesson 3: “Krodhaadbhavati sammohah sammohaatsmritivibhramah smritibhramshaad buddhinaasho buddhinaashaatpranashyati”
Control your anger in the best possible ways as you move away from your goals and purpose. It is imperative to manage anger as we tend to become delusional. The simplest solution is to maintain your focus and do not underestimate the power of patience. This lesson is about controlling the temper, especially for entrepreneurs who take extreme stress of uncertain conditions and become angry every now and then. However, getting angry does not solves the purpose and only diverts the individual from goals and eventually land up to bad decisions and hamper relationships. Learn the art of anger management and leverage the virtue of patience.
Lesson 4: “Tasmad asaktah satatam karyam karma samacara asakto hy acaran karma param apnoti purushah”
Be open to everything but do not get attached to anything. Getting attached reduces your possibilities of success as you can get emotional. A successful entrepreneur gets attached only to hard work as it makes the journey smoother and better. However, maintaining good relationships is a must, but do not get attached to the results of your activities and do your duty every day to attain the supreme. It is important to be open to understanding the change, get changed with the time to achieve your true potential.
Lesson 5: “Dhumenavriyate vahnir yathadarso malena ca yatholbenavrto garbhas tatha tenedam avrtam”
Don’t get swayed by the cover of matter but take your decisions by understanding and judging the matters properly. Often, luring things turns out to be very harsh from inside and can become misleading. This learning has great significance as it has a very deep meaning for entrepreneurs. You should always embrace the power of knowledge and need to remove the upper layers by disregarding the unimportant desires. Acquire true knowledge and use it well for your entrepreneurial journey.