spirituality and management- Admiral vishnu Bhagwat

[Guest guest]

spirituality and management Admiral (retd) Vishnu Bhagwat. as interviewed by pradeep nambiar for sanskar tv 09321027318 “Life is a struggle. It is a succession of success and failures, succession of falling down,

getting up and running again. The youth should never GIVE IN. Identify yourself with a greater cause, to make a better future for humanity.” “Great leaders- they never accepted defeat, they never lived for themselves, they represented a large number of impoverished, exploited, unmeasured, ordinary spirit of men. The spirit of an ordinary human being is more powerful than any army of the world.” What is the purpose of life? What we have imbibed from History, culture, philosophy and inheritance is to devote, dedicate ourselves to our nation, people, family and lastly ourselves. Life is an ongoing struggle, striving for higher purpose, emancipation of the society. Our Rishies and munis have gone to great lengths to enunciate texts like Mahabharata for the benefit of the people. The ultimate objective is emancipation of humanity. What are failures in life? Failures are a part of life, we should never be deterred. Moving ahead is identifying with a larger purpose. Material achievements have to be backed by moral and spiritual backbone. The greatest swartha according to the Mahabharata is to work to fulfill the swartha, the good of others. To work for a common good. This is even abdicated and abandoned by the Govts. today. They encourage individualism rather than participation. You have to participate in the great adventure of nation building by building our people. By building material conditions for growth and development of our

children. What is true success? There is no ultimate success. There is ultimate striving, struggle in which one participates irrespective of perceived failures and success. Disregarding the fact, whether you fail or fall you have to get up and run for the group, their goal and common good. Which is the best form of leadership? No one single leader or one such quality has caught my imagination. Vivekananda, Lenin, Mahatma Gandhi, Ho Chi Minh, Jawaharlal Nehru has been great leaders. Among the military leaders- Gen. Giap of Vietnam- a school Teacher who rose to become the chief of People’s army, who refused to accept defeat and vanquished the super powers. Ho Chi Minh in the height of Hanoi bombings, the Christmas bombings never conceded defeat said, “Our mountains and rivers will always be, our aggressors will be defeated and we shall make our country 10 times more beautiful”. That was the undying spirit of such leaders. They never lived for themselves; they represented a large number of impoverished, exploited, unmeasured ordinary spirits of men. The spirit of an ordinary man is more powerful than any army in the world. Management and spirituality? Mahatma Gandhi expressed it throughout his life. Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelt they all had an element of spirituality in them. Without spirituality and moral position, no material pursuit will help a leader to go forward. Without spirituality no pursuit is full, it is hollow. It doesn’t take country, people, and individuals any where. Message to the youth? There is no ladder to take your wealth along with you when you pass away. You came into the world without anything and you leave without anything. Leaders like Lincoln and Gandhi inspired humanity to a higher purpose. No rich man was ever immortalized like these great leaders. There is only one god. Religions are created by men to divide humanity. There is no single phase in my life

that I have enjoyed more than the other. Life is a struggle, it’s a succession of success and failures, succession of falling down and getting up and running again. THE YOUTH SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP. He has to identify himself with a great cause to make a better future for humanity.