Leadership Lessons From the Vedas

Introduction

Indic Civilisation is not only the world’s oldest continuing civilization but also the world’s most resilient and enduring one. Ancient Indian Rishis, the men of higher spiritual experiences and knowledge, guided society through their ideas. It is the power and depth of these ideas that created leaders, founders and makers of the Indic Civilisation, generation after generation, century after century, to bestow not only incredible creativity across the diverse areas of human endeavor but also rescue the Indian Civilization in times of crisis.

What were these ideas that inspired leadership?

How did these ideas inspire generations?

If they have sustained the previous generations, can they inspire the current generation too in a ‘post-modernist’ world?

As India ascends to the world stage with its growing economic clout, it needs to draw and nurture leadership from its own roots, its own genius. The Indic Civilization is one of its own kind with a wide range of thinking, captured in its scripture, into drivers of successful and enduring leadership. This course explores the depth and width of Classical Indic Leadership for leaders (young and emerging as well as mature) to guide and inspire them to leave an enduring legacy as their contribution to the Indic Civilisation.

Course Objectives

• To give a comprehensive overview of Classical Indic Leadership through principles, episodes and personalities within the essential scriptures of Hinduism viz, the Vedas and the Upanishads
• To situate the ideas of Classical Indic Leadership in the context of 21st century India and inspire and enable leaders ( young as well as mature) to apply these ideas and guide not only themselves and their families but also  their teams , their departments, their communities and their organizations, their state and their nation and  leave an indelible and enduring mark as leaders.

Course Outcomes

• A comprehensive exposure to the leadership ideas contained in the Veda and  the Upanishads.
• A clear knowledge of how to apply these ideas in the modern and current context.

Course Syllabus

The Vedas

• Introduction.
• Leadership in the Rig Veda Samhita
• Leadership in the Krishna Yajur Veda Samhita
• Leadership in the Shukla Yajur Veda Samhita
• Leadership in the Atharva Veda Samhita

The Upanishads

• Leadership in the Katha Upanishad
• Leadership in the Isa Upanishad
• Leadership in the Kena Upanishad
• Leadership in the Mundaka and Prashna Upanishad
• Leadership in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad
• Leadership in the Mandukya and Aitareya Upanishad
• Leadership in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
• Leadership in the Taittiriya Upanishad
• Leadership in the Chandogya Upanishad

Reading List

• The Bass Handbook of Leadership by B M Bass
• A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism by Swami Harshananda
• Leading Consciously by Debashish Chatterjee
• Raja Rishi Leadership by S K Chakraborti
• Essentials of Rg Veda by R L kashyap
• Essentials of Yajur Veda (Krishna & Shukla) by R L Kashyap
• Essentials of Atharva Veda by R L Kashyap
• Principal Upanishads by S Radhakrishnan
• The Upanishads (4 volumes by Swami Nikhilananda)
• Eight Upanishads (Part 1 & 2) by Swami Gambhirananda

Course includes

• Live sessions
• Access to class recordings (for asynchronous participation)
• Certificate of Completion