Business Sutra: A Very Indian Approach to Management (53 page)

Closures are a time for introspection

Eventually, every yagna comes to an end. The yagna-shala or the ritual precinct is set aflame and the leftovers cast in the river. In the same way, when a person dies, his body is cremated and the ashes thrown in the river, for the body is the yagna-shala where we perform tapasya, the inner yagna of imagination. The fire and water that humanity consumes to establish culture, end up consuming the human.

After the cremation, food is offered to crows. The sound of the cawing crows, "Ka, Ka," is akin to the sound of, "Why? Why?" in Sanskrit, compelling the yajaman to introspect. Why do we conduct the yagna? For Lakshmi, Durga or Saraswati?

Humans can find meaning in wealth as well as power, in thoughts as well as things. That is why the subject artha-shastra, which literally means the philosophy or quest for meaning or Saraswati, also means economics (quest for Lakshmi) and politics (quest for Durga). Life is all about purush-artha, validating our humanity, which springs from imagination.

The funeral ritual is a choreographed attempt to draw attention to our unique abilities to find meaning, and to ask us what we have done with them. Death compels us to ask these questions. That is why Yama, the god of death, is also called Dharma, the god who validates human existence.

Yama, the meticulous record-keeper, is also the god of accounting who makes his way to every yajaman's house on Yama Dvitiya, the last day of Diwali, when new account books replace old ones. He wants to know if Lakshmi is happy in the ranga-bhoomi or held captive in the rana-bhoomi. He wants to know because he is Lakshmi's brother and concerned about his sister's welfare. Yama Dvitiya is therefore more popularly known as Bhai Dooj.

Yama wants to know if the yagna has had any impact on us? Is it still about resources or about potential? How much Narayan has been realized? Is the yajaman Indra or Vishnu?

Yama knows that the mere presence of Lakshmi makes no yajaman a Vishnu. Does the yajaman chase Lakshmi or attract her? What does Lakshmi mean to him? Is it the means to survival, a surrogate marker of power, or merely an indicator of his personal growth?

The answers to Yama's question will be subjective. By being honest while answering the question, the yajaman will impress no one and by being dishonest, he will fool only himself.

Any attempt to objectify the answer, or quantify it, and seek external validation, will destroy it. Some things, like trust, happiness, wisdom and patience cannot be measured. The act of measuring destroys their meaning, which is another reason why the god of accounting also serves as the god of death.

Pallavi learnt Hindustani classical music from a renowned musician, one who had succeeded both commercially as well as critically, earning national awards. His music school was legendary. Yet, as a person he was bitter, insecure, angry and jealous of young talent, promoting his sons and ignoring other talented disciples. Pallavi realized that the fabulous music that uplifted the souls of the audience had not uplifted the musician in his own lifetime. The yagna had generated a lot of Lakshmi and Durga, and the yajaman had even extracted a lot of Saraswati but it had failed to awaken Narayan.

Who we include as a devata reveals the meaning we give ourselves

We can start a business for many reasons: because it is the family trade, because we want to be rich, because we want to be answerable to no one, because we want to create opportunities for others and meaning for ourselves, or because we have no other source of income.

• When it is a debt to repay, a burden to bear, it is the belief of Daksha. Here, there is only talk of duties and responsibilities, not of rights, of what we owe the world not what the world owes us.
  
• When it is a debt to reclaim, a battle to be won, it is the belief of Indra. We believe the acquisition of Lakshmi and Durga will liberate us from fear. This belief is shared by devas and asuras, as well as by yakshas and rakshasas who are constantly indulging themselves, fighting, hoarding and grabbing. Here, there is always talk of rights, and entitlements, fairness and justice, never duties and responsibilities. Like Ravan and Duryodhan, we assume the world owes us something.
  
• Shiva does not believe in debts. He owes no one anything and no one owes him anything.
  
• Vishnu repays his debt the moment he incurs one. The transaction is instantaneous at the moment of exchange. The balance sheet is always balanced, with no expectations or obligations, no rights or duties. The business reveals to the yajaman how dependent he is on wealth, status, power and privilege. He strives to outgrow every fear that makes him dependent.
  

Debt can be understood as a dance. For whom do we dance? The apsara dances for the pleasure of Indra, because she has been been told by Daksha that it is her duty; she has no choice; in pleasing Indra lies her validation. Indra dances for no one as he feels it is not his duty; in fact, to dance for others is beneath his dignity. Shiva who is Nataraj, the lord of dance, dances because he feels like it, with eyes shut, for his own pleasure, unmindful of the joy he is giving those who watch him. Vishnu who is Natawar, the performer, dances because he wants to entertain and because the reactions of the audience entertain him. He is in ranga-bhoomi. There is no pending credit or debit carried forward. The past does not drag. The future does not propel. There is no goal to reach, as every moment is perfect.

Shailendra works hard to be the best surgeon in the world. He loves the fame that comes with recognition. He is motivated by a vision of the future. Trevor competes with him because he refuses to be second in any race. It is a battle he has to win. Chang, another colleague, also works hard because not working fills him with boredom which makes him anxious. Shila, the most recent resident to join the department, works hard because she wants to prove she is as good as the men. None of them work because it brings joy to suffering patients even though that is the reason they state when the media interviews them. Nor do they work because they enjoy it. If they do enjoy their work, it is incidental. Each one has yet to realize his Narayan potential.

The resources we see reveal what we give meaning to

What we seek depends on what we can see, and what we see depends on how much potential we have realized. Shiva is often depicted as Ardhanareshwar, the half-woman god. The male half of Ardhanareshwar represents our potential and the female half represents resources. Without potential (Shiva), resources have no meaning. And without resources (Shakti), potential is useless, which is why without Shakti, Shiva is called shava or corpse. When our potential rises, we see more.

Drishti reveals Lakshmi, divya-drishti reveals Durga, darshan reveals Saraswati too, which is why, in Jain mythology, the heroic vasudev demands action, the chakravarti leads with rules and only the wise tirthankar outgrows violence and finds peace through thought.

In the Ramayan and Mahabharat, the sons of Brahma (Ravan and Duryodhan) are busy coping with fear by seeking Lakshmi and Durga in tathastu, while Vishnu (Ram and Krishna) keeps smiling as the darshan of the other in each and every engagement lets Saraswati gush out of his neo-frontal cortex, improving his understanding of the world and himself, enabling him to be at peace even in situations of conflict. Wisdom reveals that Lakshmi is often a surrogate for Durga and a compensation for the lack of Saraswati.

In every interaction, be it with an investor, employer, employee, auditor, regulator, customer or vendor, there is something to discover about our animal and human nature. We learn how we imagine the Other to be predator or prey, and how others imagine us to be the same. In ignorance, we behave like animals, choosing to dominate and establish pecking orders and territories. In wisdom, we invoke the human in each other and work towards mutual happiness. Sometimes, this means letting go of things and allowing the Other to win. When the Other gains Lakshmi and Durga, we gain Saraswati.

After Janardan hired people from other BPOs, he noticed a great divide between the old team and the new one. The old team kept advising the new team to shed the baggage of their previous companies and embrace the culture of the company they had joined. Janardan could see the tension between the two groups. Culture had become a battle to be won, a burden to bear. Culture was being seen as static. One culture was being seen as superior to the other. The culture and company were being valued over individuals. Janardan smiled. He realized he had a team that sought Durga, not Saraswati. There was still much potential to realize.

Who we include as a devata reveals who we find meaningful

In a yagna, food is offered in five ways to remind us of the different mouths that need to be fed:

• Food is poured away from the body, over the fingers, towards the devata being invoked.
  
• Food is poured towards the body, over the palm for the yajaman himself.
  
• Food poured towards the heart, turning the wrist counterclockwise, is meant for sons and daughters, putra and putri or the next generation.
  
• Food poured over the thumb away from the heart, turning the wrist clockwise, is meant for ancestors or pitr, the previous generation.
  
• Food placed in the centre of the palm facing skywards is meant for animals or pashu, the nature that exists and expands beyond the yagnashala.