KOCHI: Did you know that a `yagna’ of the ancient days is an interesting example of an enterprise with several stakeholders? After the yagam is over, benefits are shared among all the participants and the `yajamanan’ takes the last share. This was how Swami Bodhananda Saraswati correlated the ancient ritual to a modern-day management concept.
“It is when the yajamanan tries to take the major share, leaving out the shareholders, that things go wrong,” he explained. Bodhananda Saraswati is in Kerala to deliver a talk series `Rishi Vision 2009,’ an Indian version of management with relevance to the scriptures.
Interestingly, Swami Bodhananda is as comfortable quoting from the Bible or the Ten Commandments to a western audience as he is talking vedanta to the Hindus. “At my ashrams in California and Michigan, USA we organise interactions with Christian priests, Buddhist monks and other scholars on issues that will help improve our vision.” “I don’t believe in conversions because that tends to make you lose your culture and identity.
What you need at present is to enhance your vision and faith in a more vibrant manner.” He says that very often the West has managed to interpret the ancient scriptures in a much deeper manner than Indians. Based in Delhi, Swami Bodhananda has been teaching vedanta, meditation and management for the past 30 years. Having penned several books, he is a visiting professor at IIMs, LBS National Academy of Administration, World Bank and several Indian and foreign universities.
A native of Kochi, Bodhananda Saraswati travelled to the Himalayas after his studies and went on to learn Vedanta from several gurus before setting up his own research institutions.
“There is a need for a strong leadership in India as it prepares to be a superpower.” He believes that it could be brought about through an aggressive management style blended with strong spiritual and ethical values. “That is what I talk about when I interact with people here. India needs to be readied,” he says.
“We are organising a four-day seminar based on `Hindu Dharma for the 21st century’ in October in the US which will interpret Hindu traditions for immigrant Indian children in America,” he said. To contact Swami Bodhananda Saraswati logon to www.sambodh.org
sudha@epmltd.com