Revelations
Ethical management
Myths, mythology and management
Author: B Bhattacharya
Publisher: Notion press
Pages: 167
Rs. 200
Rashmi Rawat
Most of us have grown up listening to tales from the scriptures—especially the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—narrated by our grandparents and parents. Indian mythology, the richest aspect of Indian culture, was our elders’ go-to archive to impart to us moral values, in order to give us a sound upbringing.
Myths, mythology and management by B Bhattacharyya, former dean of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, is a book that condenses various mythological stories and characters from these two epics. It is a package of 10 chapters, elucidating stories whose morals find relevance in our lives that are caught in the conundrum of expectations, stress, and other similar concerns. The book underlines the teachings from these mythological incidents and inspires the reader to cultivate qualities that are required for tasks like leadership, management, and strategising.
In one of the chapters, the author points towards the elimination of morals and ethics from the school curriculum while lamenting about the Indian education system being in dire straits. He emphasises that the current times are missing the country’s rich philosophical heritage which has been amply irrigated by the philosophical teachings of religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Swami Vivekananda’s practical Vedanta.
In another chapter, the author mentions the importance of moral ethics by stating that even the Ramayana had the potential to turn into the Mahabharata if Lord Rama had refused to accept King Dasharatha’s order as being totally unjust, or if Bharata had demanded the throne. These characters portrayed selflessness and humility. In the same way, in a professional setting where people try to demean and belittle others, operating from ethical grounds is bound to transform a competitive professional into a compassionate human being.
The book is a reminder that Indian epics are not merely mythological stories for our entertainment or dharma shastras that are too complex to find place in our routine lives; they are life lessons that work wonders if applied in our lives.
An ode to Shankara
Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s greatest thinker
Author: Pavan K Varma
Publisher: Tranquebar Press
Pages: 364
Rs: 699
Anupam Srivastava
My strong faith in a personalised God and ritualistic worship took a serious jolt after two, back-to-back, life-altering incidents that took place by the time I was 14 years old. My faith in the Hindu religion, as was presented to me in my childhood in the garb of ritualism and which I vehemently practised until then, plummeted to a nadir. Ever since, I have been actively engaged, for more than three decades, in a silent investigation of spirituality that includes reading literature and commentaries on the work of Adi Shankaracharya, in the search of a scientific, logical, and rational explanation of ‘what life is all about.’
It was in this context that I came across Pavan K Varma’s latest book, Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s greatest thinker. A personality as great as Adi Shankaracharya and his voluminous work of revival of Hinduism cannot be confined to a single book. However, Varma’s book comes across as a meticulous work of painstaking research and study. In presenting a comprehensive account of Shankaracharya’s life, philosophy, and the audacity of his thoughts, the author dismantles the western notion of Hinduism and reassigns to it the high pedestal that it deserves. He uses the weapons of science to proclaim the fact that what science, in the last few centuries, has achieved with its ultra-modern technology and sophistication, our subjective scientists (rishis of yore) had achieved many thousands of years ago, that too without the aid of any telescope or laboratory.
Varma’s account of the context before and after Adi Shankaracharya’s life and the saint’s profound and audacious thoughts—examined through a credible yet balanced account of scientific validations—makes for a convincing read. This extremely intelligent work by Varma caters to a wide ideological spectrum and is a must read for all those who might be interested in being reminded of the remarkably philosophical undercurrent of Hinduism. Varma’s book works as a reminder to the fact that scientific accuracy, rationality, and logic are the substratum of Hinduism, making it one of the most vibrant religions of the world.