Spirit-Centered, Rajashi Leadership

Abstract

The Sanskrit dictum “svarat samrat bhavati” means that one who can rule or govern oneself can also lead others well. That is, the ideal or model leader exercises leadership on himself or herself first. This entails bringing forth the hidden Spirit into the forefront of the leader’s personality. Then the leader becomes empowered to lead others. Indian civilization is based on the groundwork laid by such leaders, called Rajarshi’s, which literally means a king and a sage. In this model, the schism between the secular and the sacred vanishes (the king is the secular aspect while rishi is the sacred aspect). Great examples of Spirit-centered, Rajarshi leadership in Indian history include Emperor Ashoka (220–300 BC), Jamshedji Tata (nineteenth century), Mahatma Gandhi (twentieth century) and R. K. Talwar (twentieth century). The twenty-first century need Spirit-centered or Rajarshi leadership because the vast, hidden and irreversible damages caused by science and technology driven economic growth, which thrives on globalized greed, needs to be halted. Spirituality has to be the master, not the servant of material attempts. Relevance to the bottom line of business cannot be the test for spirituality. Instead spirituality has to be the benchmark for business projects.