Over the years I grew up with an unsettling thought, something that actually made me dislike (the God) Rama.
How could he leave (the Goddess) Sita; as if she was just another property that he could dispense with; and that too when she was on the family way? What was so compelling that he, who followed all the dharmas in his life, had to leave his beloved wife in such stage?
The answer came, few months back when I saw an episode of Uttar Ramayana, the story that narrates the events after Rama’s accession as the king of Ayodhya. The story goes on till the battle for the Ashwamedha Yagya horse.
Before battling with his father, Luv asks the same question to Rama.
And Rama replies, “Raj Dharma”. The duties of a leader, took primacy over all the dharmas.
While it may remain a debate at several forums but for the first time, I saw the reason that ‘King’ Rama couldn’t have ignored, even if the decision was as cruel to Rama himself, the husband.
But unfortunately the message of Raj Dharma is lost, and is sorely missed in many of the leaders today.
In my personal view, what they fail to do is - to detach themselves and decide.
To be able to detach means to treat all subordinates equally. Perhaps the most important trait of a leader but hardly found these days.
There is always a blue-eyed boy or a June Pinto (DTBHJ) that leaders find comfortable to go to. Unfortunately in long run, it proves to be disastrous - to other co-workers' output, to leader’s credibility and also to such favorite’s overall effectiveness.
The second most important attribute is to be able to decide. Our experience is replete with situations when leaders ask for ‘all the information’ before they decide.
The issue is when all the information is available; we don’t need a leader anymore; then a computer or an interpreter is good enough.
An informed decision is qualified with maximum 50% of information. Beyond that, the probability theories provide better reference. Therefore a leader should always be ready to decide with an element of risk.
A decision may finally prove to be right or wrong but inability to decide means the person can only fake to be a leader but s/he can’t actually lead.
Rama may not be a great husband, but I think he certainly was a great leader. And a king who managed to follow the most difficult dharma known to us...the Raj Dharma...
How could he leave (the Goddess) Sita; as if she was just another property that he could dispense with; and that too when she was on the family way? What was so compelling that he, who followed all the dharmas in his life, had to leave his beloved wife in such stage?
The answer came, few months back when I saw an episode of Uttar Ramayana, the story that narrates the events after Rama’s accession as the king of Ayodhya. The story goes on till the battle for the Ashwamedha Yagya horse.
Before battling with his father, Luv asks the same question to Rama.
And Rama replies, “Raj Dharma”. The duties of a leader, took primacy over all the dharmas.
While it may remain a debate at several forums but for the first time, I saw the reason that ‘King’ Rama couldn’t have ignored, even if the decision was as cruel to Rama himself, the husband.
But unfortunately the message of Raj Dharma is lost, and is sorely missed in many of the leaders today.
In my personal view, what they fail to do is - to detach themselves and decide.
To be able to detach means to treat all subordinates equally. Perhaps the most important trait of a leader but hardly found these days.
There is always a blue-eyed boy or a June Pinto (DTBHJ) that leaders find comfortable to go to. Unfortunately in long run, it proves to be disastrous - to other co-workers' output, to leader’s credibility and also to such favorite’s overall effectiveness.
The second most important attribute is to be able to decide. Our experience is replete with situations when leaders ask for ‘all the information’ before they decide.
The issue is when all the information is available; we don’t need a leader anymore; then a computer or an interpreter is good enough.
An informed decision is qualified with maximum 50% of information. Beyond that, the probability theories provide better reference. Therefore a leader should always be ready to decide with an element of risk.
A decision may finally prove to be right or wrong but inability to decide means the person can only fake to be a leader but s/he can’t actually lead.
Rama may not be a great husband, but I think he certainly was a great leader. And a king who managed to follow the most difficult dharma known to us...the Raj Dharma...
1 comment:
Simply true and touching. Keep writing.
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