“My husband Rama is famous throughout the world. He is pure, truthful, and very gentle. He is mighty-armed, has wide eyes, and is always busy working for the welfare of all living beings [sarva-bhuta-hite-ratah].” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 47.11)

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रामेति प्रथितो लोके गुणवान्सत्यवान्शुचिः
विशालाक्षो महाबाहुस्सर्वभूतहिते रतः

rāmeti prathito loke guṇavānsatyavānśuciḥ
viśālākṣo mahābāhussarvabhūtahite rataḥ

1. We are one big family

“What a sham! They pretend that we are a family, but that is not the case. They want to suck us dry. They are exploiting us. It really is the worst. I wish they would just be honest. Tell us that we are only valued for as long as we can put in endless hours, sacrificing sleep and time with family in the process.”

2. This is a great opportunity to share ideas

“Give me a break. We all know what this is. It has nothing to do with sharing ideas. No one from my team works in the office that they want me to report to. I will literally know not a single person there. I am supposed to travel that far to sit at a makeshift desk, to eat free food, and to pretend that my presence there has value. This is no different than a convict having a monthly meeting with their parole officer.”

3. This will help you be more visible in the company

“Why are you giving me more work? Do I not already meet expectations? I believe I am exceeding them, in fact. I am one of the top performers. You want me to be more visible to executives? How will that be good for me? I think it will only draw more attention, which equates to more responsibility. I don’t see you paying me any extra, either.”

4. This will help with collaboration

“We collaborate right now. In these endlessly long meetings. The ones that take place at all times of the day, to facilitate the wide geographical distribution of our team members. There is no point in traveling to an office just to meet in a virtual manner. You people are lying to us. This is all about using the real estate that you are already contractually obligated to pay for. Those extended leases you locked up long ago. You would be better off subletting the existing space. Get some of your money back.”

5. Your mental health is our highest priority

“Trust me, the last thing you people care about is the employees. You think we have been on this extended vacation, in working remotely. I have heard you casually joke about how the party is finally coming to an end. You want to stick us back into adult daycare, so that everyone will be miserable and require binge drinking and anxiety pills on the weekends. You people are the worst.”

…

It is the modern world, after all. Some describe it as “dog eat dog.” Like a pack of animals in a jungle fighting over a finite amount of food, every advantage available is an advantage taken. There is no long-term benefit to behaving charitably. As the saying goes, if you snooze, you lose.

It is in the nature of business for the dealings to lack candor. At the end of the day, each player is looking to turn a profit. Even if it is an employee, who is not directly impacted by the gain and loss sheets, who does not pay attention to margins, growth, and scale, there is always a kind of tug-of-war taking place.

In this regard, no one is really interested in the benefit of others. They are looking to get something. That is inherent to the contract. One party provides a good or service. Another party provides payment for that good or service. Either through a monetary value involving currency or through exchanging another good or service.

The problem of disingenuousness remains. Even if we understand that businesses and their leaders have higher objectives to reach, in struggling to stay afloat, in trying to remain competitive in the market, it does not help matters to always be skeptical of words directed at us. If every person in this world is a cheat, if no one speaks in a straightforward manner, what is the benefit to the human birth?

This skepticism may carry over to the assessment of the spiritual leader. They are asking us to follow a certain path. They are strongly recommending dharma. They want us to join their particular camp. There is the accompanying entourage consisting of smiling faces, dancing feet, and persuasive appeals. There is literature for the eyes to consume, which is supposedly more convincing.

Are not these leaders also cheating? Are they not in it for themselves? They claim to be renounced, but are they not merely pretending? After all, the higher you ascend in their respective institutions, the more comforts you receive. Who wouldn’t enjoy lavish praise, executive class accommodations, and servants available around the clock?

कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य
य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन्
इन्द्रियार्थान् विमूढात्मा
मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते

karmendriyāṇi saṁyamya
ya āste manasā smaran
indriyārthān vimūḍhātmā
mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate

“One who restrains the senses and organs of action, but whose mind dwells on sense objects, certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.6)

In this regard, we can look to someone like Narada Muni. He is a traveler of the three worlds, always singing the glories of Narayana, who is God in His personal form. Narayana is the detail behind the abstract. If the entire universe is something like the body of God, for the sake of understanding all-pervasiveness, then Narayana is the individual to whom that body belongs. He is the original fire which then spreads throughout the entire space, proving that no place can ever be truly vacant.

एक-देश-स्थितस्याग्नेर्
ज्योत्स्ना विस्तारिणी यथा
परस्य ब्रह्मणः शक्तिस्
तथेदम् अखिलṁ जगत्

eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
tathedam akhilaṁ jagat

“Everything that is manifested within this cosmic world is but the energy of the Supreme Lord. As fire emanating from one place diffuses its illumination and heat all around, so the Lord, although situated in one place in the spiritual world, manifests His different energies everywhere. Indeed, the whole cosmic creation is composed of different manifestations of His energy.” (Vishnu Purana, 1.22.52)

Narada Muni is convincing. He uses logic and reasoning. He has an appeal which appears to be genuine. He has lifted up the likes of Valmiki and Vyasadeva. He once convinced a hunter to give up the business of killing in cruelty. Narada is always helping people, but he asks nothing in return. In fact, due to a curse placed upon him by Prajapati Daksha, Narada cannot remain in one place for too long. This means that even if he were interested in extracting a personal benefit, it would not be possible for him to use it.

This is one of the ways to test genuineness. Is the spiritual leader dependent on my service? If I refused to follow them, would their life be negatively impacted? Do they need a certain number of followers in order to remain viable?

The genuine acharya is similar to the person they follow: Narayana. As God is atmarama, the spiritual leader following in the authorized tradition of the Vedas is not impacted by reception. Whether every person follows or no one is willing to listen, there is no difference in the occupation moving forward.

Saintly people follow the way of Narada because they care. Like Sita Devi describing her husband as sarva-bhuta-hite-ratah, they are interested in the welfare of all living beings. No one should be left behind. No one is too wealthy to be helped and no one is too poor to be forgotten.

In Closing:

Whether ascending to highest plane,
Or lacking skill in work mundane.

Saints like Narada eager to reach,
Since eligible every person to teach.

Showing compassion and care,
In the glories of Narayana to share.

Otherwise dealings with duplicity stained,
Considered only advantage and gain.

Categories: the five

Tags: business, hare krishna, leadership, office, poem, poems, poetry, ramayana