By Narayani Ganesh

Self-evolution begins with self-preservation and self-love, that is, love of own consciousness. This is the first step towards universal love and peace. An employee who thinks creatively and who is interested in her work is more valuable to the company’s holistic health than one who unquestioningly kowtows to her superiors and obsesses over time spent at work.

Enlightened self-interest balances self-interest with wisdom; your choices help you grow and contribute to your well-being. They also help the institution to grow, and stay healthy. Individuals and institutions make up society that will reflect these qualities. So why buckle under external pressure?

A good mentor will help individuals discover what is best for them rather than impose societal expectations – just as Krishn mentored Arjun during Gitopanishad. Individuals come before collective; that’s the way to mukti, liberation.

Metaphysically, when you liberate yourself from the world, you dissolve attachments, obligations and imposed duties that shackle you. Detached, you live righteously in the world and also live out of it, enabling yourself to experience the ultimate, overcoming your inner Kurukshetras.

When told to act for the greater good – for family, corporation, society, country and world – it is self-serving to those who impose them on you. True mentorship prioritises an individual’s highest good, not societal constructs of obligation. True peace comes from detachment and self-awareness.

Corporate leaders such as Subrahmanyan and Elon Musk promote overwork, without admitting that their own financial security will not be compromised, even if such demands are ignored. In the short run, as taskmasters, they may get some additional gains, but at the cost of employee welfare and corporate goodwill. While hard work is necessary, it must be aligned with personal aspirations rather than dictated by external expectations.

Success comes from twinning effort with personal goals and values rather than sacrificing oneself for collective ideals. Corporate and societal narratives ought not to override an individual’s pursuit of fulfilment and well-being. True mentorship empowers the individual, even if it goes against the entire world, even if it goes against the mentor, and/or against the institution, and not subjugate her to an external cause. This will prepare the ground for the individual mentee to “kill” her mentor and move ahead towards mukti. As a Zen koan puts it, “Kill the Buddha if you see him, so that you can embrace your own buddha-nature.” That is, transcend the world and get aligned with your true nature, your own consciousness and not get entangled and distracted. For example, you may have crossed the river with the help of a raft or boat. Once you reach the other side, you will leave the raft behind – it has served its purpose – just as you discard dharm and no-dharm once you transcend the world.

Initially, the Bhagwad Gita endorses swadharm, personal duty, as essential, while the Ashtavakra Gita rejects duty as an illusion. Ultimately, both texts converge on the same truth: that duty is relevant only until one transcends the world itself. The Bhagwad Gita begins by endorsing action but says later, mukti comes when all duty dissolves. True mentorship leads to liberation, not servitude to imposed duties.

Also read: 

Sustained effort: The true path to success

Work as worship? Ancient wisdom for modern workplaces

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Disclaimer

Views expressed above are the author's own.

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