Skip to main content

Book Review: Spiritual Guidelines for Managerial Excellence - Dr. A. Jagan Mohan Reddy

 

My salutations to the holy feet of the parama Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada and to the holy feet of the current Jagadgurus of Sringeri Sharada Peeta. This book is also brought out by Tattvaloka team as a collection of articles on this topic over the course of time. Dr. Reddy is an educator cum researcher having donned many roles across his rich experience in the industry and teaching. He loves teaching and counselling, while guiding the next generation on Ph.Ds.

Management is a topic of immense interest and research across time. Though the terminologies may be introduced in the modern age, the core principles have always been part of our cultural history across time. Dr. Reddy expands on the various tenets of the management drawing inspiration and lessons from our rich repository of knowledge i.e. Vedas, Upanishads, Itihasas, Puranas. The author’s wide knowledge base is evident in the references spanning from Bharatha’s own history to Greek Mythology. The book is filled with rich anecdotes and examples and makes for a great reference / inspiration for one and alike.

The book is composed of 4 sections - Spirituality in Workplace, Enhancing Human Capital, Self Management & Governance and Corporate responsibility. In each of these sections, there are dedicated chapters on specific tenets / principles that the author is trying to expand upon. Srimad Valmiki Ramayana and Srimad Bhagwad Gita forms a large part of the references. The author has taken many unique incidents / slokas from these epics and explains the relevance of the principles in the modern context. Sri Rama is definitely a great inspiration to the author and to the universe in general.

There are references from Ishopanishad, Brhadaranyaka Upanishads as well as Chanakya Neeti. As one proceeds with the book, some of the references of Ramayana and Gita may repeat owing to their universal appeal in multitude of situations. Quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Booker T Washington augment the rich knowledge base in the book.

The book is a great inspiration for everyone, whether they are managers in profession or not. This book is more about self-reflection, self-improvement and more importantly self-management. Management starts with the self, a point which is reiterated multiple times at various junctures in the book. The book does make one major impression on the readers: Spirituality has a constant presence in life across all spheres and is part of our identity and being.

DEFINITELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ. I would definitely recommend this to young adults (15-20 year olds) who will embark on the transition from Academics to work in years to come. This is equally applicable to the older folk to reflect, review and reform.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

108 Divine Shiva Kshetras - Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar

Wodeyar family in general have been instrumental in preserving a lot of age-old scriptures, puranas etc by commissioning Asthana Vidwan’s to translate them into Kannada. We are blessed to be savouring the vast ocean of our ancient knowledge thanks to these generous souls.  Mysore’s Maharaja H. H. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar was a scholar par excellence. He has authored many works, one of which is Sri TattvaNidhi . In the 5th Canto, there is a mention of 108 Shiva Kshetras along with the names of the presiding deities (as captured in Srimat Shivasarasangraha ).  Disclaimer : This list was published in the special edition of Bharatha Darshana (Feb 2026). This post is to translate the same into English so that it reaches wider audience. Full credit should go to the Bharatha Darshana team for bringing these nuggets to light.  1. Kaivalyashaila - Srikanta 2. Hemakedara -  Kedareshwara 3. Varanasi - Vishwanatha 4. Srishaila - Mallikarjuna 5. Prayaga - Nilakanta 6. Gaya -...

Book Review : Aparoksha - Sahana Vijaykumar

  Before the book review, I feel there is a strong overlap between the concept of the book - A journey and my own book reading journey. In the recent past, my reading was heavily tilted towards English books / translations and I used to read the originals only when I had to refer something I may have read earlier. This is perhaps my first Kannada book in last couple of years that I have read cover to cover. Starting with a doubt if I will be able to transcend this peak of reading such wonderfully written book to actually enjoying the journey and completing this today, it has been a journey worth remembering. When I was nearing the end of the book, I realised the theme of the book landed up being reflected in my own case. Aparoksha translates to direct inference rather than indirect or perceived knowledge or experiences. To summarise this book into a sentence - This is a philosophical journey of a human who embarks on a journey to discover herself. What is so special about this sel...

Temple Circuit - Divya Deshams, Padal Petra Sthalam - Kerala - Part 1

After Makara Sankranthi, in Kerala, a festive vibe erupts in the form of Purams or annual temple festivals. It is also interesting to note that this is not limited to the Hindu temples, but also quite a few churches that celebrate their Pirannal or birthdays. Driving through the side-roads is an experience to celebrate the vibrant decorations, the DJ powered music (this too exists), Chenda Melam & of course, panchavaadhyam.  This time of the year also happens to be the time of Bharani or Puram of Bhagwathis, one of which is close to my paternal ancestral home. When the date was decided to be January 26, I planned to make the most of the opportunity by travelling early and trying to discover and understand the antiquity of some of these kshetrams. As a new found self-motivated objective, I wish to travel and discover these Divya Deshams and Padal Petra Sthalams across the country or beyond. As part of this endeavour, I zeroed in a few kshetras that are relatively near-by to my a...