The Success Sutra

the success sutra is packed with unique and profound insights into how individuals can create wealth and achieve success in life by following indian principles of strategic thinking and decision-making. most human beings hunger after riches and success. there are any number of management books which provide theories and techniques on how to become rich and successful. all of them advise us to chase lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, in order to make her our own. but the indian approach to prosperity and fulfilment warns against the relentless pursuit of the goddess, writes noted thinker and mythologist devdutt pattanaik, as it will result in conflict. rather, we have to give in order to get, we have to satisfy the hunger of others in order to satisfy our own. if we learn and practise this fundamental truth, lakshmi will enter our homes and our lives. derived from his acclaimed bestseller business sutra, this book is filled with lessons and insights into management, business and the creation of wealth and success.

In this landmark book, bestselling author, leadership coach and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik shows how, despite its veneer of objectivity, modern management is rooted in Western beliefs and obsessed with accomplishing rigid objectives and increasing shareholder value. By contrast, the Indian way of doing business, as apparent in Indian mythology but no longer seen in practice accommodates subjectivity and diversity and offers an inclusive, more empathetic way of achieving success. Great value is placed on darshan, that is, on how we see the world and our relationship with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Business Sutra uses stories, symbols and rituals drawn from Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology to understand a wide variety of business situations that range from running a successful tea stall to nurturing talent in a large multinational corporation. At the heart of the book is a compelling premise: if we believe that wealth needs to be chased, the workplace becomes a rana-bhoomi - a battleground of investors, regulators, employers, employees, vendors, competitors and customers, if we believe that wealth needs to be attracted, the workplace becomes a ranga-bhoomi - a playground where everyone is happy.

Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge in Hinduism, as well as in Buddhism and Jainism. Her name is derived from the fluidity (saras) of the imagination. Human imagination enables us to invent and innovate, visualize, plan and de-risk. Yet imagination is a bad word in the world of business and management. It strips us of certainty. We want to control the imagination of those who work for us, prevent their minds from wandering from work. Yet every human being lives in an imagined reality. Recognizing this enables us to work with talent, build strong relationships and nurture people to face any situation with faith and patience. Failure to recognize imagination is why family-owned businesses are unable to manage professionals and how professionally- run companies end up creating ineffective, mechanistic talent management systems. Training, learning and development, are not just about skills and knowledge and competencies, they are about appreciating the human-animal, recognizing that neither we nor those around us are programmable machines that we can plug and play. Managing people, hence relationships, is key to the survival of an organization. Derived from Devdutt Pattanaik's influential bestseller Business Sutra, this book explores concepts like creativity in the workplace, nurturing talent and the importance of teamwork. It will help employers and managers become more inclusive leaders who are able to carry their team along with them.

There is no shortcut to success. It is consistent hard work and a continuous journey. Success Sutra decodes success as a multidimensional phenomenon involving a balancing act between the personal and professional aspects of one's lives. This book helps one identify the lacunae in oneself and the efforts by which one can overcome them. It offers numerous coping strategies like Yoga and reconnecting with Nature, to cater to various temperaments. Success Sutra brings together a rare amalgamation of Eastern and Western Thought on the subject. It culls parables and shlokas from the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagvad Gita and also analyses and simplifies theories on psychology by the likes of Karl Jung. Substantiated by quotations from great personalities ranging from Sadhu Vaswani to JRD Tata, Osho to Eleanor Roosevelt and peppered with anecdotes, this is must read for all those looking for sustainable and stress free SUCCESS through one's life.

What does the Biblical story of Nathan and David say about effective communication skills? How do you identify the Raja Bhoj, the Gangu Teli and the Shekchilli in your office? What is the corporate equivalent of an Ashwamedha yajna? Drawing from sources as diverse as the Mahabharata and the Bible, the Vikram-Betal stories, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Islamic tenets, the tales of rishis and kings, and fables from around the world, Devdutt Pattanaik, India's leading mythologist, provides a fascinating account of what leadership entails. How to choose the right leader, effectively communicate with a boss, maintain the right balance between discipline and leniency? In these and other workplace situations, Pattanaik shows what leaders of today can learn about the art of leadership from stories written thousands of years ago, things no management course can teach. Leader: 50 Insights from Mythology uses myths and legends to arrive at wisdom that is both time-worn and refreshingly new, on what makes a good leader.

With imaginative lushness and narrative elan, Mehta provides a novel that combines Indian storytelling with thoroughly modern perceptions into the nature of love--love both carnal and sublime, treacherous and redeeming. "Conveys a world that is spiritual, foreign, and entirely accessible."--Vanity Fair. Reading tour.

Ability is an important tool in life. Ability without commitment and awareness is like a vehicle without the engine. The Shiva Sutra enhances one’s awareness in a way one sees an opportunity in a difficulty and not a difficulty in an opportunity. There is an ‘outside reality’ and an ‘inside reality’ of one’s mind. There is also another dimension called ‘spiritual reality’. To harmonize all of them is a great awakening. Ordinary being loves one’s own ‘psycho dramas’ of justification, proving one’s point of view, blaming, being helpless... and this leads one to a state of inner poverty. To free oneself from these lower states of poverty and see them as ‘errors in one’s thinking’ is part of being effective and experiencing inner prosperity. The profound teaching of Lord Shiva introduces us to A Bigger Container where one learns to be charitable to one’s own self. This practice of making A Bigger Container is essentially spiritual. Dive deep into these mystic teachings. —Swami Sukhabodhananda

The timeless leadership wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita explained Although it was written well over two thousand years ago, the Bhagavad Gita ("Song of God"), a revered Hindu religious text, contains an immense wealth of ageless wisdom that speaks directly to the needs of today's business leaders. Timeless Leadership takes this unlikely resource and teases out important lessons on 18 aspects of leadership, from commercial vision to motivation, decision-making, and planning. Looking in detail at what the Gita has to say about these and other issues of interest to business professionals, Timeless Leadership focuses on one central point: that once the basic thought process of man is improved, the quality of his actions will improve as well, leading to better results. Uses an ancient religious text to highlight and explain key Western management concepts Explores the leadership ideas in the Bhagavad Gita and helps managers and leaders apply them to modern business life Weaves together the threads of wisdom from the Gita to shed light on issues and challenges for leaders at all levels Covering teachings and ideas that have only got better with time, Timeless Leadership adapts the wisdom of millennia past for today's business leaders.

Iron & Silk, Mark Salzman's bestselling account of his adventures as an English teacher and martial arts student in China, introduced a writer of enormous charm and keen insight into the cultural chasm between East and West. Now Salzman returns to China in his first novel, which follows the adventures of Hsun-ching, a naive but courageous orphan, and the formidable and mysterious Colonel Sun, who together travel from mainland China to San Francisco, risking everything to track down an elusive Buddhist scripture called The Laughing Sutra. Part Tom Sawyer, part Tom Jones, The Laughing Sutra draws us into an irresistible narrative of danger and comedy that speaks volumes about the nature of freedom and the meaning of loyalty.