Success Principles – based on Tantrokta Devisuktam

Management Lessons from Devi Mahatmyam

The scriptures are rich with lessons for our life. I am always fascinated by the depth of information that has been provided in our scriptures. One such text is Devi Mahatmyam (Sanskrit: devīmāhātmyam, देवीमाहात्म्यम्). As part of the Markandeya Purana, it is one of the Puranas, or secondary Hindu scriptures, and was composed in Sanskrit around 400 to 500 CE, with authorship attributed to the sage Markandeya. It describes the victory of Durga over Mahishasura and other demons.

One section of this scripture is Tantotra Devisuktam. This section praises goddess Durga in different ways. The goddess is extolled in different forms. The important aspect of the terms used is the sequence in which they are given. I am beginning from the 17th shloka of the 4th chapter of the book. Each point below is a way the goddess is addressed in the text. They are listed in the same order as given in the text.

Durga is the form of the goddess formed from the energies of all the gods. Durga represents the power of synergy. What each god could not achieve alone was achieved by Goddess Durga. Each of these forms, as expressed, needs to be looked at as a form of power.

1. Chetna (Consciousness)

This refers to the cognitive power that we humans have. Without this cognitive power, we humans would be no different from an animal. Most successful people have excellent cognitive power. Their ability to learn from what they observe and use it for success is noteworthy. The learning process is dependent on the cognitive power of an individual.

2. Budhi (Knowledge)

Cognitive power plays a critical role in building our knowledge. Improving cognitive power helps improve knowledge. Knowledge refers to one's ability to understand the why and what of anything one deals with. Knowledge as power has driven many important historical changes in society. Chanakya and many others are examples from our real life.

3. Nidraa (Sleep, Slumber, Sloth)

Sleep is an important activity in maintaining our circadian rhythm. Whether sleep can save energy or not, sleeplessness definitely drains energy.

The Sanskrit word Nidraa also refers to blindness due to sleep. Many individuals with higher knowledge tend to behave as if nothing more is left to learn. This creates a layer of ignorance around them that prevents them from building competency for tomorrow. They tend to ignore the obvious signals of bad times. One has to constantly be aware of this part of the mind and keep it under control. This requires constant calibration of one's level of knowledge against what is required.

In other words, you should know what you do not know, and you should also know what you know.

4. Kshuda (Hunger, Appetite)

Instead of sleeping over the feeling of having all the knowledge, one must sustain the hunger for knowledge. This is the only way to remain competent to succeed in this competitive world. Hunger has the power to drive an individual to higher levels of performance. This hunger is represented as ambition. There is no success without ambition.

5. Kshaya (Shape, Shadow)

Kshaya has different meanings. It can imply shape, and it can also refer to a shadow. In any case, a shadow also has a shape. It represents the form and substance of ourselves and the environment we create around us. This shape should be based on our knowledge and must allow space for change depending on our hunger and appetite.

Managers and leaders in an organisation must have the ability to learn. Prof Prahalad has spoken about the need for continuous unlearning and learning. Hence, the ability to learn is a critical skill. One has to keep up with knowledge. Competency is a combination of knowledge, skill, and process abilities.

Competencies of yesterday are of no use today. Competencies available today are not required tomorrow. What is required for tomorrow, we are not learning.

Competency building is affected by the following factors:

• Knowing what to build
• Hunger or appetite to learn
• Form and content of the artefact being absorbed

I recollect a famous quote on knowledge:

I do not know what I do not know.
I know what I do not know.
I know what I know.
I do not know what I know.

6. Shakti (Power, Force, Might)

Power, force, or might is an outcome of knowledge and shape, meaning form and substance. The strength of this power depends on the level of knowledge, as applied and demonstrated, and also on what has been created by us in terms of forms and substance.

7. Trishna (Thirst)

Thirst is similar to hunger in many ways. The difference is that while hunger represents ambition, thirst often represents a desire for more power. The thirst to acquire more power is common. One is expected to build this power through people, that is, the team. Attempting to do it all alone may convert thirst into greed. One must recognise the positive power of thirst and safeguard against the potential to be overpowered by greed.

8. Kshanti (Patience, Forbearance)

The thirst for more power makes us lose patience. The scripture has appropriately identified the goddess with patience, forgiveness, and forbearance. Since quenching this thirst requires people around you to rally with you, everyone may not have the same passion, and the pace may not match. Many around you would also commit errors. It is not that we do not make errors ourselves, but impatience makes us angry at errors made by others. Tolerance for errors is key to managing variation in outcomes provided by others.

Patience was used as power by Gandhi during the Freedom Struggle. Patience as a virtue is now becoming extinct, as it is often referred to as a lack of capability.

9. Jaati (Genus)

In Indian philosophy, jati, or genus, describes any group of things that have generic characteristics in common. Sociologically, jati has come to be used universally to indicate a caste group among Hindus. The caste as a concept is much later in the Hindu system. I do not want to deviate into the genesis of the caste system in Hinduism here.

When we start working with groups of people to attain larger successes, we need to recognise the groups and subgroups with different levels of competencies and aspirations. One need not become part of any of the groups, but one is expected to be like a lotus that can stand out within a dirty pond without being affected by it. Recognising these groups and subgroups enables one to manage the group's outcomes in a more effective and efficient way.

10. Lajja (Shame, Modesty)

We all know the meaning of lajja as shame, but in Sanskrit, lajja also means modesty. Both are relevant from a management-of-success point of view. We must feel ashamed if we are not able to understand and manage the groups and subgroups effectively.

One needs to be part of all groups and subgroups from the member's point of view, but at the same time, one should not become a captive member of any single group. Modesty in approach can help achieve this without much difficulty.

11. Shanti (Peace)

Life can become easier and more peaceful once one has learnt to manage the team, meaning the groups and subgroups, with modesty. This approach converts an existing team into a high performing team. The leaders of such a team can actually be at peace and focus on future growth.

12. Shraddha (Respect)

The leader is respected on attaining the stages mentioned above. At the same time, respecting each other and each other's views is essential to sustain peace. Respect may arise due to several factors, but the respect that comes from knowledge and wisdom is more permanent.

The actions and inactions of managers and leaders contribute to their success. It is important to know when to act and when not to act. Sometimes, not acting is itself the action. A friend of mine used to talk about TWS as a problem solving tool. Unknowingly, many people follow this method. TWS stands for Time Will Solve.

Chanakya (Sanskrit: चाणक्य Cāṇakya), circa 350 to 283 BCE, was an adviser, or management consultant in today's jargon, to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta, circa 340 to 293 BCE. He believed in four ways: Sama, Dama, Danda, Bheda, meaning treating with equality, enticement, punishment or war, and sowing dissension. Each of these methods has an application and utility in managing team performance. However, the critical aspect is to use each method at the appropriate time to get the best out of it. This method has the power to give results. This energy can be productive if used constructively.

13. Kanti (Loveliness, Beauty, Splendour)

The power of beauty and loveliness is well known. In the corporate world, the brilliance of a leader attracts all the resources necessary for the business. This creates the first impression. The scripture places this later in the sequence because brilliance attained artificially does not last. The characters and powers mentioned before this, such as respect, peace, and modesty, give a brilliance that is visible and creates a positive aura around one's personality.

14. Lakshmi (Money)

Lakshmi represents money. Money as power needs no explanation. However, if one earns money after building the previously listed virtues, it will not lead to greed. Money is possibly one of the key outcomes of all our efforts, but this scripture affirms that money is important but not everything.

15. Vritti (Waves of Thoughts)

Vritti is the state of mind, or waves of thoughts, that expresses a variety of feelings and emotions. Vrittis are the result of past actions and experiences that have left an imprint on the mind. This is close to the reflection one must do on whatever one has achieved from time to time. This makes one stronger and enables learning from past successes and failures. In a way, it is an assessment of things that went right and things that went wrong.

16. Smriti (Memory)

Memories can help one move ahead. Good memories motivate us. Bad memories have the power to haunt us and often shake our confidence.

17. Daya (Forgiveness)

All our experiences relate to events in the past. All events have characters. The ability to forgive individuals who might have contributed to some of our unpleasant experiences is a powerful management tool. Forgiving actually requires more strength than fighting does. The principle of Ahimsa is based on this fundamental.

18. Tushti (Satisfaction)

Being satisfied with what has been achieved is important. This does not mean one should not be ambitious. Satisfaction at the current level is necessary to push the bar higher. Satisfaction is possible only when we have retained sweet memories and erased bad recollections. Forgiving individuals who contributed to poor experiences can also give immense satisfaction.

19. Matri (Mother)

The mother is the creator, developer, and caretaker of all. The manager must behave like a mother to all his or her subordinates.

20. Bhranti (Mirage)

Success is always temporary. While it is important to rejoice and celebrate, one must also remember that the mantra for success constantly changes. One will have to keep renewing the organisation. It is important to quickly come out of celebration and start working for the next level of performance and maturity.

Organisational performance and results need to be absorbed in a positive manner. Learning from successes and failures is key to sustained success.