Ethical and Spiritual Values in Indian Scriptures

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Indian culture has a rich spiritual heritage, deeply rooted in Dharma signifying ethical values. These ethos insist on understanding the nature of good, laying down practical means of attaining a life of perfection, with actual application of moral ideals. Ethical Values like truth, ahimsa were the core of social life in ancient India - demonstrated, endorsed and re-emphasized in various ancient Indian scriptures like the Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Manusmriti, etc.

This book consists of nine chapters portraying a treasure of ethical values and is an attempt by the author to highlight these jewels of ancient Indian heritage which have stood the test of times and can help our society at large and corporates in particular, for being imbibed , to lead a more contented life and better sustainable business.

Mr. Ved Bhatia, MBA (HRM) is a Life Member of the NIPM (National Institute of Personnel Management), Kolkata. HRD and research in Ethical Values have been his niche areas of interest. His maiden attempt in Ethical and Spiritual Values in Indian Scriptures has a welcome response with the salient comments and has since come out in International versions of E-book, Kindle, Paperback formats as well. Post-retirement from Group 'A' post in GOI, where he performed a full range of P& A functions.Mr. Bhatia has worked as a visiting management faculty to engineering and MBA students. Many of his articles were published in the reputed International Vedic Science Journal (www.vedicscience.net). He has been one of the Founder members of the Sr. Citizen Forum, the Close South Nirvana, Gurugram and presently its Patron.

Today we are living in a world of crisis, inspite of so-called advancement of science and technology. The scientific advancement and development of high technology might have blessed humanity with some material comforts. Nevertheless, it has cursed humanity at large with poverty, hunger, disturbances, terrorism, environmental and cultural pollutions everywhere. All this scientific advancement has added to our miseries and problems. Why?

The answer is there is a blind race for artha (material gains) through. science and technology, but the major factor of dharma (value system or sanskaras) has been neglected completely, which is essential for sustenance and survival of man, society and nature. Until the time, artha (materialism) is governed by dharma (value system or sanskaras), we shall not be able to create a harmonious and peaceful world free from crisis. Dharma, in fact, is a knowledge and comprehension of those eternal principles which govern both nature and humanity, those immutable laws which in one sphere are called 'science' in another 'true philosophy.' It concerns itself not with things true under certain conditions or at certain times: its precepts are ever true, true in the past, true in present, true in future. Thus, truth is basis for both dharma and science.

In Vedic times, science and dharma went hand in hand. However, today dharma is replaced by religion and it has become a settled law that religion and science cannot go hand in hand. The fact is that science without dharma is blind and dharma without science is lame. That is the reason why, the modern era facing crisis, troubles and tribulations. The need is to revive the lost Vedic dharma (value system) which is the only key to present crisis, moral, cultural, political and environmental as well.

It is a matter of great pleasure that consistent efforts of Mr. Ved Bhatia in the realm of 'Ethical Values in Indian Scriptures' have crystalized in a book form. M. Bhatia came into my contact while coming to JL Nehru PG Government College, Faridabad to deliver lectures to MBA students as a Visiting Faculty. He evinced keen interest in research on ethical values and some of his articles were published in the Internationally-acclaimed Vedic Science Journal (www.vedicscience.net). Mr. Bhatia was also later included in the Editorial Board of the Journal.

Indian scriptures, including Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Bhagvad-Gita, Manu Samriti, Vidura Nisi, Chanakya Niti Sastra, Thirukkural, and Acharya Sankara's Crest Jewel of Wisdom (Viveka Choodamani), are some of the treaures containing many gems of ethical and spiritual values, which are still relevant in modern times, especially when constant degradation of such values on both societal and corporate fronts have been found on the rise. At this critical juncture, this research-based attempt by Mr. Bhatia is praise-worthy. I do hops that the educated segments of the society, both at International level and Indian level, including corpora., All find the contents of this book, quite inspiring, to imbibe some of the values, a found relevant, in their mundane activities.

Introduction To Ethical And Spiritual Values In Indian Scriptures Ancient literature has always been a source of wisdom. It inspires those who are open to it all the time and it is never exhausted by any one generation of interpreters. There are many gems of ethical values lying untapped in Vedas and allied Vedic literature, unfathomed and unutilized in the modern times, especially when we need them greatly, due to constant degradation of ethical values, both at social and corporate levels.

Ancient Indian scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads. Bhagwad-Gita, Munusamriti Viura Niti, Chanakya Niti Sastra, Thirukkural, etc. contain many gems of ethical and spiritual value which are still relevant for modern times. The Vedas radiated that light that illuminated the world by teaching those universal and eternal truths and principles that help the mankind to realize the nature and correlation of God with the soul and the creation. Indeed the Vedas are the first source of the knowledge ever come to mankind. The various branches of the knowledge and sciences were just the first offshoots sprung from the first nucleus of the Vedas. Rig Veda as well as Atharva Veda exhort honesty, non-violence, truthfulness, modesty, agreeable speech, religious conviction, and purity of heart as the important virtues that are praise worthy. These very virtues are mentioned in Bhagvad-Gita as divine qualities (Chap. 16:1-3). Thus, the Vedic philosophy lays emphasis on right conduct as the means of the development of the personality of the individual. Hence, the ethics enshrined in these Scriptures is the ethics of right action.

Again, the Eight-fold Path of Buddhism) enshrines the same righteous conduct and behavior: Right Resolve (sankalpa), Right Intention (samyog Drishti); Right Speech (vak); Right Action (karmanta); Right Livelihood or Right Living (ajiva); Right Concentration (Samadhi); Right Effort (vyayama), and Right Mindedness or Right Thought (smriti).

It shall be observed that the Indian Ethics, insist on understanding the nature of good, lays down practical means of attaining life of perfection, here and now. Thus Indian Ethics is actual application of moral ideals, whereas Western Ethics is a mere discussion of ethical problems. Indian culture has a rich spiritual heritage. It is deeply rooted in religion and practices on the one hand and spiritual and specific ones on the other. Indian ethos has a very rich and old tradition which is more than five thousand years old as against the modern management principles which are at a each more infant stage. Much of these ethos is derived from the ancient Indian scriptures like the Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, Manusmriti, Arthashastra, etc. The ancient Indian ethos which have stood the test of times can help the society at large, and corporates in particular to imbibe ethical values for more contended life and more sustainable business.

The world economy is once again at the eye of a storm. Again we witness a massive shakeout in the financial markets across the globe. At a time, when globalization and the philosophy of market economy is pushing the poor countries on to the slippery path of unbridled consumerism. Some of the companies which were icons of best-practices within their industry have miserably failed. Today's production and distribution systems provide the ideal field for the excesses of the seven deadly sins of Christianity or the six sensory enemies (shadaripu) of Indian ethics. The prime movers in this activity are the corporate giants. A substantial portion of the Indian GNP is funneled away in the black market and even laundered back. Galbraith rightly commented that 'in our times, the greater the wealth, the thicker will be the dirt.' Mahatma Gandhi had also said that 'though it is difficult but not impossible to be an honest businessman, it is impossible to be honest and amass great wealth.' When financial scandals are rocking even affluent countries like Japan, USA, Germany, Italy and Korea at the highest levels; when even world of sports is tainted with greed and treachery, where does we look for redemption?Where is the countervailing force against this powerful maelstrom of unending desire of material wealth, comfort of the senses?

On the contrary, we have seen a more resilient India in the past many years which is not just continuing the growth-story of Indian economy but is also able to better cope up with the global financial crisis. In the midst of the global financial crisis, we have seen aggressive inorganic growth in the Indian corporate sector. Companies like Tata, Ranbaxy, etc. have rather taken the opportunity for boosting their M&A activities, expanding business through buying some firms in Europe, UK, US, etch at a much lower valuation. We haven't seen any major Indian company going to the stage of bankruptcy during these tough times. Also, suddenly India seems to be a dream destination for doing business (as against the Western counterparts like US, UK, etc.) in the global economy. All this leads to one fundamental question: "How India can really contribute towards making the existing modern management paradigms more sustainable even at the midst of business uncertainty?"The answer to the above question broadly lies in the Indian ethos and values, which, if applied, can make the difference.

**Contents and Sample Pages**