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As a young
boy I read a short story which left a deep impact on me at
that time, even though I did not understand its full significance.
The story was about a Pauranika (a person who gives religious
discourses), who was considered to be an expert with regard
to discourses on the Bhagavatha. He approached the king of
Benaras, which was then considered to be the highest seat
of learning, and told him that while he had given discourses
in several courts, he had one desire left, that of giving
a discourse in the Benaras king's court. The king was very
pleased, but got down from his throne and, with folded hands,
told him how it would be a great honour for him to listen
to him but could the Pauranika please read the Bhagavatha
once more before starting his discourse? The Pauranika was
angry but as his anger would be of little avail in the presence
of the king, he had no option but to go back and read the
epic once again. As he did so, he found deeper meanings in
the various passages. His anger evaporated as he realised
that the king had good reason to make the suggestion that
he did. After completing his reading he once again approached
the king with the same request, only to be told by the king
to read the epic once more before starting his discourse.
Dejected, he came back home and plunged into reading the Bhagavatha
once again. As he delved deep into it, he found that he was
getting gradually transformed. His sense of ego left him and
the desire to display his prowess before the king also disappeared.
He read and re-read the book many times. Realising that the
Pauranika was not going to return, the king rushed to his
home, prostrated himself, and requested the Pauranika to begin
the discourse as he had at last found a worthy teacher.
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| I was introduced to the Thirukural
at the very young age of seven. I was staying with my maternal
uncle and used to accompany him in the evenings to the house
of a Tamil scholar who was an authority on the Thirukural. His
exposition of several of the kurals inspired me to read and
understand the text in its entirety. As a young boy it was possible
for me to grasp only the superficial meaning of the book, but
that was adequate enough for me to regulate my conduct in a
meaningful way. As I persisted in my learning process, I found
that the very same kural which conveyed a particular meaning
to me as a young boy seemed to shed an entirely different light
as I grew up. When I was barely fourteen, I remember asking
my teacher why the Thirukural dealt with only three aspects
of life, that is, virtue, wealth creation and enjoyment of life,
and excluded the fourth aspect - that of achieving enlightenment.
I did not get a very satisfactory answer at that time. It was
only when I turned sixty that I realised that every one of these
kurals dealt with the aspect of enlightenment and in view of
this, a separate treatment of the subject was redundant. |
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The limited success
I have been able to achieve in my life and career is largely
influenced by the teachings of Valluvar. I made a genuine
and deliberate attempt to apply the teachings of this great
saint both in my life and career. Therefore, on receiving
a request from Srinivasan to write a preface to his book on
management philosophy as embodied in the Thirukural, I found
myself in sync with his thought process. I read his book with
considerable interest, given my familiarity with the subject,
and was delighted with the way in which he was able to organise
and summarise the various teachings of the great saint and
articulate their relevance in
the current context. I particularly enjoyed his comparison
of the kingdom with the corporate organisation, and the various
functionaries of the kingdom with the executives of the organisation.
This rather innovative attempt establishes the relevance of
the ancient text to current times.
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This, in fact, is
the greatness of the Thirukural, its ability to transcend
times and propound the universal Truth, which has applicability
across time and borders. Thiruvalluvar is generally considered
a Hindu but the Jains say that considering his teachings,
he cannot but be a Jain. Buddhists believe that he must be
a Buddhist, while the Christians consider him to be a Christian
given the similarity of his teachings to the Bible. The very
fact that nearly two thousand years after his time he is still
being claimed as part of different religious groups is proof
of the universality of the Truth espoused by him. In fact,
I would go one step further and say with a degree of confidence
that this also establishes that all religions in their essence
are one and the same; the differences, if any, being merely
superficial.
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Srinivasan indeed
has excellent credentials to outline management concepts and
link them to the teachings of Valluvar. I came to know him
as a young executive of ICICI and have seen him rise to great
heights within the organisation. The manner in which he put
3i Infotech on the growth path, successfully dealing with
many challenges the company faced in its formative years,
is testimony to his emergence as one of the young corporate
leaders in the country. The book not only incorporates the
results of his rich experience in corporate organisations
but also reflects his deep understanding of ancient Indian
philosophy. I am greatly impressed by his ability to link
the teachings of Valluvar with the various concepts propounded
by the management gurus of the day. This comparative analysis
would be of great interest to students of management.
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| I would, without hesitation, recommend this
book for reading by young and aspiring corporate executives. |
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N. Vaghul,
Chairman,
ICICI Bank. 7, April 2006 |
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