Two kinds of teachers
devdutt pattanaik
devdutt.pattanaik@gmail.com
Published on 6th March, 2015, in The Economic Times
In the Ramayana, Ram is educated by two teachers: Vasistha and Vishwamitra. And these two teachers are as different from each other as day and night. Vasishtha is one of the primal seven sages. He is associated with Vedic wisdom. After Ram completes his study, he travels around the world and returns disillusioned by the illusory nature of the world, uninterested in worldly life. Alarmed, his father Dasharatha sends for Vasistha who declares that this is a good thing for Ram is now ready to receive the ultimate wisdom of the Vedas. Then follows, for 21 days, narration known as the Yoga Vasistha in the king’s court, after which an enlightened Ram is at peace with worldly life having understood the true nature of reality. One of the lessons he learns is not to mistake correlation with causality: just because a coconut falls from a tree when a crow alights on it does not mean the crow is the cause and the falling of the fruit is the effect. We often mistake events that may be coincidence to be causality and this is the cause of much sorrow in the world. Another lesson is how in turbulent waters the moon has many reflections just as in turbulent minds we see many versions of reality and not the truth.
Vishwamitra, however, is a very different kind of teacher. Born a king, he is a great warrior before he decides to become a sage. He drags Ram into the forest, ignoring Dasharatha’s protests. There he makes Ram kill the rakshasa demon lady, Tadaka, who disturbs his yagna. He then makes Ram bring back to life Ahalya, the wife of Rishi Gautama, who had been turned into stone on charge of adultery. Thus he makes Ram take life in one incident and give life in another. He tells Ram stories of his great family tree, of how Sagar is responsible for the creation of the ocean, and how Bhagirath is responsible for the river Ganga. Finally, he takes Ram to Mithila where Ram strings the bow of Shiva and wins the hand of Janak’s daughter, Sita, in marriage. With Vishwamitra, Ram does worldly things: killing, rescuing, learning about his lineage and securing a wife who will help him keep alive his family tree. These are worldly concerns. Vasistha comes across as spiritual while Vishwamitra comes across as material. Vasistha brings a wider perspective to Ram while Vishwamitra brings an immediate focus. Both are valid.
The same idea is presented in a different way in the Mahabharata. Under Drona, the Pandavas receive material education: archery that lets them fight wars and vanquish enemies. But only through Krishna do they gain spiritual wisdom, Vedic wisdom that explains the world to them, enabling Arjun to step out of despair and dilemma.
When you think about it, it is rather funny that in both Ramayana and Mahabharata, Vedic wisdom or spiritual wisdom enables the protagonists participate in worldly life. This wisdom does not make hermits of men, rather helps them transform into kings and warriors. Without this knowledge, there is disillusionment. The lessons of Vishwamitra and Drona may be practical and goal-driven but not enough to make them cope with moral and ethical issues that life brings our way.
There are two kinds of teachers in the corporate world. There are the teachers at B-school who enable aspiring management students to think structurally about strategy, tactics, goals, objectives, planning process, resource allocation, command and control, review processes, balance sheets and balance score cards, talent management and negotiations and conflict resolution. They help the mind think rationally and methodically to approach and solve a problem. These Vasishthas reappear in the corporate world as hard and soft skill trainers who help in learning and development, sometimes in executive courses offered by B-schools, those who facilitate people to think about their work theoretically, and those who compel people to look at the subject in its purity, without the demands of practicality.
Then in the workplace, they meet their Vishwamitras, the mentors and coaches, who help them function well at the work place, give their best in practical situations. Many of these are bosses, who turn their subordinates into apprentices teaching them how to deal with real life situations: from hiring people to firing people, from negotiating with vendors to presenting before senior management. As one moves higher on the corporate ladder, the nature of the guru changes. It becomes less about jobs at hand and processes and policies to be negotiated, and more about governance and managing people – preparing to be a leader. This is always within the context of the workplace.
We need both kinds of teachers in the corporate world. The theoretical and the practical, the spiritual and the material, the one who grants perspective and the one who helps with focus, in order to be successful in our corporate careers.
