Towards Values Based and Swadharma Inspired Leadership: Poetic Insights from the Bhagavad Gita

The paper "Towards Values Based and Swadharma Inspired Leadership: Poetic Insights from the Bhagavad Gita" was accepted for 10th International Gita Conference held in Novemeber 2025 at Kurukahetra University, Kurukshetra, The abstract and a poem on the theme of the paper is given here.

Abstract

The Bagavad Gita highlights the significance of comprehensively grasping one's designated duties, roles and responsibilities, assimilating them, and permitting them to foster intrinsic motivation in one's actions and conduct (swabhava). It promotes the execution of these responsibilities for their inherent value, devoid of extrinsic motives (swadharma). This tenet continues to hold relevance despite the variety of assigned duties and roles. The text includes a few verses that delineate the characteristics of leadership that exemplify the swadharma leadership approach contrary to leadership styles recognized in management science such as transformational, service, exemplary, visionary, and situational leadership styles. The Bhagavad Gita, as a philosophical and spiritual text, introduces a distinct type of universal leadership style that is field-free, unconditional, and soulful. An effort was made to utilize AI to identify verses that directly or indirectly reference leadership styles. The meanings and interpretations of these verses (Sample size N = 5; BG 2.47, 2.56, 7.11, 16.2, and 16.3) were drawn from three texts (N = 3; Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Vedabase Gita). A triangulated mini focus group research method coupled with content analysis was applied to gathered content data resulting in nine prompt language phrases that contributed to the creation of free verse reflecting the Gita's swadharma-inspired leadership qualities. Since the scripture advocates for personal soulful agency as a model of exemplary leadership, rather than merely establishing a leadership vision and supervision. The study culminated in the creation of a swadharma leadership anthem aimed at inspiring leaders to embrace soulful leadership. The study culminated in the creation of a swadharma leadership anthem aimed at inspiring leaders to embrace soulful leadership and a poem focused on leadership qualities. The implications derived from this study indicate that, in light of NEP 2020 and its integration with IKS, which includes academic courses on Gita Studies, it is essential to explore its implementation in institutions guided by a swadharma-inspired leadership approach.

Keywords: Duty as dharma, detached action, leadership anthem, soulful leadership,

Swadharma, value based leadership,

A Vision Lost, An Anthem Found: A Poem

A vision, though grand and so bright,

Left workers unmoved, day and night.

But a song, bold and strong,

Made them hum right along,

And boosted morale to new height.

The vision, well framed, held so grand,

Was lost, no one seemed to understand.

The anthem's warm hum,

Made all hearts become one

"Our success," on lips 'n hand-in-hand