The Architecture of Resilience: Gita Lessons from IIM Bangalore
In the high-pressure corridors of IIM Bangalore, where ambition meets rigorous academic demand, resilience isn't just a soft skill, it is a necessity for survival and leadership. While a schedule clash kept me from enrolling in the formal elective on the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, I found a profound "classroom" in an intermittent session led by Suvarna GauraHari Das.
We delved into the cornerstone of emotional intelligence: Chapter 2, Verse 38.
sukha-duhkhe same krtva labhalabhau jayajayau
tato yuddhaya yujyasva naivam papam avapsyasi
"Treating alike happiness and distress, loss and gain, victory and defeat—fight for the sake of duty; thus you shall never incur sin."
Deepening the Pillars of Internal Strength
To "treat alike" does not mean to become indifferent or robotic. Rather, it is about building an internal architecture that can withstand the external weather.
1. The Dialectics of Pressure
In physics, tension is required to create structural integrity; in life, it is required for growth. We need the "push" of deadlines and goals to evolve. However, the wisdom of the Gita suggests a limit. Resilience is knowing when the pressure is sculpting you and when it is beginning to extinguish your vitality. True power lies in maintaining your "life force" even while the heat of the world increases.
2. The "Weal" in the Pivot
Mindfulness is the tool that allows us to reframe our narrative. It shifts us from a victim mindset ("Why is this happening to me?") to a growth mindset ("Why is this happening FOR me?"). There is a hidden "weal", an old English term for wealth or well-being, tucked inside every setback. By observing our life through a lens of purposeful goodness, we realize that every detour is actually a redirection toward a more refined version of ourselves.
3. Equanimity: The Equal Teacher
True resilience is the ability to welcome success and setbacks with the same steady heart. In the corporate world, we are taught to celebrate the "win" and mourn the "loss." The Gita teaches us to treat them as equal teachers. If victory makes you arrogant and defeat makes you depressed, you are a slave to circumstances. If you remain stable in both, you are a master of yourself.
The Yaksha Prashna: Ethics as the Ultimate Resilience
This philosophy of balance is perfectly mirrored in the Yaksha Prashna from the Mahabharata. When Yudhishthira’s brothers lay dead by the enchanted pool, his resilience was tested not just by overwhelming grief, but by the clarity of his choices under fire.
The Yaksha challenged him with questions that mirror our own modern anxieties:
"What is faster than the wind?" Yudhishthira answered: "The Mind." (A reminder of how quickly our thoughts can spiral into the future or the past).
"What is more numerous than grass?" He answered: "The Thoughts in the mind." (Highlighting the mental clutter we must learn to navigate).
"What is the most wonderful thing in the world?" He answered: "That although every day people die, those who remain live as if they are immortal." (A call to remember the transience of our current stressors).
The ultimate test of his equanimity came when the Yaksha offered to revive only one brother. Yudhishthira did not choose Bhima or Arjuna, his strongest warriors. He chose Nakula.
His reasoning was a masterclass in Dharma: Since he, the son of Kunti, was alive, justice demanded that a son of Madri should also live. Even in the depths of a personal crisis, his ethics remained unshaken. He chose balance over personal advantage.
Closing Thoughts
At IIMB, we are trained to be "impactful." But the Gita and the Yaksha Prashna remind us that the greatest impact we can have is staying anchored in our values when the world around us is in chaos.
Success is fleeting and setbacks are temporary, but a mind anchored in Dharma is the ultimate victory. May we all find the power to remain whole, regardless of the tide.
May Shree Krishna bless us all with that inner power.
Sarvamshreekrishnarpanamasthu
Radhe Radhe
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