Long admired for its profound wisdom, the Bhagavad Gita was written more than 5,000 years ago as a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Beyond its profound spirituality, the book provides timeless leadership lessons that motivate people everywhere.
Author Chaitanya Charan simplifies the principles of the Gita into ten essential leadership lessons in Gita for the CEO, making them understandable to readers in the modern era. The book, which was written as a dialogue between two corporate executives, converts difficult philosophical concepts into useful tactics for dealing with contemporary difficulties. It provides advice on traits necessary for successful leadership, such as fearlessness, mindfulness, resilience, and responsibility.
Published by HarperCollins, ‘Gita for the CEO‘ by Chaitanya Charan Das, will be released on 13 March on SoftCover, ThePrint’s online platform for launching non-fiction books.
Monk and spiritual scholar Chaitanya Charan has spent more than thirty years studying the Gita. He used to be a software engineer but quit his job to focus on spreading spiritual knowledge under the auspices of ISKCON.
In addition to writing daily Gita insights at gitadaily.com, he is the author of fourteen publications. His essays, which have translations in several Indian and other languages, have been published in The Indian Express, The Economic Times, and The Times of India’s Speaking Tree column.
Gita for the CEO‘s perceptive methodology makes it suitable for everyone pursuing increased self-control, not only business executives. The book offers a road map for a happy and purposeful existence by addressing common issues including stress management, creating cohesive teams, and overcoming setbacks.
Talking about Das’ fresh take on the religious text, Hrshikesh A. Mafatlal, chairman, Arvind Mafatlal Group says, “I have been reading the Bhagavad-gita for many decades, but rarely has it been presented as a book for leaders in today’s context. Seeing its profound wisdom here condensed into practical sutras that address contemporary concerns is a matter of pleasure and pride. I heartily recommend it to all leaders and all those who aspire to be leaders.”
Janne Kontala, a yoga teacher from Sweden and author of Inner Yoga and co-founder of Ananda Yoga magazine also praises the book saying, “True to the style of the Bhagavad Gita, Chaitanya Charan answers various possible questions and counter-arguments, embedded in the words of the student. The ease with which he moves from corporate leadership to bhakti-yoga reflects a writing style that perhaps something John Maxwell might have written, had he drawn his inspiration from the Bhagavad-gita instead of the Bible.”
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Every single Gita from ISKCON monks that I have read over the years have reinforced my belief that ISKCON is not about spirituality and open-minded pursuit of The Truth. It simply is a cult with a closed and ossified mind.
ISKCON’s conception and grasp over the various schools of Hindu philosophy is superficial and it becomes obvious on reading their interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita.