Learn from the Vedas___part 4

Vedanta In Action >>Move your Feet [/b]

We talked briefly about Vedanta an exquisite branch of philosophical thought in the last installment. Now we see how it is indeed like a grove of knowledge fruits; waiting to be plucked and consumed by one and all.

The mistake many managers commit is looking at their subordinates drudgingly. They start to think that they have been acknowledged and hence command servitude. Whether we want to or not, there is always a higher authority over us. For a floor worker it is the first line manager; for him there is the Team leader; who in turn answers to the Branch Manager –answerable to the Regional Head and the cycle goes on. Does this bother us in the very least?

In Srimad Bhagvata Gita , Lord Krishna says to Arjun when he drops his Arms :

“Look at me Arjun ! If I stop my work for a second , the Universe will be in chaos. I have nothing to gain from doing this; I am the Supreme Lord , then why do I toil so hard?

It is because I love this world and its dwellers.”

So if we don’t believe in the core values of the organization we work for ; we will never do any good , for both ourselves and the organization in question. The work we do under some sort of obligation will never be pristine. It will always have a scent of resentment on it.

Then what is the Alternative?

The answer according to Bhagvada Gita lies in looking at Karma or work as worship. It says:

“Just as a Lotus leaf doesn’t become wet by the pond surrounding it ; A work/job cannot bind an individual by adding consequentiality of the result , while it is being done.”

Immersing ourselves into action past hollow words and contemplation will always lead to a ideal situation even if things didn’t turn out so well , you can be rest assured your muscles will remember the sensation the next time you are about to tread down the same dead-end again .

 

[Simran Rai]

Vedanta, when stripped of abstraction and placed in action, reveals a simple but profound truth: meaningful work is rooted in purpose, not position. Too often, hierarchy creates ego, and ego gives rise to detachment from the actual labor that sustains a system. Managers forgetting this begin to expect obedience, rather than inspire participation. However, as highlighted in the Gita, even the Supreme Being does not abandon action. Krishna, though all-powerful, declares that he continues to act—not out of necessity, but love for creation. This becomes a lesson in humility for all ranks: no work is beneath anyone if done with intention and devotion. The alternative to hollow labor lies in reframing action itself. Work, when viewed as worship, liberates rather than binds. Like the lotus untouched by water, individuals can remain unaffected by the weight of results if their focus lies in the act itself, not the outcome. Muscle memory of good action, done with sincerity, becomes the guiding light in uncertain moments. This approach transforms the workplace from a hierarchy into a harmony, where each person moves with understanding, and every step taken adds to collective progress. Vedanta does not ask for silence or retreat—it asks for awareness, and the will to move one’s feet.​