Never forget that you are a Role Model for others-Bhagavad Gita Verses 3.20-3.21

King Janaka was one of the most illustrious Kings that ever ruled this country. He had the benefit of being guided by such great Gurus like Yagnavalkya and Suka. He was a true Athmajnani and was called Videha which literally meant ‘without body’ because of his total awareness that Janaka was not the physical body but the Spirit within. In spite of being a great King, he lived a life of utter simplicity and total obedience to his Gurus. He proved by his own example that notwithstanding the position that one occupied in life, every one was a servant of God carrying out His commands. There can be no greater tribute to King Janaka than the fact that he is being cited as an example by the Lord Himself in this verse. There are numerous stories about Janaka which highlight his greatness and a reading of them would give us a true insight into the philosophy of Gita.

Once Francois De Sales, the Bishop of Geneva in the 17th Century, was asked how would it be possible for anyone who was himself very high in the office to practise the virtue of obedience. The reply that he gave would almost sound like a recapitulation of the life of Janaka. He said ‘The people who are already very high in the office have greater and more excellent ways of doing so than their inferiors. Those are bound by obedience are usually subject to one superior only. But those who are themselves superior have a wider field for obedience even while they are in a commanding position. They bear in mind that it is God who has placed them over other men and gives them the command that they have over them. They will therefore exercise that command out of their obedience to God as His servant and thus, even while commanding, they will obey. There is no position so high that will not be subject to a Spiritual Superior in what concerns the conscience and the Soul’

I consider Francois De Sales’ exposition as the best description of the life of Janaka and the like. Humility comes out of the realisation of the Truth that no one is so great that he is not subject to the rule of a Superior Power. Humility is the most effective weapon against ego. It will be worthwhile here to remember the story of Bharatha. Even though he was offered the Kingship of Khosala through the machinations of his mother Kaikeyi, Bharatha preferred only to administer it as the servant of Rama. He went to the extent of placing Rama’s sandals upon the throne and sit beneath them to carry on his duties. In fact, he sowed the seed of ‘Ramrajya’ and Rama just carried on where Bharatha left.

The persons who are in a position of command have a greater responsibility to be role models for others. Every one in this world is in some way or other in a position of command with regard to a few others. We have a distinctive role to play as a son or a daughter, parent, neighbour, employer, employee, a citizen. A child picks up its habits from its parents. So the need to be a good role model for others starts from our homes. The best way to teach good manners and values of life to a child would be only to practise them ourselves. No amount of advice that we give our children will have any positive effect on them if our own lives are a great contradiction of what we preach. In our professional set up, we reach a commanding position by our attitude to work and not by our hierarchical position. A person of high integrity and total commitment will certainly command great respect irrespective of the position that he occupies.

 

Dear Corallux
Your mum's suggestion for enhancing the flavour and taste of food is very profound if only we view it in the context of what the Lord reiterates in these verses. This is the reason why the prasad distributed in Temples have a special taste which none of us can bring out in our cooking. A leading sweet stall owner in Chennai once told me that no cook can ever duplicate the quality of Tirupathi laddu!

"A family that prays and eats together stays together" is again an extremely useful tip for promoting healthy family bond. Unfortunately with all the drastic changes in our living conditions, such family values have taken a back seat.

Baba's total faith in Dwarakamayi comes out in vivid colours in how Baba warns Babasaheb Mirikar about a serpent. Baba has shown that with that kind of total faith in the Absolute, no harm can come to anyone. An amazing incident truly!
Sri

 

Dear Sudha
I am happy that you like the examples that I give to get a better perspective of the Verses. It is a generally accepted fact that a leader must lead by example. That is what we do when we put out our best side when we deal with our children even if it means covering up a bit of our own dark side. Two things emerge from this. One is our great concern for our children. We want them to inherit only our positive features. Second is our own fear of showing our not so good side to them even though we may be aware of them ourselves. We find it easier to cover them up than getting rid of them!
It is a point to be noted that whenever we come across cases of juvenile delinquency, we always blame the parents for not bringing up these children properly. Even people like Gandhiji were guilty of this lapse. Gandhiji, for example, was an extremely inspiring leader of the masses that earned him the title of "Father of the Nation" but he could not be an ideal father for his children.
The action of some parents using undue influence to bail out their erring children from ghastly crimes like running over people in their expensive limousines is like pouring acid at the roots of a growing tree. Hope they understand that!
Sri

 

Dear Pavithra
Your examples of SRK and RK are good ones. The late MGR was only too aware of this aspect and hence desisted from taking up any negative roles in films. MGR was never seen smoking or drinking in his films. His stature grew phenomenally thanks to his awareness of this simple truth. Ultimately he rose to become the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu in which position he continued till his death. Even now his name is used to woo the voters!

As far as common folks like us concerned, we must remember that every one has a tiny following that makes it necessary for him to be a good role model. May our understanding of Gita help us to bring up our children as good human beings!
Sri