Dharmic leadership teaches that culture begins not with the many but with the one—the leader who dares to transform

Hindu mythology expresses personal transformation of leaders through three archetypes: Indra, Shiva and Vishnu. The worlds they create are Swarga, Kailasa and Vaikuntha.

Indra, consumed by hunger and fear, represents insecure leadership. He rewards only when he gains, remains jealous of rivals and depends on others for survival. Such leaders foster transactional cultures, where relationships are defined by contracts and debts. They create Swarga, the realm of abundance, but around it is Naraka, the realm of scarcity and misery. One is forever insecure of being cast out into the dark miserable realms. Indra himself is insecure, and so always alert to rivals. He is forever in a state of siege, feeling that everyone wants what he has. Here a person's value is his productivity, his efficiency, his effectiveness. What you have and what you do matters more than who you are.

Shiva represents the opposite extreme: a hermit detached from desire. Having conquered hunger, he needs nothing, offering peace but little engagement. His culture is tranquil but sterile, indifferent to prosperity. He attracts those who feel life has failed them. They feel safe around them. He also attracts those who are opportunists as they see him as gullible, a detached person who distributes everything he has and helps without asking for anything. Shiva's Kailasa is a mountain of stone covered with snow where animals are not hungry. Shakti's tiger does not hunt Shiva's bull and there is no pasture for the bull to graze upon. It does not matter as everyone is content. This is a safe place for the ghosts, those who feel unwanted everywhere else. Gurus often serve this role-creating an ecosystem where you feel safe. But here the other does not seem to matter. The self is taken care of. And that is all that matters. In Shiva's mythology he is challenged by the Goddess who wants him to descend from the mountain. Pay attention to the other. Be 'param-eshwara' or the 'lord of others'.

Vishnu integrates both impulses. As householder, he expands himself to include others, sustaining an ecosystem where mutuality ensures abundance. He is dependable, patient and playful, nudging others to generosity. His Vaikuntha is a realm of abundance, just like Indra's Swarga but with a difference. Indra clings to what he has. Vishnu is content. His wealth is not for indulgence but for investment in others.

Vishnu gets Devas and Asuras, eternal enemies, to work together and churn the ocean of milk for prosperity. But he also observes how Devas do not share their wealth with Asuras and so the conflict continues. In Vishnu's realm, we help others not because we are instructed to do so but because we have a sense of responsibility and accountability. It is a world of debit and credit. You give to receive. You repay debts. You do not write off loans (as Shiva does) but help people repay what they owe.

These metaphors highlight the journey of leadership: from dependent (Indra), through independent (Shiva), to dependable (Vishnu). True leadership lies not in self-indulgence or isolation but in self-expansion, witnessing and responding to others' insecurities and ambitions. This expansion is what Indian thought calls darshan, an elastic mind that stretches to accommodate the other. Darshan enables us to do yagna.

The Vedic ritual of yagna is the cornerstone of Dharmic thought. It is about exchange not extraction. Unlike animals who consume, humans can feed each other. By offering without expectation and inviting reciprocity, we create bonds of trust. Leaders who embody yagna turn competitive battlegrounds (rana-bhoomi) into collaborative theatres (ranga-bhoomi). Relationships shift from exploitation to exchange, from contracts to generosity. Success is no longer seized but shared, producing mangalya, an ecosystem where we nurture and secure each other.

Globalisation, however, pushes in another direction. It valorises ambition without contentment, rights without responsibility, innovation without empathy. It seeks heroic disruptors and saviours, not mature leaders. The Indian model challenges this myth by insisting that sustainable leadership requires personal discipline, empathy and transformation. Policies and incentives may control behaviour, but only personal growth creates culture.

For Indian corporations, this means cultural change cannot be outsourced to HR or imported wholesale from the West. Leaders must internalise dharmic principles, shifting from Indra's insecurity to Vishnu's inclusiveness. The task is demanding because it requires confronting personal hungers and fears, not merely adjusting policies. But it is also liberating. When leaders expand themselves to include others, they attract rather than chase success, creating organisations that are prosperous, humane.

In the end, dharmic leadership teaches that culture begins not with the many but with the one-the leader who dares to transform. By embodying reciprocity, empathy and expansiveness, such leaders create ecosystems of shared success that endure beyond institutions, policies, or markets.



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