As we come to the last article in the Journey of the Seeker, we examine the qualities of an ideal seeker. The qualities of such an ideal seeker also turns out to be the same qualities of an ideal leader - a leader who is a servant leader. In this article, we examine how an ideal seeker sets the path that others follow. The ideal seeker is a natural leader - others follow him not for the words he or she speaks, but for the deeds that he or she performs. Swami Vivekananda says
“He who is the servant of all is their true master. He never becomes a leader in whose love there is a consideration of high or low. He whose love knows no end and never stops to consider high or low as the whole world lying at his feet.”
Yoga of Action - Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 3, Verses 20-21
कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादय: | लोकसंग्रहमेवापि सम्पश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि || 20|| यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जन: | स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते || 21||
karmaṇaiva hi sansiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥ loka-saṅgraham evāpi sampaśhyan kartum arhasi yad yad ācharati śhreṣhṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate
By performing their prescribed duties, King Janaka and others attained perfection. You should also perform your work to set an example for the good of the world. Whatever actions great persons perform, common people follow. Whatever standards they set all the world pursues.
In these two verses, Lord Krishna introduces the concept of a “shreshtha purusha” or an “ideal person or seeker”. An ideal seeker is one who serves as a role model - whatever he does, others follow him. King Janaka is given as an example of such a role model. The story below gives a glimpse of why King Janaka was considered a role model or “shreshtha purusha”.
Story of King Janaka and Sage Shuka
Shuka was the son of Sage Veda Vyasa - a learned sage who had compiled the four vedas. Shuka after his sixteen years of learning or brahmacharya comes back home. His father Veda Vyasa wants him to marry and live the life of a grihastha or householder. Shuka, a very studious student, was intent on skipping the grihasthashrama and becoming a young monk as a teenager. Veda Vyasa requests his son to visit King Janaka before he makes any decision.
Shuka goes to the kingdom of Videha and the city of Mithila to meet King Janaka. King Janaka on hearing the arrival of Veda Vyasa’s son Shuka instructs his guard to take Shuka to the best palace in the city and have him stay there for three days. Shuka, stays at the palace patiently, waiting for his turn to see the King. On the fourth day the guard takes him around the city. Shuka is not enamored by the wealth and opulence of the city. On the fifth day Shuka is taken to the court of King Janaka. Shuka sees the King in his full royal costume, carrying out his duties and appreciating art and culture. Shuka wonders why his father wanted him to meet this King who was enjoying the material wealth, while he wanted to be an ascetic.
On the sixth day Shuka gets an audience with King Janaka. Janaka gives Shuka a bowl of oil and asks him to place the bowl on his head and instructs him to go around the city the entire day, observe everything that he sees, but not to spill even a single drop of oil. He warns him that if he spilled even a single drop he would be punished. Shuka walks around the city without spilling a single drop of oil and gets back to the palace in the evening. King Janaka takes the bowl of oil and asks him what he observed in the city. Shuka confesses that he was so engrossed in ensuring that the oil will not spill from the bowl that he did not notice anything that was happening around him. King Janaka smiles and asks him to visit him his palace gardens the next day.
On the seventh day when Shuka visits the palace garden he sees King Janaka is in his simple clothes meditating. After some time King Janaka opens his eyes and says that he is very pleased with Shuka and is happy to take him as a student. He says that he tested Shuka for his patience the first three days, for the control of his senses on the fourth day, and his perception on the fifth day. He said the sixth day was his final test - testing his ability to carry the bowl (mind) while ensuring that the oil (the Self or Atma) will not spill (focusing on the ultimate Consciousness or Paramatma) and yet observing everything that was happening in the city (carrying out normal household duties). King Janaka says that a householders life is the ultimate test where one has to practice to carry out their normal household duties, while the mind not being swayed with material and emotional enticements, and yet focus the Self on the Paramatma. He advises Shuka that there is no better way to practice mindfulness while carrying out our worldly duties than the grihasthashrama. King Janaka’s life and this story beautifully illustrates how to lead our life and be a role model for the rest of society to follow.
How to become a servant leader?
Robert K. Greenleaf, the father of servant leadership, says
“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first.”
This notion of a servant leader is close to what Gita refers to as the shrestha purusha - the one who sets an example by his or her deeds that is so compelling that others follow.
The management literature is full of different types of leaderships - visionary, transformational, transactional, pacesetter, laissez-faire, bureaucratic, autocratic, democratic, coach, and servant. Of all the different types of leadership styles the servant leadership has a unique positioning - it is the one that requires the least effort on influencing others to follow and is based on compassion to others. The following diagram captures the key differences between traditional leaders and servant leaders. Traditional leaders see leadership as a rank to obtain and measure success through output; servant leaders see it as an opportunity to serve, influence, and impact others lives and measure success through growth and development of those who follow them. Power and control drive traditional leaders while servant leaders are driven by love, passion, and compassion. Traditional leaders are great speakers while servant leaders are great listeners.
Figure 1: Traditional leaders vs servant leaders
So how does one become a servant leader. Ali Fett in her TED video says that servant leaders “inspire you to create the next best version of yourself.” and outlines seven steps on how to become a better servant leader.
Robert Greenleaf goes into great depth on servant leadership in his book. The Center for Servant Leadership that he founded in 1973 is very active in coaching, guiding, and promoting servant leadership in organizations. This video on how to become a good servant leader? describes eight ways to become a better servant leader as shown in the diagram below.
We do not have to restrict the concept of servant leadership just to our work life; there is no reason why we cannot adopt it in our relationship with our spouse, family, friends, and community. Actively listening, showing compassion to others, and serving others with love and humility as Gita advises us to do will have a positive impact on everyone around us. Children, especially when they are young, imitate and follow their parents. As we grow older our expectations of what others should do for us as opposed to what we do for them increases. A great many failures in relationships is this gap between what you expect others to do for you vs what they actually do. Gita advises us to go past this expectation and serve others with love and compassion.
Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, and Sam Walton are all great examples of servant leaders who set the example for others to follow. As Gandhi once said,
“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do.”
Key Takeaways
Shreshtha Purusha - Ideal Leader
Leadership
Types of leadership
Traditional vs servant leadership
How to become a servant leader?
Examples of servant leaders
Exercise for the week
On a weekday/weekend how much time do you spend being with
Your Self
Your spouse, children, family
Your friends
Your work
Anyone else
How can you increase the quality and quantity of time you spend for others?
Additional Links
Servant Leadership: How a jar can change the way you lead and serve, Ali Fett at TEDxFondduLac
Bhagavad Gita - Leadership In A Nutshell (Chapter 3 Verse 21)