When Rishi Gotama returned to his house, he found his
wife Ahalya, in the arms of Indra, king of the Devas.
Furious, he cursed his wife Ahalya to turn into
stone and Indra to be covered with sores. This story
is found in the first chapter of the Ramayana, the
Balkanda, which deals with the childhood and education of Ram, prince of Ayodhya.
The sage Vishwamitra takes Ram to the hermitage of Gotama and shows him the stone that was once Ahalya. She has been condemned to be trodden upon by bird, beast and stranger. Vishwamitra asks Ram to touch the stone with his feet and liberate Ahalya so that she can rejoin her husband.
In the different versions of the Ramayana, the story of Ahalya is told differently. In some versions, she is the guilty adulteress, who gets caught in the act.
In another, she is innocent and duped by the wily Indra who takes the form of her husband. Yet another version depicts her as a bored and tortured wife who finds solace in the arms of Indra. The narrators struggle to explain why Ram forgives Ahalya. It makes sense for Ram to forgive someone wrongfully accused, rather than someone who is truly guilty.
Often in business, we have to deal with people who have not kept their commitment; who have broken their word or have demonstrated questionable integrity. There are attempts to justify their actions and plead their case. There are attempts to show that the conclusions drawn are based on false data or spread by mischievous forces.
We have to decide if we have to let Ahalya stay a stone or liberate her from misery. We have to decide when the punishment - justified or not - is enough. It was clear to Paritosh that the caretaker of the company guesthouse was siphoning funds. But there was no proof. It was a combination of hearsay and gut feeling.
Murlidhar, the caretaker, was told to go on long leave. In his absence, Jotiraj took over as caretaker and the services in the guest house showed a marked improvement at a much lower cost. The old-timers said maybe Murlidhar was simply inefficient.
The auditors said Murlidhar was a cheat. Murlidhar insisted he was innocent. After six months of deliberation, Paritosh reinstated Murlidhar.
Everyone wondered if Murlidhar was innocent or if had been forgiven. When asked, Paritosh said, "I really do not know. But the six months have been harrowing enough for Murlidhar. If he was guilty, he has been punished. If he was innocent, he will learn to be more efficient. No one is perfect and people do make mistakes in life. If we do not forgive and move on, we will end up creating a smug self-righteous organisation where there is no compassion. That is not the kind of company I wish to create." Perhaps compassion is also the lesson Vishwamitra was also trying to teach Ram.
(The author is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group)
The sage Vishwamitra takes Ram to the hermitage of Gotama and shows him the stone that was once Ahalya. She has been condemned to be trodden upon by bird, beast and stranger. Vishwamitra asks Ram to touch the stone with his feet and liberate Ahalya so that she can rejoin her husband.
In the different versions of the Ramayana, the story of Ahalya is told differently. In some versions, she is the guilty adulteress, who gets caught in the act.
In another, she is innocent and duped by the wily Indra who takes the form of her husband. Yet another version depicts her as a bored and tortured wife who finds solace in the arms of Indra. The narrators struggle to explain why Ram forgives Ahalya. It makes sense for Ram to forgive someone wrongfully accused, rather than someone who is truly guilty.
Often in business, we have to deal with people who have not kept their commitment; who have broken their word or have demonstrated questionable integrity. There are attempts to justify their actions and plead their case. There are attempts to show that the conclusions drawn are based on false data or spread by mischievous forces.
We have to decide if we have to let Ahalya stay a stone or liberate her from misery. We have to decide when the punishment - justified or not - is enough. It was clear to Paritosh that the caretaker of the company guesthouse was siphoning funds. But there was no proof. It was a combination of hearsay and gut feeling.
Murlidhar, the caretaker, was told to go on long leave. In his absence, Jotiraj took over as caretaker and the services in the guest house showed a marked improvement at a much lower cost. The old-timers said maybe Murlidhar was simply inefficient.
The auditors said Murlidhar was a cheat. Murlidhar insisted he was innocent. After six months of deliberation, Paritosh reinstated Murlidhar.
Everyone wondered if Murlidhar was innocent or if had been forgiven. When asked, Paritosh said, "I really do not know. But the six months have been harrowing enough for Murlidhar. If he was guilty, he has been punished. If he was innocent, he will learn to be more efficient. No one is perfect and people do make mistakes in life. If we do not forgive and move on, we will end up creating a smug self-righteous organisation where there is no compassion. That is not the kind of company I wish to create." Perhaps compassion is also the lesson Vishwamitra was also trying to teach Ram.
(The author is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group)
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