A Servant Leader
सेवारत मार्गदर्शक -विनोबा भावेआज समाज को प्रगति के लिए "नेताओं" की ज़रुरत नहीं है। मेरा सोचना है कि महान व्यक्ति उभरते रहेंगे और वे मानवता की प्रगति के लिए महत्त्वपूर्ण भी होंगे, पर वे इतने महान होंगे की वे नेतृत्व के मोर्चे पर खड़े होने से इंकार कर देंगे। आम आदमी ऐसे व्यक्तियों के पीछे-पीछे भले ही न चले, लेकिन उनके विचारों, सिद्धांतों, और दृष्टिकोण पर ध्यान ज़रूर देगा और जब वह इन विचारों को और लोगों के साथ बांटेगा तो समाज ज़रूर आगे की ओर बढ़ेगा।
उदाहरण के लिए "भूदान आन्दोलन" को ही ले लें - क्योंकि उस आन्दोलन का पूरा संचालन पद यात्रा के दौरान हुआ इसलिए वहां कोई केन्द्रित नेतृत्व नहीं था। देखा जाए तो महात्मा बुद्ध ने भी कुछ सामान्य विचारों को लेकर हजारों किलोमीटर की पद यात्रा की। पर क्योंकि उनके विचार इतने योग्य थे और उन्होंने अपना पूरा जीवन उन विचारों में लीन होकर बिता दिया कि बौद्ध धर्म पूरे विश्व में फैल गया और आज ढाई हज़ार सालों बाद भी मान्य है।
कोई भी बदलाव, या आन्दोलन हमेशा एक छोटी जगह से शुरू होता है, पर हवाएं उन्हें दूर-दराज़ तक फैला देती हैं। इसी तरह क्योंकि हम पैदल चलते हैं, इसलिए जो नेतृत्व बनता है वह केवल स्थानीय और सीमित रह जाता है। बल्कि मैं फिर कहना चाहूँगा की हम स्थानीय नेता नहीं, हम स्थानीय सेवक बना रहे हैं।
जब हम लोगों को सेवा के भाव से संपर्क करते हैं तो हम उनके ह्रदय को छूते हैं और उनका मन खुद ही अपने भाइयों को ज़मीन देने के लिए पसीज उठता है। वास्तव में, हमारी असली शक्ति इसी बात में है कि हम सेवक हैं। जब हम किसी व्यक्ति की तरफ ईमानदारी और सेवा भाव से बढ़ते हैं, तभी उसके मन में छुपे ईश्वर को देखा या पाया जा सकता है।
सोचो कि कैसे अलग-अलग अंग मिलजुल कर हमारे शरीर की सेवा करते हैं। अगर कोई आपके सिर पर वार करने की कोशिश करता है तो हाथ खुद बा खुद आपके सिर को बचाने के लिए उठ जाता है। हाथ यह काम किसी उम्मीद या डर की वजह से नहीं करता। हाथ इसलिए उठता है क्योंकि वह अपने आप को उस पूरे शरीर का अंग समझता है और इसलिए शरीर को बचाना अपना कर्तव्य मानता है।
जब हम सब समाज में अपने आप को एक सेवक की दृष्टि से देखेंगे तो पूरा आकाश ऐसे जगमगा उठेगा जैसे अँधेरी रात में अनगिनत तारे टिमटिमा रहे हों। समाज को पूर्णिमा के चन्द्रमा से सजा आकाश मत समझो। चाँद की तेज़ चमक, हजारों तारों की साधारण पर असल रोशनी से हमारा ध्यान हटा देती है। लेकिन अंधेरी रात में ये असली सेवक ही आगे बढ़कर आते हैं, मानो इस विशाल और असीम ब्रह्मांड में वे एक दूसरे से किसी अनदेखी शक्ति से जुड़े हों।
-विनोबा भावे
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does being a servant leader mean to you? How can we cultivate ourselves to be servant leaders? Can you share a personal story that illustrates servant leadership?
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22 Past Reflections
On Dec 22, 2012 deepak wrote :
The writings of Vinoba Bhave about leaders truly humbled me as the leaders of today especially in the India , think about their needs and not of the common man who has contributed so much for his making of a leader . The leaders of Gandhi's generation now seem so distant , as if they belong to another age which will never come back . Time marches on .
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On Nov 2, 2012 Narendra wrote :
Updated....
What does being a servant leader mean to you? The concept of leadership currently in use in most institutions, from armies to religion, is the top-down pyramid control structure. This limits the freedom of followers and boosts the ego and power of leaders. This is based on hierarchical system of Roman Empire. However, from the perspective of service or dharma, the pyramid is reversed. Service, consensus, Nature, humility and love are the driving force in Dharma and not ego. This dharma-karmayoga model makes service based leadership an obligation and a natural growth of unselfishness and not an option to be avoided or a leadership acquired through force and ego. That is, leadershiip in working for the community and the environment, with unselfish goals is an obligation-as mentioned by a 'Wednesdayer'. If one persists in unselfish effort, overtime he will be recognized as a model or a selfless leader. We recognize unselfish leaders since diversity in nature is u... [View Full Comment]
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On Nov 1, 2012 Thierry wrote :
I recently listened to a talk by Alan Watts where he happened to mention that Sanscrit, the 'perfect language', never referred to the word 'men' ( inclusive of women) as is commonly the use today. It referred to the expression 'human beings' through a name derived from the root name 'Manu'. Alan Watts quoted the precise name used in Sanscrit, but I am sorry to say that I have lost it...not the meaning!
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On Nov 1, 2012 Ganoba wrote :
Leadership as it is understood today is a colonial macho concept.This leader supposedly has special and superior talents; vision, military skills and so forth. He must necessarily have followers. more the followers, bigger the leader. the followers must have blind faith in his leadership qualities and obeys him unquestioningly It does not matter whether such a person is a woman. A woman leader also quickly fits into this mould. we have any number of example of such women leaders in modern times, specially in India. They are often more ruthless than men and particularly enjoy making men whine in front of them for favours and mercy.
Leadership and service are two alien concepts. They don't go together.
We certainly need people who serve. We don't need leaders who demand and are given special privileges.
Leadership and service are two alien concepts. They don't go together.
We certainly need people who serve. We don't need leaders who demand and are given special privileges.
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On Oct 31, 2012 Narendra wrote :
What does being a servant leader mean to you? It means karmayoga. That is, working for the community and the environment, with unselfish goals. If one persists in unselfish effort, overtime, he will be recognized as a model or a selfless leader. We recognize unselfish leaders since diversity in nature is unified in harmony through universal love. How can we cultivate ourselves to be servant leaders? We need to keep our needs to a minimum and eliminate personal wants. This will simplify our life and make room for selfless service. This is ‘going beyond ego to universal self.’ Can you share a personal story that illustrates servant leadership? Leadership for unselfish material goals is important and valuable. However, in my experience, when the goal includes people, with patience, love and service attitude, we become servant leaders and impart such leadership qualities to others. ‘Wednesdays’ is a good example.
... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 30, 2012 Wes McIntyre wrote :
Thank you for the article; thank you, Vinoba for the metaphor(s); thank you, Be Happy for the response. I especially found the story of your grandmother and grandfather very moving. I wish our English language had a word, and maybe "humans" is it, for a gender neutral way to speak about ourselves. The longer the live the more I have a deep affinity for myself and others as human beings, first and foremost.
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On Oct 30, 2012 Nancy a Swan wrote :
I like, Vinoba Bhave, hold out great Hope for Humanity. It is about serving and being served.
There is a saying, "If the people will lead the leaders will follow." In my view being a "servant" begins with self. Each person in their evolution must finally commit to a high standard of responsibility to self. This is how one serves Justice for all. How else can we have this precious commodity that is TRUST? We each have to resurrect our conscience.
Abuse on every level continues - 90% of all prison inmates report they were abused as children. People teach what they know. Science calls this Epigenetics.
Many of our institutions are populated by varying degrees of abused inner children including the religious. They too are as "guilty" of violating Trust. What if all had been treated with respect as children??? Would crime be as rampant? When people are disrespected repeatedly they become numb. Only someone numb can hurt others conscio... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 30, 2012 Be Happy wrote :
Vinoba wrote in English at a time when it was common to use the sweeping "men" to refer to both men and women. This has only recently changed. English was not his mother tongue. In the Indian languages, there tends to be an emphasis on "humans" over "men" and "women" - if he were communicating in his own tongue, this issue would not have come up as he would have used the term "manushya" for human.
Be that as it may, I totally agree with the sentiment that women have tended to be our unsung servant leaders. No less a leader than Gandhi admitted that he had learned ahimsa from his wife. In my own life, my hero has been my grandmother, who was the rock of our family. Having her in my life has been my blessing. She would support my grandfather, who felt he was the star. He would write lots of books on spiritual matters, and she would be his humble typist. I took a summer vacation to go live with them when I was 15. I still remember that on... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 30, 2012 Jean Cape wrote :
Does it matter that this article refers only to men? I always read (wo)men and all as non gender. We are people, hearts of this earth, all chosen to be here at a time of great change to be part of the path of light. To light up the day sky as well as the night and serve with love in our hearts and a deep compassion and empathy to all we serve. In Love and light.
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On Oct 30, 2012 Jane wrote :
I also was stopped in my reading by the pronoun "men," and a quick scan revealed "women" were not referenced. Vinoba Bhave was born in 1895 and writes from that culture. Women have historically been the stars, always the servant leaders behind the scenes. One woman to break through the glass ceiling in an election was Indira Gandhi.
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On Oct 30, 2012 Deepak wrote :
To read , Vinobaji 's writing one is reminded of the Bhagvad Gita , which lays so much importance on identifying of one's ego and walking through it . The Gita also lays a great deal of importance of selfless service to humanity without any expectations of being rewarded in return for the service provided . That is the true concept of " Servant Leader " . Vinobaji has beautifully described , " But on a moonless night the true servants shine forth as though they are connected invisibly in this vast and infinite cosmos ." In today's world how many such servant leaders are there ???? Let each one of us reflect within silently and listen to that answer that comes forth .
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On Oct 30, 2012 Karen wrote :
I very much agree with the concept of servant leader. I have always enjoyed the material you send out. But this time I feel very disappointed, the emphasis being on great MEN. Women are most often servant leaders in their approach. Women are needed to change this world.
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On Oct 30, 2012 Thierry wrote :
Thank you for offering the opportunity of reading this excellent article from Vinoba and the many interesting comments.
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On Oct 30, 2012 maya chistobel wrote :
My whole heart understands and agrees with this perfect piece of writing on serving AS leadership. And I do hope that soon a writing like this which only refers to "great men" as leaders or servants will simply understand that it is becoming a "great human" whether woman or man that humanity is truly served.
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On Oct 29, 2012 Mitra wrote :
Reminded me of something I wrote a while ago on similar note:
This time when our history is written
It will not be about the Suns in the sky lighting up the worlds
But a million lamps lighted,
With the tiny wills reflecting on His perfection!
This time when the bards sing,
It will not be about a mighty righteous king and the evil demon
But about the million monkeys that fought the battle without a weapon!
The battle is harder, and it will be won
But there will be no heroes in the center-fold
Just a sweeping change,
And a few faces in the crowd!
For this time, there will be no men waiting for an avatar
But just people, dirtying their hands at work on earth, as the altar!
So this time, when our history is written
It will not be about one God or His Son descending in one mighty glow
But about God discovered, in a million hearts - all at once and how!
... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 29, 2012 Subhash Garg wrote :
Thought provoking article. Vinobaji influenced masses by "Bhudan Yagna" and by his beautiful commentary on Bhagvad Gita...Vinobaji and Gandhiji both took a lot from Bhagvad Gita...They both considered themselves as servants of people and became true leaders. Another name in the same spirit was Lal Bahadur Shastri.... He was Chief Guest for the convocation at University of Roorkee ( now IIT-R ) in 1965. He led the country to self sufficiency in food grain and milk...He led from the front, winning the war with Pakistan in 1965...He used to regard himself as servant and became true and loved leader....I felt great honor to be a part of NCC- EME core to give him guard of honor !!!
I only wish that our current leaders earn their true leadership by first bein servant and not bosses !
Subhash Garg
I only wish that our current leaders earn their true leadership by first bein servant and not bosses !
Subhash Garg
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On Oct 29, 2012 Jay wrote :
Servant leadership - to me - means leading without any thought of gain or recompense, but instead doing what needs to be done solely because it is right. In order to act in this way, one must be prepared to focus on what your heart tells you is just and correct, instead of seeking external validation for one's actions from society or religion.
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On Oct 29, 2012 gayathri wrote :
Throughout the passage, it is interesting to note that ... vinobhaji has not put the words Servant and Leader together. He refers to servants only....in a sense emphasizing his words in the first para....'To progress, society doesn't need 'leaders' anymore'. Drawing an extension from the same and trying to contemplate on what a "servant leader" could mean.....
i feel that a "servant leader" is born or arises every time there is a deep crisis or a concern to be addressed. They arise for the sake of the situation/crisis/concern itself....not necessarily to serve the people that are/could be incidental or critical part of the crisis/concern. i feel this way for 2 reasons: the thought that "i am serving the people/others" could itself (maybe) the (i-centric) ego nudging and the other reason being that to focus on crisis itself intently this way could make way for the beauty of objectivity to lead with pro... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 28, 2012 david doane wrote :
Leaders definitely are important for society, maybe now more than ever. The kind of leaders that are needed is servant leaders, which means leaders who serve the people of their community or society, and don't expect to be served, aren't in it for their own ego or financial gratification, and don't dictate or impose. David Steindl-Rast said authority is a firm basis for knowing and acting. The servant leader is one who emerges and is accepted as leader because he has a firm basis for knowing and acting with regard to a specific task, and he serves until the task is completed. Servant leadership is a rotating position, task and time limited, and with a new task and a different time, someone else emerges and is accepted as servant leader. We can cultivate ourselves to be servant leaders by keeping that in mind, and by being servant leaders who cultivate by example. Rabindranath Tagore said, "I slept and dreamed that life is... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 28, 2012 Manisha wrote :
What a nice way to depict servants as stars in the moonless night. I have been fortunate to have had a supervisor at work and a professor in university that shared and lived their values and inspired the best in me. I will keep their examples and the stars in mind at the workplace this week. Thank you!
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On Oct 27, 2012 Amy wrote :
Enjoyed this reflection, Vinoba . . . Thank you!
The greatest servant leader EVER to walk earth . . . of course, would be Jesus, Himself! In teaching leadership, Jesus "served"! In SERVICE, Jesus LED! Be the "work" as basic/common as washing His brother's feet or as miraculous/Divine as raising a friend from death . . . NOTHING was "outside the job description" of God's Son! Again and again, God shows us, our time here on earth is SO short. He did not intend for our earthly lives to be any "sweeter" than Jesus' was. Jesus got tired . . . Jesus questioned His Dad . . . Jesus cried . . . Jesus got angry . . . Jesus wished for painful things "to come to pass" . . . BUT . . . Jesus, also, LED (and you/I must, too) PEOPLE TO HEAVEN . . . Jesus SERVED (you/I must, too) PEOPLE ON THIS JOURNEY to our "real home" . . . HEAVEN.
Love bears all thing... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 26, 2012 Conrad P. Pritscher wrote :
Thank you for the opportunity to respond. The words "servant" and "leader" have connotations that may at times distort what is. Vinoba beautifully stated that the hand protects the head when somebody tries to strike it. The hand is a part of the body. I am a part of the universe and when greed, ignorance or fear interfere with the universe, then it is time to interfere with that interference. Being open to noticing what is is the key to noticing, and noticing helps one notice that interference to greed, ignorance and fear is appropriate. As usual, if the way could be said, it would not be the way. My wife just emailed me the following and it approaches a way
to care of everyone and everything. It states: " People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, peopl... [View Full Comment]