Enlightenment Model for Overcoming Stress and Enhancing
Managerial Efficiency
Sandeep Singh, Reader, School of Management Siences, Varanasi
Rishi Raman Singh, Lecturer, School of Management Sciences, Varanasi
ABSTRACT
Stress has become a prevalent phenomenon in the corporate world. The long working hours,
target pressures, competition, and many other factors are bringing stress into the lives of the
people who are associated with business. Different individuals have different capacities and
capabilities to cope up with stress. India has a very rich literature and methodologies from the
ancient times for stress management for all the individuals and is completely based on self
management. This research paper presents an ancient Indian enlightenment model for
overcoming stress and thereby enhancing the managerial efficiency.
Introduction
Stress is a common phenomenon in today’s competitive corporate world. It is affecting corporate
people at physical, emotional, and mental level. In some cases stress is even causing deaths.
Earlier work-related casualties were limited to only few professionals like truck drivers who used
to suffer lot of stress both mental and physical because of long and irregular working hours
including nights. But today we find this phenomenon in corporate world with both blue-collar as
well as white-collar category being the sufferer irrespective of whether the business belongs to
manufacturing sector or service sector.
There is an old story about a man and a horse. The horse is galloping quickly, and it appears that
the man on the horse is going somewhere important. Another man standing alongside the road
shouts, “Where are you going?” The first man replies: “I don’t know! Ask the horse!” This story
depicts the situation of many present-day people in business. The horse is the force of the
corporate culture pulling us along through a busy day. Individuals in business are caught up in the
pressures of daily schedules, business meetings, or deadlines to meet, with hardly a moment of
respite. They are often in turmoil and at war within themselves, and they can easily start a war
with others. This put them in a condition of stress which severely affects their managerial
efficiency also.
In various cases people of the business community are facing an increasing loss of meaning.
The loss of meaning is characterized by four qualities: lack of meaning, workaholic, hubris,
depression and the loss of one’s very humanity. Since the four qualities are interrelated, they can
also be understood as four phases of the loss of meaning.
In Phase 1 the world of work, just like private and public life, becomes more and more invaded
by a suffering from meaninglessness that leads to an incapacity to integrate work into a
meaningful life project. In Phase 2 the void in meaning is filled with activity, or the pursuit of
consumer goods, possessions, or success. For many people companies have become surrogate
suppliers of meaning by totalizing their lives, absorbing their desires, and dominating their
imagination. They can be called as “workaholics”. Their companies have become pseudo gods.
Like idols they become an object of religious devotion, consuming all their energies. Phase 3 is
characterized by a lack of capacity to interpret business life as a meaningful context for a process
of humanization; business life ends up in a cul-de-sac that is near to existential death – a form of
self-destruction through non-sense. Postmodern men and women are comparable with Icarus.
After a period of hubris they fall back to earth and are no longer capable of reappropriating their
human condition. They have lost the keys to understanding and reinterpreting life. They can give
no more meaning to their lives. They live and work in a world without significance. The last
phase is closely related to Phase 3. Depression becomes especially manifest in the experience of
massive lay-offs. The victims fall into a deep emptiness and depression because they have
nothing else to rely on, survivors lose their faith and trust in the company and become cynical or
motivated only by the desire to survive.
Sontoku was the famous Japanese sage. He believed that Karmabhoomi (the place of work)
should be the place to find moksha (salvation or enlightenment). But in modern times in the
corporate world opposite is happening. Instead of getting salvation or enlightenment people are
not only getting robbed of their meaning of life but in extreme cases the work is becoming
responsible for their untimely death leaving behind perils for the family members and other dear
ones. If an antelope is chased by a predator, it runs at full speed in complete panic until
exhausted, and in some cases its heart may actually burst from the combination of physical effort
and fear. In business world many employees are behaving like antelopes suffering stress because
of extra efforts or fear which only they can understand.
Modern professionals, especially workaholics, face four kinds of stress: personal, organizational,
environmental, and moral stress. Personal stress is the pressure caused by the ambition to achieve
and accomplish, the need to be successful, the need to juggle multiple roles, to balance time
devoted to family and work, to stretch the day so more can be accomplished, to find time for
meditation and recreation. Organizational stress comes from living with tight budgets,
understaffed projects, and pressing deadlines. There is the awareness of global environmental
stress, knowing about all the different ways that the earth is in distress. Finally there is the moral
stress of having to live up to the goals and ideals of an ethical way of life.
Business professionals are required to come out of the false notions developed through the
experience of corporate culture, set-up a renewed relationship to the world of nature, and finally
through inner consciousness understand their true purpose of their existence.
In this research paper for overcoming the stress and its related problems an enlightenment model
of yoga is presented as a solution. Yoga which is a systematic process of holistic human
development from physical to mental level can transform the lives of business professionals.
Yoga advocates control over the body, the senses and the mind. It enables human perfection. It
aims at the unity of self (body) with the Self (soul) thereby bringing transformation at physical,
emotional, and mental level and putting the person at eternal peace free from any sort of stress.
Yoga for Overcoming Stress
Patanjali is the traditional founder of the Yoga system. The word ‘Yoga’ literally means ‘union’,
i.e., spiritual union of the individual soul with the Universal soul and is used in this sense, in the
Vedanta. Bhagwad Gita defines Yoga as that state than which there is nothing higher or worth
realizing and firmly rooted in which a person is never shaken even by the greatest pain; that state
free from all pain and misery is yoga. According to Patanjali, Yoga does not mean union but
spiritual effort to attain perfection through the control of the body, senses and mind, and through
right discrimination between Purusa (the self or the spirit-the principle of consciousness) and
Prakriti (the matter including body).
Yoga is intimately allied to Sankhya (renunciation). Actually yoga means spiritual action and
Sankhya means renunciation or sanyasa. Sankhya is theory and yoga is practice. For all practical
purposes, Sankhya and yoga may be treated as the theoretical and the practical sides of the same
system. Yoga mostly accepts the metaphysics and the epistemology of Sankhya. It shows the
practical path by following which one may attain Viveka-gyan which alone leads to liberation.
Yoga accepts the three pramanas-perception, inference and testimony of Sankhya and also the
twenty-five meta-physical principles. Yoga believes in God as the highest Self distinct from other
selves. Hence it is sometimes called ‘Seshvara Sankhya’ or ‘theistic Sankhya’ as distinct from
classical Sankhya which is nirishvara or atheistic.
The Yoga-sutra is divided into four parts. The first is called Samadhi-pada which deals with the
nature and aim of concentration. The second, Sadhana-pada, explains the means to realize this
end. The third, Vibhuti-pada, deals with the supra-normal powers which can be acquired through
yoga. The fourth, Kaivalya-pada, describes the nature of liberation and the reality of the
transcendental self.
Chitta and its Vrittis
Patanjali yoga is also known as Raja Yoga. Yoga is defined as the cessation of the modification of
Chitta. This cessation is through meditation or concentration which is called yoga (Yogah
Samadhi). Chitta means the three internal organs of Sankhya- buddhi or intellect, ahankara or
ego and manas or mind. Chitta is same as antahakarana. It is mahat or buddhi which includes
ahankara or manas. Chitta is the first evolute of Prakriti (matter) and has the pre-dominance of
Sattva (goodness). It is in itself unconscious. But being finest and nearest to Purusa (spirit), it has
the power to reflect the Purusa and therefore appears as if it is conscious. When it gets related to
any object, it assumes the form of that object. This form is called Vritti or modification. The light
of consciousness which comes from the Purusa and illuminates this ‘form’ is called the ‘gyan’
(knowledge). Purusa is essentially pure consciousness and is free from the limitations of Prakriti.
But it wrongly identifies itself with its reflection in the Chitta and appears to be undergoing
change and modification. Chitta, therefore, is the physical medium for the manifestation of the
spirit. Just as in a red-hot iron ball, formless fire appears spherical and cold iron appears hot,
similarly on account of its reflection in the Chitta, Purusa appears changing and Chitta appears
conscious. Just as the moon appears as moving when seen reflected in the moving waves, and
waves appear as luminous, similarly Purusa appears as undergoing modifications and Chitta
appears as conscious due to Purusa’s reflection in it. When the Purusa realizes that it is
completely isolated and is only a passive spectator, beyond the play of Prakriti, it cease to
identify itself with its reflection in the Chitta with the result that the light is withdrawn and the
modification of Chitta falls to the ground. This cessation of the modifications of the Chitta
through meditation is called ‘Yoga’. It is the return of the Purusa to its original perfection.
The modifications of the Chitta are of five kinds:
1. Right cognition (pramana)
2. Wrong cognition (viparyaya)
3. Verbal cognition or Imagination (vikalpa)
4. Absence of cognition or Sleep (nidra)
5. Memory (smriti)
Right cognition is of three kinds : (a) perception (pratyaksha), when the Chitta, through the
sense organs, comes into the contact with the external object and assumes its form, or comes into
contact with the internal mental state, (b) inference (anumana), when the Chitta cognizes the
generic nature of things, and (c) verbal testimony (shabda). Wrong cognition is positively wrong
knowledge like that of a rope-snake. Verbal cognition is like that of hare’s horn. Absence of
cognition is also a mental modification because after sleep a person says ‘ I slept sound and
knew nothing’ and therefore there must be some mental modification to support this absence of
knowledge. Memory is the recollection of past experience through the impressions left behind.
In fact the Purusa is the eternally pure and transcendental consciousness. It is the Chitta with the
reflection of the Purusa in it or the Purusa as reflected in the Chitta, which is the phenomenal
ego or jiva, which is subject to birth and death and transmigration and to all painful or
pleasurable experiences, and which, imagines itself as the agent and the enjoyer.
There are five kinds of sufferings (klesha) to which it is subject. These are:
(1) ignorance (avidya)
(2) egoism (asmita)
(3) attachment (raga)
(4) aversion (dvesa)
(5) clinging to life and instinctive fear of death (abhinivesha). The bondage of the self is due to
its wrong identification with the mental modifications and liberation, therefore, means the end of
this wrong identification through proper discrimination between Purusa and Prakriti and the
consequent cessation of the mental modification. It is the aim of the yoga to bring about this
result.
There are five levels of mental life (chittabhumi). The differences in the levels are due to the
predominance of the different qualities(gunas).
 The lowest level is called Ksipta or restless, because the mind here is restless due to the
excess of rajas (passion and desires) and is tossed about like a shuttle-cock between
different sense objects.
 The second is called Mudha or torpid. The mind here has the predominance of tamas
(ignorance and darkness) and tends towards ignorance, sleep and lethargy.
 The third is called viksipta or distracted. Here sattva (goodness) predominates, but rajas
also asserts itself at times.
 The fourth is called ekagra or concentrated. The mind here is entirely dominated by
sattva, and rajas and tamas are subdued. The mind becomes concentrated on the object
of meditation.
 The fifth and the highest level is called nirudha or restricted. Here the mental
modifications are arrested, though their latent impressions remain.
The first three levels are not at all conducive to yogic life. Only the last two are.
Astanga Yoga (eightfold path of discipline)
Arguably, one of the most important work in the field of Yoga is the ‘Yoga Sutras’ authored by
the sage Patanjali. In English this title might be best translated as ‘‘Verses on Yoga’’ but the
Sanskrit word ‘‘sutra’’ literally means thread. In the Yoga Sutras there are 196 verses that
‘‘thread’’ together the entire philosophy of yoga, according to Patanjali. The original writing of
the Yoga Sutras cannot be exactly determined but it is believed by most scholars to have
happened between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago. Patanjali presents an eightfold path of yoga
(Astan Yoga) consisting of eight general categories of yogic practices that an individual can
perform to, ultimately, transcend individual consciousness and merge with universal
consciousness. These eight categories are presented in the Table given below and illustrate the
extensiveness of yogic practices.
AstanYoga advocates control over the body, the senses and the mind. It does not want to kill the
body; on the other hand, it recommends its perfection. A sound mind needs a sound body.
Sensual attachment and passions distract the body as well as the mind. They must be conquered.
To overcome them, Astan Yoga gives the following Eight fold Path of Discipline :
1. Yama: It means abstention and includes the five vows of Jainism. It is the abstention from
injury through thought, word, or deed (ahimsa), from falsehood (satya), from stealing
(asteya), from passions and lust (brahmacharya), and from avarice (aparigraha).
2. Niyama: It is self-culture and includes external and internal purification (shaucha),
contentment (santosa), austerity (tapas), study (svadhyaya), and devotion to God (ishvarapranidhana)
3. Asana: It means steady and comfortable posture. There are various kinds of postures which
are a physical help to meditation. This is the discipline of the body.
4. Pranayama: It means control of breath and deals with regulation of inhalation, retention and
exhalation of breath. It is beneficial to health and is highly conducive to the concentration of
the mind. But it must be performed under expert guidance otherwise it may have bad aftereffects.
5. Pratyahara: It is control of the senses and consists in withdrawing the senses from their
objects. Our senses have a natural tendency to go to outward objects. They must be checked
and directed towards the internal goal. It is the process of introversion. The above mentioned
five paths are called as external aids to Yoga (bahiranga sadhana), while the remaining three
which follow are called internal aids (antaranga sadhana)
6. Dharana: It is fixing the mind on the object of meditation like the tip of the nose or the midpoint of the eyebrows or the lotus of the heart or the image of the deity. The mind must be
steadfast like the unflickering flame of a lamp.
7. Dhyana: It means meditation and consists in the undisturbed flow of thought round the object
of the meditation (pratyayaikatanata). It is the steadfast contemplation without any break.
8. Samadhi: It means concentration. This is the final step in Yoga. Here the mind is completely
absorbed in the object of meditation. In dhyana the act of meditation and the object of
meditation remain separate. But here they become one. It is the highest means to realize the
cessation of mental modifications which is the end. It is the ecstatic state in which the
connection with the outward world is broken and through which one has to pass before
obtaining liberation.
Samadhi is of two kinds: Conscious or samprajnata and supra-conscious or asamprajnata.
In the former consciousness of the object of meditation persists, in the latter it is transcended.
The former is Ekagra, the latter is Niruddha. In the former the mind remains concentrated on
the object of meditation. The mediator and the object of meditation are fused together, yet the
consciousness of the object of meditation persists. This state is said to be of four kinds:
(a) Savitarka: When the Chitta is concentrated on a gross object of meditation like the tip of
the nose or the mid-point of the eyebrows or the image of the deity.
(b) Savichara: When the Chitta is concentrated on a subtler object of meditation like the
tanmatras.
(c) Sananda: When the Chitta is concentrated on a still subler object of meditation which
produces joy, like the senses.
(d) Sasmita: When the Chitta is concentrated on the ego-substance with which the self is
generally identified. Here we have conscious ecstasy where individuality persists.
Asamprajnata Samadhi is that supra-conscious concentration where the mediator and the
object of meditation are completely fused together and there is not even consciousness of the
object of meditation. Here no new mental modifications arise. They are checked (niruddha),
though the latent impressions may continue. If fire is restricted to a particular fuel, it burns
that fuel alone; but when that fuel has been fully burnt, the fire also dies down. Similarly in
conscious concentration, the mind is fixed on the object of meditation alone and modification
arises only in respect of this object of meditation; but in supra-conscious concentration, even
this modification ceases. It is the highest form of Yoga which is divine madness, perfect
mystic ecstasy difficult to describe and more difficult to attain.
All yogic practices are advocated as a means to transform the individual who practices them from
a limited physical, mental, and emotional person into a fully illumined, thoroughly harmonized
being. The idea is that the individual, through the sustained practices of yoga, can transcend his
personal likes and dislikes, pains and pleasures, successes and failures in order to achieve a
permanent state of peace, joy, and selfless dedication to humanity (Satchidananda, 2004). This
evolutionary process starts with transforming the outermost aspects of a person, such as
personality and the physical body, then moves to the mental and emotional levels, and finally
transforms deeper levels of consciousness (Satyananda, 1996). Astan Yoga, thus offers a
scientific approach for acquiring the mental discipline, whereby patterns of consciousness can be
controlled and the inner world of human consciousness can achieve its full potential (Satyananda,
1976).
Yoga for Managerial Efficiency
Yoga helps in realization of the true potential of a human being It can inject such a positive
energy in the business professionals that they willingly in their mind and spirit makes positive
efforts for the betterment of their organization maintaining their own physical, mental, and
spiritual well-being.
Yoga provides high power and wisdom needed for the success in every walk of life.
Yoga brings self-enrichment and self-fulfillment. Yoga brings peace, harmony and deep
satisfaction; one becomes full of joy and ananda. Sufferings may occasionally and temporarily
come, but it does not affect deeply and does not last, what lasts is joy and happiness.
For success what is needed is 'Pratibha' (talent or special power). Presence or absence of
Pratibha-sakti makes difference in the success achieved by individuals. This Pratibha is the
natural power (Sakti) of consciousness (the Self), lying in the potential form. Yoga has the
capacity to realize this Pratibha-sakti of business professionals both cognitively and creatively. It
has the power of providing them proper guidance or proper direction which makes them clear
what to do and how to do. Moreover, through yoga there is a greater flow of Pratibha-sakti of
employees and consequently the greater is the organizational success.
Yoga can create the following transformation in the business professionals:
Yoga has the capacity to maintain and manage the apparent contradictory condition wherein one
can seem to be obsessed with work yet have high levels of psychological well-being, positive
human health and organizational commitment and productivity. Through yoga, people can be
intrinsically motivated and they can be made to experience competence, autonomy, relatedness,
and spiritual well-being.
Stress through work also arises when other factors takes priority over work for self-fulfillment
such as money, job security, promotion, or motivation for out-performing others. Frustration is
the function of achievement and expectation.
Frustration= Expectation – Achievement
Yoga brings out the people from the web of expectation and achievement by providing the real
insight of their existence and their connectedness with the outside world. People become
enlightened working with their full potential free from stress.
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