Abstract:
The present paper focuses to identify the salient characteristics of the democratic and
resilient leadership styles reflect in Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad Gita is one of the worldrenowned Holy Scriptures which potentially deals with the qualities of leadership because it
has been developed in the form of conversation between the leader and the follower.
Further, to some scholarly interpretations, criticizing the norms of Bhagavad Gita as those of
autocratic and other leadership styles, contemporary leadership approaches also pay less
attention and highlights its importance demanding its holistic view of leadership as reflected
in Bhagavad Gita. Contrary, the scriptures profoundly advocate the leadership skills in a
holistic manner as the democratic and resilient leadership are very much related to the
personality of a person in terms of physical, mental and spiritual development of a person. So
that, it can be suggestive that Bhagavad Gita practically revolves around a Democratic leader
who develops leadership qualities and behaves and guides his followers in the extremely
curial situations, even in the battle-front towards success. Through the analysis to textual and
scriptural sequences, the present study enabled identifying the role of a leader as a
Negotiator, Coach and Motivator, Team Builder, Friend, Advisor, Guide and a spiritual
Mentor, This is particularly reflected in the conversation between the lord Krishna and Arjuna.
Thus, it can be concluded that Bhagavad Gita brings the characteristics of leadership through
‘’ the leader attempts to influence his or her followers to establish and accomplish a goal or
goals’’. To accomplish the goal, the leader exercises his or her power to influence people. That
power is exercised for motivating followers to get the task achieved and this is reflected in
the Gita. Personal traits of leader such as assertiveness, high tolerance in frustration,
charisma, inspirational, role model behaviour, responsibility, performance orientation, risk
taking, flexibility is also reflected in the Gita. Ultimate outcome of the study brings back the
interconnectedness of the personality traits and the characteristics of a democratic and
resilient leadership styles that are reflected through Bhagavad Gita.
