Ram- An example of Emotionally intelligent leader

Ram Navami wishes to all my readers. Ram Navami is celebrated as a birthday of Shree Ram.

For my global audience, Ram is a respectable personality in Hinduism. There are many beliefs and questions whether Ram is a Hero, an ideal or a God. Description of Ram comes though Ramayan and the first Ramayan or the original Ramayan is written by sage Valmiki and called is Valmiki Ramayan. Let me tell you, anywhere in Valmiki Ramayan, Ram has been shown as a Hero, an ideal and not as a God. however, in various retelling of Ramayan, Ram has been shown as incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Thanks to 21 notes, a channel on YouTube for clearing many doubts about Ramayan and Ram. Certainly, Ram is an ideal for me. He is a leader, he is an ideal and through Ramayana we have many lesson to learn.

In this article my focus is not on inviting debate whether Ram is a God or not or a human figure, the focus is our ancient script. Written thousands years ago, the scripture has many guiding principle. We read leaders need a high EQ or EI score, but Hindu and Indian scripture has example of this. On Ram Navami, I am focusing on what we can learn from Shree Ram on being emotionally intelligent as a leader.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions and the emotions of others. Many of my Gurus have taught me to be emotionally intelligent. Dr. Meena Galliara , my guru and metor from NMIMS taught me this well during one of the incident during my MBA. I may cover this in another article. EI involves being able to regulate one's own emotions, empathize with others, and effectively communicate with others.

Ram from Valmiki Ramayan is considered to be an embodiment of emotional intelligence. He was able to understand and manage his own emotions, and he had a deep understanding of the emotions of others. For example, when he was banished to the forest for 14 years, he did not react impulsively or emotionally, but rather calmly accepted his fate and left for the forest without causing any harm to anyone. He also understood the emotions of his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana, and was able to provide them with emotional support when they needed it. In various incidents from the Ramayan, you can see that Laxman is coming to conclusion and building perception including when Bharat comes to meet Ram and Laxman was ready to attack. Whereas Ram guides him (in Aranyakand).

Ram was also able to empathize with others and put himself in their shoes. For example, when he met the demoness Shurpanakha, he understood her pain and suffering and did not react with anger or aggression, but rather tried to reason with her and show her kindness.

Furthermore, Ram was an excellent communicator and was able to effectively convey his thoughts and feelings to others. He was able to listen to others and respond in a way that was respectful and understanding.

Let us see some specific examples of Ram's emotional intelligence from Valmiki Ramayan. Here are a few:

1. When Ram was banished to the forest, he calmly accepted his fate and left for the forest without causing any harm to anyone. This is demonstrated in the following verse:

"Having thus been ordered by his father, Rama, without any hesitation, walked away from Ayodhya with a composed mind, even as he received salutations from the citizens." (Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodhya Kanda, 24.28)

This verse shows how Ram was able to manage his own emotions and remain calm and composed in the face of adversity.

1. When Ram met the demoness Shurpanakha, he understood her pain and suffering and did not react with anger or aggression, but rather tried to reason with her and show her kindness. This is demonstrated in the following verses:

"Although she was vulgar in appearance and behavior, Rama saw her with the same kindness he showed everyone else. With a smile, he spoke to her." (Valmiki Ramayan, Aranya Kanda, 14.9)

This verse shows how Ram was able to empathize with Shurpanakha and treat her with kindness, even though she was a demoness and had tried to harm him.

1. When Ram's wife Sita was abducted by the demon king Ravana, Ram was able to provide her with emotional support and comfort. This is demonstrated in the following verse:

"Rama, with a loving heart, embraced Sita and, wiping away her tears, spoke to her in a gentle voice." (Valmiki Ramayan, Sundara Kanda, 37.22)

This verse shows how Ram was able to understand and empathize with Sita's emotions, and was able to provide her with comfort and support in her time of need.

These are just a few examples of how Ram demonstrated emotional intelligence throughout Valmiki Ramayan. Each one of us must read Valmiki Ramayana and learned through a right teacher. I highly recommend to read Ramayana Unraveled by Ami Ganatra Ji

Overall, Ram from Valmiki Ramayan is a great example of emotional intelligence, and his actions and behavior can serve as a guide for those who seek to develop their own emotional intelligence.

Govind