Timeless Leadership: Applying Geeta Chapter 2, Verse 2.20 to Project Management

Introduction

In Chapter 2, Verse 2.20 of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna shares a profound insight on the eternal nature of the soul—one that transcends time, destruction, and impermanence. He says:

“? ????? ??????? ?? ?????- ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ? ????? ??? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ? ?????? ???????? ???????"

(Na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin, Nāya? bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūya?, Ajo nitya? ?hā?hvato ’ya? purā?o, Na hanyate hanyamāne ?harīre.)

Translation: “The soul is neither born nor does it die; it has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain.”

For project managers, this verse serves as a reminder to focus on the enduring purpose of a project rather than being overwhelmed by the temporary ups and downs of deliverables, setbacks, or delays. While the external structures of a project—tools, resources, and deadlines—may change or collapse, its core purpose remains timeless and must be our anchor.

In this blog, I share a light-hearted yet impactful story where this principle helped me navigate a GenAI deployment crisis, reconnecting the team to the project’s purpose and driving us toward success.

Scenario: The Database Disaster and a Timeless Purpose

It was one of those murky Monday mornings. The coffee machine sputtered ominously as if foreshadowing trouble. My team and I were two sprints away from delivering a GenAI-powered chatbot for a retail client, designed to transform customer interactions. On paper, we were golden. In reality? Not so much.

Rajiv, the QA lead, was the first to sound the alarm. “Tushar, the responses from the chatbot are looping! It’s like it’s stuck in some existential crisis.”

Priya, our backend wizard, didn’t look up from her screen. “The database connection is breaking intermittently. It’s as unstable as my WiFi during thunderstorms.”

I sighed. The client demo was three days away, and our chatbot—the “core” of the project—was floundering. Worse still, the team’s morale was crumbling under the pressure. For a fleeting moment, I questioned everything: Was the model flawed? Would we miss the demo? Could I have managed resources better?

I stood by the window, watching raindrops streak the glass like tears. Then Krishna’s wisdom from Chapter 2, Verse 2.20 echoed in my mind: The soul is eternal, unshakable, beyond destruction.

I realized the essence of our project—its purpose—hadn’t changed. Our goal was to deliver a functioning solution that showcased the model’s power, not a perfectly polished system. I had been so caught up in technical setbacks that I lost sight of what mattered most.

Key Challenge

The chatbot faced recurring errors due to unstable database connections. This technical failure, combined with looming deadlines, caused stress, demoralized the team, and threatened the client demo. The team had lost confidence, and I, as the project manager, needed to realign our focus.

The Turning Point

I gathered the team in the meeting room, marker in hand, and said, “Okay, team. We’re not here to fix every technical glitch today. What’s our core goal?”

Rajiv hesitated. “To show the chatbot’s value… to the client?”

“Exactly!” I grinned. “The client doesn’t care about perfectly optimized code or polished data pipelines. They care about seeing the chatbot work. So here’s what we’ll do: Priya, stabilize just one clean database instance for the demo. Rajiv, run a controlled QA test to ensure the responses are accurate. I’ll manage the client expectations and explain what’s coming next.”

Priya blinked. “So we’re delivering a ‘good enough’ demo?”

“Exactly. Let’s focus on the purpose, not perfection.”

Over the next two days, the atmosphere shifted. Priya optimized the cleanest database connection, Rajiv validated key workflows, and I communicated our progress transparently to the client. By demo day, the chatbot was ready, stable, and functional—and the client loved it.

“This is impressive work,” the client said. “Let’s plan the next phase for a full-scale deployment.”

Personal Reflection

This experience taught me the importance of anchoring to the project’s purpose. When faced with setbacks, it’s easy to feel like everything is collapsing. But by focusing on the core goal—the eternal “soul” of the project—we can cut through the chaos and drive meaningful progress.

Main Argument

Krishna’s teaching in Verse 2.20 reminds project managers to focus on the enduring purpose of their projects. Tools, processes, and obstacles will come and go, but the core goal remains unshakable. Leaders must guide their teams to prioritize what matters most, especially in the face of challenges.

Actionable Framework for Project Managers

1. Reconnect to the Core Goal: Regularly remind the team of the project’s purpose.
2. Prioritize Progress Over Perfection: Deliver incremental value rather than waiting for flawless execution.
3. Break Challenges into Steps: Focus on stabilizing what’s essential to move forward.
4. Communicate Transparently: Keep stakeholders informed about priorities and next steps.
5. Encourage Team Resilience: Inspire the team to focus on solutions rather than setbacks.

In another project, when critical resources were delayed, we pivoted to showcase a simplified prototype to stakeholders. By emphasizing the core solution’s value, we secured additional time and trust to complete the full implementation.        

As Krishna reminds us, the soul—the core—is eternal. For project managers, this means anchoring to the project’s enduring purpose amidst the chaos of setbacks and roadblocks. By focusing on what matters most, we can inspire teams to deliver success.

“A project’s soul lies in its purpose. The tools may change, but the goal remains unshakable.”