I grew up reading stories of Vedic heroes from the pages of the Srimad Bhagavatam and was constantly impressed by the quality of leadership they displayed. Such leadership is rare nowadays and perhaps can only be found in eternal and spiritual India. In this article, I will explore the different facets of leadership during the Vedic age and offer some insights into how we can forge better leaders for the new Satya Yuga, or Golden Age.
The Srimad Bhagavatam extols leaders of exceptional character and wisdom, such as Maharaja Parikshit, Lord Rama, Maharaja Prithu, Rishabhdeva Maharaj and Lord Krishna Himself. All these aforementioned Vedic leaders ruled their respective kingdoms exemplarily and governed their subjects with compassion and morality. Lord Rama, for example, managed the affairs of His kingdom perfectly and Maharaja Prithu (after whom the Earth is named Prithvi) received the permission to rule after audience with the Supreme Lord Himself, after austerities. Lord Krishna was an ideal householder during His rule in Dwarka and governed with His Yadu dynasty over the entire world.
Such leaders have a very high moral standard and are spiritually qualified, often after having received the darshan (or vision) of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such vision is said to remove all inebrieties from the mind of the aspiring ruler and bestows the blessings of God over their rule. The Vedic leaders of yore knew the Dharma Shastras, for example the Manu Smriti which are shastras or scriptures that transcend mundane or man-made laws. The universe itself is governed by these laws and Vedic leaders strictly adhered to them in governing their kingdom.
Their subjects always came first, and their happiness was of utmost importance to them. If something was amiss in their kingdom, they would immediately call upon qualified sages to find a solution. For example, in the event of an unforeseen drought in their kingdom, they would call sages who would then perform a specific Vedic homa or fire sacrifice that would bring about the desired rainfall in their kingdom. They knew that the development of their kingdoms depended upon the favourable disposition of the Supreme Lord and the demigods.
Gold was the standard currency in their kingdom and any kind of financial chicanery to circumvent that was strictly forbidden. This was possible during the highly prosperous Vedic age. Even nowadays, gold is used as a hedge against inflation and many countries are increasing their gold reserves. Gold was seen as a natural resource and its procurement depended upon the effort of the populace through economic development. Paper currency was seen as valueless since it would bring about constant devaluation of the currency and high rates of inflation.
They remembered that ultimately it was God in control, directly or indirectly. They abided by the law of Karma which warns “as you sow, so you reap”. This is a universal law, and to live according to it ensures that there is peace and harmony in one’s life. They aided their citizens to achieve self-realization or bhakti (devotional service) because they knew that this was the goal of life. It does not matter to which religion one belongs. As long as one has a proper conception of God and a bona fide name for God, the religion is to be accepted.
After all, the Vedic sages learnt how to recognize and accept their Supreme Lord in multifarious forms. They promoted persons of spiritual significance, or who brought about God realization in their kingdom and personally supported them through donations. Vedic leaders were directly responsible for the spiritual upliftment of their citizens. They engaged in Vedic sacrifices to petition the favour of the Supreme Lord (or Yajna).
In this age, the recommended process of Vedic sacrifice is the sankirtan yajna, or congregational chanting of the holy names of God. For example, our Iskcon temple in Phoenix once held a most amazing kirtan mela, whence musical performances were orchestrated with congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. This proved to be an astounding success and it is worthwhile noting that persons of all religions would participate without distinction, as a natural inter-faith exercise. Another noteworthy example of this kind of gathering is the 24 Hour kirtan mandali in Sri Vrindavan dham, India, where kirtan goes on for 24 hours and devotees from all over the world participate in spiritual mirth.
Since we are talking of India, it is to be noted that its current Prime Minister leads the country by example. His recent declaration of assets showed no house or car in his name, as well as no court case. His attitude of renunciation is indeed laudable and an example to follow for our leaders. When it comes to our current government, the rule of law and allowing institutions to function independently are commendable standards.
However, there should be a definite programme from government into how to make its citizens God-conscious, or Krishna conscious. In this way, they would automatically develop divine qualities and hence, the whole society would become highly auspicious!
By KLP (This Mahashivaratree, 26 August 2025)
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