Environmentally Responsible Business; lessons from Indian Mythology

Abstract

The phenomenal speed of corporate development in modern era demands a universal call for action. The role of corporate sustainable practices should be designed to generate value for all stakeholders’, in a manner to ensure positive ethical, social, cultural, economic and most importantly environmental impact. Evolving world order engendered a greater concern for ecology whereas in the race of materialism, sustainable development has just become an illusion. Sympathizing sustainability issues necessitates human to think and appreciate the extended chains of cause and effect relationship of human doings on his future, these doings can be intentional or otherwise. The agenda of corporate sustainable development cannot be fulfilled until the greedy creatures realize the importance of living in harmony with nature. The most ancient known literature in the world had already suggested the sustainable solutions way back in about 1500 and 1000 BCE [3]. Indian mythology since ages is preaching and practicing sustainability in all traits of life for the establishment of a better society. The present paper is an attempt to draw corporate sustainability lessons from Indian mythology literature that projects natural resources as God and also device ways to please the almighty. This paper is an attempt to suggest corporate world to learn sustainability lessons hidden in Indian mythological preaching through rigorous literature content analysis. The ancient Indian literature (Vedas) encompasses several principles of sustainable development. Principles relating to the unavoidability of facing consequences of one’s actions, the interconnectedness of all living beings, the linkage between present and future, the integrity of the human family, the necessity of harmony between humanity and the natural order and many others are equally apt and can guide sustainable corporate growth. The lesson sums up in “Vasudevkutumbakam” (all belongs to one family) that needs to be engrossed in the corporate strategies for a better tomorrow.