Gita 3.23
Karma Yoga
यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रितः | मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ||२३||
yadi hyahaṁ na varteyaṁ jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥ | mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ||23||
In essence: The greatest leadership is not what you command others to do, but what you yourself embody—for all eyes follow the one who leads.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Krishna says people follow his path. But most people don't consciously think about following God's example. How does this actually work?"
Guru: "The following is mostly unconscious. Humans absorb patterns from their environment without deliberate choice. When divine order expresses as natural rhythm—sun rising, seasons cycling, bodies healing—humans unconsciously align with this rhythm. When they see sustained effort in nature, they feel called to sustained effort. But Krishna speaks also of conscious following: when exemplary beings act with integrity, others are inspired to do the same. Your parents, teachers, leaders—you absorbed their patterns before you could choose. Now you pass patterns to others. This is how culture transmits."
Sadhak: "So I'm affecting others even when I don't intend to?"
Guru: "Constantly. Your children watch how you handle frustration, not what you say about patience. Your colleagues notice whether you actually practice the ethics you espouse. Your community absorbs your lived values, not your professed ones. This is sobering—we're all teaching all the time, whether we want to or not. The question isn't whether you'll influence others but what you'll influence them toward."
Sadhak: "That's a lot of pressure. What if I fail? What if I set a bad example?"
Guru: "You will fail sometimes. Everyone does. But here's the deeper teaching: how you handle failure is itself an example. If you hide your failures, pretend perfection, or make excuses, you teach others to do the same. If you acknowledge failure, learn from it, and persist—that becomes the pattern you transmit. Krishna isn't asking for perfection; he's asking for engagement. 'Atandritaḥ'—unwearied, persistent, showing up again and again. The example isn't 'be perfect' but 'keep going.'"
Sadhak: "Krishna is God—of course people follow him. Why would anyone follow my example?"
Guru: "Visibility creates responsibility, regardless of your cosmic status. If you're a parent, children follow you. If you're a manager, employees watch you. If you're visible in any community—even just a neighborhood—you're being watched. You don't need divine status to have influence; you only need presence. And here's the paradox: those who think their example doesn't matter often have the most corrosive impact. They act carelessly because they think no one is watching, but someone always is. Assume you're being watched. You probably are."
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Consider who looks up to you—children, students, colleagues, younger family members. What pattern are you showing them about how mornings are approached? Do you wake grumbling and resistant, or with some measure of acceptance and engagement? Just for today, assume someone is learning from how you start your day. Let this awareness add a touch of intention to your morning routine. Not performance—genuine care for what you're modeling.
Pick one situation where you'd normally slack off, cut corners, or check out mentally. Perhaps a boring meeting, a repetitive task, or an interaction you find tedious. Today, engage fully—not for external reward but as conscious modeling. Imagine someone younger and less experienced watching how you handle this situation. What would you want them to learn? Let that vision guide your engagement. This isn't pretense; it's elevation.
Reflect honestly: what did my example teach today? If someone had watched my every action, what conclusions would they draw about how life should be lived? Did I demonstrate engagement or avoidance? Persistence or premature quitting? Cheerfulness or complaint? Again, no judgment—just awareness. The gap between what we want to model and what we actually model is the territory of growth. Seeing clearly is the first step to changing.