‘Core moral values crucial for an ethical workplace’

Says Swami Muktidanandaji of Ramakrishna Ashram

Mysore/Mysuru: Without core moral values, it is nearly impossible to create an ethical workplace culture. Core values educate employees, clients and prospects about where the organisation is going and communicate what is most important to the organisation. A good work culture and behaviour has a vision for good life and gives it a new purpose, said President of Sri Ramakrishna Ashram, Mysuru, Swami Muktidanandaji.

He was speaking at the spiritual retreat and workshop for healthcare personnel for the nursing staff of Suyog Hospital at Ramakrishna Institute of Moral & Spiritual Education (RIMSE), this morning. Over 60 nursing students are attending the day-long event.

Speaking on the topic ‘Karmayoga, the work culture for effective living,’ the Swamiji said, spirituality and moral values give life a new purpose and enable professionals to achieve mental strength to discharge their duties professionally. Yoga, meditation, spiritual and moral values are part of this value education, he added.

“Defining and publishing core values alone aren’t enough. You have to live and follow them every day, starting with the behaviour at the top. According to Swami Vivekananda, weakness is the main cause of immorality, evil and suffering in life and the cause of weakness is ignorance about one’s true nature as the ‘Atman’. Knowledge of the ‘Atman’ gives us tremendous strength to overcome our weakness and lead a virtuous life,” he said.

The Gita states that the all-pervading God is the ultimate source of all work and the enjoyer of the fruits of all sacrifice. Hence all work is to be done as worship and the fruits of actions are to be offered to the Lord. When work, any work, is done with moral values, it becomes a spiritual discipline where the mind gets purified, he told the students. 

“Thus, work done as a worshipful service benefits the doer himself spiritually and it becomes a spiritual discipline or Yoga. Thus, service done as worship of God in man helps in two ways: it helps physically or mentally the person who is served and it helps spiritually the person who serves,” he added.

The chief aim of the RIMSE is to instil faith in oneself and impart nobler values of life and life-giving strength, to raise individuals to higher levels of strength with spiritual, moral, ethical and eternal values of personality development and human excellence, he said.

Scholar K.P. Pradyumna spoke about Indian culture where he traced the evolution of humanity through various yugas and outlined the birth of the present yuga with the background of many spiritual periods. Dr. S.P. Yoganna of Suyog Hospital spoke on ‘Spirituality as an important factor for physical and mental health’.