Name: Aasma Diwan
Country: India

Year: 2025
Volume: Volume-12, Issue-2 (July-December)
Page Number: 323-327
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18204366

1.ABSTRACT
Leadership has always been at the heart of human progress, shaping societies, cultures, and civilizations. Ancient Indian epics and treatises such as the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Arthashastra, and the story of Colin offer timeless insights into the nature of leadership, ethics, decision-making, and governance. These texts do not merely narrate historical or mythological events; they serve as living repositories of wisdom that continue to resonate with the challenges of modern leadership. This study explores leadership lessons embedded within these classics—examining the moral dilemmas of the Mahabharata, the dharmic model of responsibility in the Ramayana, the strategic and administrative acumen of Kautilya’s Arthashastra, and the narrative of Colin as a reflection of courage and resilience. By humanizing these lessons, the research highlights their relevance in today’s dynamic sociopolitical and organizational contexts, where leaders grapple with ethical choices, crisis management, team building, and long-term vision.Through an interpretive analysis, the paper draws parallels between ancient leadership archetypes and contemporary leadership theories, demonstrating that the core values of empathy, accountability, adaptability, and strategic foresight remain universal. The findings argue that these indigenous knowledge traditions are not relics of the past but dynamic frameworks that can enrich leadership models across domains—whether in governance, business, or community life.Ultimately, the paper positions the Indian Knowledge Systems as vital to rethinking leadership in the 21st century, urging us to revisit our roots to craft more holistic, ethical, and sustainable approaches to
leading in a complex world.