Hare Krishna.
Tech pioneer and industrialist Narayan Murthy has recommended that Indians, especially the youth, work seventy hours a week to help India progress and become one of the leading economic superpowers in the world in the near future. What would be the Bhagavata perspective on this recommendation? I’ll discuss the Bhagavata perspective in three terms: the role of productivity, the meaning of personhood, and the role of profession.

1. The Role of Productivity
Productivity, especially in terms of economic productivity, has often been defined as the primary, if not sole, parameter for national progress and economic growth in many parts of the world. However, we humans are much more than mere producing and consuming machines. After the Industrial Revolution, when work became highly mechanized and stripped of much individuality, people were reduced to operating organs. A ship captain would say, “I want all hands on deck,” and factory workers were seen only as functioning limbs. This idea that humans should be defined solely by how much they produce is a very dehumanizing concept. Humans are multifaceted, and when progress is thought of only in terms of financial productivity, what is the result?

Japan is often cited as a prime example of success—rising from the ruins of World War II to becoming one of the world’s leading economic powers in just six or seven decades. But at what social cost? Japan has some of the highest suicide rates, extremely high depression rates, and workaholism is a serious issue today. People are defining themselves entirely by their work, subordinating everything else in a nearly manic pursuit of professional success. This often leads to escape mechanisms, such as alcoholism and drug abuse. Workaholism itself can become an escape for some.

In today’s world, where people are already lonely and fragmented due to broken families and the pressures of upward mobility, the additional stress of working harder can lead to greater mental health problems and further family fragmentation. Japan is increasingly facing a population crisis, with fewer young people starting families, despite financial incentives to encourage childbearing. The societal emphasis on a unidimensional pursuit of work, from both a contemporary sociological and statistical perspective, is harmful.

Any work beyond fifty hours a week has statistically been shown to cause more harm to the body and more eventual deaths than even malaria. From a Vedic perspective, there are four purusharthas: dharma, artha, karma, and moksha. Productivity can be seen as one part of artha. Dharma is not just religion—it is the ethical foundation of kindness, discipline, and diligence, which is essential for every living being. Artha is not just money; it refers to the resources and opportunities that help a person grow in life. Karma is not just about sexual desire; it’s the satisfaction of desires through meaningful relationships and fulfillment of duties. And moksha is freedom from the desires and cravings that bind us to things that are ultimately neither fulfilling nor worthwhile.

Reducing these four purusharthas to just one—artha, and further reducing artha to the number of hours worked—is a dangerous, reductionistic view of productivity. Productivity should be about generating resources for a fulfilling life and a prosperous society, not just about the number of hours worked.

2. The Meaning of Personhood
This reductionist view of productivity comes from an erroneous notion of personhood. We, as human beings, have a three-level existence: body, mind, and soul, as explained in the Bhagavad Gita. Each aspect of our being needs nourishment. If only our body is nourished, a person may be physically well-fed but may lack fulfilling relationships, relaxation, or a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life. This leads to a form of “comfortable misery,” as seen in many Western societies. Is that the path we want to follow? Every aspect of our being needs to be nourished. Work is meant to provide resources to nourish our body and help create a well-organized, prosperous society that nourishes every member.

Karma loka sangra, through karma, refers to maintaining society and the world through responsible duty. However, this responsibility is not just about physical maintenance; we need relationships, spiritual meaning, and purpose in life. If all aspects of our personhood are not nourished, we will remain discontented.

3. The Role of Profession
The Bhagavad Gita talks about profession in terms of varna. The ideal situation is where people engage in work that aligns with their psychophysical nature—work they are naturally interested in and competent at—making them efficient and effective in their roles. The Bhagavad Gita and broader Vedic teachings certainly support hard work. Arjuna, a student of the Bhagavad Gita, was a champion archer. He didn’t achieve this by being lazy; his dedication to his craft was exemplary. He studied archery all day with his teacher, Dronacharya, and practiced late into the night to become an expert. He was diligent in his work, and this was central to his success.

However, the key point is that not everyone today can find work aligned with their nature. Many believe that if you enjoy what you do, it won’t feel like work. There is truth to this, especially when work is in harmony with one’s nature. Instead of simply telling people to work harder and harder, we need to encourage them to become more self-aware. Understanding one’s talents and interests, and engaging in work aligned with them, will lead to greater fulfillment and productivity. This requires thinking deeply about who we are, and this can be cultivated through studying wisdom texts like the Bhagavad Gita, adopting spiritual practices like mantra meditation, and setting aside time for self-reflection.

When people align their work with their nature, they will find fulfillment even in shorter work hours. Every individual, depending on their stage of life, may set different boundaries on how much they work. If someone is passionate and inspired to work sixty or seventy hours a week, there’s no stopping them. But every choice involves compromise. Working long hours means sacrificing other aspects of life, and it’s important to make this an informed, intentional choice based on self-understanding. If working long hours becomes a societal mandate, it can lead people to lose themselves, resulting in a society where economic prosperity coexists with inner poverty.

This is not the contribution that India is meant to make to the world. If India is to rise on the global stage, its contribution must be holistic. Yes, material, financial, and geopolitical progress is great, but India’s greatest wealth lies in its spiritual heritage. As young Indians are encouraged to embrace this wisdom, they can demonstrate all-around prosperity—physically, mentally, and spiritually. This could be India’s distinctive contribution to the world.

Thank you.