Dying Ravana shared his knowledge with Rama

In the Ramayana, Rama got 14 years of forest exile along with his wife Sita and younger brother Laxman to keep the word of his father king Dasharath. In the last year of his exile, the demon king Ravana of Lanka abducted his wife Sita rather deceitfully to take the vengeance of the humiliation of his sister Surpanakha. The resultant, the war took place between Rama and Ravana for getting Sita back from the entanglement of Ravana.

Rama`s army killed the army and family of Ravana. At last, Ravana came to the battlefield. Ravana was very vigor and valiant. Only Rama had the skill and strength to confront powerful Ravana. In the war, Ravana was defeated and was on the verge of demise lying on the battlefield. Exuberant Rama`s army was celebrating their triumph. But, Rama was quiet and pensive. He called his brother Laxman and asked him to go to lying Ravana and get the knowledge from him before he dies. Ravana is a king and a great scholar.

Reluctant Laxman approached Ravana and asked authoritatively to share his knowledge before he dies. Ravana did not speak anything and turned his head away.  Laxman went back to Rama and complained - Ravana is still as adamant as he was, he did not share anything. Rama asked, “Where had you stood while asking for the knowledge?” He said, “I had stood near his head so that I could hear his say.”  Rama told, “No, it is not the right way to seek knowledge from someone.”

Then, Rama approached Ravana casting his all weapons away and stood near his feet with folded hands and asked for the knowledge he had acquired through his experience for the better kingdom. Happily, forgetting everything, Ravana shared his knowledge with Rama, and repented if he would have got some more time to share some more knowledge with the recipient like Rama, and he died.

Rama is considered an ideal leader and king, not Laxman. He had a good vision about the importance of the knowledge one has acquired through his penance and exposure. The knowledge should not extinct with the end of the life of that person. So, he focused on documenting the knowledge for the future references and betterment for the coming generations.

In the corporate world, when one employee resigns and decides to leave the organization, at that time, the first focus of the leader should be on documenting the knowledge of that employee. The maximum knowledge can be extracted from the leaving employee by amiable behavior, not by animosity. By Rama method, not by Laxman method.

In most of the organization, the estranged employees are not treated fairly, and in this way, the employee quits the organization without sharing his knowledge. The resultant, the organization or the department bears the intellectual loss, although it is not visible, yet it is very important for a quick organizational growth.