SWOT ANALYSIS- AN INTRINSIC PART OF VEDIC PHILOSOPHY

SWOT, a term quite often used in the corporate world is the acronym for strength, weakness, opportunity and threat. SWOT analysis can be carried for an individual, organization, location, product etc. and while it’s a complete subject in itself, in short SWOT helps us to know how different factors are going to play role and what can be done to optimize the outputs by leveraging on strengths and opportunities and by developing strategies to bridge gaps which may arise due to weakness or threats.

SWOT analysis is part of almost every evolved/evolving organization and is supposed to be the most important strategy of Human Resource optimization but are we effectively utilizing this tool? The answer is an Absolute NO in most of the cases. Because if it was yes, then employees would have been able to give their optimum output and in line with that the organizations too would have flourished.

And the reason is simple. That we are not carrying out the true SWOT. The real SWOT was an intrinsic part of the Vedic philosophy.

Ayurveda which was part of Vedic sciences had broadly categorized human mind in three different constitutions (though most of us would carry not just one trait out of these):-

• Vata dominating (the ectomorphs as per modern world terminology)- those who are quick to act, creative but disorganized, usually thin framed.
• Kapha dominating (the endomorphs)- those who are relatively slower to act, calm and composed and usually the doers/executioners, usually thick framed.
• Pitta dominating (the mesomorphs)- the perfectionists, the sporty kinds, relatively high on temper, usually medium framed.

Vata, pitta and Kapha are the forces explained in Ayurvedic texts, on which the entire physiology of a living being is based. It is like wiring of the brain and body and once these forces are understood, there are no secrets left in this world. 

***This post is an extract from the book THE ROOT CAUSE- Ayurveda, Astrology and beyond for a blissful life”. To pick up a copy of the book, please click the link/s mentioned at the end of this post ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

It was basis these qualities that the entire population was divided into different sections by the enlightened teachers in the Gurukuls/Ashrams (the old schools) who knew how our internal science works. Thus going by this logic, a vata mind person would not be pushed into a profession which needs intense activity else he/she would burn out and rather such a person would be able to deliver excellent output as an architect or an engineer or an artist due to a creative mind. On similar grounds, a kapha mind person would not be pushed into creative world where he/she would fail and rather would be groomed to pick up the profession involving something like literature. Same ways it would be criminal to ask a pure pitta person to get into the field requiring creativity (unless that person also has vata in his/her mind) and rather such people should join some profession which requires organized approach and intense activity like the armed forces.

Thus a real SWOT would mean understanding the wiring of the brain right from the childhood (which is the responsibility of the parents as well and not just the teacher) so that the child is put in the right stream where he/she gets optimum results because that is what the child is going to enjoy as well. It is because of the lack of understanding of the Vedic wisdom that today we are not carrying out the SWOT in true sense and therefore unable to flourish neither at individual scale nor at a group level.

It is therefore time to understand the science of our body and mind and optimize our outputs for a progressive and flourishing individual, society, nation and the world.