Bhagavad Gita
· Karma Yoga 3
· Verse 21
Verified original
यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते
യദ്യദാചരതി ശ്രേഷ്ഠസ്തത്തദേവേതരോ ജനഃ സ യത്പ്രമാണം കുരുതേ ലോകസ്തദനുവര്തതേ
yad yad ācharati śhreṣhṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate
English Translation
Whatever action a great person performs, common people follow. Whatever standards they set, the entire world pursues.
AdiyogiArts gita-json · https://github.com/AdiyogiArts/gita-json (MIT License)
Explanation · English
Krishna explains leadership by example. The word "śhreṣhṭhaḥ" means not just powerful but excellent in character. Leaders don't just give orders — they set "pramāṇam" (standards) through their own conduct. Society unconsciously mirrors those it admires.