Vedantic way of life: Karma Yoga || Bhakti Yoga || Gyana Yoga || Dyana Yoga


Karma means activity wherein Karma Yoga is the path where Karma is the means employed for the spiritual practice which leads to union with the ultimate reality.

Since Karma is inevitable for all beings, it is an important path. Karmas are inevitable because all beings are under the hold of Natural laws (Prakriti) and the three gunas or attributes of the natural laws are -

Illuminating knowledge, activity and inertia.

Sattva is light and knowledge, Rajas is activity, Tamas is rest - sleep - inertia.

Since to shun all activity and sit in a place to meditate and gain knowledge is not possible for all, the activity itself that we involve ourselves in must itself be made the Yoga practice or practice towards union with Self.

By Karma is meant work of all kinds religious and secular, all work is same, and understanding of Karma Yoga brings divinity to all tasks. Sweeping the floor, preparing a project report, performing a ritual these are all Yoga Sadhnas .All depend on the attitude we bring to the action concerned. An attitude emanating from detachment.

Karma is mostly the result of desire (Kama). If the desire is paramount, worry and agitation will never leave the mind. We have to change this in order to make work, i.e. Karma, a spiritual task (Sadhna). Understand that we can not work for desire alone. As long as life exists in us we must be doing some work. Even in the absence of desire we can work completely. By doing Karma we are conforming to the laws of nature (Prakriti) and its attributes. Therefore doing Karma must become a thing natural, usual and effortless.

Karma becomes a bondage if we do not understand and accept this and if we relate Karma to fulfillment of desire alone. Of course recognition of the purpose of the work is necessary but not a total preoccupation with this purpose or ostensible desire. "Will not Karma bring its desired fruit, if rightly performed". It is in the very nature of the Karma to bring its results. If this is so why should we worry about any Karma not bringing the due result. Of course the desired result may still not appear but that should not stop us from doing the actions to the best of our abilities. Siddhi means fruition Asiddhi means nonfruition. In siddhi and asiddhi one should be equal minded and equanimous.

Such harmony is the ideal we have to realize. And it can be realized by becoming a lover of Karma alone. The results shall follow automatically. Furthermore what are the results you are seeking- are these the things of the world - money, fame, children, heaven, god? By these have only a fleeting effect on you, Only the union / Yoga with consciousness can ensure permanent bliss and fulfillment. And you shall reach here if the Karmas you perform in your daily life whether for fame or for money - are performed for its own value and the joy of performance with no thought of the result because the result is implied in the very performance of the task.

"I am doing Karma because to be doing so is my nature. In conforming to my nature I find great delight. As the clouds give rain, the tree grows, the rivers flow, the sun shines effortlessly and naturally, so am I to do Karma. I cannot but fulfill my nature, my duty. In thus fulfilling my nature lies my contentment and perfection. It gives me the same joy as would results to the result lover. I have no doubt that the result will come. I also know that sometimes the result shall fail me. I own the failure as I do the success."

This is Karma Sadhna. The duty performer (Karma Yogi) trains his mind by reasoning and introspection inorder to accept all possibilities so that even adverse results are faced with calmness. Also favorable results do not sway a Karma yogi.

How does Karma Yoga take us to the path of liberation?

The attachment to the results of Karma is bondage. This bondage occurs because we identify ourselves with things of the world-my house, my car my wife my money-As we work, this identification carries over into our performance and results preoccupy our minds, bringing in their wake emotions of various kinds. Dual emotions create the bondage, when preoccupation with results and the concomitant emotions are kept away, the bondage too disappears. Karma yoga understood properly and applied in each and every one of our actions from the simplest to the most complex will liberate the mind and bring you calm and peace.


Vedantic way of life : Karma Yoga || Bhakti Yoga || Gyana Yoga || Dyana Yoga