- What it is?
- A karma Yogi
- Laws of Karma
- In Bhagavad Gita
- Principles
- Difference from Kriya Yoga
- How to Practice it?
When you think of yoga, you may always come up with an image of a person performing various poses, supported by breathing exercises, mudras, and meditation. But what if you get to know a yoga that doesn’t involve anything from the above?
A yoga where you only have to do daily chores such as sweeping, vacuuming, washing dishes, feeding pets, etc. Apart from this, it also consists of your mental activity, thought, imagination.
This is what Karma Yoga entails.
By performing the right action with the right attitude and surrendering the outcomes to the supreme power, you are practising karma yoga.
What is Karma Yoga?
The word Karma is derived from the Sanskrit root word “kru” which means “performing an activity” or simply “movement”. Thus, in a broader sense, every single activity (physically or mentally) that you perform in your life comes under karma.
Karma Yoga is the art of performing actions in a selfless manner and without any expectation of the outcomes. It’s called the “Yoga of Action”.
In Hindusim, four paths are defined for the attainment of spiritual liberation.
- Karma Yoga (Path of action)
- Jnana yoga (path of wisdom)
- Bhakti yoga (path of devotion)
- Raja Yoga (Royal path of meditation)
Of these four paths, karma yoga emphasizes doing ‘selfless work’ according to one’s dharma (moral duty), not on the consequences of results. A karma yogi treats ‘work (karma)’ like prayer where he doesn’t attach himself to the fruits or personal consequences of karma. Such intention of karma purifies the heart and mind which helps in preparing the Self to attain enlightenment.
The philosophy of Karma Yoga has been beautifully laid out in the Bhagavad Gita, where it has been said that karma yoga is one of the practical ways to attain self-actualization and liberation from suffering.
It is human nature to expect results out of each work or action that we perform on a regular basis. This desire for expectation binds us to the world. However, when we are performing the work selflessly, with a detachment to the outcome, we are truly following the path of Karma Yoga.
We will be acting as an instrument to fulfil God’s plan and will be performing our actions as a service to society. We will be on the path to freeing ourselves from our karmic debts.
Who is a Karma Yogi?
A Karma yogi is one who aims to relieve themselves from the bondage of karma. When this chain of karma is broken, he is also released from the cycle of birth and death. In simple words, when someone performs karma selflessly in the path of God, they are called Karma Yogi.
A karma yogi has the following characteristics:
- They do not possess ego, greed, anger, and lust.
- They will never expect any outcome from their work.
- They should never perform a duty for applauses, praises, admiration, name and fame, or gratitude.
- They should be humble with spotless character.
- Their words should not contain any harshness and should be fearless.
- They must possess a large heart, be tolerant, merciful, and sympathetic towards others.
- They must be leading a simple life and have a calm and balanced mind.
- Their happiness will come from others’ happiness. They should look at everyone equally.
- They should be able to adapt themselves to others’ behavior, environment, and way of life.
- Irrespective of color, caste, creed, religion, status, etc. they should be able to mix with everybody.
- They must believe in the words of the scriptures, the teachings of their guru, God, and themselves.
There have been some great Karma yogis that have worked selflessly and have simultaneously led an extremely simple life. Even though they received name and fame for their work, it was not their intention and had a pure heart.
Mahatma Gandhi was one such karma yogi, who worked towards the freedom of India. He gave up his personal life and worked tirelessly towards the welfare of India. He was a humble man who wore simple clothing and spoke with gentleness.
Another wonderful example of a karma yogi is Mother Teresa. She came from a foreign land and settled in India. She was devastated by the plight of the poor and dedicated her life to helping them in any way she could. She always remained faithful to her duty, wore a simple white and blue saree, remained humble, and never spoke ill of others.
Perhaps the biggest karma yogis of all were Lord Krishna himself who preached the Bhagavad Gita for the wellbeing of society. He was the manifestation of karma. From being the King of Dwarka to Arjuna’s charioteer, he performed his duties to the best of his abilities.
When he was the friend of Sudama, he remained humble and loyal, he never deterred from his work as a cowherd, he freed the women slaves from Narakasura (a demon), never showed off his wealth. There are a ton of stories that will show that he was and will remain the true example of a karma yogi.
The Laws of Karma
Karma yoga is based on the fact of laws of karma. If you are a believer of a particular religion or a non-believer, you must have a belief that every action you do comes back to you in some way. If you do good karma, you will receive its merits sooner or later and the same is true vice versa.
This cause and affects relationship is nothing but the law of karma. There are 12 universal laws that can help you know how karma works. These are:
- The Great Law of Cause and Affects – The basic law of you shall reap what you sow. In a general context, karma is always associated with this law.
- The Law of Creation – You need to take action to create something for yourself and others rather than wait for it to happen.
- The Law of Humility – Be humble enough to accept that your current reality is the result of your past actions.
- The Law of Growth – Charity begins at home. If you want to change the world, first work on changing yourself.
- The Law of Responsibility – Take responsibility for your actions. Whatever happens in yoru life is because of the past choices you have made.
- The Law of Connection – Your past, present, and future are always connected. The action you have performed in the past and will perform in present will shape your future.
- The Law of Focus – Instead of multitasking, focus on one thing at a time to obtain better results.
- The Law of Giving and Hospitality – Practice what you preach! Your actions will depict your beliefs.
- The Law of Here and Now – Whatever has happened in the past, there is no point dwelling on it. Live in the present to create new experiences and dreams.
- The Law of Change – Learn from your experiences to stop the cycle of history from repeating itself.
- The Law of Patience and Reward – Have the patience to know the result of your karmic deeds. Everything takes time.
- The Law of Significance and Inspiration – Even the slightest contribution you make to the world can be of great significance and inspiration to others. Remember this law as a motivation and morale booster.
What is Karma Yoga in Bhagavad Gita?
Karma yoga is illustrated in chapter three of the Bhagavad Gita.
Krishna introduced the concept of karma yoga when Arjuna is on his chariot having the dilemma of fighting in the great Mahabharat war and asked the right and wrong of going against his family.
Krishna replies:
In another verse, Krishna states,
The essence of karma yoga according to Bhagavad Gita can be summed up as below:
- Karma yoga is selfless service or service performed in the interests of serving God.
- God uses us as its instruments to perform the action, so one should serve the result of action to God only.
- God is the center of life for a karma yogi and his actions are a path to unify with God.
- If you perform karma with selflessness, you will accrue merits.
- Human doesn’t stay...