WHAT IS KARMA YOGA ?
Karma Yoga is consecration of all actions and
their fruits unto the Lord. Karma Yoga is performance of actions dwelling in union with the Divine, removing attachment and
remaining balanced ever in success and failure.
Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity.
Karma Yoga is the Yoga of action which purifies the heart and prepares the Antahkarana (the heart and the mind) for
the reception of Divine Light or attainment if Knowledge of the Self. The important point is that you will have to serve humanity
without any attachment or egoism.
Action of some kind or the other is unavoidable.
You cannot keep quiet without doing anything. What binds you to phenomenal existence or Samsara is not the action but
the idea of doership and enjoyership. Karma binds when it is done with a selfish motive, with the expectation of fruits. But
when action is done without the expectation of fruits, it is liberating. If you act as an instrument in the hands of the Lord,
as a participant in the cosmic activity of Nature, without expectation of fruits, that Karma will not bind you. Karma, then
becomes Karma Yoga. Work unselfishly. Feel that you are only an instrument and that the Lord is working through you. Surrender
the actions and their fruits to the Lord. You will be freed from the bonds of Karma and enjoy peace.
The practice of Karma Yoga prepares the aspirant
for the reception of knowledge of the Self. It makes him a proper Adhikari (aspirant) for the study of Vedanta. Ignorant
people jump at once to Jnana Yoga, without first having a preliminary training in Karma Yoga. That is the reason why they
fail miserably to realize the Truth. Various impurities lurk in the fourfold mind (Antahkarana). The mind is filled with likes
and dislikes, jealousy, etc. They only talk of Brahman. They indulge in all sorts of useless controversies, vain debates and
dry, endless discussions. Their philosophy is only on their lips. In other words, they are lip-Vedantins. What is really wanted
is practical Vedanta through ceaseless, selfless service. Selfless service is the only way to remove the impurities lurking
in the mind.
Two things are indispensably requisite in the
practice of Karma Yoga. The Karma Yogi should have non-attachment to the fruits of actions. He will have to dedicate his actions
at the altar of God with the feeling of Ishvararpana. Non-attachment brings freedom from sorrow and fear. Non-attachment
makes a man absolutely bold and fearless. When he dedicates his actions at the Lotus Feet of the Lord, he develops devotion
to God and approaches Him nearer and nearer. He gradually feels that God works directly through his Indriyas or instruments.
He feels no strain or burden in discharge of his works now. He is quite at ease. The heavy load which he felt previously on
account of false notion has vanished out of sight now.
PRACTICE OF KARMA YOGA
The practice of Karma Yoga does not demand that
you should possess enormous wealth. You can serve with your mind and body. If you find a poor sick man lying on the road side,
give him some water or milk to drink. Cheer him up with sweet, encouraging words. Put him in a carriage and take him to the
nearest hospital. If you have no money to pay for the carriage, carry the patient on your back and see that he is admitted
into the hospital. If you do service like this, your heart will be purified. God is more pleased with such sort of service
for the poor helpless people than with the service done by rich people with pomp and vanity.
If any one is suffering from acute pain in any
part of the body, at once shampoo the affected part very quickly. Feel, when you massage, that you are shampooing the body
of the Lord (Virat). Repeat your Ishta Mantra or any name of the Lord while shampooing. Pray also from the bottom of your
heart: "O Lord! Remove the pain of this man. Let him rest in peace. Let him possess good health." Feel, when you massage,
that the energy from the cosmic source, Hiranyagarbha, is flowing continuously through your hands. Some neophytes are afraid
their energy will be depleted by massaging another person. This is a serious mistake. The more you give, the more yu will
get. You will be in tune with the cosmic energy or the Infinite. This is the divine law.
QUALIFICATIONS OF A KARMA YOGI
A Karma Yogi should be absolutely free from lust,
greed, anger and egoism. Even if there are traces of these Doshas, he should try to remove them. He should not expect any
kind of fruits for his actions herein and hereafter. He should not have any desire for name and fame, approbation, thirst
for applause, admiration and gratitude. He must have a spotless character. He should try to possess this gradually. He should
be humble and free from hatred, jealousy, harshness, etc. He should always speak sweet words. How can a proud and jealous
man, who expects respect and honour from others, serve others ? He should be absolutely fearless. A timid man is absolutely
unfit for Karma Yoga. He is fit to assist his wife in cleaning utensils in the kitchen in the morning and in washing her clothes
in the evening.
A Karma Yogi should have large heart. He should
be free from crookedness, meanness, miserliness and selfishness. He should be absolutely free from greed, anger and egoism.
A Karma Yogi should have an amiable, loving social
nature. He should be able to move and mix with everybody without distinction of caste, creed or colour. He should have perfect
adaptability, tolerance, sympathy, cosmic love and mercy. He should be able to adjust with the habits and ways of others.
He should have an all-embracing and an all-inclusive heart. He should always have a cool and balanced mind. He should have
presence of mind also. He should have equal vision. He should rejoice in the welfare of others. A man who is easily irritable
and who can easily be offended for trifling things is absolutely unfit for the path of Karma Yoga. He should have all the
organs under perfect control. He should lead a very simple life. He should bear insult, disrespect, dishonour, censure, infamy,
disgrace, harsh words, heat, cold and the pain of diseases. He should have absolute faith in himself, in God, in scriptures
and in the words of hid Guru. If he leads a life of luxury, if he wants everything for himself, how can he share his possessions
with others ? He should burn his selfishness to the very root. Let me remind you the words of the Gita: "Restraining and subduing
the senses, regarding everything equally, rejoicing in the welfare of all, these alone come to Me." Such a man becomes a good
Karma Yogi and reaches the goal quickly.
BENEFITS OF KARMA YOGA
By doing selfless service you purify your heart.
Egoism, hatred, jealousy, ideas of superiority and all the kindred negative qualities will vanish. You will develop humility,
pure love, sympathy, tolerance and mercy. Sense of separateness will be annihilated. Selfishness will be eradicated. You will
get a broad and liberal outlook on life. You will begin to feel oneness and unity. Eventually you will obtain knowledge of
the Self. You will realize One in all and All in one.
Generally people are impatient and they expect
Siddhis after doing a little service. The real Karma Yogi who serves people with humility and Atma Bhava (seeing God
in every face) becomes a real ruler of the world. He is honoured and respected by all. The more service you do with Atma Bhava
the more power, energy and capacity you get. Practice this and feel.
If you really want to grow in the spiritual path
you must do all sorts of service daily till the end of your life. Then only you are safe. Do not stop doing service when you
have become a famous Yogi. The spirit of service must enter every nerve, cell, tissue and bone of your body. It must become
ingrained in you. Then only you will become a real, full-blown, practical Vedantin. Is there any greater Vedantin or Karma
Yogi than Lord Buddha ? He still lives in our hearts, because that spirit of service was ingrained in him and he spent his
whole life in serving others in a variety of ways. He is indeed a magnanimous soul, one without a second. You can also become
a Buddha if you apply yourself diligently to selfless service with the right mental attitude.
In the practice of Nishkama Karma Yoga, there
is no loss of effort. There is no harm. There is no transgression also. Even a little of this practice can protect you from
great fear of rebirth, of death with its concomitant evils. You will reap the fruits of Karma Yoga, viz. Jnana. There is no
uncertainty here. The path of Karma Yoga eventually leads to the attainment of Bliss of the Self.
May you all attain purity of heart through constant
selfless service. May you all shine as dynamic Karma Yogins radiating joy, peace and bliss everywhere. May you all rejoice
in the welfare of all beings. May your minds be fixed in the Lord while your hands are in the service of humanity. May you
all understand the principles and techniques of Karma Yoga. May all your actions become offerings unto the Lord. May you all
attain Kaivalya Moksha through the practice of Karma Yoga in this very birth.
...............CONTINUED KARMA YOGA PART-1
Our Karma & Laws Of Nature
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"Contributions From Swami sivananda"
