What is Karma Yoga?

What is Karma Yoga – Each one of us has a certain nature. Based on this nature, one relishes certain types of work. In particular, Karma yoga is prescribed to those who are attached to performing actions according to their nature. Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gita 3.14

annad bhavanti bhutani
parjanyad anna-sambhavah
yajñad bhavati parjanyo
yajñah karma-samudbhavah

Translation: All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties

The 4 Divisions of Human Society

Any society at a given time will have four classes of people —intellectuals, administrators, businessmen, and labour class. These four classes are defined according to one’s qualities and occupation as per Bhagavad Gita 4.13

catur-varnyam maya srstam
guna-karma-vibhagasah
tasya kartaram api mam
viddhy akartaram avyayam

Translation: According to 3 modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable

Lord Kṛṣṇa is saying that these four orders of the society are based on guna and karma ( Not Birth ). Guna means qualities and karma means action. Any society will have a class of people who are intellectuals, some who are administrators, some who are businessmen and some who are workers. We cannot have a society without these four classes because different people are meant for different works. Suppose one is an intellectual and is sent to do road work, he will not be able to do that work properly. One must support his/her qualities with similar action as well.

An intellectual is a person who contributes to the society by giving it the true knowledge. Simply taking birth in a Brahmin family doesn’t make an individual intellectual. Similarly, unless somebody is contributing in terms of leadership to the society, he cannot be called an administrator or a Kshatriya. By the same token, a businessman’s contribution is in terms of wealth creation. Nobody is inferior or superior, everyone has his/her role in a Vedic society

Qualities associated with each class

Let’s see the qualities associated with each class as given in 18th Chapter of Bhagavad Gita:
BG 18.42: Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness – these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.
BG 18.43: Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity and leadership are the natural qualities of work for the kṣatriyas.
BG 18.44: Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the business class and for the labor class, the prescribed duty is service to others

The Purpose of Karma Yoga

All these activities must be performed for the satisfaction of the Lord. As stated in 3rd Chapter of Bhagavad Gita, B.G 3.9–

yajñārthāt karmano ’nyatra
loko ’yam karma-bandhanah
tad-artham karma kaunteya
mukta-sangah samācara

Translation: Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction and in that way you will always remain free from bondage

Karma yoga begins with service without any expectation. Every action must be performed as a matter of duty/service. A mother must take care of her kids as a service. Analogously, teachers must take care of students as a service. In a similar manner, leaders must take care of their citizens as a service. These selfless services are also acts of sacrifice or yajña. For example, as a teacher or a family man, you have to sacrifice your personal comforts for the benefit of students/ kids. However, ultimate recipient of all such sacrifices is Vishnu or Kṛṣṇa. We are engaged in a specific service because of Him only.

When we don’t have this mentality of doing the service for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa, we develop expectations. The moment we expect and get something in return for our actions, we get bound by them. This leads to repeated birth & death as a consequence of the reactions to our work

Getting Detached from Results

When one is attach to performing an action, attachment to the results of such an action may arise. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad Gita 2.47:

karmany evādhikāras te
mā phalesu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhur
mā te sango ‘stv akarmani

Translation: You have a right to perform your prescribe duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
Here Lord Kṛṣṇa is saying that one should perform his/her duty but shouldn’t get attached to the results. But then the question is, how to
become detached from the results of our activities?

As has been said in BG 3.9, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate beneficiary of our actions, all results must be offer to Him. He further elaborates this point in Bhagavad Gita 9.27 as

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

Translation: Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform — do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to me.

Conclusion of Karma Yoga

One has to attune his/her life in such a way that Kṛṣṇa is at the center of all activities. For example, in order to maintain this body one has to do some work, so Kṛṣṇa is saying, do it for Him. One has to eat, so Kṛṣṇa is saying offer it to Him and then eat. If one wants to give some charity, then Kṛṣṇa says, give it for spreading Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. In other words, if we have a desire to do something, then we should do it as an offering to Kṛṣṇa. This is Karma Yoga

An Illustrative Example

To understand it better, let’s take an example. I want to eat a mango, thus I brought it and offered it to Kṛṣṇa before eating. This is karma yoga. Please note that here I’ve brought the mango for myself. But since I offered it to Kṛṣṇa before eating, this is Karma yoga. If I bring the mango to offer to Kṛṣṇa and not for myself then that act becomes Bhakti yoga. So this is the difference between Karma yoga and Bhakti yoga. In Karma yoga we have the desire to enjoy and hence we purify our actions by appropriately connecting them with Kṛṣṇa. When we desire only for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction, it becomes Bhakti yoga