What is Karma Yoga?
Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 2b
Summary
- What is Karma Yoga?
- Elements of Nature
- Karma and its results
- Principal — agent conundrum - Nuggets from Chapter 2b
- #1 Benefits of Karma Yoga
- #2 Properties of a Karma Yogi
-#3 Becoming Karma Yogi - Prelude to Chapter 3
Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta is a text on Brahm-Vidya. Brahm means universal consciousness and Vidya means knowledge. So, Brahm-Vidya means the knowledge of universal consciousness.
Before we talk about Karma Yoga, let’s lay the foundation of spirituality and karma.
What is Karma Yoga
Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta integrates the two distinct dimensions of our life: the prospects of materiality and the pervasiveness of consciousness.
Materiality covers everything that we see, feel, aspire, do and repeat. It is a mixed state of being — where the conscious element (our soul) is under the influence of the non-conscious elements (the nature).
In Chapter 1, Shri Krishna talks about the conscious element (our soul) and its properties. Now he talks about the mixed state of being and introduces some elements of nature (Prakriti).
Elements of Nature
When the soul amalgamates with the elements of nature, the soul manifest into our body. These elements are inert. When they come in contact with the soul, they become active and support life functions. Each element has a distinct function in our life. Some of these elements of nature are:
Tatva: There are five Tatva — core elements that construct our body. Air, Water, Fire, Earth, Aakash
Gyan Indriya (Sense Organs): That helps us sense the environment. There are five senses — to see, to taste, to listen, to smell, and to feel.
Karma Indriya (Work Organs): That helps us perform our tasks. There are five organs to interact with the environment and perform functions of life — Eye, Mouth, Ears, Nose, and Skin.
Prana: The pneumatic system within the body. There are five Pranas to perform different functions, such as breathing, urination, digestion, and other.
Panchkosha: There are five Kosha (Sheath) in our body — for food, for mind, for intellect, for prana and for soul (Bliss).
Man or Manas or Manah (Mind): That makes the soul feel and do. Our body doesn’t feel pain or pleasure.
Buddhi (Intellect): That helps us decide.
Chitt: That stores all the experiences of our soul. Whatever we feel gets stored here for future reference.
Ahamkaar (Ego): That gives us the sense of ownership.
Antah Karan: It’s a collective noun referring to Mind, Intellect, Chitt & Ego
Triguna: The equilibrium state of three tendencies of nature — Satva, Rajas & Tamas
Karma and its results
We do karma all the time. Anything which we do or think or even dream, with the help of the elements of nature, falls under one or the other type of karma.
It is obvious to ask, why do we do karma at all? First, because the soul is a bliss seeker. Second, the mixed state (our body, this world) by default is not blissful. So we do karma primarily to seek bliss. Some karma is quintessential to maintain the body (life) or to live. While others are optional and result from our desires.
Our mind, takes inputs from various organs to produce many desires, but our buddhi filters some of them out. Incessant negotiation between our mind and buddhi keeps us engaged in karma. Sometimes, buddhi dominates, but most other times, our mind rules. Ego is an additional element that brings ownership into our action.
Principal — agent conundrum
Aware of the principal — agent conundrum in the business world? The principal (shareholder, source of capital) and the agent (business managers) have conflicting interests. While the former wants to maximize the return on investment, the latter has a tendency to maximize his own payoff from the business.
In life, principal (the soul) seeks perpetual bliss. It empowers (lends its energies; just as a principal lends its capital) to the agent (Mind) in return for the promise of enduring peace and happiness. But the Mind is incompetent. The Mind, which is an inert element (think of a robot CEO), doesn’t have the skin in the game. It is not answerable for its mistakes and keeps on trying several options. It wanders and forces the principal (the soul) to try many things. Some of these produce temporary bliss while most other produce transient sorrow. Unfortunately, none of the mind’s effort can fulfil the soul’s desire.
Nuggets from Chapter 2b
Karma Yoga empowers the soul to choose the right karma. A Karma Yogi can choose to reject the results of karma, i.e. in that state of consciousness, the soul performs karma without being bound in the cycle of karma.
Karma Yoga has implications for our personal and professional life as well. It provides perspective on our efforts and desires.
#1 Benefits of Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga empowers the seeker to remain detached from the results of one’s own karma
We have control to choose the karma, but not on the results. Results may or may not manifest as per our liking. We do not wield any control over the timing of the results of our karma. But, if we perform a karma properly, it will certainly bear its intended fruits. So don’t lose heart if your effort seems to become void. It’s driven by the cosmic law.
When a seeker accomplishes the Karma Yoga, he transgress these principles of karma. He gets total control of the choice and results of the karma.
Arjun is completely blank about such a state of consciousness. He was aware of a higher level of consciousness in which the seeker rises beyond the influence of the natural elements in a deep meditative state known as Samadhi. But Shri Krishna is talking about an unfamiliar state, which provides the accomplishment of Samadhi for a person living a life of a common person.
Bewildered by these ideas of karma, Arjun asks Shri Krishna to describe the properties of Karma Yogi.
#2 Properties of Karma Yogi
They choose their karma wisely
Karma Yogis empower their buddhi and chose karma wisely. They don’t buy instant gratification at the cost of future sufferings.
Those whose buddhi is strong lay a prosperous future for themselves. Such seekers, upon incessant perseverance, would know the right path, practice, and master the Karma Yoga.
They live like a lotus in the pond called world
Those who attain this state of Yoga, live like the lotus in this world. They live in the pond (this world), perform all functions of an average person, but remain detached from the outcomes. Their karma may look alike that of an ordinary person, but such yogis can refuse to accept the results of their karma. (or rather, can dissolve the results of their karma as per their wish)
Such a person remains ignorant about the worldly pleasures, acting as if they are in deep slumber. Instead, they incessantly remain awake to pursue the consciousness.
They don’t fall into the trap of karma
When an ordinary person thinks about materialistic world, one develops attachment and desire. Unfulfillment of these desires leads to anger, which leads to darkness and paralyzes the intellect. With paralyzed intellect, one drowns into the quagmire of one’s wavering mind and suffers pain.
Karma Yogi remains detached from the effect of nature in her Karma. She wields a total control over her karma and the results thereof so she does not fall into this trap.
#3 Becoming Karma Yogi
There is only one path to Karma Yoga. Reading texts and practicing asceticism alone will not produce these results.
Understanding the scripts is just the first step in spirituality. Shri Krishna appreciates such practices, but warns Arjun about their limitations. Reading texts and taking part in intellectual debate won’t produce the results of Karma Yoga, he said.
Self-discipline and asceticism alone would also be futile. Those who practice forceful asceticism can attain momentary success. Unless their tendency to indulge in materialistic things remains intact, one cannot attain yoga. Such tendencies (Raag and Dwesh) can only vanish if the yogi attains a more intense and blissful subject — which is there in the universal consciousness.
“Then what will produce the results of Karma Yoga?” we inquire.
Shri Krishna says that there is only one deterministic path to Karma Yoga — which you can learn from an accomplished guru. Unless you have the deterministic path, you will wander. Describing further, he says, “when, after arduous contemplation of various texts and practices, your Buddhi cannot attain Karma Yoga, then you realize that the only path of Karma Yoga is to dissolve your Antah Karan into its origin. Hence, you follow the deterministic path of yoga.”
This chapter does not delineate the details of this deterministic path. Stay tuned for debriefs on coming chapters.
Prelude to Chapter 3
In the last two chapters, Shri Krishna presented his guidance to soothe his disciple, Arjun, in three different ways. First by giving a perspective on soul, then by indicating the necessity to be dutiful, and finally by describing an elevated state of Karma Yoga. On all three occasions, Shri Krishna concluded that the right thing to do for Arjun is to fight.
But Arjun is not convinced yet.
Chapter 3 begins with the follow up question from Arjun. Why should I indulge in such a destruction when I have an accomplished guru who can guide me to meditate and attain my higher self? He asks.
Related Post: My realization on other chapters of Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta: Chapter-1 & Chapter 2a
Where can I get the access to the original text?
Beginners may find this useful.
For deeper insights, get a copy of the book from Vihangam Yoga. If you are in the US, contact North America Institute of Vihangam Yoga.
These revelations are based on my over twenty years of immersion in Swarved, The Encyclopedia of Spirituality. Swarved is available on Amazon and on Google Play store in multiple languages.
