karma yoga

Karma Yoga

Principles and Practices

Different Kinds of People

• Taamasic – Lazy, without motivation, complaining, escapist

• Raajasic – Active– Aarthi – A suffering person who wants to free himself from the

suffering – afraid of stick, works to avoid punishment and inconvenience

– Arthaarthi – A person who is hankering after different things – wants carrots, works to achieve goals and ambitions

• Saatvic – Thinking– Jijnaasu – A person who is beyond sticks and carrots, looking for a

nobler reason to work• Guna-atita – Wise

– Jnaani – A person who attained the knowledge of the Truth of this existence

Karma Yoga is for these people.

Karma to Karma Yoga

• Results of work– Artha – removes wants,

gives security– Kaama – gives comfort

and luxuries– Dharma – gives social

benefit, peace of mind– Moksha – gives inner

growth and emotional freedom

Focus here.Work for these.

By products

Overview

Karma Yoga

Right Action

Avoid harmful

Reduce selfish

Increase selfless

Right Attitude

General duties

Particular duties (swadharma)

Yagna (give back)

Daana (give more)

Tapas (stretch yourself)

Iswara arpana

Iswara prasaada

Deva yagnaBhuta yagna

Manushya yagnaPitru yagnaRishi yagna

Physical tapasVerbal tapasMental tapas

What is Karma Yoga?

• Right action– What should I do?– What should I avoid?

• Right attitude– How should I work?– How should I face the

results?

Actions

• Actions– Taamasic – harmful– Raajasic – selfish– Saatvic – selfless

• Saamaanya dharma – general duties• Vishesha dharma (swadharma) – particular duties

Avoid

Reduce

Increase

What Should I Avoid?

• Don’t do anything that you cannot proudly tell to your mother.

• Don’t do anything that you will not want others to do to you.

• Don’t do anything that will increase your identity with the body.

What Should I Reduce?

• Some selfish actions cannot be avoided– Brushing teeth, bathing, eating,

etc– Information update like

newspaper• Some selfish actions can be

reduced– Some entertainment like cricket

match– Some luxuries like ice cream– Dependence on servants

What Should I Increase?

• Saamaanya dharma (General duties)– Yagna – repaying our

obligations– Daana – charity beyond

obligations– Tapas – stretching our limits

• Vishesha dharma (Particular duties)– Swadharma – duties based on

our position in life

So Far …

Karma Yoga

Right Action

Avoid harmful

Reduce selfish

Increase selfless

Right Attitude

General duties


Yagna (give back)

Daana (give more)


Iswara arpana

Iswara prasaada




Yagna – Paying Back

• We have already taken a lot from environment, parents, society, etc.

• We are under a huge debt already.

• Nature will not let us go free.

• Give willingly instead of being robbed forcibly.

Five Kinds of Debts

1. Deva runa – Debt to inanimate nature. We are made of the gross and subtle elements. Earth gives food. Sun gives heat and light. We need air to breathe, water to drink, etc.

• Preserve nature and support people doing it

• Plant trees• Avoid pollution• Conserve water,

electricity, paper, etc

Five Kinds of Debts

2. Bhuta runa– Debt to other plants and animals. Plants give food, clothes, etc. Trees give so many products. Animals are used in agriculture, for milk, honey, silk, wool, etc. Dogs, cats serve as pets.

• Pay for services• Treat animals kindly• Give comfort to

animals• Plant trees

Five Kinds of Debts

3. Pitru runa – Debt to parents and ancestors. We have got our body from our parents and ancestors. They have fed us and taken care of us. They have spend so much energy towards what we are today.

• Don’t hurt the feelings of parents

• Take care of old people and children

• Don’t scold them unnecessarily

• Donate towards old age homes, orphanages, etc

Five Kinds of Debts

4. Manushya runa – Debt to the society. We avail the services of so many people in the society like farmers, masons, weavers, shop keepers, drivers, mechanics, police, soldiers, etc

• Pay for services• Treat other people

with due respect• Help others• Donate towards relief

work• Donate towards the

development of underprivileged

Five Kinds of Debts

5. Rishi runa – Debt to teachers. Man is different from an animal because of the scientific and cultural heritage, which is inherited through teachers, authors of good books, makers of good movies, etc.

• Study well• Keep the scientific and

cultural heritage a part of your life

• Learn music, art, etc• Buy good books• Teach others• Donate to schools

Five Kinds of Debts

• Pancha runa– Deva runa– Bhuta runa– Pitru runa– Manushya runa– Rishi runa

• Paying them back brings our account back to balance.

• It is ok to overpay. It will be credited back.

So Far …

Karma Yoga

Right Action

Avoid harmful

Reduce selfish

Increase selfless

Right Attitude

General duties


Yagna (give back)

Daana (give more)


Iswara arpana

Iswara prasaada




Daana - Charity

• Contribute more than you consume

• Bhagavad Gita – 17:20– Give as duty and with humility,

not as a favor and with arrogance

– Give to people who cannot give back in any form to you

– Give at a place where needed– Give in time when needed– Give to the deserving people

Tapas – Austerity

• Stretching ourselves exposes our limitations to our conscious view so that we can analyze them and try to improve ourselves.

• The world is a gymnasium to develop ourselves.

Physical Austerity

• Bhagavad Gita – 17:14– Bow down to God, cultured people, teachers

and wise people– Maintain everything neat and tidy– There should be perfect alignment between

your intention, knowledge, words and action– Maintain decent and appropriate attitude

towards the other gender– Do not cause injury to others

Verbal Austerity

• Bhagavad Gita – 17:15– Speak softly– Speak only that which passes the triple test

• Truthful• Pleasant• Useful

– Maintain a habit of studying good books– Discuss good thoughts with others

Mental Austerity

• Bhagavad Gita – 17:16– Be free from stress in the form of anxiety about

the future and brooding about the past– Be calm and cheerful– Have pleasant and gentle thoughts– Observe silence for sometime everyday– Do not perpetuate unhealthy thoughts– Have noble intentions. Wish good to everyone.

Yagna, Daana, Tapas

• Bhagavad Gita – 18:5– These three:

• yagna (fulfilling the five debts)daana (contributing more than consuming)and tapas (stretching the limits)

should always be performed– These are needed to purify the mind and

maintain purity in life

Swadharma

• It is God who has placed us in the position where we are

• Doing full justice to the position by doing our duties is His worship

• Whatever comes our way and whatever is expected of us in our current position is our natural duty

• Bhagavad Gita – 18:46– Him from whom the world has arisen,

Him who pervades everything here,By worshipping Him by doing one’s duty,Man attains perfection.

So Far …

Karma Yoga

Right Action

Avoid harmful

Reduce selfish

Increase selfless

Right Attitude

General duties


Yagna (give back)

Daana (give more)


Iswara arpana

Iswara prasaada




How Should I Work?

• Remember the purpose– To pay back– To improve ourselves

• No shortcuts• Working hard and being

fair is more important than achieving the immediate target

• Introspection and stretching our limits is the way to grow

Iswara arpana – Do everything as an offering to God (9:27).

How Should I Face the Results?

• Face the logical and illogical consequences

• Success or failure, learn the lesson and go ahead

• Face success with humility and failure with dignity

• Remember the purpose– To pay back– To improve ourselves

Iswara prasaada – Accept everything as gift from God (9:28).

Karma Yoga – Summary• Final Goal – Inner emotional perfection

– Security, Happiness and Peace– Fulfillment– Purposefulness

• Intermediate Goal– Moral perfection– Detachment

• Means– Avoid harmful and reduce selfish actions– Perform Yagna, Daana, Tapas

• Pay back the five debts• Give more than you take• Stretch limits to grow

– Perform Swadharma• By product or side effect

– Prosperity– Achievement

• Pursuit of artha and kaama should be subservient to the pursuit of dharma and moksha

What Should I Do?

• Do my duty– Whatever comes my way and

whatever is expected of me in my current position is my natural duty

• Clear the five debts• Make sure I give more than I

take• Stretch myself by austerities

What Should I Avoid?

• Lethargy• Shortcuts• Self pity• Blaming others or the

environment• Over consumption• Anxiety towards the

immediate target

What Will I Get?

• Peace of mind• Maturity to ask

further questions like “What is the ultimate purpose of life?”

• Calmness to involve in meditation and scriptural study.

Questions and Answers

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