Karma Yoga

[Guest guest]

Haft-hearted service is no service at all. Give your whole heart,

mind and soul when you serve. This is very important when you

practise Karma Yoga.

 

Some people have their body in one place, mind in another place, and

soul in another place. That is the reason why they do not realise any

substantial progress in the path.

 

Forget not the goal of life amidst selfish activities. The goal of

life is Self-realisation. Are you attempting to reach the end and aim

of life? Are you doing Japa, Pranayama and Meditation? Have you kept

up the ideal before the mind's eye? That day in which you do not

practise any spiritual Sadhana is wasted. Give the mind to God and

the hands to work. You will have to analyse and scrutinise your

motives. It is the selfish motive and not the work itself that binds

a man to Samsara. Prepare the mind for Karma Yoga. Mere selfish work

cannot be taken as Yogic activity. The mind is so framed that it

always expects something for a small piece of work. When you smile

you expect a return of smile from your friend. When you raise your

hand in salutation, you will expect a salute from other people. Even

when you give a cup of water to another man, you expect him to be

grateful to you. When such is the case, how can you perform Nishkama

Karma Yoga?

 

Life is very precious. Live in the spirit of the Gita teaching and

work without expectation of fruits and egoism. Think you are Nimitta

in the hands of Lord Narayana. If you work with this mental attitude

you will become a Yogi soon. Work never degrades a man. Unselfish

work is Puja of Narayana. Work is worship. All works are sacred.

There is no menial work from the highest view-point of the absolute,

from the view-point of Karma Yoga. Even scavenging when done with the

right spirit and mental attitude is Yogic action. Even a scavenger

can realise God in his own station of life by service. The famous

butcher-Sadhaka of the Mahahharata realised God in his meat-shop

(through serving his parents). You have got inside all materials for

wisdom. There is a vast magazine of power and knowledge within you.

It wants kindling. Now wake up, O Saumya!

 

When you work disinterestedly without any agency and when you

surrender the works and fruits as Ishvararpana, all Karmas are

transformed into Yogic Kriyas. Walking, eating, sleeping, answering

the calls of nature, talking, etc., become offering unto the Lord.

Every bit of work is Yoga for you. Think that Lord Siva is working

through your hands, and is eating through your mouth. Think that your

hands are the hands of Lord Siva. In the beginning some of your

actions may be selfish and some may be unselfish. In the long run you

can do all actions in an unselfish manner. Scrutinise your motives

always. This is the key-note for Nishkama Karma Yoga. Every act can

be spiritualised when the motive becomes pure. Work is meditation.

Serve everyone with intense love, without any idea of agency, without

expectation of fruits or reward. If you adopt the path of Jnana, feel

you are a silent Sakshi and the Prakriti does everything.

 

It is selfishness that has deplorably contracted your heart.

Selfishness is the bane of society. Selfishness clouds understanding.

Selfishness is petty-mindedness. Bhoga increases selfishness and

selfish Pravritti. It is the root-cause for human sufferings. Real

spiritual progress starts in selfless service. Serve the Sadhus,

Sannyasins, Bhaktas and poor and sick persons with Bhava, Prema and

Bhakti. The Lord is seated in the hearts of all.

 

The spirit of service must deeply enter into your very bones, cells,

tissues, nerves, etc. The reward is invaluable. Practise and feel the

cosmic expansion and infinite Ananda. Tall tales and idle gossip will

not do, my dear friends! Evince intense zeal and enthusiasm in work.

Be fiery in the spirit of service.

 

Have Nishtha with God and Cheshta with hands like the Bahurupi who

has the Nishtha of a male and the Cheshta of a female. You will be

able to do two things at a time by practice. The manual work will

become automatic, mechanical or intuitive. You will have two minds. A

portion of the mind will be at work; three quarters of the mind will

be in the service of the Lord, in meditation, in Japa. Karma Yoga is

generally combined with Bhakti Yoga. A Karma Yogin offers to the Lord

as an oblation whatever he does through the Karma-Indriyas. This is

Ishvara Pranidhana.

 

(Source: Essence of Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda)