There is a story in the Ramayana, one of the great kings, Janaka, who besides being a Rishi, was also a perfect Karma Yogi. The Ramayana is one of the sacred epics of Hindu tradition and religion.
This is a story of spiritual liberation for everyone.
A Rishi is a wise and scholarly saint, who has attained all possible knowledge in a certain area. King Janaka had attained this (and more) as a perfect Karma Yogi was said to have also attained Moska, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
What is Karma Yoga?
Karma Yoga, or the "discipline of action" is based on the teachings of the Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita, the holiest of Hindu scriptures. As one of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga requires the adherence to one's duty (swadarma) while remaining detached from the reward. Simply, It is the yoga of performance of 'right action'.
What is right action?
Right action is compliance with your Swadharma (personal right duty-action). Thus each thing you do, is harmony with the Creator, Creation and your purpose for life. We all know what we should be doing. It 'feels' correct.
More specifically, and your life's work done must be without expectations, motives, or anticipation of its outcome. Doing so, it purifies one's mind and enables an individual to comprehend the wisdom is so doing.
Why does Karma Yoga help? What can it do for you?
Karma Yoga, practiced in daily life enables an individual worthy, through action, meditation and devotion to develop the power of reasoning, develop their intuitive power to acquiring knowledge and finally to transcend the mind itself. What do I do next?
You practice daily the 3 Ds'Devotion, Duty and Discipline. This is the secret of performing Karma Yoga.
Devotion
Is gained through, if nothing else, understanding the magnitude and greatness of the Creator's work. This is the first step to becoming a Karma Yogi, and you cannot proceed without it. It never fails, even just to glance at the heavens, and let one's mind wander, you will become devoted. The more you reflect on creation, the more you are drawn to the creator.
Duty (swadharma).
Often "duty" is referred to as "righteousness". You will incur demerit if you shun your duty. In Karma Yoga, the whole thing is about achieving merit, Your duty is towards God, or Self, or the Inner Teacher who teaches you through all the specific circumstances of your life as they appear. Karma Yoga teaches that God is the doer, not you
Discipline. Each work you do, each task is a sort of teacher or lesson. You know you can learn different skills by doing different jobs.
You also know that each job has different requirements in terms of time, degrees of concentration, skills or experience, emotional input and output, physical energy, and will.
A Karma Yogi will do whatever job or task well, and in full compliance according to your Swadharma.
The message of Karma Yoga is this:
When you do any action that is in harmony with the Creator and Creation, you are never egotistically motivated.
You also no longer maintain compulsive desires relative to the future. With this eradication of compulsive desire, you are able to live in the ever-present, with the understanding that present actions influence the future, so you live without being bound to the future.
It is a basic spiritual law that all desires carries within themself the motive force for their fulfillment.
That is, if an experience is possible to have in this natural world, and we desire it, we are subconsciously pushed toward it or attract it to ourselves.
Spiritual liberation
The adherence then, to correct action, through Karma Yoga can lead then to our ultimate spiritual liberation. |
