Introduction to Karma - Yoga

All our actions which we do either mentally or physically are known as our KARMAS.  Karma is the foundation of our life and keeps our life moving.  Our life is bounded by Karmas because through karma (action), we reveal ourselves i.e. our thinking and subsequent physical actions.

Every action which we do has an object behind it and this object may be good or bad.  So it is necessary to carry out positive and good actions only and Karma-Yoga is the method which helps us in selecting our actions by setting higher objects for our karma (actions).  It teaches us that in order to achieve the high objects sets by us, we should  give up the feeling of selfishness.  All our actions should be based on the love, forgiveness and feeling of caring others.

People who do not plan their actions in the right direction are never satisfied and consequently lead a stressed, lonely and disturbed life.  The world for such persons is ugly because they judge the things by linking them with their self only, but if we come out of our selfishness and set higher objects for our actions i.e. love and caring others, we will realize that this world is very beautiful.

Karma-Yoga suggests that we should do our duties and give up the fruit to the God, the supreme authority because every act of us which is done with the consideration of fruit or reward is an act of selfishness and it binds us with expectations.  These expectations weakens us and when do not get desired rewards for our actions, we get disturb.  The basic object of the Karma-Yoga is to purify ourselves through our actions not only for us but for others also and one thing which we should keep in our mind  that no one depends on us, we are just the medium and nature works through this medium.

Karma-Yoga is a method of improving our conduct and view point to wards philosophy of life.  Life is full of struggles and Karma-yoga enables us to face the struggles of the life calmly, when we are calm, we have the wisdom and when we have the wisdom , we can judge the things in a better way.  Each of us has a separate entity and builds his own world and this world built by a person is his Karma-kshetra (action field).  We ourselves are responsible for all our happiness and sorrows, successes and failures, pains and pleasures etc. because all of these are effects of our own karmas.

God has given us the freedom of karma, whether we do good or evil the God, Supreme power and authority, do not stop us from doing any action but HE decides the fruits of actions done and also the state of our life on the basis of our Karma (actions).  So it is essential for us to be selective in our actions.  According to Karma-Yoga, Karma (action) once done cannot be reverted or destroyed until it produces its effects.  Every action causes an effect and it is impossible to stop the effect or fruit of the action done.

Karma and destiny, generally are taken as two different things but in fact they are inter-linked, now it is necessary for us to know what destiny is.  destiny means state of circumstances and surroundings in which one is born, and this state is the effect of our actions done.  So it is not the destiny which decides different states of our life but it is our action or we ourselves decide it.  We get misfortune from our own actions and our won actions take us out of the bad patch of the life.

To sum up, it is rightly said that Karma-Yoga is a science of work which teaches us the secret of work, method of work and power of work.