An Introduction to Karma Yoga

Karma yoga originated from the Vedas, a collection of sacred Hindu texts. The concept, which was atheistic and materialistic, initially revolved around the law of karma and yajna (sacrificial rites); over time, the Upanishads (now known as Vedanta), a subclass of the Vedas, resolved to a different perspective of karma yoga. According to that philosophy, there is an impurity in the human mind known as Mala.

Mala is the likelihood of performing an activity for personal interest or selfish reasons. Mala pushes humans to strive for material success, fame, and respect. As a result, they do not transcend the confines and limitations of their bodies, minds, and emotions. In other words, Mala exists to make one’s conscience impure.

The Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu text, suggests that people who condone Mala and keep acting in self-interest will confine themselves to the law of karma (cause-and-effect). To avoid such bondage, Vedanta encourages one to practice karma yoga, which means to bury any form of attachment when performing activities. In other words, karma yoga is a discipline that involves acting selflessly without expecting anything in return.

Instead of selfish actions, karma yoga suggests that people should act solely because of their ability to do so and contribute meaningfully to society. So, they should derive joy in helping other people. When people adopt karma yoga, they gradually eliminate Mala and embrace purity. For instance, giving someone something without expecting anything in return is karma yoga. Over time, a karma yogi’s intentions and service attitude align with the principles of yoga; the person gradually breaks free from karma and the identity their minds give them.

Since karma yoga is a spiritual practice that liberates people, the Bhagavad Gita encourages one to perform specific actions to succeed. So, before practicing karma yoga, a person must have faith in God and the effectiveness of karma yoga, particularly its liberating abilities. Faith comes from studying the scriptures and keeping the company of religious people. Having done so, one should maintain faith even while practicing karma yoga. To become a master at it, the Bhagavad Gita teaches one to meet knowledgeable men and learn good habits from them respectfully.

Further, one needs the right knowledge to become a successful karma yogi. Without having the right knowledge, one may keep acting selfishly, remaining under the bondage of sinful karma. The right knowledge means fully understanding what catalyzes eternal freedom and liberation. It also means when people recognize themselves as Gods in human form (immortal).

In addition to possessing the right knowledge, being an embodiment of purity is a vital factor that karma yogis need to succeed. One cannot profitably practice karma yoga with impure intentions, actions, or thoughts. A person can attain purity when they have supreme authority over their sattva.

Traditional yoga teachings believe in three sides of nature known as gunas, which are responsible for influencing one to act based on desires. These gunas are rajas (activity), sattva (consciousness), and tamas (stability). So, when a person’s sattva has predominance, the other gunas become repressed, leading to performing activities without desire. Consequently, one’s body and mind become liberated from evil intentions, selfish interests, and impure thoughts.

A karma yogi should also practice self-absorption to become successful. Though having faith is a step in the right direction, it cannot carry one through their journey. At some point, one needs to corroborate faith to evaluate progress. In other words, karma yoga goes beyond developing comfort in the scriptures. So, one needs to advance their practice through self-absorption. This means that a person should engage in samyama (concentrated meditation), which combines Samadhi (union), Dhyana(meditation), and Dharana (concentration). Doing so helps one reach their inner self and practice karma yoga with composure and no emotions.

Due to the peculiarity of karma yoga, many people develop misconceptions about it. For instance, some regard it as an exchange. But It is not. Instead, karma yoga encourages people to perform activities without expecting anything. Some also think karma yoga is pro bono and cheap labor. However, it is not. Karma yoga is simply going about your daily activities without attachment or ego (self-thought

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