Sri Krishna tells Arjuna – Focus on doing your designated duty and not the result. This will help in transcending the cycle of births. Do not choose inaction because action without setting the mind on material results helps in cultivating maturity of mind. Proper action with a proper attitude – This is the crux of Karma yoga.
We should do all actions aiming at purity of mind, for cultivating discriminative power ( viveka), dispassion ( vairagya) and thereafter gaining the knowledge of Absolute reality (jnana).
सर्वं कर्माखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते (4.33) – all actions culminate in Knowledge.
Chapter 2 Shloka 49 Comparison between karma and karma yoga
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय |
बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणा: फलहेतव:।।2.49।।
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म – Karma is inferior to
बुद्धियोगाद् – karma yoga
धनञ्जय – Arjuna
बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ – Surrender to karma yoga
कृपणाः फलहेतवः – those who have thirst for result are miserable.
Attitude is more important than action. In action, aiming at internal peace (spiritual benefits) is far superior to going behind external sense pleasures (material benefits) – the former liberates you while the latter binds you giving birth after birth. Doing the same action with a different attitude yields diagonally opposite result. Therefore, choose Karma yoga – the right attitude in action.
Do dharma for gaining purity of mind that makes it eligible to acquire jnana. It is only atma jnana (knowledge of the self) that gives real security. Give up external dependence. Sri Shankaracarya says
‘परमार्थज्ञानशरणो भव’ – surrender to atma jnana
பொருளல்ல வற்றைப் பொருளென்று உணரும்
மருளானாம் மாணாப் பிறப்பு.
இருள்நீங்கி இன்பம் பயக்கும் மருள்நீங்கி
மாசறு காட்சி யவர்க்கு. (Kural #351, 352)
-Delusion causing the impermanent unreal to be mistaken for the real, leads to lower births.
– For the one who sees the Pure Consciousness with the discrimination between the permanent and the impermanent (viveka), ignorance (ajnana) will leave and give way to eternal happiness.
In short – Less luggage, more comfort. We not only carry our material luggage physically but also carry it as baggage in our mind. So, to be free from this baggage – Give up materialism; Opt for spiritualism.
स्पर्शान् कृत्वा बहि: बाह्यान – also, leave the external things outside. Don’t allow them into your system.
Contentment is natural wealth. Luxury is artificial poverty. When in younger generation, you may enjoy worldly pleasures but after an age (say at max 50), you need to turn to spirituality. Sri Yajnavalkya tells Gargi that the one who departs without knowing Brahman is pitiable –
यो वा एतदक्शरं गार्ग्यविदित्वास्माल्लोकात्प्रैति स कृपणः (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.8.10). Mentally giving up attachment towards the body (dehatma buddhi) helps one prepare for the end. It is important to continue to study the scriptures until they go to the deep subconscious mind.
In conclusion, give up thirst for material results and keep your focus on spiritual gains (cultivating values like compassion, wisdom, nobility).
Shloka 50 Benefit of karma yoga
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते |
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योग: कर्मसु कौशलम् ||2.50।।
बुद्धियुक्त: – a person with an equinimous mind
सुकृतदुष्कृते उभे जहाती – He wins over the effect of punya and paapa (good and bad deeds).
तस्मात् – in that manner/ with such attitude
योगाय युज्यस्व– stick to (karma) yoga
योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् – Yoga is the skill in action. Transforming action which generally gives bondage as a tool for liberation by changing the attitude towards its result (yoga) is the skill in action.
The same action may be done with different attitudes. For instance, the same puja may be done with desire for material benefits or without such desire. Desire and absence of desire for material benefits is at the thought level. Even in bathing and eating, a karma yogi’s approach is different – our scriptures have given us a routine from morning to night which was practiced in the past.
We studied earlier that action done with an equanimous mind will never yield sins.
सुखदु:खे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ |
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि।।2.38।।
Doing actions without desire for material benefit will help win over the impact of punya and paapa (good and bad deeds) by making the mind pure (chitta shuddhi) and eligible to acquire the knowledge of the Self/ Brahman (jnana). The effect of punya and paapa is transient joys and sorrows respectively. Being free from these is moksha (uninterrupted happiness without external dependence).
Yoga is doing action with an equanimous mind free of likes and dislikes. Only human beings can learn (jnatrtvam) and choose to work (kartrtvam). Enjoyment is common for all beings.
Sri Krishna says: Be a karma yogi not a karmi.
Give up unrighteous action (Sakama adharmacaraNam).
Do righteous actions even if you desire material outcome (Sakama dharmanushtanam).
Do righteous actions without expecting material benefits (Nishkama dharmanushtanam).
योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् – This i s a popular statement. It is generally interpreted as ‘Do action skillfully is yoga’ – which is not the intended meaning. Even an unrighteous action can be done skillfully.
It means:
कर्मसु योगः कौशलम् – Yoga in action is skill.
Action binds us – both action & its result cause tension.
- नाभुक्तं क्षीयते कर्म कल्पकोटिशतैरपि – A person will definitely enjoy the fruits of his action – whenever it may be
- कर्मणा बध्यते जंतु विद्यया च विमुच्यते | तस्मात्कर्म न कुर्वन्ति यतय: परदर्शन: ||
Action binds a person, knowledge liberates. Therefore, a seer does not indulge in karma.
We remove a thorn with a thorn. Cobra poison is being made into medicine.
Similarly, action which is opposed to liberation is used as a tool for liberation (by change in a tude) – this transformation is skill. In other words, doing action for purity of mind (as karma yoga) rather than for material benefits (karma) is skill in action (kaushalam).
