What turns our Karma into Yoga, a devotional offering to God?
Simple Definitions
Karma overcoated with devotional service
is called karma-yoga. (Bhag.
1.2.15, purport)
When a person knows the goal of life but
is addicted to the fruits of activities, he is acting in karma-yoga. (Bg. 10.10, purport)
This Fifth Chapter is a practical
explanation of Krsna consciousness, generally known as karma-yoga. (Bg. 5.29, purport)
Karma-yoga refers only to good, pious activities, or
those actions that are prescribed. (Path of Perfection, Chapter 08)
Service for the cause of the Lord is
called karma-yoga or buddhi-yoga, or in plain words, devotional service
to the Lord. (Bg. 2.51 purport)
Karma and Karma-yoga- What is the Difference?
Karma is regulated action for the
enjoyment of the fruit by the performer, but karma-yogais
action performed by the devotee for the satisfaction of the Lord. Karma-yoga is based on bhakti, or pleasing the
Lord, whereas karma is based on pleasing the senses of the performer himself. (Bhag. 3.1.4, purport)
Karma means fruitive action. Everyone is
working in this world to get some result. Somebody is working in business,
earning millions of dollars yearly. Why is he earning? For sense gratification.
As soon as he gets money, he changes his car, he changes his apartment, changes
his standard of life only for increasing. The whole world is working so hard,
and the result is an increase in the objects of sense gratification. This is called
karma. Karma means to enjoy the result of your activities. And karma-yoga means that you engage yourself in your
occupational activity, but don’t engage the result for your sense
gratification, but for satisfaction of Krsna. That is called karma-yoga. Yoga means linking up with the
Supreme, and karma, when it is linked up with Krsna, is called karma-yoga. (Lecture
on Bhagavad-gita 3.1-5, Los Angeles, 20 December 1968_
Karma means ordinary work. I work whole
day; I get some remuneration and enjoy sense gratification. That is called
karma, in this life or the next. Some people make charities and other pious
acts so that in their next life they get good parentage, good education,
opulence, so that they can also enjoy life. There are others also who make more
advanced karma to get himself promoted in other planetary system. Just like
moon planet, or Svargaloka, heavenly planet. There are many planets in which
the standard of life is far, far more comfortable than here. So these are not
required. (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 3.13-16, New York, 23 May 1966)
Those who are too much addicted to
fruitive activities are advised to perform actions that will bring them to
bhakti. . . . Karma-yoga is therefore different from ordinary
karma. (Krsna, Chapter 47)
Karma is very dangerous for persons who
want to go back to Godhead. Therefore, in Bhagavad-gita
karma-yoga is advised. On
the whole, we can endeavor for money-making if it doesn’t hamper our devotional
service. Otherwise, we shall prefer to starve and chant Hare Krsna. That should
be the pivot of all our activities. (Letter to Hamsaduta, Montreal,
21 June, 1968)
Working without attachment
“On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active
senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Krsna consciousness] without
attachment, he is by far superior.” (Bg. 3.7)
Yat karosi yaj juhosi yad asnasi dadasi
yat kurusva tad mad-arpanam [Bg. 9.27]. Thekarma-yoga process is that “Whatever you do, whatever
you take trouble for, whatever you eat, and everything, offer to Me. Offer to
Me.” That is called karma-yoga, or yoga-sthah.
(Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.48-49, New York, 1 April 1966)
You American people have got so much
money. Engage your money in that way(for Krsna). Don’t spoil your life
by this way and that way. You have got enough means to offer Krsna fifty-six
times. . . . Pranair arthair
dhiya vacaù. You have to
employ your life, your money, your words, and your intelligence, all for Krsna.
That is Krsna consciousness. If you have got enough money, spend it for Krsna.
Don’t stock it. This is karma-yoga.
(Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 3.1-5,Los Angeles, 20 December 1968)
It is advised that part of your hard labor
you offer to Krsna. This is called karma-yoga.You
remain in your karma, but nirbandhaù
Krsna-sambandhe be
touched with Krsna consciousness movement and spend at least fifty percent for
Krsna. (Room Conversation with Malcolm, London, 18 July
1973)
Action in Krsna Consciousness
Although the eightfold yoga system is
recommended in this chapter [chapter 6], the Lord emphasizes that the process
of karma-yoga, or acting in Krsna consciousness, is
better. (Bg. 6.1, purport)
Karma-yoga, without fruitive results, is the beginning
of this path. When karma-yoga increases in knowledge and
renunciation, the stage is called jïana-yoga.
(Bg. 6.47, purport)
The propensity for enjoyment may be turned
into the desire for serving the mission of the Lord. By doing so, one’s
activity is changed into karma-yoga, or the way by which one can attain
spiritual perfection while engaging in the work for which he has a natural
tendency. (Bhag. 1.5.34, purport)
Principle of Karma-yoga: Satisfaction of
the Lord
This kriya-yoga or karma-yoga, as recommended by Sri Narada to Vyasa,
is specifically recommended because the principle is to satisfy the Lord. (Bhag.
1.5.35, purport)
The whole material civilization is
manifested by a huge accumulation of materials, or, in other words, raw
materials for industrial purposes, and the industrial enterprises (kriya-sakti) are all due to gross ignorance of
spiritual life. In order to rectify this great anomaly of materialistic
civilization, based on the principles of dravya-sakti and kriya-sakti, one has to adopt the process of
devotional service of the Lord by adoption of the principles of karma-yoga, mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (9.27) as follows:
yat karosi yad
asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam
“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you
offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be
done as an offering unto Me.” (Bhag. 2.5.25, purport)
Service to God is Karma-yoga
Whatever we have we should use as service
to the Supreme Person. It is advised in Bhagavad-gita
sva-karmana tam abhyarcya:[Bg. 18.46] one should try to worship the
Supreme Personality of Godhead by one’s assets. There are many forms
of service to the Supreme Lord, and anyone can render service unto Him
according to the best of his ability. (Bhag. 3.23.57, purport)
If one works according to the varnasrama-dharma system and does not desire fruitive
results, he gets satisfaction gradually. Discharging one’s
occupational duty as a means of rendering devotional service unto the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal of life. Bhagavad-gita confirms this as the process of karma-yoga. In other words, we should act only for
the satisfaction and service of the Lord. Otherwise we will be entangled by the
resultant actions. (Bhag. 4.20.9, purport)
Arjuna is a fighter a warrior, military
man. And he fought for Krsna. This is called karma-yoga.
(Lecture, Los Angeles, 4 December 1968)
Pseudo Karma-yogis
The mentality of the demons in being
enamored by the false beauty of this material world is expressed herein. The
demoniac can pay any price for the skin beauty of this material world. They
work very hard all day and night, but the purpose of their hard work is to
enjoy sex life. Sometimes they misrepresent themselves as karma-yogis, not knowing the meaning of the word
yoga. Yoga means to link up with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or to act
in Krsna consciousness. A person who works very hard, no matter in what
occupation, and who offers the result of the work to the service of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is called a karma-yogi.
(Bhag. 3.20.34, purport)
CHANT HARE KRISHNA MAHA MANTRA
AND
BE HAPPY……FOREVER
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