Karma Yoga

Karma Yoga teaches us to perform all actions without having any desire for the fruits. The yoga or act of selfless service, dedicates all work or action to God with no thought of personal reward. The main thrust of the practice is the renunciation of fruits of action. That is, activities are undertaken for their own sake -the results being left to God. The path of Karma-Yoga is described in detail in the Bhagawat Gita.

Selfless Service

Most of all, karma yoga is a yoga of purification. Purification of the heart, purification of the mind. Owing to avidya, the original spiritual ignorance, we are affected by egoism and selfishness. In the normal state of consciousness, all our actions are driven by a selfish motive. The performance of these actions further increases our selfishness and ignorance, and the causes of our bondage.

Practicing karma yoga is developing selflessness by performing actions without any expectations of any rewards or results of any kind.

Usually the fruit of our actions come to us in many ways: monetary compensation, public recognition, secondary perks, I-owe-you favors, a photo in a newspaper or newsletter, a thank you, a nod and much more. The karma yogi watches his mind in order to see whether he experiences any elation or disapointment in the presence or absence of the above. There are different bhavas one can use to achive this.

For example you can picture yourself as being a servant of the Lord being on this plane to just do His work in His service. This is the servant bhava or instrument bhava. Should Shakespeare's pen derive any pride from the writings that it delivered?

Thy right is to work only; but never with its fruits; let not the fruit of the action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to inaction. Bhagavan Sri Krishna, Bhag. Gita - II.47

You can mix karma and bhakti by doing all actions as an expression of your love for the Lord. A modern day karma yogini master was Mother Teresa who called her work "love in action". As we say in yoga: "work is worship".

The yogi can also use the sakshi bhava of jnana yoga, feeling that he is the silent witness of actions, being totally detached from the play of maya and the functions of his instruments, the karma indriyas (sense organs of action).