From the Editor's Desk

Many people interested in the spiritual path may have heard about Karm Yog or the Science of Work but may not necessarily know how to practice it in ways to truly unite the mind with God. Many aspirants are confused between karm kand, karm, and karm yog, and wonder about the purpose of karm if we cannot enjoy the fruits of our actions. In this issue, we briefly address these concepts based on Vedic knowledge (i.e., tatvagyan) as taught by Swami Mukundananda ji, along with a tool for practical application.

Vedic Wisdom and Application

Challenge of the Month: Karm Yog – Science of Work

Reflection Questions:

• What is Karm Yog?
• Who is a True Karm Yogi?
• How can We Detach from the Outcome of Karm?

What is Karm Yog? 

The word karm refers to the worldly duties or bodily dharmas that one performs in accordance with the prescribed rules of the Vedas. It includes responsibilities like taking care of one’s family, fulfilling professional obligations and following the social and ethical codes of conduct. It also includes actions we perform to take care of our own body (e.g., eating, sleeping, waking up, bathing, thinking, etc.). Shree Krishna explains to Arjun that that all material souls are bound by the nature of the three gunas (i.e., modes), and therefore, cannot remain without action, even for a moment (BG 3.5).

न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् |

कार्यते ह्यवश: कर्म सर्व: प्रकृतिजैर्गुणै: || 5||

na hi kaśhchit kṣhaṇam api jātu tiṣhṭhatyakarma-kṛit

kāryate hyavaśhaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛiti-jair guṇaiḥ [BG 3.5].

In his commentary on Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita, Swamiji elucidates that all living beings are an integral part of God’s creation and have roles and responsibilities to fulfill. He says that the Vedas prescribe cyclical action, for example, performing yajna to please the celestial gods, who in-return bestow material gains in the form of rain, which then enhances production of food grains, which ultimately sustains life on earth... Click here to read more.

Who is a True Karm Yogi?

As stated above, a karm yogi is one who fulfills the bodily dharmas or duties but does with the spirit of seva or service for the pleasure of God. Swamiji beautifully explains, “Such a karm yogi, who performs worldly duties while keeping the mind attached to God, is not bound by karm even while performing all kinds of works. This is because what binds one to the law of karm is not actions, but the attachment to the fruits of those actions. And a karm yogi has no attachment to the fruits of actions.”

The karm yogi who works in divine consciousness, offers the karm in sacrifice to God. When the consciousness is divine, everything that is offered in sacrifice, is divine. Yagya is not just the fire sacrifice but sacrifice of lower goals for higher goals. Human beings in ignorance do sacrifices for material gains and consequently, tend to veer toward celestial gods. Real sacrifice is when one offers oneself to God – through seva or service for His pleasure... Click here to read more.

How can We Detach from the Outcome of Karm?

As stated earlier, to act (i.e., do karm) is integral to the human form. In society, all of us have various duties to perform as determined by the family situation, social position, occupation, etc. While performing these duties, it is important to remember that we are neither the doer of an action, nor the enjoyer of its outcome. There are two important reasons for not claiming proprietorship to actions and their results. 

First, we souls are tiny fragments of the all-powerful God and our constitutional position is to serve Him for His pleasure. An analogy is that the hand is a part of the body, and its fundamental duty is to serve the body. By serving the body, the hand receives nutrition from the body and its needs are automatically met... Click here to read more.

Tools for Your Personal Growth

A downloadable tracking sheet available for you to use in the webpage. It lists some examples of routine activities that differentiate karm and karm yog. Use this tool to understand the difference and create your own tool to convert karm into karm yog. Remember, change takes time.

Gems of Wisdom from Swamiji

Here is a YouTube video title where Swamiji describes the importance of Karm Yog.

Love to Hear from You!

• How did you apply the Vedic Wisdom? 
• What challenges did you experience in the process? Please visit our webpage and share.

Voices from the Global Community

In this feature, we introduce you to members of our global community who have been impacted by the scriptural knowledge as taught and disseminated by Swamiji through a written or video testimony. Two devotees, Jayesh Patel and Abhinav Tyagi, describe how they practice karm yog in their daily lives, as influenced by Swamiji’s teachings. 

We invite you to share your inspirations and success stories with us at secretary@jkyog.org.

Glimpses of Past Events

Want a glimpse of some of our highly successful and memorable events? This month we share beautiful glimpses of JKYog’s Janmashtami, Life Transformational Program with Swamiji, and JKYog’s Dallas Retreat.

 Click here to read more and watch more glimpses!