Ajay Kumar at 05:52, 6 September 2023

2023-09-06T05:52:09Z

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{{Short description|Spiritual path in Hinduism}}
{{for|the book by Swami Vivekananda|Karma Yoga (book)}}
{{Hinduism_small}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
[[File:Hitopadesha.jpg|thumb|right|Bronze statue representing the [[Bhagavad Gita|discourse of Bhagavan Krishna and Arjuna]], in [[Kurukshetra]]]]

'''Karma yoga''' ({{lang-sa|कर्म योग}}), also called '''Karma marga''', is one of the four<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://sivananda.org/teachings/4-paths-of-yoga/ | title=4 Paths of Yoga }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-four-paths-of-yoga-sivananda-yoga-vedanta-centres-ashrams/kAISiPuOVM2eIw?hl=en | title=The Four Paths of Yoga }}</ref> classical spiritual paths in Hinduism, one based on the "[[yoga]] of action", <ref>P. T. Raju (1954), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1397554 The Concept of the Spiritual in Indian Thought], Philosophy East and West, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Oct., 1954), pp. 210.</ref> the others being [[Jnana yoga]] (path of knowledge), [[Rāja yoga]] (path of meditation) and [[Bhakti yoga]] (path of loving devotion to a personal god).<ref>John Lochtefeld (2014), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Rosen Publishing New York, {{ISBN|978-0823922871}}, pp. 98–100, also see articles on bhaktimārga and jnanamārga</ref><ref name="Klostermaier">{{cite book |last=Klostermaier |first=Klaus |author-link=Klaus Klostermaier |title=A survey of Hinduism |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=1989 |pages=210–212 |isbn=978-0-88706-807-2}}</ref><ref>Karen Pechelis (2014), The Embodiment of Bhakti, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195351903}}, pp. 14–15, 37–38.</ref> To a ''karma yogi'', right action is a form of prayer.<ref name=mcdermott228/> The three paths are not mutually exclusive in Hinduism, but the relative emphasis between Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga varies by the individual.<ref name="Horosz2012p258">{{cite book |author1=W. Horosz |author2=Tad Clements |title=Religion and Human Purpose: A Cross Disciplinary Approach |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o5-hBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA258 |year=2012 |publisher=Springer Science |isbn=978-94-009-3483-2 |pages=258–259}}</ref>

Of the [[Four Yogas (Hinduism)|classical paths to spiritual liberation]] in Hinduism, karma yoga is the path of unselfish action.<ref name=mcdermott228>Robert A. McDermott (1975), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1397942 Indian Spirituality in the West: A Bibliographical Mapping], Philosophy East and West, University of Hawai'i Press, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr 1975), pp. 228–230</ref><ref name="Coward2012p142">{{cite book |author=Harold G. Coward |title=The Perfectibility of Human Nature in Eastern and Western Thought |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UVsXcS3xPFsC&pg=PA142 |year=2012 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-7914-7885-1|pages=142–145}}</ref> It teaches that a spiritual seeker should act according to [[dharma]], without being attached to the fruits or personal consequences. Karma Yoga, states the ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'', purifies the mind. It leads one to consider dharma of work, and the work according to one's dharma, doing god's work and in that sense becoming and being "like unto god [[Krishna]]" in every moment of one's life.<ref name=mcdermott228/>

==Concept==
According to Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, Karma yoga is the spiritual practice of "selfless action performed for the benefit of others".<ref name="Lochtefeld2002p352">{{cite book|author=James G. Lochtefeld |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC |year=2002 |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |page=352}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Jeffrey Brodd |title=World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DOM3XgY1ITMC&pg=PA53 |year=2009 |publisher=Saint Mary's Press |isbn=978-0-88489-997-6 |pages=53–54}}</ref> Karma yoga is a path to reach [[moksha]] (spiritual liberation) through work. It is rightful action without being attached to fruits or being manipulated by what the results might be, a dedication to one's duty, and trying one's best while being neutral to rewards or outcomes such as success or failure.<ref name=zubin342>{{cite journal | last1=Mulla | first1=Zubin R. | last2=Krishnan | first2=Venkat R. | title=Karma-Yoga: The Indian Model of Moral Development | journal=Journal of Business Ethics | publisher=Springer Nature | volume=123 | issue=2 | year=2013 | pages=342–345, context: 339–351 | doi=10.1007/s10551-013-1842-8 | s2cid=29065490 }}</ref> Within Hinduism, this concept is known as ''seva'', meaning selfless service to others as a means of spiritual practise.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jacobs |first=Stephen |title=Hinduism Today: An Introduction |publisher=London : Continuum International Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=9786612874345 |pages=43 |language=English}}</ref>

The tendency for a human being to seek the fruits of action is normal, state Hindu texts, but an exclusive attachment to fruits and positive immediate consequences can compromise dharma (ethical, rightful action). Karma yoga, states Bilimoria, is "ethically fine-tuned action".<ref name="Hooft2014p302">{{cite book |author=P. Bilimoria |editor=S van Hooft |title=The Handbook of Virtue Ethics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i19_BAAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-54477-7 |page=302}}</ref> According to Stephen Phillips, a professor of philosophy and Asian studies, "only [[dharma|dharmic]] action" is suitable in ''karma yoga'', where one downplays one's own exclusive role or one's own exclusive interests. Instead, the ''karma yogi'' considers the interests of all parties impartially, all beings, the elements of ''[[Prakṛti]]'' and then does the right thing.<ref name=phillips>{{cite book |author= Stephen Phillips |title=Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=uLqrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA99| year=2009 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|isbn= 978-0-231-14485-8|pages= 97–102}}</ref> However, adds Phillips, there are commentators who disagree and state "any action can be done as karma yoga" and it doesn't have to be consistent with dharma.<ref name=phillips/><ref>{{cite book |author=William L. Blizek |title=The Continuum Companion to Religion and Film |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E5uV9aOuyRUC&pg=PA161| year=2009 |publisher= Bloomsbury Academic |isbn= 978-0-8264-9991-2 |pages =161–162}}</ref>

{{Quote box
|quote = '''Karma yoga'''
<poem>
Your work is your responsibility,
not its result.
Never let the fruits of your actions
be your motive.
Nor give in to inaction.

Set firmly in yourself, do your work,
not attached to anything.
Remain evenminded in success,
and in failure.
Evenmindedness is true yoga.
</poem>
|source = —''Bhagavad Gita'', 2.47-49<ref name="Klostermaier2007p65">{{cite book|author=Klaus K. Klostermaier|title=Hinduism: A Beginner's Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d9avAgAACAAJ|year=2007|publisher=Oxford: Oneworld|isbn=978-1-85168-538-7|pages=63–66}}</ref><ref name="Chapple2010p124">{{cite book|author=Winthrop Sargeant|editor=Christopher Key Chapple|title=The Bhagavad Gita: Twenty-fifth–Anniversary Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=COuy5CDAqt4C|year=2010|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-1-4384-2840-6|pages=124–135 with footnotes}}</ref><ref name="Coward2012p142"/>
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Karma yoga, states Bilimoria, does not mean forfeiture of emotions or desires, rather it means action driven by "equanimity, balance", with "dispassion, disinterest", avoiding "one sidedness, fear, craving, favoring self or one group or clan, self-pity, self-aggrandizement or any form of extreme reactiveness".<ref name="Hooft2014p302"/> A Karma yogi acts and does his or her duty, whether that be as "a homemaker, mother, nurse, carpenter or garbage collector, with no thought for one's own fame, privilege or financial reward, but simply as a dedication to the Lord", states [[Harold Coward]] – professor of Religious Studies with a focus on Indian religions.<ref>{{cite book|author=Harold G. Coward|title=Perfectibility of Human Nature in Eastern and Western Thought, The|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UVsXcS3xPFsC&pg=PA132 |year=2012|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-7885-1|pages=132–133}}</ref>

According to Phillips, Karma yoga applies to "any action in any profession or family activities", where the yogi works selflessly to others' benefit. This is in contrast to other forms of yoga which focus on self-development and self-realization, typically with isolation and meditative introspection.<ref>{{cite book|author=Stephen Phillips|title=Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uLqrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA99|year=2009|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-14485-8|pages=100–101}}</ref> The "disinterested action" idea, states Phillips, is not unique to Hinduism, and similar disinterested non-craving precepts for monks and nuns are found in Buddhism and Jainism.<ref>{{cite book|author=Stephen Phillips|title=Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uLqrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA99|year=2009|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-14485-8|page=99}}</ref>

===Bhagavad Gita===
According to the ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'', selfless service to the right cause and like-minded others, with the right feeling and right attitude, is a form of worship and spirituality.<ref name=mcdermott228/><ref>{{cite book |author=Stephen Phillips |title=Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uLqrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 |year =2009 |publisher= Columbia University Press |isbn= 978-0-231-14485-8|pages=99–100}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|The first six chapters of the ''Bhagavad Gita'' discuss Karma yoga, chapters 7-12 focus on [[Bhakti yoga]], while chapters 13-18 describe the [[Jnana yoga]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Brian Hodgkinson |title=The Essence of Vedanta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SIQEAwAAQBAJ |year=2006 |publisher=London: Arcturus |isbn=978-1-84858-409-9 |pages=91–93}}</ref>}}

Verse 3.4 of the ''Bhagavad Gita'' states that avoiding work or not starting work is not the path to become free of bondage, just as renouncing the world and wearing monk's dress does not automatically make one spiritual.<ref name="Bhawuk2011p147"/> Not acting is a form of action with consequences and karmic impact, and the nature of existence is such that human beings are always acting in their environment, body or mind, and never for a moment are they not, according to verse 3.5.<ref name="Bhawuk2011p147"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Yuvraj Krishan|title=The Doctrine of Karma: Its Origin and Development in Brāhmaṇical, Buddhist, and Jaina Traditions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Bi6FWX1NOgC&pg=PA112 |year=1997|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan|isbn=978-81-208-1233-8|pages=112–114}}</ref> The verses 3.6 to 3.8 of the ''Bhagavad Gita'' state that the action can be motivated by body or manipulated by external influences. Alternatively, it can be motivated by one's inner reflection and true self (soul, Atman, Brahman).<ref name=zubin342/><ref name="Bhawuk2011p147"/><ref name="Deutsch2004p64">{{cite book|author1=Eliot Deutsch|author2=Rohit Dalvi|title=The Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5vDsAAAAIAAJ|year=2004|publisher=World Wisdom|isbn=978-0-941532-52-5|pages=64–68}}</ref> The former creates bondage, the latter empowers freedom. The spiritual path to the liberated state of bliss is to do the best one is able to while being detached to outcomes, to fruits, to success or failure. A karma yogi who practices such ''nishkama karma'' (''niṣkāmakarma''), states Bhawuk, is following "an inward journey, which is inherently fulfilling and satisfying".<ref name="Bhawuk2011p147">{{cite book|author=Dharm Bhawuk|title=Spirituality and Indian Psychology: Lessons from the Bhagavad-Gita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VO7jV2OZDF4C |year=2011 |publisher=Springer Science |isbn=978-1-4419-8110-3 |pages=147–148 with footnotes}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Tara Chatterjea |title=Knowledge and Freedom in Indian Philosophy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=djc1ZvyuQREC&pg=PA125 |year=2003 |publisher=Lexington |isbn=978-0-7391-0692-1 |pages=125–137}}</ref>{{sfn|Jeaneane D. Fowler|2012}}

A part of the premise of "disinterested action" is that the more one acts with the hope of getting rewards, the more one is liable to disappointment, frustration or self-destructive behavior. Further, another part of the premise is that the more one is committed to "disinterested action", the more one considers the dharma (ethical dimension), focuses on other aspects of the action, strives to do one's best, and this leads to liberating self-empowerment.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jonardon Ganeri|title=The Concealed Art of the Soul: Theories of Self and Practices of Truth in Indian Ethics and Epistemology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5dITDAAAQBAJ|year=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-920241-6|pages=67–69}}</ref>

According to chapter 5 of the ''Bhagavad Gita'', both ''[[sannyasa]]'' (renunciation, monastic life) and ''karma yoga'' are means to liberation. Between the two, it recommends ''karma yoga'', stating that anyone who is a dedicated karma yogi neither hates nor desires, and therefore such a person is the "eternal renouncer".<ref name="Deutsch2004p64"/>

The ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'' gives a summary of the karma yoga process.<ref>Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita, a New Translation and Commentary, Chapter 1-6. Penguin Books, 1969, p 131 (v 45), p 144 (v.51), p 149-150 (v.54)</ref> The ''Gita'' itself is a chapter from the epic known as ''[[Mahabharata]]'', wherein a dialogue takes place between the prince [[Arjuna]], and his friend and chariot driver, Krishna, on the brink of a great dynastic war. Their conversation is prompted by Arjuna as he is engulfed by sorrow and misgivings regarding the oncoming battle in which he has friends and relatives on both sides. In reply, Krishna then elucidates upon a number of philosophical [[yoga]] systems and practices (including karma yoga) by/through which Arjuna should indeed continue with the fight on righteous principles.

In the ''Bhagavad Gita'', Krishna says:

<blockquote>"tasmad asaktah satatam karyam karma samacara asakto hy acaran karma param apnoti purushah" </blockquote>

<blockquote>Therefore, without being attached to the results of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bhagavad Gita 3.19 |url=https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/3/19/ |website=vedabase.io |access-date=3 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>

===Other Hindu texts===

The earliest texts that are forerunners of the karma yoga ideas in the ''Bhagavad Gita'' are the ancient Upanishads, such as the ''[[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Stephen Phillips|title=Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hlOrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA164|year=2009|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-14484-1|pages=164–165}}</ref> Other Vedic texts as well as post-Vedic literature of the [[Mimamsa]] school of Hindu philosophy mention ''karma marga'', but these contextually refer to the path of rituals.<ref name="Klostermaier2007p119">{{cite book|author=Klaus K. Klostermaier|title=A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_6-JbUiHB4C&pg=PA119|year=2007|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-7082-4|pages=119–121, 133–135}}</ref> According to Raju, the Mimamsa ideas, though orthodox, were the fertile grounds on which the later ideas of ''Karma yoga'' developed.<ref>P. T. Raju (1954), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1397554 The Concept of the Spiritual in Indian Thought], Philosophy East and West, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Oct., 1954), pp. 212-213</ref>

Karma yoga is discussed in many other Hindu texts. For example, the section 11.20 of the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' states that there are only three means to spiritual liberation: ''jnana yoga'' (knowledge), ''karma yoga'' (action) and ''bhakti yoga'' (devotion).<ref name="Werner2013p85">{{cite book|author=T.R. Sharma|editor=Karel Werner|title=Love Divine: Studies in 'Bhakti and Devotional Mysticism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mldcAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA85|year=2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-136-77468-3|page=85}}</ref> Those who are of philosophical bent, prefer the "knowledge path". Those who are inclined to productive application of arts, skills and knowledge, prefer the "karma path". Those who prefer emotional connection, prefer the "devotional path". These three paths overlap, with different relative emphasis.<ref name="Horosz2012p258"/><ref name="Werner2013p85"/>

Discussions on Karma yoga are also found in chapter 33 of ''[[Narada Purana]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Alain Daniélou|title=Yoga: Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n7XOnIkBQ0QC&pg=PA169 |year=1991|publisher=Inner Traditions |isbn=978-0-89281-301-8|page=169}}</ref>

Later, new movements within Hinduism added [[raja yoga]] as the fourth spiritual path, but this is not universally accepted as distinct to other three.<ref>{{cite book|author=Roderick Hindery|title=Comparative Ethics in Hindu and Buddhist Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-FswBLvTkvQC |year=1978|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0866-9|pages=26–27}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=George D. Chryssides|title=Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WA12nHRtmAwC |year=2012|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-8108-6194-7|page=285}}</ref>

== Karma yoga versus Kriya yoga ==
While karma yoga is delineated as the "yoga of action," kriya yoga is the "yoga of ritual action". Kriya yoga is found in tantric texts, and believed by its practitioners to activate [[chakra]] and energy centers in the body through disciplined breathing practices. In that sense, kriya yoga is a subset of karma yoga.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Constance Jones|author2=James D. Ryan|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC|year=2006|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5|pages=248, 476, 511}}</ref>{{dubious|date=March 2019}}

==See also==

* [[Flow (psychology)]]
* [[Taṇhā]] – greed, craving
* [[Three poisons]] – three afflictions mentioned in Buddhist texts as what entrap people into the cycle of rebirths and sufferings
* [[Trul khor]]
* Jnana Yoga
* Bhakti Yoga

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|author=Jeaneane D. Fowler|title=The Bhagavad Gita: A Text and Commentary for Students, Chapter 3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dHX5XwAACAAJ|year=2012|publisher=Sussex Academic Press|isbn=978-1-84519-520-5|oclc=748941730}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/yoga.htm |title= All Life is Yoga |author= Pravin K. Shah |publisher= Jain Study Center of North Carolina, Harvard Archives |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20010219232252/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/yoga.htm |archive-date= 19 February 2001}}

{{Yoga}}
{{Hindudharma}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karma Yoga}}
[[Category:Hindu philosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Karma in Hinduism]]
[[Category:Yoga paths]]

Karma yoga - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 05:52, 6 September 2023