Here I offer the principles and verses from the Bhagavad Gita that inform the principles in All is Given Pt1 and delve into the essence of Karma Yoga, which includes Bhakti, or devotion. There is no separate Bhakti yoga in essence. Again, I draw largely from Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s teachings.
In essence Karma Yoga has two aspects:
1. Seeing that each action is an offering, as action itself is given to us, and is not our own.This is called Isvararpana Buddhi, Attitude (buddhi: cognition) of offering to the Source of our gifts – Divinity, Laws of Nature, Beingness, Wholeness. Isvara means ‘that which sustains all and is self-sustaining.’2. Seeing that results or fruits of our actions are blessings given to us to savor and learn from. This is called Prasada Buddhi
Seeing that I create no action without that which is given to me, my actions are but a giving back, an offering or yajna, I am the medium. When I fail to see this, I take actions to be mine, of the ego or mind-body-senses, and the mind turns things around leading to much misunderstanding and discontent.
Essential Verse: on Desire and The Fruits of Action (II.47)
The key verse that is much misunderstood and thus causes much confusion is verse II.47:
“You have choice over your action, but not over the results at any time.
Do not (take yourself to) be the author of results of action; neither attached to inaction.”
Said another way “Te karmani eva adhikarah, ma phalesu” means “Work alone is your privilege, never its results.” You have choice in your action, but never in the results. Results are determined by laws beyond our control, laws of Nature, which as Emerson explores is manifest in laws of Mind, or One Mind, source consciousness, Isvara, Brahman. The key word here is adhikara or ‘authorship,’ ‘authority over.’
Arjuna too is puzzled and assumes, as we saw in All is Given Pt1, that one must give up desires in order to be happy. This verse, II.47 has been misconstrued to come out like the following:
- You have a right to action, but no right to results of action.
- Do not be attached to the fruits of action.
As Swamiji points out, “Why would one act if not in desire of results?” Action presupposes desire. The key is in seeing results as given, not for us to control. We live in a world governed by laws no created by anyone here. The results of an action are inherent in the action itself.
Prasada Buddhi: Graceful Acceptance
Thus when one’s attitude towards results of action is as one has towards an object received in temple or communion or church, one receives all as a blessing and likes and dislikes are neutralized. This is one of the two key pillars of karma yoga. Of course we have rights to the fruits of our action, of course we are invested in the outcome, else we would not act. Some desires will draw us closer to Wholeness, some away. The discerning mind makes a distinction and a choice. Non-attachment to fruits of action is a non-issue, a red-herring. Swamiji points out action is creative and reaction is mechanical and unconscious. Attitude makes actions conscious.
The fruits of our actions are given to us to be savored, gifts, blessings, the fruits of the seeds we manifest with each thought as is so eloquently described in the book How Yoga Works.
Isvararpana Buddhi:Offering Action to the Source
Appreciation of laws of Nature in play before results, even before you begin action, cultivates an attitude of offering actions back, for they do not come from you in the first place. Sameness of mind regardless of out come and right choice in relation to action is yoga.
“Humans are bound by karma (actions)except those done as yajna (offering). Therefore, O Arjuna, do your duty efficiently as a service or Seva, not seeking to control results of action.” Baghavad-Gita III.9
Essence of Karma Yoga
These principles then define karma yoga. Each action understood as offering or yajna and results understood as blessings given make up the essence of karma yoga which by definition includes bhaktior devotion. There is no separate bhakti yoga.
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All is Given Meditation (18 minutes, 2 MB)
yogaNexus by Karl Erb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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