10 point summary about the teachings from Karma Yoga of Bhagavad Gita
Background
This is a follow to my post Phsychological Foundation Model from Vedanta. In a lecture from the 2nd Chapter of Bhagavad Gita, Swami Sarvapriyananda offers a very practical and simple summary of the Karma Yoga (कर्म योग). The entire summary is based on an extremely famous verse from the Gita.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि || 2.47 ||
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
Personally for me, this Shloka evokes childhood memories. Durin the 90s, there was an extremely famous series called the Mahabharat and this verse/shloka was part of the title song. I had learned it by repitition. Yet, I had no understanding until I started to pay attention to the Gita. If you are feeling nostalgic, here is the video.
In an elaborate lecture, dedicated to just this one verse (shloka) the Swami goes into great depth into the very psyche of the spiritual process and practices. As a Hindu, even if we’ve never read the Gita, the essence of this verse is drilled into us right from an early age.
So let’s take a look at the 10 primary points - the essence of Karma Yoga.
Essence of Karma Yoga (कर्म योग)
If you are not familiar with the concept of Nishkaama Karma (निष्काम कर्म), I’d highly recommend this very approachable video by FutureIQ. This is a shloka that has changed lives and provided a way forward to so many great leaders.
** Disclaimer: I used the transcript of the Swami’s talk and extracted the 10 points as a summary using an LLM. The headings are generated by the LLM. Summaries are inspired but, edited by me.**
#1: You Have Control Over Action, Not Results
Summary: You are entitled to perform your duties, but not to the outcomes. Focusing on results leads to anxiety and bondage, while focusing on the action itself brings freedom.
#2: Free Will Exists and Must Be Exercised
Summary: Karma Yoga assumes we have free will. Without it, concepts of morality, ethics, and spirituality collapse. We must accept and use this will consciously.
My take: A lot of Indians have a tendancy to shrug and say, everything is God’s will. Here, the lesson is that being fatalistic is not an option. God has given free will and there will be consequences for actions. Taking no action is an action. And ultimately in time, it will have ramifications.
#3: Importance of Focus and Concentration
Summary: True Karma Yoga requires undivided attention. Doing one task at a time with full dedication is more effective than multitasking. This concentration is essential for spiritual growth.
My take: In this world of hyper-activity and multi-tasking, the message is that we need to be kind to ourselves, spare distractions and yet laser-focused on one activity. Trying to accomplish everything means we burn our energies with no real aim and achieve no real outcome. This leads to restlessness and such a mind is unsuitable for spiritual persuits.
#4: Karma Must Be Sattvic (Pure)
Summary: Actions should be performed with a balanced, calm mind (sattva), rather than out of passion (rajas) or ignorance (tamas). Sattvic karma purifies the mind and aids liberation.
My take: This one needs a lot of context and a lot of background. In short, the action/task you perform must be a moral task with an altruistic goal rather than an action driven by some ulterior motive.
#5: Disinterested vs. Uninterested Action
Summary: Disinterested action means working without selfish motives, but still with full care and effort. It’s not the same as being lazy or indifferent.
My take: This is a very simple concept. It is one of the hardest to practice. We are always interested in the outcome. We care more about the results than our actions. Here, the teaching is that we need to be full of focus, energy and concentration while working on the task and yet not be attracted to the result.
#6: Shift Attention from Results to Duty
Summary: Do not perform action for the sake of personal gain. By reducing attachment to outcomes, the mind becomes more peaceful and steady.
My take: Here, the Swami is saying that any action could be turned into an act of duty. For example, building a spreadsheet to show sales figures is an offering to God. Alternatively, it is a duty for the greater good of the organization.
#7: Desires Cause Bondage
Summary: Desires create a sense of incompleteness and lead to dependence on external things. Fulfilled or not, they trap the mind and increase suffering.
My take: This is a very deep verse that requires a whole lot of background and explanation. In the philosophies originating from the Indian sub-continent, “desire” is the ultimate cause of suffering. One of the famous sayings from the Buddhist philosophy is the following:
अनित्यम् अनित्यम् अनित्यं सर्वम्|
क्षणिकं क्षणिकं क्षणिकं सर्वम्|
दुख्खं दुख्खं दुख्खं सर्वम्|
शून्यं शून्यं शून्यं सर्वम्||
The English translation of that would be temporary, temporary, everything is temporary, momentary, momentary everything is momentary, empty, empty, everything is empty.
In another verse (3-37)(https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/3/verse/37?trk=public_post_main-feed-card_feed-article-content), the Lord says that the root cause of everything is lust/desire. It is like a fire that will eat everything, and yet remain dissatisfied. Trying to satiate it is a futile exercise. So we need to reduce the desires.
#8: Reducing Desires Is Essential
** Summary**: Four ways to reduce desires:
- Recognize that desire creates a sense of lack.
- Desires make us dependent.
- Unfulfilled desires cause frustration.
- Desires multiply endlessly; satisfying them fuels more.
My take: Going back to Buddhist teaching, the definition of satisfaction is the momentory “nothingness” we experience when our most profound desire is satiated. So the happiness is not in fulfillment. It is in the lack of desire, even momentarily.
The goal of life is to reach a stage when desires no longer hold us hostage and we can look at life dispassionately.
#9: Spiritualize Both Action and Experience
Summary: Dedicate actions as worship to God and accept life’s results as offerings from the Divine. This attitude purifies both karma and its fruits.
#10: Transcend the Gunas
Summary: Move from tamas (inertia) → rajas (activity) → sattva (purity), and eventually transcend all three to realize the Self beyond action.
My take: This is a bit more technical in nature. Essentially, it is saying that our actions should have a moral bearing.
Conclusion
I have always been fascinated by this shloka. Actually trying to understand the depth of the shloka and understanding the implications was an eye-opening experience for me. Hope you too find the posts inspiring!