"Karma Yoga" means "conscious action"

The science of karma yoga tells us which actions are beneficial for us and which are not. To answer this question, it is necessary to understand who we are, what is our natural position and function.

We are spiritual in essence. We are not a body. But we move from one body to another, suffering from repeated births, illnesses, old age and death, experiencing the consequences of our past activities (for more information, see the articles "Reincarnation" and "Karma"). "What you sow, you will reap." In this life we can have different situations — we can have good health or weak, we can be rich or poor — according to our karma. Why is someone born in one family, and someone - in another, not like the first? This is the result of our previous actions — a karmic reaction.

In this life we perform actions. In general, these actions generate a karmic reaction. But the reason for the karmic reaction is not in the action itself. The Supreme Lord explains this to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita. He says:

Those who perform their duties in accordance with My prescriptions, who follow this teaching with faith and do not envy Me, are freed from the bondage of karma [activities performed for the enjoyment of its fruits].

Bhagavad-gita, 3.31
Arjuna is a warrior whose task is to protect innocent people and kill scoundrels who sow confusion in society. He must participate in a great battle against many demonic enemies. But murder is considered the greatest sin. This worries Arjuna. If a person kills, the karmic reaction is such that he himself must be killed. If you make someone suffer, you must also experience suffering yourself. Arjuna doesn't want to kill because he doesn't want bad karma. This is one of the reasons for his unwillingness to fight.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead explains to Arjuna, "Inaction will not free you from the bondage of karmic reaction. You won't get rid of it without doing something. You still have to act."

How can we act without creating any negative reaction?

"Act for the pleasure of God"
First, let's define what "an activity performed for the sake of enjoying its fruits" is. "For the sake of enjoying the fruits" means that you act selfishly, for the sake of having the result of this activity or getting something in return for it (for example, money, respect, rewards, etc.). You want to get some compensation for your action. In other words, you're doing it for yourself.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead tells Arjuna that one can get rid of the karmic reaction not by ceasing to act, but by ceasing to act karmically, for the sake of enjoying the fruits. The way out is to stop acting for your own sake, for your own pleasure, of your own free will. Instead, we need to act for the pleasure of the Supreme Being. We must fulfill our duties in accordance with the instructions of God, His prescriptions. To do this without envy, and then we will be freed from the bondage of karmic reactions.

Further, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:

Therefore, O Arjuna, dedicating all your actions to Me, being fully aware of Me, not desiring benefits and freeing yourself from selfishness and apathy — fight.

Bhagavad-gita, 3.30
One who serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who acts for His pleasure, does not create the consequences that he would have to experience in the future. He is also cleansed of all past karmic reactions. He is completely freed from this bondage.

Forced to act
Most people believe that yoga is one of two: performing asanas or not performing any actions at all. The Supreme Personality of Godhead explains to Arjuna that this is not real yoga. This method will not necessarily result in a release. There are lower stages of ashtanga yoga when you sit and perform asanas. The purpose of these classes is to understand that in your essence you are a spirit, an integral part of God. But sooner or later you still have to do some kind of activity.

Some people practice transcendental meditation (TM). They sit for 20-40 minutes doing nothing. Others practice Zen, they also sit and do nothing. But after they've sat around doing nothing, they have to get up and start doing something. For example, they go to the kitchen thinking, "What would you like to cook for breakfast?" This activity immediately creates a karmic reaction. Or they go to work. What for? To earn money to buy things that they will enjoy. They work for themselves, and therefore create a karmic reaction. The fact that they have been "sitting in meditation" for some time does not solve the problem — the karmic reaction still keeps them in the wheel of births and deaths.

Some people who are more advanced in the process of ashtanga yoga, with the help of kundalini fire, are largely cleansed of past karmic reactions. But as soon as they begin to engage in activities, they are increasingly polluted by new karmic reactions. Such a process of purification does not solve the problem of karma. As long as a person does not act in the spirit of devotion, for the pleasure of the Supreme Personality, but for himself, he is not free.

A person needs to realize that by nature he is active and that his actions will create good or bad karmic consequences. These consequences, or karmic reactions, will cause him to be born again in the material world — on heavenly, hellish or middle planets, such as Earth. There's nothing good about it. Our real home is in the spiritual world, where there is no birth, disease, old age and death.

As soon as a person realizes that he is a spiritual soul, not a body, and that by nature he is active, that he has to do something, he needs to begin to coordinate his life with this reality and act in accordance with the instructions of the Supreme Personality. So he will not create karmic consequences. He will be cleansed of reactions to his past sinful activities and will be freed from the wheel of karma. This process is called "karma yoga".

Work and happiness
It is worth talking about working for the pleasure of God, as someone immediately thinks: "Self-sacrifice!" It's true. You will have to sacrifice something. But you may also think, "I will be unhappy working for God. I don't want to work for someone else. I want to work only for myself." This is called "envy of God." Such a person is like an employee who works under the guidance of his boss and constantly thinks: "I don't want to work for him. I wish I could take his place. I hate this guy." He thinks that, having received the place of his boss, he will be happy. He just doesn't want to work for anyone.

Similarly, when people hear about karma yoga, or service to God, they may mistakenly conclude that they will be unhappy working for God - that this is a big sacrifice and a bummer in general. They think they enjoy working for themselves.

In reality, most people are unhappy working for themselves. In other words, for a whole day, a whole month, for many years their mood is below average, and they know about it. They constantly complain about their lives: "God, I'm sick of this." Getting up for work in the morning is such a bummer. The alarm clock rings, and they hit it or throw it into another corner of the room. Or spend the whole day looking at the clock, thinking: "When will I be able to go home? When will the working day end?" For most people, work is a nuisance. They are unhappy working for themselves — they suffer. That's why they drink so much alcohol and take so many tranquilizers. They know that they are unhappy, but as soon as you offer this alternative — to work for the pleasure of God — they try to pretend that everything is not so bad. They protest, "What? Give up what I have? But I don't want to give up. It's all good. Everything is great. I like to work for myself." They are unhappy working for themselves, but they are afraid that by serving God they will be even more unhappy.

A different worldview
In fact, serving God does not mean that you need to change your occupation. The Supreme Personality of Godhead did not say to Arjuna, "Stop doing this work!" On the contrary, He said, "Do it not for yourself. Be a warrior, but be My warrior. Act according to My instructions and My prescriptions."

The one who is engaged in karma yoga does not stop doing his work, but begins to do it for God. For example, there should be a police force in the state to protect citizens. There is no need for a policeman to leave the police. He just needs to stop being a cop for himself and start being a cop for God. He needs to know that he is a spark of God, a child of God, an eternal servant of God. He should use his abilities and skills in the service of God. He needs to work for the good of all the children of God, to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. This is his job, and he can do it for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, and not just for the sake of salary. Then his work will become a source of happiness for him. That's what karma yoga is. It not only liberates in the long term, but also allows a person to immediately feel freedom and inner happiness.

In other words, the mistake of most people is that they think: serving God is suffering. This will lead to emptiness, loss in their lives. But there can only be a gain from this. A person does not lose when he becomes a servant of God. He gets God.

No happiness in this world can compare with the happiness that this feeling gives: "I serve God, I am a servant of God." When you can offer something to the most beautiful person — the Supreme Lord — you experience real happiness, real satisfaction, bliss, or ananda.

Most people consider their work to be just a chore that should be avoided — the less you do, the better. They consider a job where you can do less and get more to be the best. And the one where they don't have to do anything at all, but just get paid, is even better. In modern society, people do not see happiness in work, but only in leisure.