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Though, generally the word Karma means action, here, the it means
‘proper’ action and Yoga means the attaining of proper state of mind to
perform ‘proper action’.
All actions can be broadly categorized into 3 types which are Nishkama Karma, Sakama
Karma and Nishiddha Karma.
Nishkama Karma: The Karmas which fall in this category are Uttamam or
superior to all other Karmas. They are mandatory for every Mumukshu or seeker of
truth. Even if a Mumukshu does not like performing a few Karmas which fall
in this category, he has to compulsorily perform it and is not given a choice. These Karmas
if done with the proper attitude contribute to the inner spiritual growth of a person. But
it should be clear that these do not in any way contribute to the material growth of a
person. All the benefits are invisible internal benefits.
All Nishkama Karmas can be classified into five categories and are collectively
called the Pancha Maha Yajna.
The first Maha Yajna is called Deva Yajna. This is worship of the Lord in
any form. It may be in the form of a ritualistic sacrifice or yaga, a puja in front of an
idol, repetition of a particular mantra, visits to the temple and any other form of
worship where a person devotes a certain amount of his to the Lord.
The next Maha Yajna is Pitru Yajna. This is worship of one’s parents
and forefathers. Here there is unconditional reverence to parents. With regard to
forefathers, the scriptures prescribe certain functions to be performed for one’s
forefathers which have to be done on certain special days. All those ceremonies come under
Pitru Yajna and so have to be compulsorily performed.
The third Maha Yajna is Brahma Yajna. This is worship of the scriptures (Vedas)
and the Rishis (Sages) who have given us the scriptures. In this Yajna, we are
supposed to treat the scriptures as God himself. Above all, a person is expected to read
the scriptures and try to understand them.
The fourth Maha Yajna is Manushya Yajna. This is worship of fellow human
beings by serving them. All kinds of social service fall in this category.
The fifth and last Maha Yajna is Bhuta Yajna. This is worship and service
to all living beings other than human beings. This includes animals, birds, plants,
forests, aquatic creatures etc. Vegetarianism is also included in this Maha Yajna
because we are not supposed to kill just for the sake of satisfying our palate.
Sakama Karma: This is the second category of Karma. As the word indicates
these are actions based on our desires for Artha and Kama. Performing
actions for personal gain is allowed in our scriptures and is not considered a sin. In
fact, the scriptures themselves prescribe many types of rituals for fulfilling our
desires. Though selfless action is considered far higher than selfish action, the
scriptures allow these Karmas keeping in mind the common man who is instinctively
‘self-centred’. But the contribution of Karmas which fall in this
category to our spiritual growth is far lesser than Nishkama Karma.
Nishiddha Karma: All actions which fall under this category are prohibited
actions. Performing these actions will take a person farther and farther away from his
goal which is Moksha. Actions like insulting other people, hurting others
physically etc. belong to this category.
Hence, the aim of a Mumukshu (seeker of truth) is increase in the performance of
Nishkama Karma, reduction in the performance of Sakama Karma and avoidance
of Nishiddha Karma. But in some situations, like killing a cockroach when you find
one in our homes, performance of Nishiddha Karma cannot be avoided. In such cases
the aim should be to reduce the amount of Nishiddha Karma being performed. The sin
which accrues due to this action should be compensated by performing more of the Pancha
Maha Yajna.
Now, we come to latter part of Karma Yoga which is Yoga.
Yoga: Translated into English, Yoga means proper mental state. As Krishna says
in the Bhagavad Gita that life will be fruitful only if a person maintains a mental
state of equanimity without getting unduly perturbed. A Mumukshu is expected to maintain
this balance of mind or Samatva, as it is called in Sanskrit.
But attaining this state of equanimity is easier said than done! The first step in that
process is acceptance of the action and later the acceptance of the result it produces. In
our daily life we like a few jobs and dislike many. The scriptures say that we have to
accept all actions and their results whether we like them or not. But here, we have to
keep in mind that the we must be guided by the scriptures in choosing the actions we
perform.
The second step is non-comparison of ourselves with others. One of the main outcomes of
comparison is jealousy and we would do well to avoid it!
The third step is humility. A Mumukshu should never allow his actions to get to
his head. If he is able to do a great service to the society, he should thank the Lord and
should not get a superiority complex.
The next step is devotion. Devotion means the dedication of all actions to the Lord as
worship whether the Karma is Nishkama, Sakama or Nishiddha. Here, we
accept all the situations, favorable and unfavorable that, arise in life without a
grumble.
By following these rules, we get a calm mind and we grow internally. This life style is
called Karma Yoga which is the first discipline which every Mumukshu has to
go through. By going through this life style we get more refined and get qualified for the
next two stages Samadhi Yoga and Jnana Yoga.
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