Karma yoga is one of the ways leading to union with God through karma. That is, through actions or work. Karma is deeds. There are three kinds of karma. The first is what we think, the second is what we say and the third is what we do.
A person who pursues the karma yoga way does not have to abandon his work, family in order to reach God. History holds many examples about lives of great yogis who lived in the secular world and had families, and children. The great Rama and Krishna are two perfect examples. The family life is no obstacle for spiritual growth. A person can experience God while living in this world and having a family and children. Nevertheless, he must settle his life and discipline himself.
Karma yoga teaches how to unite with God in the way of performing your daily secular life jobs sincerely and thoroughly, contemplating God and with no attaching himself to result. Many people think that reaching God is possible only in isolation from this world, retreating into solitude, meditating in a cave in the Himalayas. But if you choose the Karma way, you do not have to leave this world and undertake just meditation. Leading his secular life and performing his duties, a person should learn how to organize his day so that he has a time for regular spiritual practice. This will be the time dedicated for his spiritual growth.
A person who practices karma yoga devotes every step and every breath to God, and always, whatever he does, he will never forget about Him. This way, gradually the entire person’s life becomes karma yoga – ongoing spiritual practice.
The person’s goal of life is to know himself, to become aware of what he really is, where he came from and what the purpose of his life is. And if the person gives enough thought about it, the day arrives when he receives answers to his questions. For example, does anything eternal exist in this world? Does all the inner person’s world really cease to exist with the death of his physical body – his feelings, thoughts, knowledge and life experiences?..
The material world does not possess anything that exists forever. Everything vanishes some day. Only God has existed, exists and He will. God is eternal and changeless. He lies inside each of us, and what exists in us, our souls – will live eternally. God is timeless and our bodies are temporary – they will exist just a period of time. Thus, only God is real Truth.
People have forgotten the essential – we all are God’s children and each of us is a tiny part of Him. And even out of those who do realize it, there are very few who are able to unite with Him. Yoga provides people with knowledge how to fulfill this union, not only know theoretically about it.
There are many books on this issue. Some of them write about someone’s individual experiences in reaching God, others retell what Shastras, Vedas and other sacred Hindu books narrated about union with God. Reading books is not really difficult, but applying what is written in practice is very hard. If a person has read many books, this does not really mean that he has adopted it in his life. This is applicable to any field of knowledge. Yet, we are talking about yoga knowledge now.
We choose friends, work and life partners rather by their inner properties (business, soul or other) than outside or physical. We are not aware of that often. For example, the wife says to her husband that she loves him. The husband says that he loves her. Parents tell their children they love them. And saying that, do people mean the physical body? No, they don’t. If we thought that a person loves just a physical body, then why with the death of the beloved, when the soul leaves the body, the latter becomes unwanted?
We love another person, his inner qualities. However, when the body is gone, we lose the chance to interact directly. The physical body enables a person, namely his soul to manifest himself, his traits. The person thinks, speaks, listens, looks and acts. Interactions with other people take place also with the assistance of the body. Actions – thoughts, words and acts are performed by the body, but the force to do this is generated by the soul, and the quality of actions is subject to the inner properties of the person.
While we have a body, we have to do all what is necessary in life, but also we have to recall its major purpose: just with the help of a physical body the person may experience God and unite with Him. In the subtle worlds, the soul does not have such an opportunity. There is no body, which means there is no chance to perform actions, thus – grow spiritually.
Modern science knows how a baby is born. However, science cannot explain where the soul comes from and where it retires. Where does the Force which used to empower the person to smile, cry, see and listen disappear?.. Most people are likely to think that it is the Force residing inside that enables the person to live a life. Modern science has made a number of discoveries, but it cannot give the answer to this. Still, thousands of years ago, yogis who performed spiritual practices received the answer to this question – where the soul departs.
Maybe just a few know that the soul is reborn. Yoga speaks about the endless replacement of bodies, so called reincarnation – the cycle of repeated soul births. The soul is reborn driven by karma – thoughts, words and acts performed in the previous lives and, in consistence, it receives a physical body and fate. This cycle – birth, death, repeated birth and death again – goes endlessly before the soul gets free from the effect of karma.
While you have a body, do your best to know yourself – this Force which lies in each of us. If the person recognizes it, he will see that all this force resides in everything surrounding him. The person finds it really hard to makes sense of what it is there in his soul, to get the knowledge of it, so it’s very hard to reveal spiritual knowledge which lies in each of us from the day we are born. And here a spiritual Master is needful – the one who has already gone down the road of spiritual growth and united with God. The true spiritual Master is Sadguru. He shows the person the way to God and helps to walk it. Sadguru’s mercy can award with liberation, that is, union with God. When the person comes to Sadguru, He assists in everything. Sadguru has the Knowledge. He is an atma jnani, brahma jnani yogi. He is an antaryami – the one who can see all three time dimensions: past, present and future. Aware of the person’s karma, the Master prevents him from mistakes and reveals the true path in life.
He can do it in different ways, such as by simple-at-first-sight advice what and how should be done, what must be reviewed in life. This way of transmitting knowledge just seems simple on the surface, but in fact it contains a deep meaning and words uttered by the Master come true. The person often lacks strength and energy to cope with hardship and problems arising in life. The Master provides necessary energy and strength and this way the person does not face irresolvable problems or dead-end situations any more.
I’ll tell you one story dating back to ancient India.
Once upon a time there lived a man called Ratnakar. He made his living by robbery on forest roads. Once a great sage was taking his trip in that forest and Ratnakar attacked him suddenly. He demanded everything the sage was carrying with him. However, this man behaved very differently from others. He did not get frightened and answered calmly he had nothing with him, except old rags covering his body and a veena (string instrument) which plays and worships God.
– Why do you do all this? – the sage asked Ratnakar.
– I have to feed my family. I have a wife and children.
– But you can feed them by doing more honorable jobs.
– Come on. Doing ordinary jobs will yield no earning. And now, without much trouble, I earn much more.
– When you rob, you earn a very heavy karma for yourself. When you come home, try asking if anybody in your family will share your sins.
– You will run away when I do this!
– No, I’ll be waiting here.
Nevertheless, Ratnakar tied the man to a tree to prevent him from escaping and set off home to find out if anybody in his family would share his sins with him. Every single member of his family answered they were not going to do this as they did not care how the breadwinner of their family earns for their living.
– You may find another job not to earn sins any more, – they responded.
Suddenly Ratnakar realized this calm man was his Master. He ran back to the sage, threw himself to his feet and begged to take him as a disciple. He asked to teach him how to live his further life and how to quit this sinful work. Then the sage started to teach Ratnakar to repeat God’s name – Ram. Ratnakar was so sinful that even his tongue would not obey and utter the name Ram.
The sage submerged himself in meditation in order to find the answer – how to teach Ratnakar to utter God’s Ram name. He gave Ratnakar the word “mra” which translated from Hindi as “dead” and instructed to meditate repeating this word.
Ratnakar sat down and started repeating “mra, mra, mra…”. The more he said this, the more clearly his lips could pronounce – “Ram, Ram, Ram…”
In length of time, since he kept repeating God’s name, he came to look like God Rama himself. Ratnakar became a great yogi, a sage and was given the name of Valmiki.
VALMIKI is the author of the epic “Ramayana” – first book about the life of God Rama. This book has been translated into many languages.
When the person believes in his Master, listens and tries to follow what is said, his path to God becomes easier and shorter. If such a man as Ratnakar became the sage Valmiki, then each of you may as well reach similar spiritual heights. The only condition for this is cherishing true love and devotion to God and your Master in your heart.
