What Is Karma Yoga?

In Yoga Journal’s Archives series, we share a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. These stories offer a glimpse into how yoga was interpreted, written about, and practiced throughout the years. This article first appeared in the May 1975 issue of Yoga Journal. Find more of our Archives here.

The elegant and profound system of Karma yoga (Kar from Kri, to act spiritually, and ma meaning the Divine Mother), laid down in the Bhagavad Gita, is an important technique for controlling the mind and for aiding the spiritual development of the student. It is not to be considered a secondary or lesser path to the Supreme, but rather one of the most efficacious. This is true for several reasons.

Karma Yoga Is About Everyday Actions

First, all life is, by definition, in a state of action. To become totally inactive is not to live. So action in the world is fundamental to life. And it can also become a powerful tool for aiding the seeker. The path that utilizes action in the world as a means of purification and self-unfoldment is called Karma yoga.

The Karma yogi cannot change his circumstances, i.e., the need for his participation in action, but he can change his attitude about that action. Herein lies the core of the philosophy of Karma yoga. By surrendering into union with the Supreme, one becomes a conscious vehicle for the creation of life.

One’s necessary daily actions then become a meditation, a sacrifice (to make sacred) .

The action itself, whether it be meditation, practicing Hatha yoga asanas, preparing food, caring for children, housework or office work, takes on a new shade of meaning. It is no longer being done for self, nor to please others and thereby obtain approval. The act becomes sanctified no matter what its character. What changes, then, is the attitude of the aspirant about action in the world. Every action becomes a vehicle for union with the Supreme; suddenly there is no separation between action and worship.

Benefits of Embracing a Karma Yoga Perspective

The advantages of such a system are many. One is that the student is reminded that though there are acts being done, he is not really the actor. Rather, it is the “servants of his soul” which are performing the task at hand. He is constantly reminded through action that he is the eternal Atman, and that the activity manifesting itself through him is actually the unfolding of the Universe.

If this is understood, then the aspirant is no longer attached to the fruits of his labors, whether they be good or bad fruits. His abilities are then increased, for he is not incapacitated by pride or failure, and his inner attunement harmonizes his actions with the unseen activities of others. By dislodging himself from the fruits of his labors, the student is working through the karma which still separates him from the Supreme.

Another advantage of the Karma yoga approach is its practicality. Any person, regardless of physical condition, mental acuity, occupation, station in life, or religion, can practice this yoga, Karma yoga is unique in that it can be a part of every second of awareness.

Another advantage of this system is that it tends to extend the meditative experience into all aspects of life. The attunement developed during ones morning practice can thus be maintained while allowing the daily activities to have their movement within it, rather than having meditation be an isolated experience.

Finally, Karma yoga serves as a crucible in which the selfish desires are purified. Whether they be gross or subtle, it is the self-centered desires which act as the cloak that separates us from the Universal. As was stated by Krishna in the Gita (11I, 9), “The world is in the bonds of action, unless the action is consecration. Let thy actions then be pure, free from the bonds of desire.” Thus it is that the very bonds of attachment to the world become the means of liberation, if only we realize their power.