Sri Ramana Maharshi

Karma Yoga is that Yoga in which the person does not arrogate to himself the function of being the actor. All actions go on automatically.Let us first understand what Karma is, whose Karma it is and who is the doer. Analyzing them and enquiring into their truth, one is obliged to remain as the Self in peace. Nevertheless even in that state the actions will go on.

Sri Ramana Maharshi stressed that to be successful, the Karma Yogi must be free of the notion that he himself is helping others, and that he must also be unattached and indifferent to the consequences of his actions.

The jnanis do things for the sake of others with detachment, without themselves being affected by them. The jnani weeps with the weeping, laughs with the laughing, plays with the playful, sings with those who sing, keeping time to the song. What does he lose? His presence is like a pure, transparent mirror. It reflects the image exactly as it is. But the jnani, who is only a mirror, is unaffected by actions. How can a mirror, or the stand on which it is mounted, be affected by the reflections? Nothing affects them as they are mere supports. On the other hand, the actors in the world - the doers of all acts, the ajnanis - must decide for themselves what song and what action is for the welfare of the world, what is in accordance with the sastras, and what is practicable.

Sri Ramana maintained that Self-realization could be brought about merely by giving up the idea that there is an individual self which functions through the body and the mind. A few of his advanced devotees were able to do this quickly and easily, but the others found it virtually impossible to discard the ingrained habits of a lifetime without undertaking some form of spiritual practice. Sri Ramana sympathized with their predicament and whenever he was asked to prescribe a spiritual practice which would facilitate Self-awareness he would recommend a technique he called self-enquiry. You have to ask yourself the question `Who am I ?' This investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem and you will solve all other problems.

The life of action need not be renounced. If you meditate for an hour or two every day you can then carry on with your duties. If you meditate in the right manner then the current of mind induced will continue to flow even in the midst of your work. It is as though there were two ways of expressing the same idea; the same line which you take in meditation will be expressed in your activities. As you go on you will find that your attitude towards people, events and objects gradually changes. Your actions will tend to follow your meditations of their own accord.

Spirituality and practicality

A major challenge for us is to balance spirituality and practicality. Most of us lead a bracketed life. We preach certain values relating to spirituality on certain occasions in the company of certain people, but when we are faced with real life situations related to practical issues like finances and business, we discard those values.

The only solution is to integrate our values in practice. At first, it may seem crazy and impractical to adopt values consistent with spirituality in our daily life. However in the long run, to be spiritual in daily life is to be practical. There is no dichotomy at all. If our spiritual beliefs are too abstract to be made practical or to be realized, we have to abandon them. Similary, if our practical approach is contradictory to core values, we must modify our approach. That is the only way we can lead a balanced life.

Karma Yoga - Always choose freedom

All of us have desires. When we desire something deeply, the universe fulfils it, sometimes in totally unexpected ways. When we see our past desires fulfilled, we are tempted to accept restrictions on our future in order for our past desires to come true in the present. When we do so, we are choosing bondage, and we are rejecting freedom. To practice Karma yoga is to always choose the highest level of freedom.

As humans, we are never free from desire. We can never escape from desire. However, we can choose to not attach significance to whether the desires are fulfilled or not. When we do our tasks without attachment to the outcomes, we are free. Our decisions are based only on the present, and not on the past or the future. We live a life of spontaneity, awareness, and joy.