What is karma yoga attitude?

You have to focus all your attention whenever you perform any work or karma in your life.  Why?  The reason is that doing the karma with full concentration is the only answer for your  success in your life. It also keeps you busy. Through this karma, you get the feeling and enjoyment of your existence. You must develop a passion for this feeling. This karma yoga is expressed by different people differently.  A rich person is engaged to earn money for himself and his family and he is performing all his duties and karma and he feels that he is doing karma perfectly. You may think that doing your karma without asking any benefit for your karma means you are a karma yogi.  This concept of not asking in return, is a fallacy. A person may be doing his karma to support his family responsibilities and he has to expect a reward for the same and there is nothing wrong  with this philosophy. Now, we must understand the concept of karma yoga.  What is the karma yoga attitude to work and why it is so important?  Gita has shown us that karma yoga does not mean detachment to the outcome; it has six inner meanings. 

First, whatever we do, it should not be against the accepted norms.  That means all our karmas must adhere to a basic principle and ethical code of conduct.  You are performing karma in the true sense, when you are not deceiving anyone, not snatching any other person’s right and not causing any harm to a person. You are also performing karma  when  the same is not detrimental to any other person’s growth.

Second, whatever you like to role play or God has chosen you to perform; you must do the same diligently without showing any laxity.  You must devote wholeheartedly to the same activities.  Any duty that you perform either as a manager, parent, businessman or a student, you must discharge with diligence and sincerity. There should not be any negligence on this account. If you do not want to perform then it is all right, but you should not procrastinate.

Third, our attention must be on the present activity, which we contemplate to finish.  While performing the function, we should not think of the fruits of that activity in between.  Suppose, you are a cricketer and playing a very crucial match on behalf of your country for the first time and if you always concentrate on your scores displayed on the scoreboard, you can never give your best output. The anxiety that always dwells in your mind to make more runs will spoil your qualitative desire to perform unbridled.  Ultimately, you may lose or come out with a mediocre result. You will not qualify to accomplish the said work perfectly and your work will not be treated as karma yoga. Any action which is performed with half hearted diligence and concentration, it is bound to produce a dismal performance. During your performance, you need to focus only on that particular activity.

Fourth, whatever results you get, you treat the same as God’s blessings.  Don’t ignore the same. Sometimes, you perform your best, but you do not get the result as per your performance.  You should not be dejected in this situation. You must take the same in the right spirit understanding that the results of any effort are not decided by the present karma, but have a connection with past karma also.

: 2 :

Firth, one has to let go his ego. If extraordinary result is achieved out of your performance, you should not become proud. You should not feel “I did it.” Always remember that many reasons, many people and many circumstances are responsible for your extraordinary achievement.  Parents, teachers, friends, well wishers, neighbors and family members – all have contributed to your success.  You alone cannot perform so well without the help and guidance of others

Sixth, you must share your success with others. Supposed you hold a rank in a competitive examination and you want to celebrate and so, do it inviting all your friends, acquaintances, neighbors and relatives. Take the blessings of your parents and other elderly persons, so that they become a part and parcel of your success.  If you want to enjoy the fruits of your labor alone, the same will be treated as a selfish measure and is against the principle of  karma yoga.

Any activity which is done without selfishness, carelessness and  ego is known as karma yoga.  If you do everything with this feeling, you become a karma yogi.  This karma yoga makes our life joyous and blissful.  If you continue to perform all your activities in this fashion, you will be always contented with your life and remain happy.  During that phase, you will be able to find out the true meaning of life and to search the liberation.  So, a true karma yogi believes in  performing karma, but not on its results. The results are going to come because if there is a fruitful input, it has to be a positive output.