Gītā basics
What Is Karma Yoga? The Bhagavad-gītā's Art of Work
Karma yoga is doing your duty well, without being attached to the result, and offering the work to Kṛṣṇa. The Gītā teaches it in verses like 2.47 and 3.9. Here is what it means, why it frees us, and how to practise it at school, at home or at work.
Short answer: Karma yoga is the Bhagavad-gītā's way of working. You do your duty as well as you can, but you do not claim the result as yours, and you offer the work to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says we have a right to our work but not to its fruits BG 2.47, and that work done for Viṣṇu does not bind us BG 3.9. Śrīla Prabhupāda calls this "the great art of doing work" (purport to BG 3.9).
What do the words mean?
Karma means action or work. Yoga means linking with the Supreme. So karma yoga means work that links us to God instead of tying us to this world.
Kṛṣṇa gives His own short definition: do your duty, give up attachment to success and failure, and keep the mind even. "Such evenness of mind is called yoga" BG 2.48.
"Yoga means to concentrate the mind upon the Supreme by controlling the ever-disturbing senses."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 2.48
The key verse: Bhagavad-gītā 2.47
This is the verse most people mean when they talk about karma yoga.
karmaṇy evādhikāras te
mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr
mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
The verse gives four simple instructions:
- Do your duty. You have a right to your prescribed work.
- The fruit is not yours to claim. Results depend on many things beyond you.
- Do not think you alone cause the result. Pride in success and pain in failure both come from this idea.
- Do not run away from work. Doing nothing is not the answer either.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Arjuna's wish to leave the battle was also a kind of attachment, only in the opposite direction:
"Any attachment, positive or negative, is cause for bondage."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 2.47
Why not simply give up work?
Arjuna's first idea was to drop his duty and go away. Kṛṣṇa did not agree.
niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ
karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ
śarīra-yātrāpi ca te
na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ
Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. A man cannot even maintain his physical body without work.
We need work even to keep the body alive. Leaving work without first cleaning the heart only makes a person a pretender.
"So-called renunciation for the purpose of maintenance is never approved by the Lord, nor by any religious scripture. After all, one has to maintain one's body and soul together by some work."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 3.8
In a lecture on 2.47 he said it even more plainly:
"Karma means work. Karma means work. One should not think that "Because I am not this body, so I shall cease to work." No. You cannot cease to work. If you cease to work, then idle brain will be a devil's workshop. No. We have to work."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, lecture on BG 2.47, New York, 28 March 1966 (transcript)
Work as an offering (yajña)
Here is the heart of karma yoga. The same work can bind us or free us. What makes the difference is for whom we do it.
yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra
loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya
mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara
Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.
Yajña means sacrifice, and Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that it means Lord Viṣṇu Himself. Work done for our own pleasure brings reactions, good or bad, and every reaction ties us down. Work done for Kṛṣṇa does not.
"Therefore, one has to work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness to satisfy Kṛṣṇa (or Viṣṇu); and while performing such activities one is in a liberated stage. This is the great art of doing work, and in the beginning this process requires very expert guidance."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 3.9
He also encouraged beginners to start small:
"Anyway, if one cannot sacrifice cent per cent, let him sacrifice at least one percent, two percent. The more he does, that is, more he becomes free from bondage. And the more he uses his earning for sense gratification, the more he becomes bound up by the laws of material nature."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, lecture on BG 3.9, Los Angeles, 23 December 1968 (transcript)
This idea is very old. Śrīla Prabhupāda points to the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
"It is said in the Viṣṇu Puraṇa that in the varṇāśrama-dharma, the whole aim is to satisfy Viṣṇu."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 2.48
The cashier example
How can we work hard and still not be attached? Śrīla Prabhupāda gives a simple picture from daily life:
"The cashier may count millions of dollars for his employer, but he does not claim a cent for himself. Similarly, one has to realize that nothing in the world belongs to any individual person, but that everything belongs to the Supreme Lord."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 3.30
The cashier works carefully. He does not throw the money away. But he knows it is not his. A karma yogī works in the same way: fully, carefully, but as a servant, not as an owner.
The lotus leaf example
brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ
lipyate na sa pāpena
padma-patram ivāmbhasā
One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme God, is not affected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.
A lotus leaf lives in water but stays dry. In the same way, a person who offers his work to the Lord lives in this world but is not touched by sinful reactions.
"One who knows perfectly well that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, that He is the proprietor of everything and that, therefore, everything is engaged in the service of the Lord, naturally has nothing to do with the results of his activities, whether virtuous or sinful."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 5.10
In a lecture he described the lotus in his own words:
"Lotus flower is in the water, and the leaves are also in the water, but it has no connection with the water. Even a drop of water if you put on it, it will at once fall down. Lotus flower. It is so made by nature. So here the same example is there, that although we may be in this material world, so because I am staying in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and I'm acting under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, therefore nothing will affect me."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, lecture on BG 5.10, New York, 26 August 1966 (transcript)
Ordinary work and karma yoga side by side
| Ordinary work | Karma yoga | |
|---|---|---|
| Aim | My own pleasure and gain | The satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa BG 3.9 |
| Success and failure | Pride or sadness | An even mind BG 2.48 |
| Ownership | "This is mine" | Everything belongs to the Lord BG 5.10 |
| Giving up work | Laziness or escape | Not approved; work goes on BG 3.8 |
| Result | Bondage to action and reaction | Freedom, even in this life BG 2.50 |
Your own duty, done for Kṛṣṇa
Karma yoga does not ask everyone to do the same job. Kṛṣṇa says it is better to do your own duty, even imperfectly, than to copy someone else's BG 3.35. A student studies, a parent cares for the family, a farmer farms, a teacher teaches. Each can offer that work to the Lord.
yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya
siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ
By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection.
"In whatever occupation one may be engaged, if he serves the Supreme Lord, he will achieve the highest perfection."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 18.46
Kṛṣṇa makes this very practical: whatever we do, eat, offer or give, and whatever austerity we accept, should be done as an offering to Him BG 9.27.
How to practise karma yoga today
- Start the day with an offering. Say in your heart, "Today I will do my work for You, Kṛṣṇa" BG 9.27.
- Do your own duty well. Be honest and careful, as the cashier is careful with money that is not his BG 3.35.
- Give your best, then let go of the result. Before an exam, a match or a meeting, prepare fully; afterwards accept the result calmly BG 2.47–BG 2.48.
- Watch the word "mine". Remember that your talents, money and time are gifts from the Lord BG 5.10.
- Offer your food. Eat food first offered to Kṛṣṇa; this turns even eating into karma yoga BG 9.27.
- Learn from someone who practises it. Śrīla Prabhupāda says this art needs expert guidance in the beginning (purport to BG 3.9).
Where karma yoga leads
Karma yoga is the first step on a longer path. When work is offered with love, it becomes bhakti yoga, loving service to Kṛṣṇa.
"Karma-yoga, without fruitive results, is the beginning of this path."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 6.47
Frequently asked questions
What is karma yoga in simple words?
Karma yoga means doing your duty without being attached to the result and offering the work to Kṛṣṇa. The main verses are Bhagavad-gītā 2.47 and 3.9.
Does karma yoga mean I should not care about results?
No. You should work carefully and try your best. What you give up is the claim that the result belongs to you. Arjuna fought to win, but for Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes that "gain or victory are Kṛṣṇa's concern" (purport to 2.48).
Can students and householders practise karma yoga?
Yes. Arjuna himself was a householder and a soldier, and Kṛṣṇa told him to keep doing his duty (3.8). Anyone in any occupation can reach perfection by serving the Lord through that work (18.46).
What is the difference between karma and karma yoga?
Karma is work done for one's own enjoyment; it brings good or bad reactions that bind us to this world. Karma yoga is work done for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction; it does not bind (3.9).
Is karma yoga the same as bhakti yoga?
Karma yoga is the beginning and bhakti yoga is the goal. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that all other yogas are steps toward bhakti yoga (purport to 6.47). When work is done with love for Kṛṣṇa, it becomes devotional service.
Which chapters of the Gītā teach karma yoga?
Chapters 2, 3 and 5 explain it most fully, and verse 18.46 sums it up. The best-known single verse is 2.47.
Read next
Verses cited
BG 2.47BG 3.9BG 2.48BG 3.8BG 3.30BG 5.10BG 2.50BG 3.35BG 18.46BG 9.27BG 6.47