Karma Yoga is the first step in the spiritual discipline (Sadhana) which is to be adopted for Moksha. Karma yoga can serve as an aid to Jnana Yoga which secures the realization of the self. It can also serve as a direct means to self-realization since the practice of Karma Yoga in the prescribed manner includes in it the Jnana Yoga. The two are interrelated. But it is easier to practice karma yoga as it takes less effort and time to realize the goal because of the divine grace showered on the individual in response to the disinterested performance of karma.Etymology of Karma Yoga
The term karma bears different meanings. In a general sense it means action or any activity. It also refers to the merits and demerits acquired as a result of the performance of good and bad deeds respectively. It is also understood as the observance of the prescribed religious acts and in this sense the term is used in the present context. Yoga means upaya or method to be adopted to achieve a goal. So the compound word karma yoga means a specific religious act adopted as a means or upaya for self-realization.
Religious Duties for Performing Karma Yoga
There are several religious duties laid down by the sacred texts. The Bhagavad Gita has enumerated the following as illustrative - (1) worship of God (devarchana) (2) performance of the sacrifice (yaga) in the consecrated fire (3) control of the sense organs (indriya-samyama) by arresting their outward movement towards external objects (4) control of the mind (manas-sarityama) (5) giving away the money earned in a righteous way in charity (dana) either for the worship of God or for performance of homa or to deserving persons etc. (6) observance of austerities (tapas) in the form of performance of prescribed rites such as fasting (7) visiting holy religious centres and bathing in sacred waters (punyatirtha-punyasthana-prapti) (8) recitation of the Vedas and study of the teachings of the sacred texts (svadhyaya tadartha jnanabhyasa) and (9) practice of breath control (pranayama). It is not necessary that all of these religious duties have to be observed for the purpose of karma yoga. Any one of them, depending upon the capacity and choice of an individual, adopted as a Sadhana or religious discipline can become karma yoga for self-realization. Each one of these acts is called Yajna in the Gita, thereby implying that it is to be performed with the spirit of a sacrifice (yaga) for the sole purpose of self-realization.
Requirements for Karma Yoga
There are several important requirements to be fulfilled for a successful performance of Karma Yoga by an aspirant. In the first instance, he should acquire adequate philosophic knowledge about the true nature of Jivatman and Paramatman through the study of the sacred texts under the guidance of a qualified preceptor (Guru). The need of such knowledge is obvious because without knowing the true nature of the self, one cannot strive for its realization.
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