Choices in Karma y Oga Karma y Oga

Choices in Karma y. Oga • Karma y. Oga is prescribed by Sri Krshna in Gita as a must for all. Let us practice it • What is karma y. Oga ? • Svadharma gn. Ana vair. Agya s. Adhya bhakti Eka g. Ocara: nar. Aya. Na: param brahma g. It. A s. Astr. E sam. Irita (y. Amuna) • The essence of Gita is; “Practice of one’s prescribed karma y. Oga with detachment, realising the atman’s essential nature leads us to bhakti; Nar. Aya. Na the supreme is attained only through that bhakti. ” • The ladder is: 1. Realise that Atma is different from the body and eternal, it is subservient and dependent on param. Atma. 2. With this, practice once prescribed varna asrama dharma with a. kartrtva buddhi ty. Aga b. mamat. A ty. Aga and c. phala ty. Aga. 3. We reach Atma saksh. Atk. Ara (complete realisation and vision of the atman) 4. Then practice bhakti y. Oga (without giving up karma y. Oga) 5. When all our pr. Arabdha karmas are destroyed (may take many births) we attain m. Oksham. 1

The indispensable karma y. Oga • Krshna is the counsel for karma y. Oga who preached that it is must to all – even to a gn. Ana y. Ogi and bhakti y. Ogi. Why ? • Purpose of karma y. Oga – • 1. For a gn. Ana of bhakti y. Ogi, he has to sustain his body first to practice anything; he has to eat and sleep; for which he has to earn, cook and do many more; and all these are part of karma y. Oga • 2. While we are progressing in the path of bhakti, we also need to remove our an. Adi k. Ala p. Apa (which are obstacles). This auxiliary job is done by karma y. Oga. Without this we cannot succeed in bhakti y. Oga. • (compared with gn. Ana y. Oga, karma y. Oga merits in the following aspects 1. It is simpler 2. We are used to it from birth 3. Probability of failure is lesser 4. In succeeding births, one can continue from where we left in the previous birth) 2

Quotes from g. It. A • karma. Naiva hi samsiddhim Astith. A; janak. Adaya: • Niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jy. Ay. O hi akarma. Na: • karma. Ny. Eva adhik. Ara: t. E m. A phal. Eshu kad. Acana m. A karma phala h. Etu: bh. U: m. A t. E sanga: astu akarma. Ni • Imam vivasvat. E y. Ogam proktav. An aham avyayam vivasv. An manav. E pr. Aha manu: ikshv. Akav. E abrav. It. • So we conclude that karma y. Oga (and detachment) is indispensable to all. 3

Who should practice - ALL • To facilitate everyone to attain m. Oksham Sri Krshna categorised them into four var. Nas based on their quality and occupation – c. Atur var. Nyam may. A srshtam • Then He prescribed specific daily duties for each of them. Whatever be the level of one’s awakening, these are mandatory. It is a myth to conclude that it is needless for gn. Ani’s to perform karma. This includes pitr karmas. • Analogy: A goods carrier vehicle’s primary purpose is to carry goods. (bhakti is the vehicle to moksha) When snow obstructs a snow mover showel is attached to remove (karma y. Oga removes the pr. Arabdha karma which obstructs progress) 4

Routine and special • • Routine : sadhy. Avandana, panca mah. A yagna, pitr karma etc. Krshna lists some special performances from which we can choose and practice any (4 th chapter verse 25 – 30) daivam. Ev. Apar. E yagnam y. Ogina: paryup. Asat. E brahm. Agnou apar. E yagnam yagn. Enaiva upajuhvati. (25) 1. Some karma yogis focus on deva pooja as their yajna. 2. Some are interested in offering sacrificial materials to Brahmam (in the form of fire) through the tools of yajna. Is about deva pooja with 3 faculties – body speech and mind. Yagna – yaja deva p. Uj. Ay. Am. Agnou tishthati vipr. ANAm hrdi tishthati y. Ogin. Am pratim. Asu aprabuddh. An. Am sarvatra samadarsin. Am. Deity worship is the simplest method. 5

Methods in Karma Yoga. . contd sr. Otr. Ad. In Indriy. ANyany. E samyam. Agnishu juhvati sabd. Ad. In vishay. Ananye indriy. Agnishu juhvati (26) 3. Some oblate their sensual organs like ears and eyes to the fire of sensual control. 4. Some oblate the objects of pleasure like sound and taste to the Fire of five senses. • Sensual control acts as a Fire in destroying the ill effects of senses. (asamsayam mah. Ab. Ah. O, garud. A’s plight) • Distance the objects of pleasure (condemned by the sastras) from the senses. This reduces the risk. Redirect the senses towards the divine form of Bhagavan. sarv. ANIndriyakarm. ANi pr. ANakarm. ANi c. Apar. E Atmasamyama y. Og. Agnou juhvati jn. Anad. Ipit. E (27) The earlier sloka was about control of 10 senses. Now it is the control of the 11 th. Manas (mind). 5. Some offer all the activities of sensual organs and pr. Ana vayu, in the pyre of CONTROL OF MANAS which is the means to Yoga, lit by the lamp of WISDOM. • Meditating on the supremacy of the atman compared with body, detaches our mind from material pleasures and refixes on the atman. Manas discards material pleasures, exhaling and inhaling as mundane. indriy. Ebhya: par. A hi arth. A: arth. Ebhyasca param mana: . The lamp atma gn. Ana ignites the fire indriya jayam which destroys material pleasure. 6

Methods in Karma Yoga. . contd Dedicated karma y. Ogis. dravyayajn. A: tap. Oyajn. A: y. Ogayajn. A: tath. Apar. E sv. Adhy. Aya jn. Anayajn. Asca yataya: samshitavrat. A: (28) 6. Perform Devarchana, Yaga, Homa and Dana with wealth earned in the right way. 7. Some perform penance by subjecting pain their body (k. Ayakl. Esam, fasting ) 8. Some perform yajna in the form of pilgrimage to Holy Shrines and rivers. 9. Some perform the yajna chanting Vedas 10. Some enjoy their esoteric meanings. These are simple practices possible to all and in vogue too. Earning for Devarchana is also a Yajna- if it does not violate s. Astra. 7

Methods in Karma Yoga. . contd Practice of pr. An. Ay. Ama ap. An. E juhvati pr. ANam pr. ANE ap. Anam tath. Apar. E pr. ANAp. Anagat. I ruddhv. A pra. NAy. Amapar. Aya. NA: (29) apar. E niyat. Ah. Ar. A: pr. ANAn pr. ANEshu juhvati (30) • • 11. Some who are inclined to pranayama, control food habits, synchronise apana vayu with prana vayu- Puraka (deep inhaling) 12. Some, synchronise Prana vayu with apana- Rechaka (exhaling) 13. Some control the pranavayu from going upwards and apana downwards, and synchronise all their pranas in them- Kumbhaka. (holding the breath) Inhaling air through your nostrils is Puraka, holding it inside is kumbhaka and releasing it out is rechaka. All the three must be in equal timing. Puraka- Offers Pranavayu as sacrificial material to Fire in the form of apana. By nature, prana vayu moves upwards. This is controlled and sent downwards from its seat, Hrdaya. It becomes one with apana in Guda. Rechaka- The reverse happens. Kumbhaka- Control both, and offer all 5 pranas to them. The lesser the frequency of respiration, better the health. Out of these 13 choices, one can choose any one or more and follow regularly for purity of mind and removal of papams. The awakening that all these are done as service to bhagavan is vital. 8