Karma Yoga: Shlokas 7 to 12
If you have not already done so, I would request you to review the Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga before studying chapter 3 as that would help set the right context.
You can find the explanation of shlokas 1 to 6 can be found here. Please go through that to get a better understand and maintain continuity in your learning.
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यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन |
कर्मेन्द्रियै: कर्मयोगमसक्त: स विशिष्यते || 7||
yas tvindriyāṇi manasā niyamyārabhate ’rjuna
karmendriyaiḥ karma-yogam asaktaḥ sa viśhiṣhyate
यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि (Yastvindriyāṇi) – But whoever controls the senses; मनसा (manasā) – with the mind; नियम्य (niyamya) – having restrained; अरभते (arabhate) – begins; अर्जुन (arjuna) – O Arjuna; कर्मेन्द्रियै: (karmendriyaiḥ) – with the organs of action; कर्मयोगम (karmayogam) – the yoga of action; असक्त: (asaktaḥ) – without attachment; स (sa) – he; विशिष्यते (viśiṣyate) – excels.
But whoever controls the senses with the mind, O Arjuna, and without attachment, engages the organs of action in the path of work, he is superior.
नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मण: |
शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मण: || 8||
niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ
śharīra-yātrāpi cha te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ
नियतं (niyatam) – prescribed; कुरु (kuru) – perform; कर्म (karma) – duty; त्वं (tvam) – you; कर्म (karma) – action; ज्यायो (jyāyo) – is better; ह्यकर्मण: (hyakarmaṇaḥ) – than inaction; शरीरयात्रापि (śarīrayātrāpi) – even the journey of the body; च (ca) – and; ते (te) – your; न (na) – not; प्रसिद्ध्येद (prasiddhyed) – would succeed; अकर्मण: (akarmaṇaḥ) – without action.
Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. Even the maintenance of your body would not be possible without action.
यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धन: |
तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्ग: समाचर || 9||
yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samāchara
यज्ञार्थात् (yajñārthāt) – other than for sacrifice; कर्मणोऽन्यत्र (karmaṇo’nyatra) – action elsewhere; लोकोऽयं (loko’yaṁ) – this world; कर्मबन्धन: (karmabandhanaḥ) – is bound by actions; तदर्थं (tadarthaṁ) – for that purpose; कर्म (karma) – action; कौन्तेय (kaunteya) – O son of Kunti; मुक्तसङ्ग: (muktasaṅgaḥ) – free from attachment; समाचर (samācara) – perform properly.
Other than action for sacrifice or yajna, this world is bound by actions. O son of Kunti, for that purpose, perform actions properly (as a sacrifice), free from attachment.
सहयज्ञा: प्रजा: सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापति: |
अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् || 10||
saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛiṣhṭvā purovācha prajāpatiḥ
anena prasaviṣhyadhvam eṣha vo ’stviṣhṭa-kāma-dhuk
सहयज्ञा: (sahayajñāḥ) – along with sacrifices; प्रजा: (prajāḥ) – beings; सृष्ट्वा (sṛṣṭvā) – having created; पुरोवाच (purovāca) – spoke in the beginning; प्रजापति: (prajāpatiḥ) – Prajapati, the lord of creatures; अनेन (anena) – by this; प्रसविष्यध्वम् (prasaviṣyadhvam) – be more and more prosperous; एष (eṣa) – this; वोऽस्तु (vo’stu) – let it be; इष्टकामधुक् (iṣṭakāmadhuk) – the cow of plenty, yielding your desires.
Prajapati (Brahma), having created beings along with sacrifices, spoke in the beginning, “By these sacrifices and yajnas, be more and more prosperous; let this be the cow of plenty, yielding your desires.”
देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु व: |
परस्परं भावयन्त: श्रेय: परमवाप्स्यथ || 11||
devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ
parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ śhreyaḥ param avāpsyatha
देवान् (devān) – the gods; भावयतानेन (bhāvayatānena) – may you nourish; ते (te) – those; देवा (devā) – gods; भावयन्तु (bhāvayantu) – may nourish; व: (vaḥ) – you; परस्परं (parasparaṁ) – mutually; भावयन्त: (bhāvayantaḥ) – nourishing; श्रेय: (śreyaḥ) – prosperity; परम् (param) – the highest; अवाप्स्यथ (avāpsyatha) – will you attain.
May you nourish the gods with this, and may those gods nourish you. Thus nourishing each other, you will attain the highest good.
इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविता: |
तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव स: || 12||
iṣhṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajña-bhāvitāḥ
tair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ
इष्टान् (iṣṭān) – desired; भोगान् (bhogān) – enjoyments; हि (hi) – indeed; वो (vo) – to you; देवा (devā) – the gods; दास्यन्ते (dāsyante) – will give; यज्ञभाविताः (yajñabhāvitāḥ) – being pleased by sacrifices; तैर्दत्तान् (tairdattān) – with those given; अप्रदायैभ्यः (apradāyaibhyaḥ) – without offering (to those); यो (yaḥ) – who; भुङ्क्ते (bhuṅkte) – enjoys; स्तेन (stena) – thief; एव (eva) – indeed; स: (saḥ) – he.
The Gods, indeed, will give you the desired enjoyments, being pleased by sacrifices. He who enjoys these gifts, without offering (in return) to those (Gods), is indeed a thief.
Importance and benefits of Mindfulness and sense control
In the previous verses, Krishna is warning Arjuna not to misunderstand that inaction will yield no reaction and to also avoid the hypocrisy of physical renunciation without purification and control of the mind. Here, Krishna is saying that those karma yogis who control their senses using their mind and intellect and engage in work without attachment, are certainly superior.
Our minds are like sponges, absorbing stimuli from the world around us via our five senses. Think of it this way: our mind extends outwards through our senses, interacting with and perceiving the physical world. This interaction is so deep and intricate that if our mind is not in sync with our senses, we may not perceive things that are right in front of us. For example, we may be so engrossed in watching a movie that we don’t realize who came and sat right next to us. Instances like this show us the powerful role our mind plays in perception.
Consider our minds as a bustling city. The buildings are our thoughts, the roads are neural pathways, and the cars are our focus, constantly moving from one thought to another. Now, let’s say we want to control traffic in this city – direct it in a certain way or make it stop altogether. Trying to do this without a plan is like standing in the middle of a highway during rush hour and expecting cars to stop or change their direction just because we want them to. Not only is it nearly impossible, but it’s also hazardous and can cause harm to us and others. Similarly, our minds, when engaged with the sensory world, are bustling and active. Thoughts and perceptions are flowing in like cars on a highway. Trying to forcefully control this flow with sheer willpower is like trying to stop a river during a flood with bare hands – it’s not just futile, but it can also lead to frustration and mental exhaustion.
What we need instead is a well-planned, gradual approach. Just like the way a traffic management system eases the flow of vehicles, a mindful approach to our thoughts can help us gain better control over our minds. This doesn’t involve abrupt halting or forceful control, but rather a thoughtful redirection of our mental focus. The Bhagavad Gita offers such strategies, including that of tying our minds to the yoke of God consciousness and gradually shortening the length of the rope used to tie it.
Mindfulness
There is also the concept of mindfulness in Vedanta and Buddhism, Taoism as well as in modern psychology. Mindfulness, defined as paying full attention to the present moment without judgment, allows us to gain control over our minds and our reactions to sensory input. In the Vedantic context, mindfulness can be seen as a sustained, conscious awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, and actions. It involves observing the mind and its activities closely. This aligns with the teachings of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali where Patanjali defines yoga (union) as “chitta vritti nirodha“, which means “the cessation of the modifications of the mind”. Through practices like meditation and mindfulness, one can achieve this state, leading to self-realization.
Vedanta also encourages mindfulness in daily life by advocating “nishkama karma yoga“, or the path of selfless action. This involves performing one’s duties without attachment to the results, being fully present and engaged in each action. This kind of mindful action helps one develop detachment and equanimity, qualities that aid in spiritual growth.
Results of our actions
Now, when we perform any work or action, there will be some results. Now if we are not supposed to be attached to the results then what should we do with the results? Shri Krishna says that work must be done as a yajña (sacrifice) to the Supreme Lord and Sacrificing the results to the Lord. Otherwise, work causes bondage in this material world. Next we talk about duties and actions. Work in itself is not good or bad. It is our intention that makes it so. For example, a robber cuts your throat with a knife. That is a Sin. However, a surgeon uses the same knife and cuts your same throat, but to perform an operation on you. That is not a Sin. The difference is that the robber was performing the action with negative intentions for his own sense gratification whereas the surgeon was performing the same action as part of his prescribed duties and with good intentions. The best actions are those that are performed without any sense of ownership or attachment to results.
This is the spirit of karma yoga, in which we see the whole world as belonging to God, and hence meant for the satisfaction of God. We then perform our duties not for gratifying our mind and senses, but for the pleasure of God. There is bondage and there is liberation. Work performed for our own sense gratifications is leading towards bondage. Work performed for the satisfaction of God leads towards liberation.
Karma Yoga and Chanting the Lord’s name
Shree Krishna says here that an ordinary person in household life who practices such karma yoga is superior to the person who externally shows that they have renounced the worldly things but who continues to dwell on the objects of the senses in the mind.
Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj contrasts these two situations very beautifully:
मन हरि में तन जगत में, कर्मयोग यही जाना
तन हरि में मन जगत में, यह महान अज्ञाना
man hari meṅ tan jagat meiṅ, karmayog yehi jāna
tana hari meṅ mana jagat meṅ, yaha mahāna ajñāna
When one works in the world with the body, but keeps the mind attached to God, know it to be karma yoga. When one engages in spirituality with the body, but keeps the mind attached to the world, know it to be ignorance and hypocrisy.
It is very important to control the senses and purify the mind. So how do we purify our minds? The solution is to chant the holy name, the Krishna mahamantra.
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said:
हरेर्नाम हरेर्नाम हरेर्नामैव केवलम्। कलौ नास्त्येव नास्त्येव नास्त्येव गतिरन्यथा॥
harer nama harer nama, harer namaiva kevalam;
kalau nasty eva nasty eva, nasty eva gatir anyatha.
For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali which is full of quarrel and hypocrisy, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the Holy Name, the Holy Name, the Holy Name of the Lord.
In this Age of Kali, the Holy Name of the Lord, the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra itself is the incarnation of Lord Krishna. Simply by chanting the Holy Name, one associates with the Lord directly. Let us keep this in mind and regularly chant the maha mantra as that is the only way to purify our mind in this Kaliyuga and progress on the path to liberation.
The perspective of Yajna
Everything in this Universe is an integral part of God and everything has a duty or role to perform. The sun is providing heat and life force to the planets, the Ocean is providing precious minerals and water for all living beings, the moon is revolving around the earth at a specific period, helping with precious life functions, etc. Shree Krishna says that we are also obliged to participate with the creative force of nature by performing our prescribed duties in the service of God without attachment to results. That is the yajña He expects from us. Think of a tree and its branches. Imagine if one branch decided it no longer wanted to contribute to the wellbeing of the tree. It no longer wants to participate in photosynthesis or support the growth of leaves, flowers, or fruits. It desires to detach itself and live independently.
If the branch were to detach itself from the tree, it would swiftly wither and die. It wouldn’t have access to the nutrients from the soil or the water that the tree’s roots draw up. While it was part of the tree, the branch’s efforts to grow leaves and engage in photosynthesis were not only beneficial to the tree as a whole but also crucial for its own survival. The tree and the branch share a symbiotic relationship; they thrive together. We can think of ourselves and our relationship with God in a similar way. We are like the branches, and God is the tree. Our actions, our duties, are like the leaves we sprout. When we perform our duties with devotion and without attachment to the outcomes, we are doing what’s necessary for our own spiritual growth and wellbeing, just as a branch flourishes when it’s connected to the tree. The act of offering our results to God is a form of acknowledging this profound connection, understanding that our growth and existence are intertwined with the divine.
Krishna then says that by our sacrifices the celestial gods will be pleased, and by cooperation between humans and the celestial gods, prosperity will reign for all. Just like there are various departments in the government for running the country, there are various demigods/ celestial gods who are responsible for various aspects of the functioning of the universe. For example we have the sun god, the moon god, the rain god, the air god, etc. Just like how we pay taxes to the government and which is indirectly or directly helping us by providing us with security, health care etc, the sacrifices we perform reaches these gods and they in turn help us have a better life.
The point to be noted is that, when you water the root, the whole tree gets nourished. Just like that, when we serve Lord Krishna and He gets pleased, it also pleases all the demigods because they all derive their power from Him. And Lord Krishna has mentioned that performing our duties and dedicating the results to Him is the best sacrifice we can make. So, we have to keep doing our duties and offering the results as the sacrifice to Krishna and that will all come back to us and help us live better lives, apart from purifying us and helping us advance on the spiritual path towards liberation.
Attitude of Gratitude
In verse 3.12 Shri Krishna says that “But those who enjoy what is given to them, without making offerings in return, are verily thieves.”
This is the concept of offering Prasadam to God that our ancestors have been practicing for ages. What we are doing there is an act of thanksgiving for what we have received. The food we eat, the air we breath, the water we drink, etc are all gifts given by God and we need to express our gratitude for these, otherwise we are just like thieves.
In this material plane, we know that we cannot use anything that belongs to someone else without either taking their permission or paying for it. Same way, we should not take for granted all the innumerable things we use on the planet to support our existence. We should realize that ultimately whatever we are and whatever we have is all belonging to God and so we need to constantly pay back with our gratitude.
As some great mystic once said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”
There is this story of an old business man who falls very sick and gets admitted to the hospital. They keep him there for two days and hook him up to an oxygen tank to help him breathe well. On the third day, the doctor tells him that he has recovered and is being discharged. The doctor hands him a bill of 10,000 dollars. Now this old man starts crying and the doctor asks him “why are you crying? Are you not able to afford this bill?”.
The old man says that “I don’t have a problem paying the bill. However, I just realized something. You have handed me a bill of 10,000 dollars for two days of oxygen. I am 70 years old and all these years God has provided me with free oxygen without charging me anything, and I have not even felt grateful for it”.
That is the lesson we all need to learn. That is what is prescribed even by the law of attraction as well many other spiritual teachings. We always need to be in an attitude of gratitude. That gratitude is our payment to God and that is what keeps coming back to us as blessings.
Saint Ramdas was a great saint who lived during the 1600s and achieved enlightenment at the age of 24. He was one of the earliest proponents of equality for women.
There is a beautiful prayer in Marathi written by him which gives thanks to the food we eat.
Vadani kaval gheta naam ghya Shri hariche |1|
While taking a mouthful of food take the name of God.
Sahaj havan hote naam gheta fukache |2|
Chanting the name of the almighty makes havan (here it means digestion) easy. There is immense power in his name that even taking his name makes assimilation easy.
Jivan kari jivitva ,anna he purna bramha |3|
Food brings life to life hence it is ‘purna bramha’ compared to God. .
Udara bharan nohe, janije yadnya karma ||4||
Eating is not merely filling the belly but a sacred act (yadnya karma) of offering to the fire that keeps us alive.
You can listen to this mantra every day to express your gratitude to God Vishnu. Here is a link to a very beautiful rendition on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTN-MhLenzE
You can find the next set of Shlokas, 13 to 19 over here:
kṛṣṇadaasa
Servant of Krishna
Aka +Vinayak Raghuvamshi