Karma Yoga For Beginners

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Karma yoga is the first of the Vedic methods recommended for self realization. It is the path of selfless action in which one does one’s duty without expecting any reward. By sacrificing the fruits of one’s actions to God, one is not bound by karma and one develops equanimity. This is the whole purpose of Karma yoga.

This book presents Karma yoga in a simple and comprehensive way.

Karma yoga is the first of the Vedic methods recommended for self-realisation. It concerns day-to-day activities in normal life, which are to be dealt with balanced behaviour. It requires one to take pleasure and pain with equality of sentiments; to do one’s duty with sincerity and leave the result to God. By sacrificing the fruits of one’s actions to God, one develops equanimity and is not bound by karma. This is the whole purpose of Karma yoga. Karma yoga alone is enough to give self-realisation. Examples of karmayogis are, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. The Bhagavad-Gita has a lot to offer on Karma yoga.

This book presents the elements of Karma yoga in a simple and comprehensive way, as taught and practised at the Academy of Kundalini Yoga and Quantum Soul AKYQS.

Since thanks are due to W.M. Henry Belk II and Jytte Larsen for the many thought-provoking discussions and for the computing help and facilities.

Karma yoga is the path of selfless action in which one acts without expecting the fruits of his/her actions. When the practice is successful, the practitioner achieves an equipoise mind.

With an equipoise mind, the practitioner then follows Jnana yoga, which is the path of knowledge, which ultimately leads the practitioner to the knowledge of the Supreme Being or God. And then it is Bhakti yoga, the path of devotion, which unites the person with God Almighty. Although the path of selfless action or the path of knowledge is itself sufficient to bring self-realisation, yet the natural sequence is karma, jnana and bhakti. This is so because Karma yoga should be of the level achieved by Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Teresa, and Jnana yoga should be of the level achieved by Ramana Maharishi or Socrates before you can expect some results. However, if you combine the three paths simultaneously, you have greater chances of success in a single lifetime, with fewer obstacles on the way.

Unless bhakti (devotion) is practised, karma and jnana will lead to dry knowledge, which does not give full satisfaction. You miss the rasa (joy) which comes only through bhakti (devotion) which induces love and love is God. This is the importance of bhakti, which has also been emphasised by Lord Krishna.

My original subject was mathematics (PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, 1968), which I have taught in eight countries for about thirty years. With the sustained practice of yoga, meditation and mantras for years, I was lucky enough to experience the awakening of kundalini in 1987 while at the University of Zimbabwe. My interest began to shift from mathematics to religion and to parapsychology. I eventually resigned my position as professor of mathematics at Dar-es-Salaam University, Tanzania, and worked as professor of comparative religion at Belk Research Foundation, Charlotte, NC, USA and as professor of yoga philosophy and meditation at Hindu University Florida, USA. I have been writing articles based on my experiences in the “Journal of Religion and Psychical Research,” USA. Books on numerology, spiritual awakening and kundalini have also appeared. I have also endeavoured to write several mini books like this one, to present the elements of different kinds of yoga for the use of average readers. It is advisable to use practical formulas for karma, jnana and bhakti yogas simultaneously. I have also presented an integral path in the book on Hatha yoga, which gives a balanced combination of different kind of yogas, and it is more effective than any single path of yoga. With the grace of God, one can awaken one’s kundalini in a single lifetime.

To impart knowledge on various ways of self-realisation, I established AKYQS with centres in different parts of the world. It is my cherished dream to establish a centre of learning somewhere Outside the busy city life, with a library, a hail for yoga and lectures, and rooms to stay. Those interested in knowing one’s true self, can certainly help in the mission in various ways.