Karma Yoga

Background of Karma Yoga In the Bhagavad Gita there is a summary about process of Karma Yoga In it is an elaborate dialogue between the Pandava Prince Arjuna, and his long time compatriot and chariot driver, Sri Krishna, on the eve of a great dynastic war. Their conversation is set off by Arjuna being engulfed by sorrow and misgivings about the looming war. In it he sees friends and relatives on both sides. In reply, Sri Krishna explains several philosophical Yoga systems and practices. One of them is Karma Yoga, called the Yoga of Action, through the practice of which he would be required to pursue the fight on righteous grounds. As with a lot of other Hindu philosophies, Karma Yoga is based on the general comprehension of the philosophies of Karma and Reincarnation (Samsara). The Hindus believe that an individual is born with certain Samskars (Karma's). They are both positive and negative, and come from past lives that impel the individual to perform certain actions in this life time. This cycle persists until he / she arrives at a zero balance, (karmas nullified). In this state the individual is said to have attained liberation. Adi Shankaracharya, said to be the founder of modern day Hinduism says that the individual purifies his / her mind through the practice of Karma Yoga. Some others consider personalities like Gautama the Buddha to have been Karma Yogis Buddha for acting entirely without motive. In fact, history reveals him as the greatest man ever to have graced the earth, beyond compare, the greatest combination of Head & Heart that ever existed. The modern-day Hindu Saint Mata Amritanandamayi says: "The beauty and charm of selfless love and service should never fades away from the face of the earth.” Kinds of Karma Basically there are three kinds of Karma. They are called Sanchita or the accumulated karmas, Prarabdha or the current karmas, and Agami or the expected karmas. Sanchita constitutes all the accumulated Karmas of past lifetimes of an individual. Part of it is visible in a man’s character, evinced by his tendencies and aptitudes, capabilities, tendencies and desires.Prarabdha is that segment of the part of Karma that is responsible for a body in the current life time. These karmas are ripe for reaping and can’t be avoided or altered. They can only be worn out through living them out, just as an individual settles past debts. Agami are those karmas that are now being created for the future. This type of karma is also called Kriyamana or Vartamana. There is a beautiful analogy in Vedic lore. An archer has already shot an arrow. The arrow it has left his bow. There is no way he can recall it and he is about to shoot another one. The bundle of arrows in his quiver contains his Sanchita karmas. The one he has shot represents his Prarabdha and the one that he is about to let loose from his bow constitutes his Agami karma. Of these, the archer has complete control over the Sanchita and Agami karmas. Nevertheless, he has to very meticulously work out his Prarabdha. The past that has started to take effect, he has to undergo. There are three kinds of actions, they are good, bad and mixed. Good Karmas are those that make the individual Divine, a god or angel in heaven. Bad Karmas cast the individual you into lower wombs. Mixed actions are responsible for giving an individual a human birth. All karmas are a blend of good and evil. In this world, there are seldom absolute good karmas or absolute bad karmas. This manifest universe constitutes a relative plane in which, if a person performs an action, it will do some good in one corner, and some evil in another corner. Hence we must all strive to perform actions which will bring us maximum good and minimum evil.