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Benefits of Karma Yoga

CHENNAI: Jnana Yoga is very difficult to attain, especially for those in the normal stream of life. It implies not merely renouncing worldly life, but having a mind that is pure and one with the Supreme Brahman. That is why Lord Krishna propagates the practice of Karma Yoga that gradually prepares one for the pure state of mind of a Jnani.

None can live without action of some kind or the other, says Lord Krishna explaining the nuances of Karma Yoga. Breathing, seeing, thinking, etc., are built in our psycho-physical mechanism, and these are all part of action.

It is also true that action and consequences are inseparable. So how is it possible for one to transcend the bondage of Karma is the legitimate question for all. The advice is to dedicate all actions to the Lord — that is believe that one acts on behalf of God — and also give up any expectation of reward for the act.

In this advice to surrender the actions and their fruits to the Lord, there are hidden benefits for the individual, said Sri Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal in a lecture. All our actions will bear fruit, and since we have entrusted all our acts to God, He will dispense the fruit appropriately. In addition, He will confer the most important requisite for Jnana, the pure mind (Chitta Sudhi), and as a bonus, cause the flowering of Bhakti towards Him. In this way, we will always be thinking of God. Gaining Bhakti is also not easy, and it has to take root in one's consciousness so that a unique bond with God is built. Then it can be practised in one's day-to-day life.

The devout Kuchela's life illustrates this truth vividly. He was Lord Krishna's childhood friend, but also saw Him as the divine incarnate. He lived in poverty. Once his wife prompted him to visit Lord Krishna. Kuchela met Lord Krishna with mixed feelings — he was uncomfortable with his simple gift (beaten rice) and delayed offering it to Him.

But the all-knowing Lord took it from him and ate it with great relish and blessed him in unexpected ways. The poverty in his family was gone through His grace.

Kuchela gained the Jnana that all this wealth is fleeting, and he began to contemplate on the eternal bliss of God realisation.

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