Background of Karma Yoga

In the Bhagavad Gita there is a summary about process of Karma Yoga.



The Bhagavad Gita is itself a chapter from a larger work. It is the mighty epic called the Mahabharata.



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.”