Sacred Work: Transforming Life’s Purpose with Karma Yoga
Life is inherently tied to work, an unavoidable aspect of existence. Yet, within each individual, there lies the potential for spiritual growth, awaiting cultivation through introspection and enlightenment. With nurturing care, our awareness and comprehension of the world flourish. As we deepen our understanding, we naturally question the pace of hustle culture, yearning for meaningful and purposeful work instead.
As per the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna has answered this question and showed us a way to overcome this suffering of finding purpose. He says the most important thing is
INTENTION
Changing our attitude towards work and the consciousness we bring to the work.
For ex-, There is a work assigned to build a house. The motivation can be as follows.
- Flow of money at the end of the day
- The work is satisfactory, and there is pleasure in the work.
- It is a work of God.
Karma yoga involves changes of consciousness — doing every work, we do a SACRED WORK just by our pure intention regarding the same.
Shloka 2.47 says :
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties but are not entitled to the fruits of your action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of the activities, nor be attached to inaction.
Do not perceive yourself as the sole doer; acknowledge that a higher power orchestrates all and, thus, guard against pride.
In conclusion:
The attitude needs to be changed - that is all required. The work remains the same; the difference is in its consciousness.
Hence, in karma yoga, we add devotion to work and do the same work with complete awareness. We do this for the pleasure of god, and with this, we find pleasure, satisfaction and purpose in every work we do :)
PS: I have had this question for a while. I came across a lecture on 2.47 shloka by Swami Mukundananda (Link), and he beautifully explained a new outlook to see the work we do or “ Karma”. Through this blog, I have tried to summarise what I have learned from his teachings on this shloka.
