Karma [action] is the very foundation of Bhakthi [devotion].

It is the basement on which devotion is built.

Do good deeds, you get good in return.

Do bad deeds, you reap bad results;

Do not blame God, thank yourself, blame yourself.
 

Every one in the world is seen engaged in some activity or other, all the time. Yet, very few know the significance and worth-whileness of Karma; or, how best to realise the best results out of this inescapable trait. Hence, life is being made banal and barren. Karma-yoga teaches man the awareness of this significance and guides him along to achieve the maximum benefit out of the activity. Where, when and how Karma has to be done, how spiritual urges can reinforce strength of mind in the performance of Karma, and how Karma is to be taken up so that spiritual development can result - these are taught to us by the Karma-yoga.

There is one great objection raised by some people about this and we have to pay some attention to it. The objection is that Karma Yoga involves too much physical strain. But, basically, it is the company that one keeps that decides the strain and the stress that the mind and the body of man are subjected to. "I like very much to engage myself in only this task"

"I sought only to do good to him, but, he ignored my desire and tried to injure me"; these are the usual causes for the strain and stress mentioned above. Such disappointment makes one lose interest in activity. It wants to do good and it seeks to do good to some one in some way, hoping to derive joy there from and distribute joy. When such joy does not arise, despair sets in.

But, without getting attached, without being aware as to whom the Karma helps or how, the lesson that Karma Yoga teaches is - do the Karma, as Karma, for the sake of the Karma. Why does the Karma-yogi fill his hands with work? That is his real nature; he feels that he is happy, while doing work. That is all. He does not bargain for results; he is not urged by any calculation. He gives, but never receives. He knows no grief, no disappointment; for he has not hoped for any benefit.

The real purpose of performing Karma is only to get rid of Ahamkara or Mineness; Karma or Work, offered for the love of God comes back as Grace. This is the strategy of escaping the bondage of Samsara. One must persuade the heart to meditate; persuade the heart and you persuade the people. If you do wrong, your heart feels it. The heart is a witness. Move from the gross to the subtle, from the sense, the mind and the intellect, getting closer to the Atman.

The effulgence of Atman transcends the senses, whose nature is fickleness. The senses do not have the capacity or power of decisiveness. Karma and Upasana are the two wings which enable us to fly upward to God. Karma is for disciplining the body, mind, and intellect; Karma is not slavery to senses or fate. Life is a long journey which is helped by Yantra, Tantra and Mantra; these make the journey easier. We must reduce our luggage. Being detached in Samsara is like mascara in the eye, like Ghee on the tongue; one need not leave the worldly activity. The journey should be continued till the end. Don't get off the train in wayside stations. One should pursue one's Svadharma, one's own calling, till the end of the journey. One should reach the real destination with enthusiasm and animation, with a pure heart. Your pole-star or light is the name of God; that supreme light is the light of life, Jivanjyothi.

The performance of duty by the God-given body is essential. Man's accumulated blemish or sin is washed away by such action. Karmakanda, the field of action, is like the flower from which follows the Upasana Kanda, the field of spiritual practice, which is like the raw fruit. This subsequently ripens into a sweet fruit of Jnana, Knowledge.

It is often said one cannot cross the path of Karma on a dusty road. It is only when you stop the moving vehicle that one is overtaken by the trailing dust. So long as you keep moving or performing Karma in a detached way, you are not overtaken by its bondage. Narada, who is omniscient, did not leave the field of action or Karmakanda.

All the lights of life are lit up on Divali day; so, light up the darkness of the past, which enveloped the Light of the Real Self in the past. The technique is to remove the threads of attachment one by one; at the end, the 'cloth' disappears and the mind is clear and pure.
The mind is a bundle of desires. It is necessary to live in seclusion in order to avoid the wrong paths, thereby avoiding the five wrongs or blemishes of sight, mind, action, and intellect. Moksha or liberation is nothing but Mohakshaya, the depletion of infatuation of the mind. One should engage in spiritual practices, Sadhana, to the extent feasible. Strength and support are gained thereby for the performance of one's own duties and actions. Imitation and invidious comparisons with others are harmful and weakening.

Pursue the 5 F's in life:
Follow the heart, the conscience, the Atma in the heart;
Follow an adept in spiritualism;
Face the devil or evil without fear or favor;
Fight to the end; and
Finish the game of life with success and liberation.

Offering all the deeds of man at the feet of the Lord is the real yajna. Every action performed by man must be considered as an offering to the Lord and as the Lord's work itself---Sathya Sai