Karma yoga enables you to constantly be engaged in spiritual practice, even when you're at work, caring for your family, or just "hanging out." But, what exactly are you supposed to DO in that practice? Sri Krishna's advice is hidden in plain view, among the verses of the Bhagavad Gita.
Even after reading and re-reading the Bhagavad Gita, many people fail to clearly understand exactly what they're supposed to do in the practice of karma yoga, because Sri Krishna's teachings are surprisingly subtle and extremely profound. Another difficulty is the fact that some of Sri Krishna's teachings have been turned into overly simplistic cliches or trite sayings, like karma yoga is selfless service or devoting your deeds to God. Such expressions must be fully understood and their messages fully integrated into your daily life.
Karma yoga is a a sadhana, spiritual practice that's meant to help you attain the ultimate goal of spiritual life, a goal known as moksha, liberation, enlightenment, or simply, freedom from worldly suffering. Such a lofty goal can be reached only by those who are completely dedicated to it. And that kind of complete dedication is impossible as long as you are focused on gaining pleasure, comfort, intimacy, money and so on.
According to Sri Krishna, those pursuits will never culminate in a state of perfect peace and contentment. When you clearly recognize the impossibility of gaining perfect peace and contentment through worldly pursuits, your orientation towards life will undergo a radical shift, a shift in which you give up seeking that contentment through worldly pursuits, and instead, seek it through spiritual growth. That inner transformation prepares you for the practice of karma yoga.
Simply put, karma yoga is not something you do, but rather, it's a specific, prayerful attitude that you cultivate, and hold in your mind and heart, while you carry out your daily activities. First and foremost, that attitude is based on knowing that you are merely an agent of action. That means, you do not produce the fruits or results of your actions.
This profound principle is expressed in one of the most frequently quoted verses in the Bhagavad Gita, karmani eva adhikaras te, ma phaleshu kadacana. To paraphrase the verse, you have control over your actions, but you have no control over their results because those results are in Ishvara's hands so to speak, not in your hands.
When you become mindful of this fact, every time you perform a deed, whatever it might be, you can recognize Ishvara's direct involvement as the giver of results. To prayerfully appreciate Ishvara's presence in all your activities can help you develop deep feelings of reverence and gratitude. In this way, karma yoga can bring a prayerful dimension to everything you do.
Swami Tadatmananda is a traditionally-trained teacher of Advaita Vedanta, meditation, and Sanskrit. For more information, please see: https://www.arshabodha.org/