Talk:Pursuit of Mokṣa by the Married Couple:Karmayog

By Vishal Agarwal

As the householder is ever engaged in fulfilling his duties (karm and dharm) and these have respective fruits – good and evil – how can a householder overcome the fetters of karm and attain mokṣa?

In the Bhagavad Gītā, the path of Karmyog teaches us how we can remain engaged in the saṃsāra actively and yet escape the traps of karm that cause us to be bound, helplessly as it were, to the wheel of saṃsāra. The path of Karmyog states that all the sensations of our sense organs – such as pain, happiness, sorrow, heat, cold etc. – are temporary. Nothing lasts forever. Therefore, we should bear them with patience, and not get infatuated with negative emotions, nor should we get attracted by worldly temptations.

Instead, we should continue to do our duty (svadharm) at all times just because it ought to be done, and without any desire of fruits resulting from doing them. We must offer the fruit of our karm to Bhagavān. In this, all action is spiritualized and becomes an act of worship. Some teachers call this mode of performing action as Nārāyaṇa-bhāva, or karm that is performed as an act of worship to the Lord.

The Gītā too describes this attitude of work as worship:

He from whom the natural activities (or duties) of all beings arise and by Whom all this is pervaded, by worshipping Him through the performance of his own duty does a person attains perfection. Gītā 18.46

It is beyond the scope of the present compilation to explain the path of Karmyog in detail. Some verses illustrating the core principles may be cited:

Whatever ever-changing objects exist in these destructible worlds, they all must be regarded as indwelt (or enveloped) by the Divine Ruler. By this understanding, enjoy all objects with a spirit of renunciation. Do not ever covet anyone’s wealth. Yajurveda, Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 1

Doing karm in this world indeed must one desire to live for a hundred years. Thus it is for you, and not otherwise than this. Karms do not taint such a person. Yajurveda, Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 2

He shall not fulfill his sacred duties merely in order to acquire these worldly objects (as fame, gain, and honor). Āpastamba Dharmasūtra 1.7.20.1

For when they ought to bring rewards, (duties thus fulfilled) become fruitless. Āpastamba Dharmasūtra 1.7.20.2

(Worldly benefits) are produced as accessories (to the fulfillment of the law), just as in the case of a mango tree, which is planted in order to obtain fruit, shade and fragrance (are accessory advantages). Āpastamba Dharmasūtra 1.7.20.3

But if (worldly advantages) are not produced, (then at least) the sacred duties have been fulfilled. Āpastamba Dharmasūtra 1.7.20.4

A Householder’s Karmyog Checklist

The following Karmyog checklist will be useful to a householder for ensuring that his engagement with his family, his professional colleagues, friends and society at large will be an aid and not a hindrance in his journey towards mokṣa.

A Progressive Karmayoga Checklist

Attempt to be a Yes on initial questions first, before you get a Yes on later ones, and not vice versa. Later, ensure that an overwhelming majority, if not all, of your answers to the questions below are Yes.

No.	Karmyog Quality	Question	Yes	No
1	Dharm	Do my actions meet the ethical standards of the scriptures? Is it Dharmically the right thing to do?
2	Svadharm	Am I performing my own personal duty instead of unnecessarily interfering in the work of others just because what they do is more glamorous or lucrative?
3	Śraddhā	Am I doing my karma with full faith that it must be done and that doing it is my duty? Do I really believe in what I am doing?
4	Prasādabuddhi	Am I doing my karma with a smile, with joy, with a sense of gratitude and thanks towards everything that I have, and without grumbling or grudging?
5	Sattva	Have I considered the various options, and various ways of doing the karma, and have chosen the option which is most ethical, most rational, does the least harm, is most beneficial and is most in tune with Dharmic and spiritual values, even if that option is not the easy one?
6	Nirdvandva	Am I sure that I am not doing my present karma because I am addicted to doing it, or because of infatuation (rāga) with something or for someone? Am I sure that I am not doing my present karma because of dislike or hatred towards something or someone, or because I hate (dveṣa) to do other kinds of work?
7	Nirahaṃkāra	Am I doing my karma with humility, and without pride, ego and arrogance?
8	Akrodha	Am I sure that I am not doing my karma out of anger against someone or something, or to harm someone?
9	Nirmoha	Am I sure that I am doing my karma with full knowledge of its purpose, impact etc., and not in ignorance or under delusion?
10	Samatvam	Did I do my karma without worrying too much about its success or failure, and without getting excited about temporary setbacks or achievements? Did I face all challenges on the way with patience, bravely and cheerfully?
11	Nirveda / Niṣkāma	Am I sure that I have no selfish motive or desire in doing my karma?
12	Lokasaṃgraha	Am I motivated in doing my karma for the greater good of the society and the world, and am not keeping my self-interest above the good of others?
13	Sevā	Am I doing my karma in the spirit of voluntary service, to benefit others, and not just myself?
14	Nirmama	Am I sure that I did not get attached to my karma itself? Am I doing it because it was the right thing to do, not because that is what I want to do?
15	Karmakaushalam	Did I perform my karma with full focus and effort, to the best of my ability, with full dexterity, and with the goal of purifying my own ātman?
16	Ātmabhāva	Am I treating everyone impacted by my karma, or everyone that I interact with while doing my karma, equally, and with fairness and justice and with the understanding that the ātman in everyone is the same?
17	Ātmaupamya	Have I practiced total empathy in my dealings with others? Have my ego and consciousness expanded to include everyone else as a part of me?
18	Phala-tyāga	Have I offered any karm-phala that I will get to the Lord?
19	Karm-Pūjā	Have I performed my karm with devotion as if it were a Pūjā of the Lord?
20	Nārāyaṇa-bhāva	Have I treated everyone and everything that I encountered while performing my karma as if it, he or she were a manifestation of my Lord, and kept the Lord in my heart always?

In addition to Karmyog, the path of Bhaktiyog is also open to the householders.