Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga- The Path of Action
Actions can be of various kinds and nature. Some are binding while others are liberating. The path of action encourages those actions that lead to liberation.
Selfish action
Some people live for their own selfish happiness and for no other reason. They are highly motivated to act by their matter inclined impulses and longing for material rewards like wealth, name, fame, prosperity and sensory happiness. Even when they do service to others or humanitarian work, it is with a selfish reason.
Inaction
Some people through misunderstanding of scriptures think that all human activities and ambitions are the outcome of egotism and hence in the name of being unattached to the fruits of actions, become mentally and physically slothful and idle.
True inaction occurs when devotee has free himself from all karma-producing actions, both evil and good. He is then through with all compulsory actions and reaches the state of inaction (complete freedom from necessity and desire for action). Now all actions are non-binding. After attaining this state of inaction, the way is open for devotee’s liberation.
Material action
Material actions are those that are performed in connection with the physical body and are gross and tangible. A seeker/devotee performs material actions (cleanliness, right diet, proper worldly behaviour), to purify his body and make it more harmonious for spiritual actions.
Desireless action
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥ २-४७
In verse 47 of Chapter 2 of Bhagwad Geeta Lord Krishna says- "You have the right to work only but never to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction." Any actions that are performed without the desire for rewards are liberating.
Spiritual action
Spiritual actions are those that are performed and imperatively required to know one's innate nature/essence/spirit. Spiritual actions (dispassion to sense objects, self inquiry, intuition, meditation etc), are subtle and intangible.
Egoless action
In verse 30 of Chapter of Bhagwad Geeta, Lord Krishna exhorts Arjuna to relinquish all actions to Him. Actions that are performed 'without' the sense of 'I am the doer' are egoless actions. A deluded man thinks "I am the doer' not knowing that all actions are instigated by the attributes of Nature (प्रकृति). Any action however noble when performed with the sense of 'I am the doer' is binding. Only by realising 'I am not the doer' the seeker is freed from all karmic bondage.
Righteous action
When a wise man acts as guided by inner discrimination/intuition born out of identification with Spirit/Soul, any action that he performs is the righteous action. He finds great inner satisfaction, and is not hurt by failure nor overjoyed at success. He also does not see himself as the doer of actions hence freeing him from both actions and results of actions. Such kind of a man can eat, sleep, walk, exercise, earn money, and do good in the world with no resultant karmic bondage.
Inaction in action
One who sees inaction in action, has attained the goal of all actions and is free. A seeker/devotee/yogi identified with the Spirit and not his body and mind, can see that the Spirit does all action and it was foolish of him to think that he was the doer. While performing all actions he stops seeing himself as the doer and is liberated.
Action in inaction
First one sees 'inaction in action' and then sees 'action in inaction', meaning that all that is happening in the cosmos, he only is the doer! Jesus said- "Before Abraham Was, I Am" (John 8:48-59)