Karma Yoga - The Path of Action
Through selfless action performed as an offering to the Divine, one attains liberation.
Karma Yoga is the path of selfless action. Rather than renouncing work, we transform its quality by dedicating it to a higher purpose. Every action becomes worship when performed without selfish motive. This path is ideal for those with active temperaments who find stillness difficult. The Gita's term for it is nishkama karma—action performed without attachment to its fruits.
Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme.
Vivekananda popularized Karma Yoga in the West, teaching that work done with the right attitude is as liberating as deep meditation.
Bhagavad Gita
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- What the Bhagavad Gita says about purpose
The Gita's answer for people who cannot sit still: do not give up the work, give up the attachment to what the work will bring you. It asks for action taken as a matter of duty.