Working in the material world and Karma yoga FAQ


WORK

KARMA YOGA






WORK


I work in an office at the moment. Is this this creating negative karma?

It is not so much the type of occupation, as the motivation for work that creates karma. When we work for our own benefit, we create karmic reactions in the future. When we offer the result of our work to the Lord, then we are freed from karma because our work is on the platform of transcendence.


Whether we work in the mode of goodness, passion or ignorance, our work creates karma, and therefore we have to take another material body in the future to receive the results of our actions. But when we work under the direction of the Lord, offering the results of our work to Him, we are freed from karma.

This subject is discussed in detail in Bhagavad-gita, Chapters 3 and 5. If you really want to understand this Esoteric Teaching, you should study the entire Bhagavad-gita carefully.

 

Im surrounded by nature I have two choices for work, (a)Organic farming, or, (b) Dairy farming. Which sits better in karma?

Why not do both? The cow dung once composted makes the best fertilizer. Looking after cows is very good karma. In this connection there is a very nice story about Lord Caitanya.


Being born in the family of a qualified brahmana is considered a very high birth in this world. Even though brahmanas are generally poor materially, they are rich in spiritual knowledge. So anyone born into that environment is positioned to make great progress in spiritual life. One can attain that exalted birth simply by taking care of cows.

Organic produce is a growing business (pun fully intended!) and a wonderful opportunity these days.

However, killing Krsna's cows or other animals for meat is not very spiritual. Without mercy we cannot attain love, and killing animals destroys the quality of mercy. Be very cautious about associating yourself with the sources of misery.



How do we survive material work?

A student writes:





I am tired of my material job now and feel like packing it in. Is this normal?

You know you're making advancement when you lose your taste for material fruitive work.


The materialistic profit motive is actually the bait in the trap of material existence. Krsna calls Arjuna Dhanañjaya, "winner of wealth," in this sloka because He is actually talking to everyone who is caught up in the struggle for monetary gain in the material world. The demoniac personality is overcome with greed:


But the spiritually realized person thinks, "Krsna is so kind. Somehow or other I have enough to eat, a humble place to live and eternal engagement in His service." He looks for every opportunity to reduce his material attachment and carry less baggage of attachment. I quoted this sloka in a podcast:


Or as Jesus said, taking the point to the extreme, "For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" [Mark 8:36]



Should I just go on the dole then? I am fed up of exploitation.

A student writes:


That's right; I also worked in the IT industry for many years as a tech writing contractor. The people I worked with were intelligent but spiritually they were agnostic and morally they were just regular meat-eating dogs. At least the work was somewhat interesting and in the mode of goodness, and it helped me develop good writing, technical and project-management skills.

But at home I always had a beautiful altar, all kinds of transcendental book and music projects going, and continuously tried to present the Esoteric Teaching of Krsna consciousness. First I tried to preach to the devotees, but then after some time I realized that they had been so conditioned by organizational politics that they would not hear from anyone who did not have a big position in some religious organization. So I just started preaching to anyone and everyone on the web, going to Rainbow Gatherings and such, gradually sincere people were attracted and now here we are with 200 registered students (in 2007), worldwide Internet videoconferencing and so forth.

So if your spiritual practice at home is strong, then you can work in the business world and not be (too much) affected. It is very useful to have the material facility that a good income provides, especially if you can engage it in spiritual activities. This karma-yoga is much better engagement than just going on the dole and sitting around, especially in the beginning of spiritual life. Once you are advanced and have developed a strong taste for chanting, you can retire to a secluded place and chant intensively to attain realization. But even that is not forever; there is so much preaching and teaching work to be done.
 
It's very important that a devotee has the right form of livelihood. The best idea is organic farming. This business is on the increase all over. Even in Mexico there are organic farms that export most of their produce to the US and Europe. It's health promoting and ethical. Sure beats being an office slave for a big impersonal company. Farming is a noble profession. You can lease a piece of land and get into it with minimal investment.

I don't have much money and often run into problems because of this. Are you able to give an astrology reading so I can see the best way for me to make money?

If I did a full astrological profile for everyone who wanted it, I would be doing nothing but free astrological counseling. If you have a specific question, I can take a look, but you also have to contribute something to our community.

Poverty is a symptom of the mode of ignorance. If you're suffering from poverty, the cure is to cultivate the mode of goodness and perform devotional service to accumulate pious activities. You don't need astrology as much as chanting, studying Śrīla Prabhupāda's books, and performance of pious activities.

Specifically, you need to read Bhagavad-gītā and understand your position in the modes of material nature. That is key to getting out of your difficult situation.

Everyone in material consciousness is more of less insane, because they are thinking that they are this material body. Sanity, real sanity means to realize oneself as a spirit soul, a transcendental being different from the body and more closely related to God than to this world. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes:

So study this great Esoteric teaching, take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make a definite, permanent solution to the problems of life.




We are meant to be detached from the results of our work, but what about feelings of attachment for working for Krsna?

There are two kinds of attachment: material and spiritual. We should be detached from material things and attached to spiritual things. There is even a stage of spiritual advancement called attachment (athāsakti) described in the ("ādau śraddhā" sloka, quoted below.


So we should be detached from material designations and possessions, the results of our work, wife, family, children, house, wealth, pride, position and especially from sinful activity. And we should be attached to our devotional service, guru, sanga, Godbrothers, the Deity, chanting, hearing, studying the scriptures, and especially our transcendental affection for the Lord and His spiritual pleasure.

Does the word 'fruitive activity' mean 'materialistic activity' or 'general good activity' or something else? I could not get the meaning in the English dictionaries. Because without this meaning, I am getting confused in the sentences wherever it is used, like:

a. One should simply satisfy Krsna, without being influenced by fruitive knowledge or fruitive activity.

b. Bhakti and niskarma are on the same platform, although devotional service and fruitive activity appear almost the same.

'Fruitive' here means materially motivated activity. Everyone works with some motivation. Most people work to gain material wealth, status and facility. This is the one cause of all karmic reactions. Whether our work is good or bad, according to the law of karma, we have to accept a material body to experience the result. So fruitive work is the cause of material bondage.

No one can live without doing something, even for a moment. We are active even in our dreams. We cannot stop activity or work. So the only practical solution to getting free from the law of karma is to perform our activities for the Lord, as karma-yoga.

For example, suppose I must work in a factory or business to support myself. If I offer my income, as far as possible, to the guru or saintly persons who are doing pure devotional service, then my money is purified. If I offer my house as a temple of the Lord, and place a nice altar in a prominent place, then I purify my house. If I offer my food to the Lord, then I purify my food. If I engage my family members is works of spiritual service, teaching and preaching, then I purify my family, etc.

This is why I advise all my Students to organize regular local group meetings to study the Esoteric Teaching in their homes. It is not for my benefit it is to benefit you by purifying your home, friends and family, so they will not become a karmic burden. If your service is successful, and your group grows, in the future you will be able to establish a nice temple, and you can devote full time to spiritual activities.











KARMA YOGA

I wish to realise accurately What is Karma? I also wish to realise the Laws of Nature and the Laws of Karma.

Regarding karma, there are two subjects: karma and karma-yoga. Karma is a vast subject, and we can only give an overview in a single post. Karma is the law of material cause and effect, and the original cause is Krsna:

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes. [Brahma-samhita 5.1]

The transcendental bodily form of the Lord is eternal, blissful, and all-satisfying. His so-called birth in this world is therefore an appearance only, like the appearance of the sun on the horizon. Unlike the birth of the living entities, His appearance does not take place under the influence of material nature and the bondage of the reactions of past deeds. His works and activities are independent pastimes directed by His sweet transcendental will, not subject to the reactions of material nature. In Bhagavad-gita 4.14, Krsna reveals:

There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.

The law of karma enacted by the Supreme Lord for the conditioned living entities cannot be applicable to Him, for He is ever-liberated; nor has the Lord any desire to improve Himself by activities like those of ordinary living beings. Ordinary living beings work for the improvement of their conditioned lives. But the Lord is already full of all opulence, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. Why should He desire improvement? No one can excel Him in any opulence, and therefore the desire for improvement is absolutely useless for Him.

One should therefore always discriminate between the activities of the Lord and those of ordinary living beings. Then one may come to the right conclusion regarding the Lord’s transcendental position. One who can come to the conclusion of the Lord’s transcendence can become a devotee of the Lord and can at once be free from all reactions of past deeds. It is said, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājāṁ [Brahma-samhita. 5.54]: the Lord minimizes or nullifies the reactionary influence of the devotee’s past deeds. As He declares at the conclusion of Bhagavad-gita:

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. [Bg. 18.66]

So although we are currently under the rule of the laws of karma, we can get free from them by simply surrendering to the Lord. If instead of working in material consciousness as a cog in the wheel of some impersonal corporation, we surrender to the Lord and become His personal servant, working to forward His purposes under the direction of the spiritual Master Teacher, then we become personally protected by the Lord, and all our worries are over.

This method of attaining relief from all material miseries has to be experienced to be properly appreciated. In conditioned consciousness, we are always in fear of the laws of karma, material action and reaction. In that consciousness, life without fear is simply inconceivable. Yet the devotee becomes fearless and free from all kinds of misery simply by surrendering to the Lord within his heart and chanting His Holy Name.

In the material concept of life, when one works for sense gratification, there is fear and misery, but in the absolute consciousness, when one is engaged in pure devotional service, there is no misery. The devotee in Krsna consciousness has nothing for which to lament or desire. Since God is full with all perfection and wonderful qualities, a living entity who is engaged in God’s service, devoted to the Lord in Krsna consciousness, becomes also fully satisfied in himself (ātmā-rāma).

The devotee who has become cleansed of all material karmic work is just like a river cleansed of all dirty water. Because a pure devotee has no thought other than Krsna, he is naturally always joyful. He does not lament for any material loss or aspire for material gain, because he is full in the service of the Lord. He has no desire for material enjoyment, because he knows that every living entity is a fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and therefore eternally a servant. He does not see anyone as higher or lower in the material world; higher and lower positions are ephemeral, and a devotee has nothing to do with ephemeral appearances or disappearances. For him stone and gold are of equal value; they are both the external material energy of the Lord.

This is the brahma-bhuta stage, and this stage is attained very easily by the pure devotee.

Always engaging in the activities of devotional service, devotees feel ever-increasingly fresh and new in all their activities. The all-knower, the Supersoul within the heart of the devotee, makes everything increasingly fresh. This is known as the Brahman position by the advocates of the Absolute Truth. In such a liberated stage [brahma-bhuta], one is never bewildered. Nor does one lament or become unnecessarily jubilant. This is due to the brahma-bhuta situation. [SB 4.30.20]

In that stage of existence, the idea of becoming one with the Supreme Brahman and annihilating one’s individuality becomes hellish, the idea of attaining the heavenly kingdom becomes phantasmagoria, and the material lows of karma are like serpents’ teeth that are broken. As there is no fear of a serpent with broken teeth, there is no fear from the law of karma when they are automatically controlled. The world is miserable for the materially infected person, but for a devotee the entire world is as good as Vaikuntha, or the spiritual sky. The highest personality in this material universe is no more significant than an ant for a devotee. Such a stage can be achieved by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, who preached pure devotional service in this age, and this is the goal of the Esoteric Teaching.

What is karma yoga?

You can find some nice explanatory essays on this subject here. Please go through them all for a good understanding of karma yoga.

Krsna says,


If someone wants to enjoy this material world, then their work toward that end will generate karmic reactions that they must accept by taking another material body. Why? Because they desire the results of their activities. But neither the materials, nor the energy, nor the instrument with which they perform this work—the human body and mind—actually belong to them, for everything is the property of the Supreme Lord. So actually they are all thieves. The only way to counteract this theft is to offer our body, mind, energy, activity and the results of our activity in service to the Lord. Otherwise our work simply creates a never-ending spiral of material cause and effect that binds us to this material world.

At the very least, one must offer his food to the Lord. Better is to become the disciple of a self-realized soul and dedicate one's work and resources to spreading the Esoteric Teaching of the Vedas. Best of all is to dedicate one's life completely to the service of the Lord. Then one is excused from all karmic reactions and does not return to this world of suffering, birth and death. All this is possible through sacrifice, for Vedic sacrifice is directly the Supreme Lord.


This 'concealed incarnation' is, of course, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who has given the process of nama-sankirtana or chanting the Holy Name of the Lord. Therefore one should find a self-realized spiritual master who has achieved success in the matter of chanting, and assist him with body, mind and words to spread this process everywhere and anywhere, and by all means and methods. This dedicated mode of life is itself the liberated platform of spiritual existence, for one's work is completely dedicated to the process of sacrifice.




Is karma yoga just working with detachment?

Although working with detachment is an important component of karma-yoga, actually, karma-yoga is specifically sacrificing or offering the results of our work to the Lord or His representative. The classic example is Arjuna fighting the Battle of Kuruksetra. Left to himself, Arjuna wouldn't have done it, because he couldn't see any gain from it, either for himself or for his family members. But Krsna convinced him that fighting the battle was worthwhile because He wanted it. So Arjuna fought as a sacrifice of his fighting skills to Krsna.

Similarly, we may not immediately see how we or others profit from performing devotional service to the Lord; after all, karma-yoga is more than just going to church or so-called yoga class once a week—it is a lifestyle, a real spiritual path. But the Lord wants us to do it, therefore it is in our best interest to follow His instructions. Everyone works because they want some result. Giving up the result of our work seems unnatural, counterintuitive. But this sacrifice can uplift us from the gross physical platform of existence to the transcendental platform, because by following Krsna's order we become His servants. This is a very good thing, because it puts us into relationship with Him, and because He exists on the spiritual platform, then so do we.

For example, when we have Deities we worship Them daily, cooking nice food, offering so many valuable presentations, bathing and dressing Them, decorating Their altar, etc. By treating the Deity like a king and worshiping Him on a royal level of opulence, we experience detachment from the results of our work, and actually we become like servants in the palace of a great king. Which is better: to be the master of a hovel, or a servant in the king's palace?

I suppose the answer depends on how much we are attached to the false ego of being the master. Actually, the mastery and enjoyment of the material world is the basis of our slavery to the grinding process of material existence. Everyone in this world is suffering, but we can't give it up because of our attachment to the false ego of being the master, the enjoyer. Changing our false material identity to the real ego of being a servant of the Lord also releases us from the karmic chains that bind us to material existence. This release or liberation from karma has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.

Therefore the real spiritual training is when we give up the artificial position of master and enjoyer of the material world, and voluntarily become the servant of our spiritual master and the Lord. The spiritual master trains the disciple in serving the eternal Master, Krsna, based on his own experience in transcendental apprenticeship with his Master Teacher. The disciple gives up his false material identity for a spiritual identity based on his service. This is full practice of karma-yoga, and it quickly leads to liberation from material existence.

Later on, when his spiritual realization is complete, the disciple can become a householder or whatever he wants, but he can never forget that he is a servant of the Lord. This practical training in karma-yoga is the actual spiritual path. Everyone should take a few years out of their lives for the experience of monastic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual Master Teacher. We spend so much time and resources going to college to learn some mundane occupation, but who is intelligent enough to get a graduate-level spiritual education from a real spiritual Master Teacher? We can make a living doing anything in this world, but how many people understand their actual position as spirit soul, and apply it in practice by becoming full-time servants of the Lord?

So we should study the art and science of karma-yoga full time. Later on when you know the art, you can also become a spiritual master and teach others. This is very much wanted and needed in this benighted world, and will be a great service to humanity and to the Lord. That is real karma-yoga: it is a lifelong spiritual discipline that leads to the highest platform of living a liberated life while still in the material world.




Why is it important to understand karma yoga?

It is very important to understand karma-yoga, because it is the functional principle of all renunciation, sense control and practical devotional service. The more we engage in karma-yoga, then detachment from material existence, devotional service and even liberation follow automatically.


Everyone is trapped in material existence by the karmic reactions of work done to maintain the body and enjoy the senses. But when we give the results of our work for a transcendental cause, we are freed from the reactions caused by our work. That is the general principle of karma-yoga. Karma-yoga is superior to ordinary charity because charity is given to unqualified people who may misuse it for personal sense gratification, while sacrifice in karma-yoga is given to the most qualified persons: pure devotees of the Lord, to be used exclusively in His service. The Lord wants this kind of service as a condition for our release from this material world:


Everything we do in this material world for our own selfish benefit becomes a cause that generates unintended consequences, or karma. This accumulated karma, both good and bad, becomes the cause of our continued rebirth in this world. Even good karma is binding, because it forces us to take another body to receive its result.

The secret to spiritual liberation is karma-yoga, where one links all activities with God by performing them in His service. In other words, we have to change the motivation for our activities from selfish material lust to love of God. This spiritual art requires very expert personalized guidance from a self-realized soul who has mastered the practice. In Krsna's opinion:


In other words, merely externally stopping sinful activities like eating animal food cannot uproot the underlying cause of karmic bondage, because the selfish motivation—desire for material sense enjoyment—still persists. Karma-yoga means that through devotion we change the object of our desire from our own material enjoyment to the spiritual service of the Lord.

Then by this process of devotional service, we can even perform the exact same activities—for example in Arjuna's case, fighting in the Battle of Kuruksetra, or in our case, eating dairy products, making music, etc—but since we do them for the benefit of the Lord, following the Vedic religious principles in a mood of surrender and sacrifice, we are released from the karmic consequences by the power of divine grace. This is the esoteric mystery of liberation from material existence through devotional service. You can read more about karma-yoga in Bhagavad-gita Chapter 3.




I am just starting this process. How can I engage in karma yoga?

The full practice of karma-yoga is described in Bhagavad-gita 4.19:


The desire for material sense gratification is the root cause of material existence. When we work to serve ourselves, we become subject to the law of karma. As the creator, God is the source and therefore the owner of everything, including our material bodies. Since everything is His property, its purpose is to be used in His service, according to His instructions. But since we ignore those instructions and use His property in our own service, we become thieves. This theft is punishable by being subjected to the law of karma. Therefore we reap exactly what we sow: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This is the law of material existence.

However, when we realize that we are actually spiritual beings, as discussed in detail in the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, then we understand that the actual purpose of life is to engage the Lord's property and energy in His service. By following His instructions as revealed in the scriptures, we automatically become elevated in spiritual knowledge and cultivate detachment from selfish material sense enjoyment. Thus we become liberated from the law of karma because we are using His property in His service according to His instructions.

Thus the principle of karma-yoga is quite simple: we can even do the very same things we were doing before, but as spiritual service and according to religious principles instead of independently. Srila Prabhupada uses an example from Ayurvedic medicine to explain this astonishing fact:


The root activity is the same in both bondage and liberation, but the motivation and the presentation are different. Spiritual service is based on love of God, but as long as we are contaminated by material association, developing love of God is not easy. So in the beginning our practice of karma-yoga must be based on the occupational and spiritual duties given in the scriptures and advised by the spiritual master.

Therefore our practice of karma-yoga actually begins with chanting the Holy Names of God according to our faith, and offering our vegetarian food to the Lord with love and devotion, through the via medium of the spiritual master. The spiritual master links us with the Lord through the disciplic succession. So we place the untasted food before a nice picture of our spiritual master with the intention of offering it to the Lord through him. If we also offer some incense and nice prayers, this is very good.

The Holy Name is generally chanted using a mala of 108 beads. For each mantra count one bead. One chants all the way around the mala, and that is called one round. Then turn around and go back the other way, not chanting on the head bead. I generally recommend that one begins with 4 rounds a day and gradually increase. In this way we can begin our practice of karma-yoga immediately without any special facility.

Please also read the essays linked above for more ideas on how to engage in karma yoga.



I really appreciate the quality of your work and so am going to donate what I can while I go through the site.

Thank you for your appreciation and thanks in advance for your kind donation. A long time ago when I was just starting this site, I had to decide whether I was going for popularity and reaching large numbers of people or quality that would be appreciated only by a few. I chose the quality option because I didn't want to compete against so many other preaching missions that measure their success by numbers, and also I couldn't stand the idea of having a site that I myself would consider boring.

So take your time and go through the material slowly, giving yourself time to digest it. If you sacrifice some of your material resources in karma-yoga, you will find that Kṛṣṇa miraculously clears the way to deeper understanding and realization of His Esoteric Teaching. At least that is my experience.



Is karma yoga really necessary to make advancement?

The ancient system of the Esoteric Teaching relies on an exchange of service between the teacher and the disciple. The guru serves the student by giving teachings on the nature of self-realization and also practicing it himself; and the student serves the teacher by offering him menial service and guru-dakṣiṇā, or donations.

The fact is that if you possess material resources and do not offer at least some of them to your spiritual teacher, they will become a cause of falldown and retard your advancement on the spiritual path. The principle of karma-yoga is that offering one's material karma in sacrifice spiritualizes it, freeing us from reaction. If we do not offer it, then we have to be responsible for the reaction.

Even Kṛṣṇa offered guru-dakṣiṇā to His Spiritual Master Sandipani Muni:


I also offered guru-dakṣiṇā to my Spiritual Master Śrīla Prabhupāda:


So if you are getting benefit from our work then you should offer something, no matter how small, in return. Otherwise you will be simply taking without giving; what kind of a relationship is that? You will not be able to benefit from the teachings and practices you find here because of being ungrateful.

We are working hard many hours every day just to benefit you. If I were interested in my own benefit, I would simply sit down and chant the Holy Name. But we are creating so many publications and programs simply for the benefit of the whole world. If everyone who considers himself a student here gives just a little on a regular basis, then our program will be nicely funded and we can concentrate our complete energy on more transcendental services for your spiritual benefit.



I am currently going through financial troubles and have a family to support. I don't feel I can donate. Do I real need to?

I am not trying to browbeat people into making donations, nor am I greedy or in need of money. But from my own practical experience in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I am trying to encourage you to do something beneficial for your spiritual life. The principle of the thing is more important than the amount of the sacrifice. Just like when we offer food, we simply place a small morsel on Kṛṣṇa's plate and that represents the entire preparation. Similarly, if everyone offers even a small amount of their income on a regular basis, they will be cleansed of so much karma. This is not my idea, but the Lord's:


So it is very nice that you are taking good care of your family members, but this will not give you liberation from material existence; on the other hand, even though family activities are certainly a duty, they will bind you further to karmic activities by providing causes for future reactions. Somehow you have to find a way to dovetail your income-generating work with the service of the Lord. The easiest way is to donate something to maintain your spiritual community on a regular basis.



Are there practical examples of Karma Yoga in scripture? As a householder I don't think it is so important.

When Rupa Gosvami retired from government service, he gave 50% of his fortune in charity:


Actually it is VERY important for a householder to engage in karma yoga:


So even the Vaisnava standard that 50% of one's income should be engaged in devotional service is not enough; the Lord demands all of our energy and work should be dedicated to His service. That is the actual criterion of pure devotional service. Anything less will not earn His approval. That is my experience.

And if someone claims, "Oh I am not a rich government minister like Rūpa Gosvāmī, I am poor and therefore cannot give anything," then we have the example of Kholā-vecā Śrīdhara:


This is the actual standard for householders: if a householder is not giving 50% of his income to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas to support the devotional service of the Lord, then he is a miser, in a fallen condition and cannot advance in spiritual life.




I have decided to start painting for Krsna as part of my karma yoga. Is this OK?

It is wonderful that you are engaging your talent in Krsna's service. That is the real meaning of karma-yoga. Whatever talents, skills, energy or resources we are given by Krsna, we engage it in satisfying Him, that is the perfection of human life.


So it is a real blessing for you to do your artwork to glorify Krsna. We look forward to seeing it when you're done.




Karma yoga actually seems quite hard to do continuously. Like E=mc2 is actually more complex than it appears, this process appears simple and easy from an external point of view but is actually very deep and meaningful from an internal point of view. Is it really so tough without good association or am I missing something?

You are right; just to define E, m and c properly and completely requires a doctorate in Nuclear Physics. Einstein had to develop a whole new branch of mathematics, Tensor Calculus, to derive that simple formula. But if you study the philosophy of science, that will lead you to ontology; and if you study ontology, that will lead you to consciousness; and if you study consciousness, ah, that will lead you to Kṛṣṇa.

So why become entangled in so many detailed studies when you can just approach Kṛṣṇa directly and surrender? All it takes is sincerely chanting His Holy Name, and He will respond from within the heart. When your chanting matures, He will also manifest before you, because after all, you have been calling Him for so long with great feeling.

The association of devotees is the key to doing karma-yoga nicely. What you have said is correct: outside of that association, it is difficult or even impossible to do continuously. If all you get from trying to do karma-yoga is that realization, then the effort was well worthwhile.



The story of Ajamila suggests to me that spiritual processes aren't needed because as long as we chant the Holy Name once without offense then we will be liberated. Now, what message does this anecdote give to spiritual aspirants? My guesses are the following:

1) It is OK if you keep God just on tongue and not in the heart. He'll never be able to figure out. He is subjected to deception.

2) You can do bad karmas throughout your life. Just a couple of seconds of chanting in the end would wash everything out. In essence, you can get away without paying your Karmic debt with a small and easy step. You can also avoid rebirths with the same.

I am surprised that this anecdote is almost always mentioned by spiritual teachers in India while telling about the benefits of chanting God's name. Would you kindly elaborate ?

Good question. Hold on to your hat, because the answer is going to turn your head around.

God is not naive at all; in fact, He is most intelligent. It is we who are naive when we try to apply material Aristotelian logic to spiritual subjects. I'll wait while you read the link about Aristotelian logic. You will not understand the rest of this reply without that context.

You say that the story of Ajamila undermines the concept of karma. Well, maybe it undermines the false misconception of karma as absolute cause and effect. Actually it is a story illustrating the proper process of atonement from karma. Your argument incorrectly assumes that God is bound by material laws such as karma. However, the Vedas assert over and over again that God is completely independent of cause and effect, because He exists in eternity, not in time.

The common materialistic conditioned souls speculate that the Lord is one of them. Out of their ignorance they think that the Lord is affected by matter, although He is unattached. [S.B. 1.11.37]

In reality, we human beings are free to accept material bodies or remain in our eternal spiritual form. As soon as we choose to accept a material body, we come under the cause-and-effect influence of time and karma.

The living entity lying down within the body is disturbed by many tribulations pertaining to providence, to other living entities and to his own body and mind. Despite all kinds of tribulations, the living entity, subjected to the necessities of the body, mind and senses and suffering from various types of disease, is carried away by many plans due to his lust to enjoy the world. Although transcendental to this material existence, the living entity, out of ignorance, accepts all these material miseries under the pretext of false egoism (“I” and “mine”). In this way he lives for a hundred years within this body. [S.B. 4.29.24-25]

Because of false egoism, or the mistaken identification of the self with the material body, we have to suffer so many indignities in material existence. The proof that we are foolish and ignorant is the fact that we are here in this material world.

Now considering that we are so unintelligent that we accept a temporary bag of skin, bones, blood and meat as our selves, do we really think that we can criticize God? Thus being so puffed up with lust, false pride and egoism, is it any wonder that we cannot understand the simple truths of the scriptures?

The intricacies of action and reaction (karma) are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what is action (karma), forbidden action (vikarma), and inaction (akarma). [Bg. 4.17]

Naiskarma means 'without reaction to work'. The purpose of the Esoteric Teaching is to guide us to work without reaction. The mechanism of getting free from the law of karma is engagement in devotional service. Ordinary atonement is not effective, because it does not eliminate the root cause of sinful action, namely the false indentification of the self with the material body. A person acting in Krsna consciousness is naturally free from the bonds of karma.

When activities are performed for our own sake, we have to accept the karmic reaction. But when activities are performed as service to God, then there is no karmic reaction. A knower of the Esoteric Teaching is always working for Krsna. His activities are all performed for Krsna; therefore he does not enjoy or suffer any of the effects of work. Consequently only a pure devotee is intelligent in human society, for he is free, even though he is engaged in all sorts of activities for Krsna.

The impersonalist tries to cease fruitive material activities out of fear, so that the resultant karmic reaction may not be a stumbling block on the path of self-realization; but the student of the Esoteric Teaching rightly knows his position as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore he engages himself in the activities of devotional service, and attains freedom from reaction by engaging all activities in works of devotional service.

Because everything a devotee does is done for Krsna, he enjoys only transcendental happiness in the discharge of this service. Those who are engaged in this process are without desire for personal sense gratification. The sense of eternal servitorship to Krsna, or Krsna consciousness, makes one immune to all sorts of reactionary elements of work.

One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts of activities. [Bg. 4.18]

This esoteric sloka needs to be understood properly. Simply stopping external action as the impersonalists recommend, is not sufficient to extract one from the effects of the law of karma. The effects of karma are from our actions in many previous lives. So simply stopping activities is not enough to stop the effects of karma. However, actual freedom from the law of karma occurs when all activities are engaged in transcendental service of the Lord.

One is understood to be in full knowledge whose every endeavor is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker for whom the reactions of work have been burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge. [Bg. 4.19]

Only a person in full knowledge of the Esoteric Teaching can understand the activities of a person in transcendental consciousness. The person in God consciousness is devoid of all kinds of sense-gratificatory propensities, which are the cause of false ego. Because the pure devotee is free from false ego, we should understand that he has burned up the reactions of his work by perfect knowledge of his constitutional position as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

He who has attained such perfection of knowledge is actually learned. Development of this knowledge of eternal servitorship to the Lord is compared to fire. Such a fire, once kindled, can burn up all kinds of reactions to work. The fire of devotional service is a state of consciousness where one's attention and faith are completely focused on the Lord and His Holy Name. Even a moment of such pure consciousness is sufficient to attain the perfection of spiritual life:

What is the value of a prolonged life which is wasted, spiritually inexperienced for years in this world? Better a moment of full consciousness, because that gives one a start in searching after his supreme interest. (S.B. 2.1.12)

Ajamila did not attain the perfection of self-realization just by chanting the Holy Name just once; the whole point is that he chanted offenselessly just once, and that was sufficient to wipe out all of his past karma and grasnt him the opportunity for spiritual perfection. He still had to develop his positive elevation in devotional service, so after this incident, he went to Haridwar to complete his development oif devotional service.

Ajamila has already atoned for all his sinful actions. Indeed, he has atoned not only for sins performed in one life but for those performed in millions of lives, for in a helpless condition he chanted the holy name of Narayana. Even though he did not chant purely, he chanted without offense, and therefore he is now pure and eligible for liberation. (S.B.6.2.7)

The important thing to understand is that Ajamila's offenseless chanting of the Holy Name of Lord Narayana, even one time, was sufficient to release him from his karma and give him the opportunity to engage in pure devotional service and perfect his self-realization. He still required to go to Haridwar and perform devotional service according to the rules and regulations of the sastras in order to attain final perfection.

The opportunity to perform pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord is a special blessing that is rarely obtained. Lord Krsna has elaborately described in the Bhagavad-gita the characteristics of the three modes of nature, the nature of the false ego and material consciousness, the transcendental situation of Krsna consciousness and the process of liberation through devotional service. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered us to take shelter of the Holy Name of Lord Krsna; by this authorized process we can easily transcend the modes of nature and begin our real spiritual life of loving devotional service to Lord Krsna.

The story of Ajamila is a perfect illustration of the power of the Holy Name to liberate us from the entangling effects of karma in material existence. But the meaning of such stories has to be understood properly under the guidance of a fully realized spiritual Master Teacher, and not by our own imperfect, speculative Aristotelian mental processes. The transcendental realm has its own logic, completely different from the logic of this material world. Spiritual processes are subject to spiritual logic, therefore we must learn the science of devotional service from an authorized transcendental source, such as the Esoteric Teaching.

A summary of the full story of Ajamila follows:

The Bhagavat-purana relates the history of Ajamila, who was considered a greatly sinful man, but was liberated when four Visnudutas, order carriers of Visnu, came to rescue him from the hands of the order carriers of Yamaraja. A full description of how he was liberated, having been relieved of the reactions of his sinful life, is given. Sinful activities are painful both in this life and in the next. We should know for certain that the cause of all painful life is sinful action.

On the path of fruitive work one certainly commits sinful activities, and therefore according to the considerations of karma-kanda, different types of atonement are recommended. Such methods of atonement, however, do not free one from ignorance, which is the root of sinful life. Consequently one is prone to commit sinful activities even after atonement, which is therefore very inadequate for purification. On the path of speculative knowledge one becomes free from sinful life by understanding things as they are.

Therefore the acquirement of speculative knowledge is also considered a method of atonement. While performing fruitive activities one can become free from the actions of sinful life through austerity, penance, celibacy, control of the mind and senses, truthfulness and the practice of mystic yoga. By awakening knowledge one may also neutralize sinful reactions. Neither of these methods, however, can free one from the tendency to commit sinful activities.

By bhakti-yoga one can completely avoid the tendency for sinful life; other methods are not very feasible. Therefore the Vedic literature concludes that devotional service is more important than the methods of karma-kanda and jnana-kanda. Only the path of devotional service is auspicious for everyone. Fruitive activities and speculative knowledge cannot independently liberate anyone, but devotional service, independent of karma and jnana, is so potent that one who has fixed his mind at the lotus feet of Krsna is guaranteed not to meet the Yamadutas, the order carriers of Yamaraja, even in dreams.

To prove the strength of devotional service, Sukadeva Gosvami described the history of Ajamila. Ajamila was a resident of Kanyakubja (the modern Kanauj). He was trained by his parents to become a perfect brahmana by studying the Vedas and following the regulative principles, but because of his past, this youthful brahmana was somehow attracted by a prostitute, and because of her association he became most fallen and abandoned all regulative principles. Ajamila begot in the womb of the prostitute ten sons, the last of whom was called Narayana. At the time of Ajamila’s death, when the order carriers of Yamaraja came to take him, he loudly called the name Narayana in fear because he was attached to his youngest son. Thus he remembered the original Narayana, Lord Visnu. Although he did not chant the holy name of Narayana in pure ecstatic love, it acted nevertheless.

As soon as he chanted the holy name of Narayana, the order carriers of Lord Visnu immediately appeared on the scene. A discussion ensued between the order carriers of Lord Visnu and those of Yamaraja, and by hearing that discussion Ajamila was liberated. He could then understand the bad effect of fruitive activities and could also understand how exalted is the process of devotional service.

It was due to Ajamila’s glorifying the holy name of the Supreme Lord that he was not punishable. The Visnudutas explained this as follows: “Simply by once chanting the holy name of Narayana, this brahmana has become free from the reactions of sinful life. Indeed, he has been freed not only from the sins of this life, but from the sins of many, many thousands of other lives. He has already undergone true atonement for all his sinful actions. If one atones according to the directions of the sastras, one does not actually become free from sinful reactions, but if one chants the holy name of the Lord, even a glimpse of such chanting can immediately free one from all sins. Chanting the glories of the Lord’s holy name awakens all good fortune. Therefore there is no doubt that Ajamila, being completely free from all sinful reactions, should not be punished by Yamaraja.”

As they were saying this, the Visnudutas released Ajamila from the ropes of the Yamadutas and left for their own abode. The brahmana Ajamila, however, offered his respectful obeisances to the Visnudutas. He could understand how fortunate he was to have chanted the holy name of Narayana at the end of his life. Indeed, he could realize the full significance of this good fortune. Having thoroughly understood the discussion between the Yamadutas and the Visnudutas, he became a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He lamented very much for how very sinful he had been, and he condemned himself again and again.

Finally, because of his association with the Visnudutas, Ajamila, his original consciousness aroused, gave up everything and went to Hardwar, where he engaged in devotional service without deviation, always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus the Visnudutas went there, seated him on a golden throne and took him away to Vaikunthaloka.

In summary, although the sinful Ajamila meant to call his son, the holy name of Lord Narayana, even though chanted in the preliminary stage, namabhasa, was able to give him liberation. Therefore one who chants the holy name of the Lord with faith and devotion is certainly exalted. He is protected even in his material, conditional life.

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