Special Instructions for Karma Yogis

by Swami Sivananda

1. See God in every face, in everything.

2. Repeat mentally or silently or with the breath the Name of the Lord, such as ‘Hari Om’, ‘Sri Ram’ or your own Ishta Mantra or Guru Mantra, even while you work in the office. A strong habit of repetition of the Mantra will soon be formed.

3. Give up meat, hot curries, onions and garlic. Take Sattvic foods like milk, fruits, bread, pulses and vegetables, etc. Eat simple food. Wear simple clothing. Practise celibacy or moderation.

4. Feel that God is the inner Ruler who manipulates your mind, body and the Indriyas. Therefore give up the thought: ‘I am the doer’. Feel: ‘I am Nimitta or an instrument in His hands. God works through my hands, eats through my mouth and sees through my eyes.’

5. Do not expect any fruit for your actions, not even approbation, thanks, gratitude, appreciation, applause, return of salute or smile, etc.

6. Offer all actions, their fruit, body, mind, the Indriyas and the soul as flowers at the Lotus-feet of the Lord.

7. Never, never say: ‘I have helped that man.’ Feel and think: ‘That man gave me an opportunity to serve. This piece of service has helped me to purify my mind. I am extremely grateful to him.’

8. Feel that the world is a manifestation of God. Harireva Jagat Jagadeva Harih. Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagat. Serve with Narayana Bhava. Feel that you are serving God in all beings.

9. Discipline the Indriyas. Control them. Develop alertness, decision, discrimination, mercy, tolerance, forgiveness, discernment, patience, cosmic love and equal vision. Have a balanced mind. Be calm, cool and serene always.

10. Combine Bhakti or Jnana with Karma Yoga.

11. Serve poor, sick people. There is no Yajna that is greater than this. Serve everyone with Bhava, Prem and full Shraddha. Serve the Lord in all. Serve your country and society. Serve your parents, brothers and sisters, the Sadhus, Sannyasins, Bhaktas, Mahatmas and your spiritual teachers with devotion and a full heart. Shampoo the legs of sick people. Feel that you are touching the body of the Lord (Virat). Feel that the energy of Hiranyagarbha (cosmic energy) is flowing through your hands. Tap the very source, the storehouse of cosmic energy.

12. Be good and do good. Become an embodiment of goodness. Keep the body strong and healthy. Note in your spiritual diary the number of good and evil actions that you do daily.

MANU SMRITI

You cannot gather what you have not sown.
As you have planted the tree, so will it grow. IX-40.
Success in every undertaking depends on destiny and man combined.

The acts of destiny are out of control of man.
Think not of destiny but act thyself. VII-205.

Whatever work a man does, whatever his motive, of that the reward he should get in a corresponding body. XII-81.

Let all men reflect with care and attention, the passage of the soul through diverse forms of Brahma, Devas, men, beasts, plants and stones, in accordance with their good and evil deeds, and also let them apply their minds to virtue only. XIII-22, 42, 86.

SPIRITUAL DIARY

Prepare a similar statement of daily spiritual diary as shown in the table every month and verify whether you are progressing or not. If you want quick spiritual progress, you should never neglect to record everything in your diary. To change the worldly nature it needs rigorous Sadhana. Apart from the questions in the Spiritual Diary you must also mention the remarks in the separate column:

Special Instructions for Karma Yogis – Selfless Action, Detachment, and Divine Offering

Special Instructions for Karma Yogis are meant for seekers who want to transform daily action into spiritual practice. Karma Yoga is the path of selfless work, where duties are performed with sincerity, purity, and dedication, but without selfish attachment to results. It teaches that ordinary life itself can become sacred when every action is offered to the Divine.

A Karma Yogi does not run away from work. Work is not seen as bondage when it is done with the right attitude. Bondage comes from ego, desire, expectation, pride, and attachment. The same work that binds an egoistic person can purify a spiritual seeker when performed as worship. Therefore, the inner attitude is more important than the outer form of action.

Special Instructions for Karma Yogis begin with the idea of duty. Do what has to be done with care, honesty, and steadiness. Do not avoid responsibility in the name of spirituality. Family duties, professional duties, social duties, and personal disciplines can all become part of Yoga when performed with awareness, humility, and self-control.

The next instruction is to give up the ego of doership. The ego says, “I am doing everything. I am the cause of success. I deserve all praise.” This attitude strengthens pride and restlessness. A Karma Yogi remembers that body, mind, strength, knowledge, opportunity, and ability are all supported by a higher power. This understanding makes action humble and pure.

Special Instructions for Karma Yogis also teach detachment from results. This does not mean careless work. It means doing the best possible action and accepting the result with balance. Success should not create arrogance, and failure should not create despair. The seeker offers both success and failure to the Divine and continues the path with courage.

Selfless service is the heart of Karma Yoga. Work should not be done only for personal gain, comfort, name, or recognition. Helping others, serving society, supporting the needy, caring for family, and doing one’s duty honestly can purify the heart. When service is done without selfish expectation, ego becomes weaker and compassion becomes stronger.

Special Instructions for Karma Yogis require purity of motive. Two people may perform the same action outwardly, but their inner motives may be different. One may serve for praise, while another serves out of love. One may give charity for reputation, while another gives silently. The seeker must examine the heart and remove hidden selfishness.

Control of speech is also important. A person may work hard but spoil the spiritual value of action through harsh words, complaint, gossip, criticism, and pride. Speak truthfully, kindly, and only when needed. Gentle speech makes service more beautiful. The tongue should support harmony, not create disturbance.

A Karma Yogi should remain even-minded. Life brings praise and blame, success and failure, cooperation and opposition. If the mind becomes excited by praise and broken by criticism, peace is lost. Equanimity is a sign of spiritual maturity. The seeker should work steadily, without becoming dependent on approval.

Special Instructions for Karma Yogis include remembering the Divine during action. Do not think that God is present only in prayer, temple, or meditation. Remember the Divine while working, walking, speaking, serving, writing, teaching, cooking, cleaning, or helping others. When remembrance enters action, work becomes worship.

Meditation and prayer should support selfless action. Without inner practice, work may become mechanical or egoistic. A few moments of prayer before work can change the whole attitude. The seeker may silently offer, “May this action be pure. May it serve good. May it be free from ego.” Such prayer spiritualizes daily effort.

The seeker must avoid attachment to recognition. Many people want their service to be noticed. If appreciation comes, accept it humbly. If it does not come, remain peaceful. Work done for praise belongs to the ego. Work done as offering belongs to Yoga. The true reward is purification of the heart.

Special Instructions for Karma Yogis also include patience in difficulty. Sometimes service brings misunderstanding, delay, criticism, or failure. Do not become bitter. Every challenge is a chance to reduce ego and increase strength. Continue with faith, discrimination, and calmness. A sincere action never goes waste in the spiritual path.

Karma Yoga should be joined with love. Duty without love can become dry, and service without kindness can become heavy. Let compassion guide action. See the Divine presence in all beings. Serve not from superiority, but from humility. The one who serves and the one who is served are both expressions of the same higher reality.

The final instruction is surrender. Offer actions, motives, results, mistakes, success, fatigue, and effort to the Divine. Surrender makes work light and meaningful. The seeker no longer feels alone or overburdened. Action becomes a sacred flow, guided by faith and purified by devotion.

In the end, Special Instructions for Karma Yogis show that selfless action is a direct path to purity, peace, and liberation. Through duty, humility, detachment, service, prayer, remembrance, even-mindedness, pure motive, and surrender, ordinary work becomes spiritual practice. When action is free from ego and offered to the Divine, it purifies the heart and leads the seeker toward inner freedom.

Thought-Culture