[Advaita-l] Question about karma yoga

[H S Chandramouli]

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> On Thu, Aug 4, 2016 at 8:13 PM, Shashi via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
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> <<  My question is about the state of mind of the yogi. From what I
> > understand, Karma yoga is  (1) the performance of ordained duties (2)
> with
> > no regard for the fruits and (3) without feeling that "I am the doer."
> Karma Yoga is not about “without feeling that "I am the doer “ >>.
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> Sri madhusudhana Saraswati has classified Bhakti, Devotion or Surrender to
> the lord, in his commentary Gudhartha Dipika on BG under three grades:
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> तस्यैवाहम् ममैवासौ स एवाहम्-इति त्रिविधा ॥
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>  (tasyaivAham mamaivAsau sa evAham-iti trividhA ||).
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> (1. I belong to the Lord  2. The Lord belongs to me  3. The Lord is verily
> myself ).
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> The first stage of obedience to God gets the name of Karma Yoga, the Path
> of Action, the second stage of familiarity with God the name of Bhakti
> Yoga, the path of Devotion, and the third stage of nondifference with God
> the name of Jnana Yoga, the path of Knowledge. In the stage we are at
> present situated, we cannot claim any competency to say that God belongs to
> us, much less to say that he is ourselves. If, therefore, we want to enter
> the way of approach to God, we can at the most attempt to place our step on
> the initial stages of the first stage of Action in obedience to God. It is
> this stage of karma yoga which Krishna elaborates upon in the 5th chapter
> of BG.
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> In karma Yoga the attitude of the sAdhaka towards God should be that of a
> slave towards his Master. A slave does just what the Master has ordained
> him to do without any question. He does not expect any return for the same
> either. A sAdhaka engaged in karma yoga should do likewise. He just does
> what the shastras have ordained him to do (svadharma) without any questions
> and  without  any expectations of returns. It does not mean he is doing it
> without the feeling that “ I am the doer “. He does it only with the
> attitude of a slave towards his Master.
>
> My 2cents views.
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>

> Regards
>