Lord Krishna and Yoga: Knowledge from the Bhagwad Gita

Yoga is being taught in many styles these days, and is mostly related to weight loss, moneymaking, or religion, namely Hinduism, whereas it is much more than simply sweating. What is yoga? Yoga, as explained by Krishna to Arjun, the Pandav hero, is divided into three categories: Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga.

Shri Krishna

Krishna elucidates the character of Atma, or the immortal being. It is believed that Atma is the immortal soul that reincarnates until all our karmas are realized, when it is united with Brahma. Brahma is the universal soul, and Atma finally merges into Brahma. This is known as Moksha. Karma is not a difficult concept to understand. It simply states that you reap what you sow, or what you do comes back to you.

He maintains that people must discard the load of karma, for all the immoral conduct of their present and past lives.

The Atma cannot be created or destroyed; it just changes bodies and forms – until the attainment of Moksha, when it unites with the Infinite Source.

Krishna explains the three types of yoga, and the importance of each one in attaining the universal goal: attainment of Moksha.

Karma Yoga – The Yoga of Action

Everyone should fulfill his or her duties and responsibilities. These duties and responsibilities are often times associated with using and developing our unique talents –we all came here to evolve from selfish to selfless through sharing the one thing that we do better than anyone else. We haven’t been born to simply gratify desires that are common to all animals – we are human being with a nervous system that has the capacity to UNDERSTAND creation and KNOW its Source. There should be no desire for any personal benefit, as self–serving desires are the root cause of needless suffering. Faith in the omnipotent will relieve you of the burden of karma. By shedding the load of karma, you can attain Moksha – or freedom from the never-ending cycle of rebirth. Karma means we have lessons to learn – often painful lessons that come through making mistakes. When we learn and heal this karma, then we are “perfected in awareness”.

Jnana Yoga – The Yoga of Wisdom

Jnana yoga tells of the importance of meditation and of a mind that is quiet because it makes choices and takes decisions based on “spiritual values”, It permits people to gain the knowledge and actions of a person established in the natural, universal laws that govern all life, through meditation and contemplation, and realize that Atma, and Brahma (the Soul of the World) are one.

Bhakti Yoga – The Yoga of Love and Devotion

The practitioners of Bhakti Yoga express love and devotion to the Infinite Source in any form – this often takes the form of music, chanting, prayers and other artistic expressions that have no practical purpose; they simply flow from the person as a need to express love and devotion to the art. You can attain Moksha or spiritual freedom, and become one with Brahma through earnest devotion to the substance beneath the perfected forms of Krishna, Christ, the Buddha, or Mohammed.

The Bhagvad Gita addresses the conflict between the senses and the perception of cosmic unity. The term yoga describes serenity of mind, skill in action, and a unified outlook towards Atma – that is letting go of karma by doing good work, fulfilling one’s spiritual duty to evolve his or her greatest gift, or dharma), and selflessly expressing love and devotion without thought for practical benefit. These are the many paths that lead to yoga – discover yours.