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A summary: the progression of the yoga processes described in the Bhagavad-gītā
In its original sense, the word “yoga” means “connection,” the process that aims to reestablish the original nature of the soul as an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is the ultimate goal of life.
Ultimately, the whole material creation exists to provide an opportunity for the souls who somehow or other came in contact with the material nature to awaken their original spiritual nature. Contrary to what some may think, yoga is not just a single process but a multitude of methods that lead to this ultimate goal. There is aṣṭāṅga-yoga, karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, buddhi-yoga, bhakti-yoga, and so on.
The Bhagavad-gītā not only explains these different processes, but effectively gives us a ladder, explaining the difference between the various processes, the hierarchical relationship between them, and, most importantly, the path we need to follow to attain spiritual perfection. To understand this yoga ladder means to understand the essence of the message of the Bhagavad-gītā and its practical application.
From animal life to devotional service
The analogy of a ladder gives us the idea of a series of levels, starting low and going up. The highest level is the perfection of the soul in one’s eternal position of service to Kṛṣṇa. That’s the perfect stage, where the soul is not only completely free from material contamination but also fully awakened to his active, spiritual nature. As we go down the ladder, we have progressively lower stages of spiritual realization, all the way to animal life, where the soul is almost completely covered.
In this lowest stage, the soul transmigrates through the lower forms of life: plants, aquatics, insects, reptiles, and mammals, gradually evolving in the cycle of samsāra. At this stage, the soul remains immersed in sensual pleasures and the struggle for immediate survival. Devoid of superior intelligence, one is not directly engaged in a process of self-realization, and thus, the spiritual nature of the soul remains dormant. This category includes not only animals, plants, insects, and other lower forms of life, but also human beings who are just concerned about their immediate bodily needs. According to the Vedas, real human life starts at the point one starts to inquire about one’s real nature beyond the body. Before that, one may have two hands and two legs, but according to the Vedas, the threshold of human life has not yet been crossed.
At this level there is only vikarma, capricious work that does not follow the prescriptions of the scriptures. One just works hard to satisfy one’s bodily needs and the desires of the mind, maybe following basic moral codes, or perhaps not even that. There is no higher goal than mere satisfaction of the senses and ego. This type of work binds the soul even more strongly to the material energy. Left alone, it brings one again back to animal life.
Proper human life starts with the path of karma, or religious activities prescribed in the scriptures. At this level, work is executed with the purpose of improving one’s material condition. It is still egoistical, but now it is done according to the precepts of the scriptures. At this level, a person understands there is a spiritual nature that goes beyond this material creation and agrees to follow a religious process and abide by moral codes in exchange for receiving material recompenses later. In other words, one is still very much attracted to this material plane and sees religious life as merely a means to attain material prosperity, sensual pleasure, and a better destination after death. Still, at least there is acknowledgment of the existence of a superior authority that grants such results.
We can observe that most religions are based on these principles: there is a vague notion of God (generally in an impersonal or semi-personal conception), but the purpose of worship is egoistical in nature, with the idea of using the process as a means to attain material rewards. In this sense, these processes are not much more than a bargain, where one pays a certain price in this life by following some rules and regulations with the idea of receiving more later. The Vedas also describe a similar process within the karma-kānda section (the ritual portion of the Vedas), which prescribes a pious life and worship of various demigods for the purpose of attaining material rewards. Naturally, the goal is to gradually elevate the practitioner, first attracting one with the idea of material rewards and then slowly making him or her purified by the contact with spiritual knowledge and association with enlightened spiritual teachers.
This path is briefly described in the third chapter:
“In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Viṣṇu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajña [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living happily and achieving liberation.” The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, and thus, by cooperation between men and demigods, prosperity will reign for all.” (3.10-11)
Although the path of karma gives a glimpse of the path of self-realization, making one understand that he is not this body, that there is a Supreme Controller, and that one should obey religious codes, it is not sufficient to liberate us from material captivity. A person practicing the path of karma may remain as a rich person on earth, or attain elevation to the higher planets, where one can enjoy superior standards of life in the company of other pious souls, but eventually the results of past piety finish, and he has to again take birth in this plane. Remembering his past practice, the tendency is that he dedicates himself again to a pious life, gaining entrance to the superior planets again, just to again fall back to earth.
When one finally becomes tired of this cycle, he starts to look for deeper spiritual knowledge and starts the path of jñāna, which is characterized by the cultivation of knowledge and renunciation. In the beginning of the Gītā, Arjuna was inclined to this path out of frustration, but Kṛṣṇa offered him a better option.
On the path of jñāna, one exhausts his pursuit of material goals and instead dedicates himself to philosophical inquiry, austerities, and dry renunciation. At a low level, it is little more than mental speculation and dry asceticism, but on a higher level, one may gradually progress to the path of meditation (dhyāna-yoga, or aṣṭāṅga-yoga), which helps one to control the mind. Once the mind is controlled, one can seriously practice a process of meditation, eventually attaining Brahman, the level of impersonal realization (usually after many lives).
However, this is still not the ultimate realization. Such a yogī may progress up to the impersonal brahmajyoti, where he can enjoy a level of peace and bliss that is thousands of times superior to what a karmī may enjoy on the higher planets. However, since this is not the ultimate destination of the soul, he has to eventually come back. Other yogīs attain Paramātmā realization, but this is also not the ultimate perfection. Such advanced yogīs can transfer themselves to Satyaloka for additional practice. After a very long time there, they may attain the Vaikunta planets. This is, however, a very long way; it can take, literally, trillions of years, and success is far from certain. A devotee can attain the spiritual world directly.
Both karma and jñāna are based on a selfish desire to achieve personal satisfaction or to achieve liberation and the end of material suffering. This is the ordinary process of dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa (religion, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation) that is pursued by ordinary followers of the Vedas. By following the path of karma, one enjoys life, and after becoming frustrated with life in the material world, one may pursue liberation by switching to the path of jñāna.
There is, however, a third process, the path of bhakti, that allows the soul to finally reestablish his eternal connection with Kṛṣṇa and enter into the spiritual planets. This is the original position and final destination of the soul, from where one doesn’t have to come back.
The path of bhakti
The path of bhakti is independent of karma and jñāna, but one can add bhakti to his practice. When combined with bhakti, karma becomes karma-yoga, and when jñāna is combined with bhakti, it becomes jñāna-yoga. Yoga means “connection with the Supreme Lord”; therefore, karma-yoga is the path of activities for establishing this transcendental connection, while jñāna-yoga is the cultivation of knowledge and renunciation with the same purpose. As Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his purport to Bg. 6.46:
“When we speak of yoga we refer to linking our consciousness with the Supreme Absolute Truth. Such a process is named differently by various practitioners in terms of the particular method adopted. When the linking process is predominantly in fruitive activities it is called karma-yoga, when it is predominantly empirical it is called jñāna-yoga, and when it is predominantly in a devotional relationship with the Supreme Lord it is called bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is the ultimate perfection of all yogas, as will be explained in the next verse.”
Most of the first five chapters of the Bhagavad-gītā are dedicated to explaining the path of karma-yoga. Almost all of us are at the level where we have to perform activities. It’s very rare to find someone qualified to strictly follow the path of jñāna, especially in our age. Nowadays, jñāna is common in the sense of mental speculation, but rare as a disciplined process of renunciation. Even if one tries to jump to a platform of renunciation before he is ready, there is every possibility that he will fall later, and the result can be devastating. Again and again, Kṛṣṇa recommends that Arjuna adopt instead the path of karma-yoga, which is also the standing advice for all of us. The main message of the Bhagavad-gītā is thus not to adopt a path of dry and premature renunciation, but to change our consciousness and connect our activities with Kṛṣṇa. As He later explains:
“Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me.” (Bg 9.27)
The path of karma-yoga starts on the level of sakāma-karma-yoga. The word “sakāma” means “with desires.” At this level, a devotee is still attached to sense satisfaction, economic development, social prestige, etc. In other words, one still has material desires and is attached to enjoying the fruits of his work, but he agrees to offer part of these fruits to Kṛṣṇa in the form of charity, donations, or even direct service. One may also join a spiritual institution and serve there, but internally hanker for positions, material facilities, and so on. The transition may be timid at first, but that’s the point where karma is mixed with devotion, and one’s work starts to be performed as an offering to Kṛṣṇa, even if at first not purely.
By offering our work, or the fruits of our work to Kṛṣṇa, and assisting His devotees, we progress in spiritual life and become gradually purified. This is the path recommended for most as a starting point, since this is the level most of us can realistically follow. In terms of practical application, this basically means to stay in family life, get an education, work in some honest job, and pursue our material goals to a certain extent, without losing, however, the ultimate goal of life from view. We can thus develop our material activities to a necessary extent but, side by side, develop our spiritual practice, donating part of our money and time to assist other devotees in their job of expanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This creates a platform where we can remain peaceful and thus have the presence of mind to continue our practice of devotional service.
The second level is called niṣkāma-karma-yoga (without desires). At this level, one is already purified enough and is not attached to the fruits of his or her work. Although externally engaged in activities, one is internally renounced. At this level, one can just work for Kṛṣṇa, living a simple life and assisting in the propagation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the level of devotees who serve full-time, be it by living in a temple or community, or by using all their time and resources to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and living by just what comes naturally. Such devotees usually have simple lives, but have the opportunity to advance very fast. This is, however, a very difficult platform to maintain. Immature followers can harm themselves by trying to prematurely situate themselves on such a platform. This is quite an advanced level.
As we advance on the path, we advance in terms of both knowledge and devotion. Kṛṣṇa emphasizes the importance of spiritual knowledge repeatedly in the Bhagavad-gītā:
“In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who has become accomplished in the practice of devotional service enjoys this knowledge within himself in due course of time. A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.” (Bg 4.38-39)
Work performed for Kṛṣṇa not only does not produce new karma but also gradually destroys our previous karma, gradually purifying our consciousness without the need for separate effort. To be properly guided in this process, Kṛṣṇa recommends that we approach a qualified spiritual master and obtain spiritual knowledge from him. As we mature in our philosophical comprehension and increase our devotion, we become naturally detached.
“When one’s intelligence, mind, faith and refuge are all fixed in the Supreme, then one becomes fully cleansed of misgivings through complete knowledge and thus proceeds straight on the path of liberation.” (Bg 5.17)
When we finally become fully detached, we may stop working and simply dedicate ourselves to the process of self-realization. This is the position of a renunciant, who goes to live in a sacred place and spends the rest of his life just chanting under strict vows. However, Kṛṣṇa recommends that one who attains this level continue performing his duties, not for himself, but to give an example to others. The ideal example of this principle is a preacher who works tirelessly to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is exemplary in performing his duties, giving a perfect example to others. This is a higher stage of renunciation than just practicing in a solitary place.
Work and renunciation are not opposed to each other. One who has the proper consciousness can remain fully renounced even while externally executing all kinds of activities. This is one of the main topics of the Bhagavad-gītā.
Devotees who can follow this path become the ones who can most effectively help others on the spiritual path and contribute the most to uplifting society. By not rejecting their skills and material talents but, conversely, using them to reach other people, combining them with a deep and vast spiritual realization, such spiritual teachers can present spiritual knowledge in deep and practical ways and create true spiritual revolutions in their communities.
Different from a neophyte, who can just repeat passages from scriptures he barely understands, a spiritual teacher who can reach this level becomes the very embodiment of the highest spiritual realizations.
As we progress in the cultivation of transcendental knowledge, we gradually progress to the platform of buddhi-yoga, which means to work for Kṛṣṇa with devotion and knowledge. This is a very advanced level. Such a devotee can progress to the stage of pure bhakti-yoga and attain Bhagavān realization, reestablishing his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, which is the very goal of the yoga process. Fixing his mind on the path of self-realization through his practice of devotional service, such a devotee does not have to practice aṣṭāṅga-yoga to attain the most elevated stage. As Kṛṣṇa concludes:
“Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.” (Bg 18.65)
A clear path
In this way, the evolution on the path of karma-yoga is:
1) Materialism: This is the platform where most live, working just for the satisfaction of their senses. This level is described by Kṛṣṇa in Bg. 3.16: “My dear Arjuna, one who does not follow in human life the cycle of sacrifice thus established by the Vedas certainly leads a life full of sin. Living only for the satisfaction of the senses, such a person lives in vain.” According to the Vedas, gross materialism is considered an extension of animal life, and one who doesn’t progress above this level risks returning to the evolutionary cycle, receiving an animal body in his next life.
2) Karma-kānda: This is the materialistic process of piety offered in the Vedas, where one follows religious principles in exchange for material progress and elevation to the celestial planets after death. This is described in the Vedas as the beginning of human life, and is described in the Gītā in verses 3.10-11, where Kṛṣṇa explains the path of sacrifices and cooperation between men and demigods.
3) Sakāma-karma-yoga: That’s where the path of devotional service begins. In his purports, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes karma-yoga as part of the stairs of devotional service, and translates the term “karma-yoga” as simply “devotional service” or “action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” One who wants to serve Kṛṣṇa but is plagued by material desires can progress by executing his material activities but offering the results to Kṛṣṇa, and thus gradually become purified of these desires.
4) Niṣkāma-karma-yoga: In this level, one becomes detached from sense enjoyment and consequently from the results of one’s activities. As a result, one can simply work for Kṛṣṇa without being concerned with the results. There may still be some attachment to the activity itself, with a devotee attached to work in a certain service or field according to his or her natural propensities or preferences, but this can be easily aligned with the service to the Lord.
5) Buddhi-yoga: The terms “sakāma-karma-yoga” and “niṣkāma-karma-yoga” simply describe one’s level of detachment. Generally, the level of niṣkāma-karma-yoga is accompanied by deep philosophical understanding, but this is not a prerequisite. When we speak directly about a devotee who works for Kṛṣṇa without attachment and with deep philosophical understanding, we call it buddhi-yoga (connection with Kṛṣṇa through the use of intelligence). This is the culmination of the process of karma-yoga, the rung on the yoga ladder that leads to pure bhakti-yoga.
The natural evolution is for one to progress from karma-kānda to sakāma-karma-yoga and from there to niṣkāma-karma-yoga, then buddhi-yoga, and from there eventually reach the platform of pure devotional service.
Renunciation is also not exclusive to the path of jñāna. Ordinary jñānis still live under a concept of false ego, thinking that the world is theirs to renounce. Kṛṣṇa explains that true renunciation is to understand that everything belongs to Him, and should be used in His service. This is the deepest platform of renunciation, mentioned by Kṛṣṇa in text 9.28 as sannyāsa-yoga, the yoga of true renunciation. This platform is explained by Prabhupāda in his purport:
“Anyone who has no interest but to dedicate his life to the service of the Lord is actually a sannyāsī. Such a person always thinks of himself as an eternal servant, dependent on the supreme will of the Lord. As such, whatever he does, he does it for the benefit of the Lord. Whatever action he performs, he performs it as service to the Lord.”
Karma and jñāna
When we speak about mundane karma or jñāna, there is a clear distinction between the karmī and the jñānī. In this case, the path of jñāna is clearly superior, and usually only one who is exhausted in the path of karma can start on the path of jñāna. However, when we speak about karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga, the distinction is not so clear. One may be able to achieve the ultimate goal on the path of niṣkāma-karma-yoga, without ever fully transitioning to the path of jñāna-yoga, and thus a serious devotee on the path of karma-yoga may be much more elevated than a neophyte on the path of jñāna-yoga. Surely, one who is well-situated on the path of karma-yoga will also be much more elevated than an immature renunciant, as described by Kṛṣṇa several times in the course of the Bhagavad-gītā.
Jñāna by itself is the path of philosophical speculation, which typically leads to impersonalism. Although bhakti is described everywhere in the scriptures, one who is in the process of mental speculation will not be able to see it, for it requires association with devotees. Just as karma-kānda leads to elevation to the celestial planets, followed by a return to earth after the pious results are exhausted, the process of philosophical speculation leads, if not connected with Kṛṣṇa, to impersonalism and Brahman liberation, from which one eventually falls back to the mortal world.
However, when the cultivation of transcendental knowledge is combined with bhakti, one starts in the process of jñāna-yoga, which can lead to pure devotional service.
The process of jñāna typically leads to aṣṭāṅga-yoga, which is described by Kṛṣṇa in the sixth chapter. By practicing aṣṭāṅga-yoga, one may achieve Paramātmā realization, and from there eventually reach the level of Bhagavān realization, if combined with bhakti.
The description of the path of jñāna-yoga and aṣtānga-yoga given in the Bhagavad-gītā becomes clearer when we study the description of the process of Sāṅkhya described by Lord Kapila in the Third Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The process he describes is a combination of analytical knowledge (jñāna) with the practice of aṣṭāṅga-yoga, practiced inside the purview of pure devotional service.
Technically, there is a difference between the external practices of the process of karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, Sāṅkhya, etc., but these differences are only superficial, since ultimately these are variations of the same process of devotional service, just externally performed differently according to the tendencies of the performer.
See what Kṛṣṇa tells us in the fifth chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā:
“Only the ignorant speak of devotional service [karma-yoga] as being different from the analytical study of the material world [Sāṅkhya]. Those who are actually learned say that he who applies himself well to one of these paths achieves the results of both. One who knows that the position reached by means of analytical study can also be attained by devotional service, and who therefore sees analytical study and devotional service to be on the same level, sees things as they are.” (Bg 5.4-5)
As Prabhupāda explains in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, each stage of the process of aṣṭāṅga-yoga has an equivalent to the process of bhakti-yoga. When we examine both the teachings of Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā and the teachings of Lord Kapila in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam under this prism, we can see how both offer practical insights that can help us to improve our spiritual practice.
While the external performance may change slightly over the ages (a sage in Satya-yuga would meditate on Paramātmā, while we meditate on the deity, for example), the core of the process, which is meditation on the transcendental form of the Lord, is the same for all ages. When the words are taken in the proper context, we can see that the knowledge He describes also applies to us.
In this way, although ordinarily, the path of karma leads to jñāna, when we speak about the path of devotional service, the distinction is not so clear, since both the processes of karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga lead to pure devotional service. One can thus achieve perfection in either of the two processes without having to necessarily transition from one to another. As Kṛṣṇa explains, “Only the ignorant speak of devotional service [karma-yoga] as being different from the analytical study of the material world [Sāṅkhya]. Those who are actually learned say that he who applies himself well to one of these paths achieves the results of both.”
A devotee who bases his devotional practice on the cultivation of transcendental knowledge and meditation on the Lord also doesn’t have to practice aṣṭāṅga-yoga like an ordinary jñānī, because the result of the process of aṣṭāṅga-yoga, which is fixed meditation on the form of the Lord, can be achieved by the process of deity worship, as explained by Śrīla Prabhupāda in the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The same process of deity worship, as well as the process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ, etc., can, of course, also be practiced in the path of karma-yoga.
In this way, the paths of karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga offer two parallel paths inside the devotional ladder, and both can lead to pure devotional service. As Kṛṣṇa explains, “He who applies himself well to one of these paths achieves the results of both.” The final result is love of Godhead.
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« The Song of God—Volume 1, chapters 1-6
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