Karma Yoga Compare & Contrast

¶ … Hindu Yogas

The author of this report has been asked to write a brief review of the four Hindu yogas. Of course, those yogas are Jnana, Karma, Bhakti and Raja. The author has been asked to focus on one of the yogas in particular and, while doing so, include the general concept, what it means and how one can use this yoga to attain moksha. There will also a compare and contrast between the yoga that is selected and the three that were not. For this report, the author will cover the karma yoga the most completely.

The yoga known as karma is also known as the yoga of action. It should quickly be noted that the four different yogas are referred to as "paths." The principles of karma yoga include having the right attitude, the right motive, doing one's duty, doing one's best and a giving up results. In regards to the latter, the karma yoga devotee needs to understand that they are not God. Rather, they are merely the instrument that God is using and employing here on Earth. Further, a person that is dedicated to the karma yoga is to serve god or the self in all. Lastly, there is to be a following of the discipline of the job (Sivananda, 2015). When it comes to achieving moksha when assessing and using the karma yoga. Of course, moksha is the release from the cycle of rebirth. When it comes to karma, there is indeed a rather large burden that must be met because there are major duties that must be upheld when one is following the karma way of thinking and living. Indeed, some assert that "complete renunciation of duties and responsibilities is not only impossible, the attempt to do so endangers the order of the world." However, follows of the karma yoga also say that "karma yoga provides an alternative to the renunciation of duty and responsibility. In karma yoga, one renounces not the world, but the selfish motives behind any actions" (Shaw, 2015).

When comparing the karma yoga to the other yogas that exist, some things become quite clear. The bhakti yoga is quite simple as it just simply pertains to divine love. It is motivated by the power of love and a person that follows this yoga would see God as the embodiment of love. People within this yoga would spend a great amount of their time praising God. The raja yogi pertains to the science of physical and mental control. There are eight "limbs" to this yoga and they include yamas, niyamas, asanas, pranayama and others. This yoga is about controlling energy and mental states in general. This yoga is often referred to as the "royal road" (Sivananda, 2015). Finally, there is the yoga of jnana which pertains to knowledge or wisdom.