Overview
Karma Yoga (Sanskrit: कर्म योग), also known as Karma marga, is one of the three classical spiritual paths described in the Bhagavad Gita. It is the "yoga of action", and is presented alongside Jnana Yoga, the path of knowledge, and Bhakti Yoga, the path of loving devotion to a personal god. Within Hindu traditions, these paths are not regarded as mutually exclusive; rather, individual seekers may emphasise one over the others according to temperament and inclination.
For a practitioner of Karma Yoga, right action itself takes the form of prayer. It is the path of unselfish action, in which the seeker is enjoined to act in accordance with dharma without being attached to the fruits of action or to personal consequences. The discipline thus places its stress on the manner and intent of action rather than on its outcome.
According to the Bhagavad Gita, Karma Yoga purifies the mind. It leads the practitioner to reflect on the dharma of work and to undertake work in keeping with one's own dharma. In this framework, action performed selflessly is understood as god's work, and the seeker is described as becoming "like unto god Krishna" in every moment of life.
As one of the classical routes to spiritual liberation in Hinduism, Karma Yoga continues to be discussed in commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita and in broader Hindu thought, often together with Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga as complementary approaches to the same goal.