The Liberating Power of Karma Yoga: Selfless Action, Supreme Freedom
Bhagavad Gita Ch. 3 v. 20-22
Selfless action, rooted in freedom from desire, becomes a liberating spiritual path. Learn how enlightened beings live and serve with nothing to gain, and everything to give.
Contents
Freedom Through Action
Wisdom vs. Right Action: The Appearance of Contradiction
The Awakened Person Still Acts
The Example of the Awakened One
Even the Liberated Ones Act
Practical Steps for Freeing Action
From the Desire World to the Divine Flow
Karma Yoga and Kriya Yoga
PODCAST EPISODE: Desire, Ego, and Realization - The Dance of Spiritual Growth
Enlightened action arises from inner freedom, not need. The awakened ones have nothing to gain and nothing they must do—yet they act.
In the third chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, verses 3.20–3.22 reveal a profound insight about the nature of enlightened action. When there is no compulsion to act, when there is nothing to be accomplished for oneself, the wise still engage in action. Their actions are not rooted in seeking but in fullness. Karma Yoga becomes the path by which life is offered for the good of all—without attachment, without self-interest, and with deep compassion.
Freedom Through Action
The Bhagavad Gita verse 3.19 offers the foundational guidance: “Constantly unattached, perform that action which is your duty. Indeed, performing action while unattached, [a person] attains the supreme.” We concluded our previous reflections with this teaching that appropriate action, performed without attachment to outcomes, becomes a vehicle for liberation. The Gita is inviting us to see our daily lives—our work, our relationships, our responsibilities—not as obstacles to realization, but as the very means of spiritual awakening.
When we engage in action without grasping at results, when we act from the heart of love with a sense of offering, we are cultivating freedom. This freedom is not the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want. It is freedom from compulsion, from selfishness, from the mistaken belief that fulfillment lies in outcomes. It is the freedom of remembering who we are and acting from that awareness.
"When we no longer seek to gain, our actions become divine offerings."
—Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian
Wisdom vs. Right Action: The Appearance of Contradiction
Some may feel a tension in the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. In Chapter Two, we are told that wisdom is superior to action. “Action is inferior by far to the yoga of wisdom, Arjuna. Seek refuge in wisdom! Despicable are those whose motives are based on the fruit of action.” (2.49)
Does this contradict the teachings in Chapter Three where action, performed without attachment, leads to the supreme? Not at all. These teachings complement one another. What the Gita emphasizes is that wisdom—Self-knowledge—is the key to liberation. However, that knowledge can be approached and realized through many paths. Action, when offered selflessly and without attachment, becomes a path of purification and surrender. It frees the mind from ego identification and opens the heart to divine remembrance.
To act in the world with wisdom is not to become inactive. Rather, it is to act skillfully, with awareness and love. The wise act not out of need but as an expression of their wholeness. This is Karma Yoga—the way of conscious action. It is a method for purifying the mind and aligning our will with divine will. It brings forth the clarity needed to know what is right and to do it freely, without clinging.
The Bhagavad Gita does not instruct us to retreat from life. It teaches us how to live fully, how to give ourselves wholeheartedly to what is ours to do, and how to release attachment to the fruits of that doing. The work becomes a form of worship, the offering of the Self to the Source from which it has come.
The Awakened Person Still Acts
The Bhagavad Gita verse 3.20 tells us: “Perfection was attained by kings like Janaka with action alone. For the mere maintenance of the world, you should act.”
The sage-king Janaka is offered as a model of awakened living. He ruled wisely while fully established in Self-realization. His was not a passive existence. His was not renunciation of responsibility. He served his people, upheld dharma, and engaged in right action for the good of all. And he did so while remaining free, without personal agenda, without attachment.
This verse affirms that even those who are Self-realized—who abide in fullness and have nothing to gain—still act. Why? For the well-being of the world. To maintain the harmony of life. Their actions become an extension of divine will. This is the essence of Karma Yoga: action that flows from wholeness, not from need.
The Example of the Awakened One
The Bhagavad Gita verse 3.21 continues: “Whatsoever a great person does, the same is done by others as well. Whatever standard that person sets, the world follows.”
Here we are reminded that our actions ripple outward. How we live matters—not only for our own well-being and realization but for the upliftment of others. The example of one person who lives with integrity, compassion, and spiritual awareness can inspire many. In this way, the awakened ones serve humanity—not through sermons, but through the silent transmission of their being and the clarity of their actions.
I often think of my teacher, Roy Eugene Davis, and how his life embodied this teaching. His was a life of quiet dignity, unwavering focus, and generous service. He was not driven by the world, nor withdrawn from it. His actions arose from stillness. He offered himself to the work of awakening, with humility and grace. I recall how he would often say, “We are grateful for those we are privileged to serve.” Those words continue to shape how I engage with others, how I prepare to teach, and how I offer myself to the work.
Even the Liberated Ones Act
In Bhagavad Gita verse 3.22, Krishna speaks from the voice of the divine: “My dear Arjuna, in all the three realms there is nothing I must do, nothing I have to gain. Still, I act.”
This is one of the most powerful verses in the Bhagavad Gita. The divine Self has no compulsion to act. There is no lack, no unfulfilled desire. Yet still, there is action. Why? Because action flows naturally from wholeness. Because life itself is a dynamic expression of divine will. This teaching helps us let go of the mistaken idea that spiritual realization leads to withdrawal. The awakened do not seek fulfillment; they have already found it. And because they are fulfilled, they act in alignment with dharma, contributing to the harmony of the cosmos.
This verse invites us into a new way of living—beyond the to-do list, beyond the striving to accomplish or achieve. It opens the door to another rhythm altogether, one where our actions are not dictated by desire or fear, but by love. The awakened one has nothing to prove, nothing to earn, and yet continues to engage for the benefit of all beings.
What a beautiful image: the liberated person rising each day not to “get something done,” but to give. Not because they must, but because they can. Their action is love in motion. It is grace overflowing. And it arises spontaneously, without any self-centered motivation. This is true freedom.
Practical Steps for Freeing Action
This path of Karma Yoga is deeply practical. We can begin to live this teaching right where we are. Three helpful steps include:
1. Examine our motives. Ask: Why am I doing this? Is it to gain approval, security, or control? Or is it offered with love, without clinging to results?
2. Practice nonattachment. Notice where we are gripping. Can we offer the same action, but let go of the outcome?
3. Reframe the opportunity to serve. Rather than seeing tasks as obligations, we can see them as blessings—as invitations to love more deeply, to give more freely, to grow in awareness.
When I remember my teacher’s words, “We are grateful for those we are privileged to serve,” I find that everything shifts. The work becomes a joy. The meeting becomes sacred. The day becomes a temple.
From the Desire World to the Divine Flow
The Sufi teacher Kabir Helminski wrote,
“We are knee deep in a river, searching for water.”
That line has always stayed with me. We are immersed in divine presence, and yet so often we look outside of ourselves—chasing things, titles, accomplishments—hoping they will bring fulfillment. The river is within us. When we quiet the mind, when we release our grasping, when we act from stillness, we begin to feel that flow. The water we were seeking was always here.
The liberated person has ceased seeking because they have awakened to the truth. They act, not to attain something, but to express what they know. That is the liberating power of Karma Yoga. Not action as acquisition, but action as revelation. It reveals to us who we are when we are no longer caught in the ego’s demands. It helps us let go of the false “I” that clings and suffers.
Karma Yoga and Kriya Yoga
The Bhagavad Gita's teachings on Karma Yoga find deep resonance in the path of Kriya Yoga. In Kriya practice, we learn to direct our energy inward, to still the mind, and to abide in the Self. The after-effects of deep meditation—clarity, compassion, joy—naturally influence our actions. We emerge from meditation with a heart more willing to serve, with a mind more free from compulsion. Our actions become more conscious, more loving, more dharmic.
This is the integration of inner realization and outer expression. Meditation purifies the heart; Karma Yoga expresses that purity through selfless living. When we remember who we are, when we act without need, when we offer ourselves for the benefit of all beings, we participate in the great harmony.
That is the liberating power of Karma Yoga. That is the joy of acting without need. That is the way of the awakened heart.
Listen to the full podcast episode below.
Bhagavad Gita, pt 26: Desire, Ego, and Realization - The Dance of Spiritual Growth
Chapter 3, v. 20-22
Explore the intricate relationship between desire, ego, and Self-realization. Drawing from ancient texts and modern interpretations, this episode delves into the transformative power of selfless action and the profound teachings of Karma Yoga, leading us to a deeper understanding of our innate wholeness.
Dive Deeper into Dharma Teachings and Practices
Drawing from the reservoir of Vedic wisdom and the principles of yoga, the Dharma 365! Live Your Higher Purpose online course outlines the path to a life of higher purpose. The course provide a comprehensive immersion in dharma studies and practices for discovering your higher purpose and living it every day with heart and meaning.
Stay Connected
Enter your email below to receive Illumination – inspirations, insights, and more from Yogacharya O’Brian to support you on your path of awakened living!
© 2025 Ellen Grace O’Brian