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“In this yoga, the will is directed singly toward one ideal. When a man lacks this discrimination, his will wanders in all directions, after innumerable aims.”
(Bhagavad Gita 2:41)

In the practice of karma yoga there is only one ideal: liberation of the spirit (moksha). Nothing else can be a motive. It is like threading a needle. The thread cannot have fibers sticking out, otherwise it cannot be put through the needle’s eye. In the same way the mind must be focused on the single purpose: freedom in union with the Divine. Many types of actions may be engaged in and many “goals” may be aimed for or achieved. Yet, to the yogi they are nothing in themselves. The final result alone matters and alone is ever before his inner eye.

It is much like the rays of the sun. They can be very hot in the summer, but if even in the winter they are focused by means of a magnifying or “burning” glass they will cause any flammable object to catch fire.

The narrower the point of a weight the more pressure is produced. A brick weighing a pound or two will cause no discomfort if held in the hand. But if the corner of the brick is brought to bear on the palm it will be painful.

The idea of both these examples is that the more united or “pointed” the mind is, the more powerful–and therefore effective–it is.

Single purpose

To lack this single-mindedness in relation to moksha is disastrous to the karma yogi. This cannot be overemphasized because karma yoga is almost universally thought to be nothing more than noble selfless service to others rather than the intense form of liberating sadhana Krishna envisions and which impels him to say: “When a man lacks this discrimination, his will wanders in all directions, after innumerable aims.” Lost in the labyrinth of many goals and focusing on a multitude of objects, the aspiring karma yoga becomes lost in confusion and frustration. Krishna’s picture of such a person was presented by the Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock when he wrote about a man who leapt on his horse “and rode madly off in all directions.” In the Bible several times people are urged to walk straight forward without turning to right or left. (Proverbs 4:27; Deuteronomy 5:32, 28:14; Joshua 1:7.) The meaning is the same as Krishna’s.

As Swami Premeshananda was wont to say: “Go Forward!”

[Swami Premeshananda, affectionately known as “Premesh Maharaj,” was a disciple of Sri Sri Ma Sarada Devi, the wife of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, and a renowned monk of the Ramakrishna Order. His letters have been published in two volumes under the title Go Forward, as that was his habitual advice to spiritual aspirants in reference to a parable often told by Sri Ramakrishna.]

See the Previous articles, Key Concepts in Yoga: Karma and The Psychological Nature of Karma.