Karma-yoga . . . yoga means connection with Kṛṣṇa, or God, but when there is the word karma-yoga, it is adulterated. It is not pure yoga. Karma-yoga means, yat karoṣi yad juhoṣi yaj aśnāsi tapasyasi yat kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). That is karma-yoga. Whatever you doing . . . in the beginning, one cannot take to pure bhakti-yoga. Therefore karma-yoga is recommended, "Never mind whatever you doing. In that position you can become a devotee." Karma-yoga, that is. People are interested with different types of work. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yat karoṣi. "Never mind whatever you are doing." So how it becomes karma-yoga? Now, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam, "You give it to Me." Suppose you are doing business, and you are earning lots of money. So Kṛṣṇa says: "All right, go on. You are attached to business. You go on doing that. But the money earned out of your business, you give it to Me." This is karma-yoga. Not that you earn money and spend for your sense gratification. That is not karma-yoga. The rascals, they are saying this is karma-yoga. For sense gratification they are using, and that is karma-yoga. No. That is not karma-yoga. Here is karma-yoga, "It doesn't matter, whatever you are doing, but the ultimate result, you give it to Me."
In another place, Kṛṣṇa says, karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana (BG 2.47): "You can go on. You can go on with your business, but don't expect the fruit of the business." Mā phaleṣu. He indirectly says: "The fruit should be given to Me." Mā phaleṣu kadācana, "Don't expect the fruit." Suppose you grow a nice mango tree, and there will be fruit, nice fruit. So according to Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, mā phaleṣu kadācana, "You don't take the fruits." "Oh? Such a nice mango tree I have nourished in so many years. Now the fruit is there, and Kṛṣṇa says, mā phaleṣu kadācana: 'Don't take the fruit.' Then who will take the fruit? It will rot? It will fall down on the ground, and it will rot?" No. The idea is, "You don't take, but you give it to Me." This is karma-yoga. It is not that it should be wasted. So that is karma-yoga. So those who are karmīs, very much attached to material activities, for them, this karma-yoga is recommended. Some way or other, be connected with Kṛṣṇa. It is not so meant . . . it is very great achievement that you work hard, earn money, and give it to Kṛṣṇa. That is a great sacrifice.
So by karma-yoga also, you can satisfy . . . because the main business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ (SB 1.2.13). Varṇāśrama. There are four varṇas and four āśramas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsī. So these are the scientific division of civilized society. Unless there are these divisions, it is a chaotic condition, it is not very satisfactory. That is happening. Nowadays, there is no scientific division of the human society. Therefore there are so many chaotic conditions. So actual human civilization begins when we accept these eight departmental management of the society. That is human society. Otherwise it is animal society.
So . . . so according to Vedic civilization, every department, division, has got a particular duty. The brāhmaṇa, their duty is how to practice to control the mind, to control the senses, śamo damas titikṣā, to be tolerant, to be very simple, simple living, not very gorgeous living. Whatever is absolutely necessary, a brāhmaṇa will accept, not more than that. That is simplicity, simple living, high thinking. So this is brāhmaṇa's . . . Śamo damas titikṣā ārjava. And then jñānam. Jñānam means to understand what is what. People are all in ignorance, rascals. The brāhmaṇa should not be rascal. Therefore brāhmaṇa is given the title paṇḍita. Still in India they say brāhmaṇa-paṇḍita. Brāhmaṇa must be a paṇḍita, a learned. A brāhmaṇa rascal is not brāhmaṇa. You are . . . "What you are?" "I am brāhmaṇa." "What do you do?" "Now, I pull ṭhelā." So that is not brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means paṇḍita. He must be a learned man. Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. These are the brāhmaṇa's occupational duty. He must be learned scholar himself, and he would try to make others also learned scholar, paṭhana-pāṭhana. Not that, "I know." If you know something better, means very valuable, you must distribute it. Otherwise, in Sanskrit language they are called jñāna-khala: "miser in knowledge." One who has got knowledge . . . just like in the modern world, if one is scientifically advanced, he gives the knowledge to others. He goes from university to university and speaks about the new invention. So similarly, brāhmaṇa means that he must have full knowledge and he must distribute the knowledge, not that keep it for himself, reserved: "Nobody should know it." No. Paṭhana-pāṭhana. So jñānaṁ vijñānam.