Vedic literature describes only three ways to achieve this liberation.” Yogaas trayo mayaa proktaa nranaam shreyo vidhitsayaa, jnaanam karma cha bhaktishcha no paay’nyo’sti kutra chit”Bhag.11-20-6 Lord Krishna explains to Uddhava,”There are only  three paths described by Me, to attain liberation and Me. These are 1) karma yoga, the path of action, 2) Jnaana yoga or the path of  knowledge 3) the Bhakti yoga or path of devotion and there are no other paths besides these”. Yoga is a process to establish and revive one’s relationship with the Absolute i.e., Krishna. Karma means one’s prescribed  duties or activities. Karma yoga therefore means to establish relationship with the Lord through one’s prescribed daily activities.  The Karma yoga is very natural  to every living being because the very nature of the living entities is to perform something or the other. The mind never stops working either in an awakened state or in sleep (Bh.G,3-5) ,”na hi kashchid kshanam api jaatuh tishthati akarma krit,” In general, there are two kinds of activities: 1) pious activities  which result in happiness immediately or in future and 2)  the impious activities which result in unhappiness. Hence, this tendency to work needs some guidance so that one does not act sinfully, immorally or anti-socially.The Vedas, particularly Manu-Samhita,  have described the duties to be performed by the mankind, as Varnaashrama dharma.  Accordingly, society is divided into four classes: 1) Brahmana, the intelligent and versed in transcendental knowledge, 2) Kshatriyah the warrior class, 3)Vaishya, the merchant class and 4) shudra the labor class. Further, the first 25 years of life are celibate class (brahmachari), then family married life (grahastha) up to 50 years,  then detached family life  (vanprashtha) till 75 years of age and then renounced order of life (sannyasi), the last stage of life , where one lives alone in the pursuit of God only. However, this sannyas is prohibited in this age of Kaliyuga (Brahma vaivarta puran). If one performs his prescribed duties according to the Varnashram-dharma like, Vedic sacrifices, rituals, austeries and charity, study of Vedas,following strictly Vedic injunctions, etc, then the maximum reward one can get according to Bh.G.14-18 is that  one can elevate himself to the heavenly planets, where every one has a very long life full of all sorts of enjoyments though not free from material desires like lust, greed, and anger as on Earth. Then after exhausting the fruits of his good and pious karma one descends again to Earth, in a different species of life. “yaavad punyam samaapayate taavad svargam pramodate”and“ Ksheene punye martya lokam vishanti” (Bh.G.9-21). Similar message is given in Bhag.12-12-53, “yashah shriyaameva parishram paro, varnaashram  aachaar tapah shrutaadishu.  By acting  according to Varnaashram dharma, one gets in this life (or the next) as the fruits of one’s labor wealth, opulences, means of better sense gratification and fame which only makes  one more  proud, more egotistical and greedy which only promotes one’s fall in the future. However, besides these pitfalls of Varnaashram-dharm, it is very obvious that one does not get  any liberation or cessation of material existence. Secondly, the complexity of religious principles is such that Bhag.6-3-19 says “,Dharmam tu saakshaat bhagvat praneetam, na vai viduhu rishiyo naapi devaah, na siddha mukhyaah asuraa manushyaa, kuto nu vidyaadhar chaarnadayah.” “The Vedic principles are known only to Lord Krishna, and not even  to  Lord Brahma, Yamaraj  or even great rishis then what about the humans”. Thirdly, again Lord Krishna warns,” kim vidhatte kim aachaste kim anudya vikalpayet, iti asyaa hridayam loke, na anyo mad veda kashchana.”In the entire world no one but Me acually understands the confidential purpose of the Vedic knowledge. Neither one understands what the Vedas are indicating about the injunctions in the karmakand portion of the Vedas.nor about the upaasanaakand as to who should be worshipped, nor about jnaana yoga. Further, Bhag.11-14-11“aadi-anta-vanta evaishaam lokaah karmah vinirmitaah dukhodarkaah tamo nishthaah kshudraah mandaah shuchaarpitaah.” Lord Krishna says, “the  fruits of material work bring about for a short time  happiness but future unhappiness and lamentation  is hidden in them which  the individual can not see or understand. Over and above  these enjoyments are also temporary”.  In conclusion, it is understood that  Varnaashram-dharma  helps to perpetuate material existence and does not serve any purpose regarding liberation. But one should not conclude from this  that  Varnaashram dharma is some thing very bad. No!  Ramayan says, in Treta yuga when Lord Rama was the king every one was so engaged in Varnaashram dharma, people were sinless, happy and well satisfied, free from diseases  and lamentations and peace, happiness and opulences prevailed,” varnaashra nij nij dharam nirat veda path loga, chalanhi sadaa paavanhi sukhahi nahi bhaya shoka na roga” It is therefore called inferior dharma, maanav dharm or shaareerika dharma.

                         Therefore, another dharma is needed to solve the problem of  humanity. It is called Bhagavat dharma (paro dharmah or superior dharma) or shaashvata dharma.It  is  divine in nature. Bhag.1-2-6”sa vai pumsaam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokshaje, ahaituky apratihita yayaatmaa suprasidati” “ Bhagavat dharma is defined here as one which invokes in the hearts of the mankind the love of Godhead. However, that love should be uninterrupted and devoid of any selfish motive. In so doing, one’s heart is filled with bliss for ever.”Another feature of this Bhagavat dharma is that, Bhag.1-2-7 “ Vasudeve bhagavati, bhaktiyogah prayojitah, janayati ashu vairagyam jnaanam cha yad ahaitukam.” “by engaging in the devotional services of the Lord, one soon acquires transcendental knowledge and detachment from the material  world without additional efforts. It is quite obvious that in  the Varnaashram dharma one is more attached to material worldly enjoyments and suffers due to that. In Bhagavat dharma one is detached from material worldly enjoyments but attached to the Supreme Lord and gets transcendental knowledge and bliss which is permanent and progressive life after life.So says Bh.G.7-45 “ aneka janma samsiddhihim tato yaati paraam gatim” that devotional services of the Lord never vanish but have cumulative effect life after life until one is liberted from this material life permanantly. That is the real goal of human life. Therefore, the activities performed according to the Varnaashram dharma have to be combined with Bhagavat dharma with the objective of serving the Supreme Lord; Only then can one achieve any liberation. Bhag.1-2-13 ,”atah pumbhir dvija shreshthaa varnaashram vibhaagashah, svanishthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari toshanam” Here human beings are  advised that the highest perfection one can achieve, by discharging his prescribed duties according to Varnaashram dharma is to please the Supreme Lord Hari. Therefore, karma yoga is able to award liberation only if it is combined with the devotional services of the Lord. Again in Treta yuga, referred to above, the people got liberation from material world because they were devoted to Supreme Lord Ramachandra, as said in Ramayan,” Ram bhagati rata saba nar naari, sakala param pada ke adhikaari.” This is the main point of this discussion here. In other words, it is the devotional services or Bhakti that is capable of granting liberation and not the karma alone. Lord Krishna advices, “ yat karoshi yad ashnaashi yaj juhosi dadaati yat, yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurushva mad arpanam.”(Bh.G.9-27) ” O’ Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give in charity and all the austerites that you perform just offer that to Me.” Krishna is the Supreme, we all owe our existence to Him, as we are created from His superior and inferior energies. ( Bh.G 7,4-5). All that we  enjoy is created by Him, therefore, to show our gratitude and gratefullness we should be offering Him  everything  first  then accepting it  as His prasad or mercy to enjoy. This is logical and scientific. Even if the prescribed duties are ghastly and one has to do it, like the war for kshatriyas (soldiers),  Krishna  says, “tasmaat sarveshu kaleshu mam  anusmara yudhya cha. mayy arpit mano buddhir maam evaishyasy asamshayah.” O Arjuna you should always think of Me in the form of Krishna and at the same time carry out even your ghastly duty of fighting. With activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence  fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.’’(Bh.G8-7),  Here one should not conclude that one can do sinfull activities and offer it  to the Lord to escape punishment.  This is not so  because sinfull activites are prohibited and not prescribed duties. Here the Lord further says,,”yajnaarthaat karmano’nyatra loko’yam karma-bandhanah, tad-artham karmakaunteya mukta sangah samaachara (Bh.G3-9).” O Arjuna, work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu (Krishna) has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore one should perform his duties for  His satisfaction, and in that way one will always remain unattached and free form bondage and sins”. In this way karma yoga  will definitely award liberation when the activities, in every walk of life,  are dovetailed with the Supreme Lord Krishna. Thus purpose of human life will be fulfilled i.e., to obtain the love of Godhead and become free from material bondage, the very goal of human life.