Work means karma. The more you work, the more karma you get in return. If it's pious work, then you get some reward. If it's impious work, then you get some punishment. Therefore, real action is not mere labor for your daily bread or even labor to heal the sick as a humanitarian. That still begets pious karma and an obligatory next birth to enjoy it.
Rather, the yogi or self-realized soul performs action which benefits not merely themselves and their stomach, nor idealistically the bodily and mental pains of their fellow humanity, but which benefits the spirit soul.
Such action is not actually karmic. It is transcendental. It is yoga because it facilitates the process of linking up (yoga) the living entities with their source. Such activity reaps no karmic reward. It is done as a service to the real person, the spirit soul within the body. And it is done as a service to God.
There is no better action. You may feed a hungry man but he will be hungry tomorrow. You may heal a sick woman but she will get sick again and die in time. Rather, the yogi goes beyond that to facilitate yoga for all. By facilitating the return to godhead for all who are ready, the yogi does the greatest service known to all mankind.
Facilitate the return of the lost souls to their original rightful place in the eternal abode, and there is nothing more to be done. This is like watering the root of the tree, knowing that all the other parts of the tree will benefit. Deal with the root cause of all suffering or lack, and you solve all the other problems entirely.
To act in this way requires an insight based on seeing the bigger picture. It can only be done by one who has no more desires for mundane karmic reward. It is possible when one sees the truth of who we are, beyond any doubt.
If you think that you're the body, then you will focus on the bodily needs. But if you realize that we are all something beyond this body and mind, namely pure eternal consciousness, currently trapped in temporary shackles, then you will focus on liberation from those shackles.
That is the real welfare work for all living beings, not merely catering to the body and mind through pious karmic action. Facilitating the path of self-realization for all beings is the work performed by the yogi who has seen the world through the eyes of shastra, or the ancient wisdom texts.
The more we work hard in this material world, the more we will reap karma. And any karma, good or bad, means being obliged to reap the rewards. Better to work smart, not hard. Better to work in transcendence rather than pious action.
Real action is selfless, without the need for reward, payment or credit. That's why traditionally the brahmana or priest, doctor or teacher would not work for any salary. They were not doing it for the money. They simply received donations for their basic needs. Whatever they received was fine. That is the real mood behind the highest type of work.
As a result, traditionally one who acted as a priest, shaman, counsellor, doctor or teacher might actually appear materially poor or at least quite humble. They were rich in consciousness and they were beyond the illusion of the externals and the bling which we are so enamored by today.
I have personally met doctors and we all know about big pharma who will abuse you all day long by extracting as much money from you for their healing services, rather than actually heal you. They are actually businessmen and women, in it for the money, not to serve humanity. The world is now inverted and corruption has overtaken the brahmana class of people.
And we ignorant sheep still think that it is our duty to respect the doctor or priest merely because they have that title. Those days are over and we live now under the rule of the greedy, not the servants of god, not the person who knows brahman or the true nature of our identity as consciousness.
Even dogs, hogs camels and asses can work hard for their daily piece of grass to eat or scraps of bread. What value is that other than keeping the body alive? Find out what real action entails by first finding out who you are and what's going on here on this planet.
Otherwise anyone can be a better donkey, even if they show off how many people they can carry on their backs across the face of the earth. But can you carry those people through the gates of death to liberation with you? That is the real work to be done.
Bhagavad Gita ch5:25
लभन्ते ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृषय: क्षीणकल्मषा: ।
छिन्नद्वैधा यतात्मान: सर्वभूतहिते रता: ॥ २५ ॥
abhante brahma-nirvāṇam
ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ
chinna-dvaidhā yatātmānaḥ
sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ
SYNONYMS
labhante—achieve; brahma-nirvāṇam—liberation in the Supreme; ṛṣayaḥ—those who are active within; kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ—who are devoid of all sins; chinna—torn off; dvaidhāḥ—duality; yata-ātmānaḥ—engaged in self-realization; sarva-bhūta—in all living entities; hite—in welfare work; ratāḥ—engaged.
TRANSLATION
One who is beyond duality and doubt, whose mind is engaged within, who is always busy working for the welfare of all sentient beings, and who is free from all sins, achieves liberation in the Supreme.
PURPORT
Only a person who is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be said to be engaged in welfare work for all living entities. When a person is actually in the knowledge that Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of everything, then when he acts in that spirit he acts for everyone. The sufferings of humanity are due to forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa as the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor, and the supreme friend. Therefore, to act to revive this consciousness within the entire human society is the highest welfare work. One cannot be engaged in first-class welfare work without being liberated in the Supreme. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person has no doubt about the supremacy of Kṛṣṇa. He has no doubt because he is completely freed from all sins. This is the state of divine love.
A person engaged only in ministering to the physical welfare of human society cannot factually help anyone. Temporary relief of the external body and the mind is not satisfactory. The real cause of one's difficulties in the hard struggle for life may be found in one's forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Lord. When a man is fully conscious of his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he is actually a liberated soul, although he may be in the material tabernacle.
Reference: Bhagavad Gita As It Is, translation and commentary by Swami A C Bhaktivedanta, original Macmillan 1972 edition.
Image: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/future-city-cyber-purple-gate-8840101/