Each one of us is put by our lives on the Karmic Path.  The path of Karma requires the discharge of our assigned duties without any expectation of reward.  We should not be demanding anything other than what is give to us.  The credit for the effort and the resulting fruits of the effort must be assigned directly to the Paramathma.  Such an assignment will ensure that we perform our duties with detachment and without taking ownership of the result.  When performed with this attitude, the discharge of our Karmic duties becomes a sacrifice. 

The discharge of our Karmic duties in this manner is the only way to ensure that we attain a Dharmic state of mind.  The discharge of Karma in a Dharmic manner without any aversions, personalization or greed or ambition is the only way that Karma Yoga can deliver us to the attainment that we seek.

All of us born in the kali Yugam know very well that even when we want to remain straight, the environment will make it very difficult for us to do so. If we do not maximize our returns for the effort during our working life, we will not be able to bring up our families and lead a comfortable life in retirement.

Sickness, disease, and early loss of physical abilities due to stress make it impossible for us to lead a balanced professional and personal life.  The struggle to earn and support families is an enormous effort. Many compromises are made.  Laws of the land are not complied with. Corruption is rampant.  We have to gamble with our savings to sustain value.

So is Karma Yogam a viable option in the Kali Yugam?

Not so for the vast majority of us. 

Karma Yogam in the prior yugams apparantly used to mean the regular and unbroken practice of religious rituals which always were very extensive and occupied a significant portion of each day in one's life. In fact to discharge Karma Yogam, as it should be without the blessings obtained from the sacrifice of performing daily rituals is not possible because of the temptations that are thrown in our paths by Kali. 

The demands of modern life requires the maintenance of a comfortable home, expensive education, medical care for all our dependants as well as provding for retirement and support of all dependants.  These demands mean that the working life now consumes the substantial part of our our daily life in terms of effort and energies. 

So nothing remains to be given either to spiritual effort or endevours to lead a Dharmic life. 

Karma Yoga can be practised only by those who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. The people for whom all material benefits have been provided.  How many of such people are there?  

Actually we have all observed that those who have been provided all that they need, often yearn for even more, and they are the first ones to pursue the accumulation of wealth, reward and personal adulation. 

Karma Yogam can be practiced as it should be only by a miniscule percentage of the population.  

This may not be the practicable path for the cast majority of us.