Vidya · Karma
॥ कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते ॥
The eternal law of action and consequence — every thought, word and deed shapes the soul's journey and the world.
Introduction
Karma is one of the most fundamental concepts in Sanatan Dharma. It refers to action and the law of cause and effect that governs the universe. The word comes from the Sanskrit root kṛ — "to do," "to act."
Every action — physical, verbal, or mental — produces a corresponding reaction. The law operates impartially and applies to all beings. Karma is not blind fate; it is the principle of moral causation.
Chapter I
Right actions lead to happiness, growth and favourable circumstances.
Harmful actions return as obstacles, sorrow and difficult conditions.
Results may appear at once, or unfold across many lives. Nothing is ever lost.
Chapter II
Nothing happens by chance — every event has a cause, every action a consequence.
Works without exception, equally for every being.
Results gather across lifetimes — the ledger is precise.
Conscious effort, repentance and good action can soften it.
Operates at the physical, mental and spiritual levels.
Chapter III
Past, present and future — woven into a single living ledger.
सञ्चित कर्म
Accumulated Karma from all past lives
Example
The total stock of past actions
प्रारब्ध कर्म
Karma already bearing fruit in this life
Example
Current health, family, situations
क्रियमाण कर्म
Karma being created in the present moment
Example
Actions performed right now
आगामी कर्म
Karma that will fruit in future lives
Example
Future results of today's choices
Some situations are due to Prarabdha — but we always have the freedom to create new Kriyamana Karma through today's choices.
Karma · Samsara · Moksha
Unresolved
Causes the soul to take rebirth.
Good
Leads to higher births and favourable conditions.
Negative
Brings suffering and lower states of being.
When all Karma is exhausted through knowledge, devotion and right action, the soul attains Moksha — and realises itself as the eternal Atman.
Chapter IV
Karma is precise and just — though its workings are not always immediately visible.
King Dasharatha accidentally killed Shravana's parents. The grief he caused returned to him as the unbearable pain of separation from his own son, Rama. Karma returns in similar forms.
Despite being a peerless warrior, Karna faced curses and hardships rooted in past Karma — a reminder that even greatness is shaped by what was sown before.
Through intense devotion and luminous good Karma, the young sage Markandeya conquered death itself when Yama came to claim him.
Chapter V
Six pathways offered by the tradition.
Selfless service, charity, truthfulness and compassion.
Act without attachment to results — the Gita's central teaching.
Sincere repentance and corrective action soften past Karma.
Surrender to God, chanting His names — devotion dissolves the heaviest Karma.
Realising one's true Self dissolves the very sense of doership.
Purify the mind and slow the creation of new Karma.
Eternal Verses
Bhagavad Gita 2.47
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
"You have the right to action alone, never to its fruits. Let not the fruits be your motive, nor your attachment be to inaction."
Yatha Karma Tatha Phalam
यथा कर्म तथा फलम्
"As is the Karma, so is the fruit."
Upanishadic Saying
यद् बीजं तद् फलम्
"As you sow, so shall you reap — the quality of thought, word and deed becomes the texture of future experience."
Chapter VI
Karma helps make sense of life's inequalities and motivates lasting change.
We are the creators of our own reality — no fate, no blame.
A clear motivation for honesty, kindness and non-harm.
Hardship is meaningful — and hope lies in present good deeds.
Choices today are seeds for tomorrow — and lifetimes to come.
Helps make sense of life's disparities without bitterness.
Bhagavad Gita 2.47
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते
"You have the right only to action, not to its fruits."
By performing our duties with dedication and without attachment, we purify our Karma and move steadily toward liberation. May we all sow positive Karma — and walk steadily toward lasting peace and freedom.
॥ ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥