Everyone has heard of karma. In the West, it becomes "law of return": what you do comes back. There is truth there. But Vedanta goes deep. It is not mechanical. It transforms.
Etymology and Fundamental Meaning
Karma comes from kr, to do, to act. Pure action. Includes intention. Execution. Consequences.
The Brhadaranyaka Upanisad (4.4.5-6): act this way, become this. Good act, good result. Bad, bad.
Karma vs. Law of Return
### The Popular View
Good action, good return. Bad, suffering. Cosmic accounting.
### The Vedic Perspective
Natural law. Intention matters. The goal is not accumulating good karma. It is transcending karma altogether. Moksa through action without attachment.
Three Types of Karma
### 1. Sancita Karma (Accumulated)
Seeds from past lives. Potential. Waiting for conditions.
### 2. Prarabdha Karma (In Manifestation)
The portion bearing fruit now. Birth, life, experiences. An arrow already released. Cannot be changed.
### 3. Kriyamana Karma (Present)
Actions of today. Fruits come soon, in the future, or are neutralized through karma yoga.
Karma Yoga: The Path of Conscious Action
The Bhagavad Gita. Krsna to Arjuna. A revolution.
### The Central Verse
Karmanyevadhikaraste ma phalesu kadacana. Your right is to action alone. Never to the fruits. Not the agent. Not inaction.
### Principles of Karma Yoga
- Niskama Karma: Without attachment. Duty, dharma.
- Samatva: Equanimity. Yoga is this (2.48).
- Isvararpana: Offering to the Supreme.
Karma and the Law of Isvara
Isvara delivers results, karmaphala-data. Just. Knows intention. Follows rta. Grace purifies completely.
Transcending Karma: The Path of Liberation
Karma neutralized. Identity as Brahman. End of the cycle. The three paths: karma, bhakti, jnana. The final goal: moksa.
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