The Sanskrit word karma (or kamma in Pali) means "actions" or "deeds." As a religious term, karma refers to intentional (usually moral) actions that affect one's fortunes in this life and the next. Karma is a concept common to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, but interpreted in different ways. This article focuses specifically on Hindu beliefs about karma.
History of Karma in Hinduism
In Hindu texts, the concept of karma first appears in the ancient Rig Veda (c. 1500-1000 BCE), but there it simply means religious action and animal sacrifice. There is some hint of the later meaning of karma in the Brahmanas (900–700 BCE), but it is not until the Upanishads (c. 500-100 BCE) that karma is expressed as a principle of cause and effect based on actions.
The Law of Karma
The "law of karma" is the broader principle that all of life is governed by a system of cause and effect, action and reaction, in which one's deeds have corresponding effects on the future. Karma is thus a way of explaining evil and misfortune in the world, even for those who do not appear to deserve it - their misfortune must be due to wrong actions in their previous life.
Karma is regarded as a fundamental law of nature that is automatic and mechanical. It is not something that is imposed by God or a god as a system of punishment or reward, nor something that the gods can interfere with. (However, devotion to the gods may help remove karma.)
"Bad" and "Good" Karma
The word karma usually refers to "bad karma," which is accumulated as a result of wrong actions or sin (papa). Karma binds a person's soul (atman) to the cycle of rebirth (samsara) and leads to misfortune in this life and poor conditions in the next.
On the other hand, good actions accumulate merit (punya). Meritorious acts include acting in accordance with one's dharma (ethics and duties based on one's station in life); worshipping God or gods; giving gifts to priests and holy men; and making pilgrimages to sacred places.
How Karma Works
The process by which karma is understood to work through various rebirths is as follows:
- Good or bad actions create impressions (samskaras) or tendencies (vasanas) in the mind, which in time will come to fruition in further action (more karma).
- The seeds of karma are carried in the subtle body (linga), in which the soul transmigrates.
- The physical body (sthula sarira) is the field in which the fruit of karma is experienced and more karma is created.
In Vedanta and Yoga teachings, there are three types of karma:
- Prarabdha karma - karma experienced during the present lifetime
- Sancita karma - the store of karma that has not yet reached fruition
- Agamin or sanciyama karma - karma sown in the present life that will come to fruition in a future life
Dealing with Karma
The purpose of life in Hinduism is to follow the dharma, both as an end in itself and to minimize karma, so one can enjoy better fortune in this life and achieve a better rebirth in the next.
But the ultimate spiritual goal is to achieve liberation (moksha) from the cycle of reincarnation altogether. It may take hundreds or thousands of rebirths to get rid of all of one's accumulated karma and achieve moksha. The person who has become liberated creates no more new karma during the present lifetime and is therefore not reborn after death.