Karma

Karma (Sanskrit कर्म, karma — "action", "deed", from the root kṛ — "to do") is the universal law of cause and effect in Indian philosophy: every action (bodily, verbal, mental) generates a trace (samskara, संस्कार) that shapes future experience.

Not punishment, not reward. Karma is neither "punishment" nor "reward", but an impersonal law, like gravity. It simply operates.

Three Kinds of Karma

• Sanchita Karma (सञ्चित) — accumulated: the entire unlived karmic "reserve" from past lives
• Prarabdha Karma (प्रारब्ध) — ripened: the portion of Sanchita that shapes the current birth
• Kriyamana Karma (क्रियमाण) — generated: karma being formed by actions in this life

Karma in Jyotish

A map of Prarabdha karma. In Jyotish (#18), the natal chart is a "map of Prarabdha karma": planetary configurations show karmic tendencies, but not rigid predetermination.

Activation through the Dashas. The Dasha periods (दशा) activate different karmic layers at different times — that is why some themes rise to the foreground in one period of life and others in another.

Karma in Sankhya Shastra

The Karma Number. In Sankhya Shastra (#30), the Karma Number (Bhagyanka, भाग्यांक) = the sum of the full date of birth — a numerical indicator of the karmic task.

Karma in Other Traditions

A universal concept with different interpretations. The concept of Karma, transformed, is present in Buddhism, Jainism, and in adapted form in Western esoteric systems. Each tradition has its own nuances of interpretation.