Karma

Karma (कर्म) literally means “action” or “deed.” In the Indian philosophical context, it denotes the universal law of cause and effect applied to intentional action: every volitional act produces a corresponding result (phala). This is not a system of reward and punishment but a natural law of moral causation.

The classification of karma

Later Vedānta commentators (not the Gita itself) classify karma into three — or, with āgāmi karma, four — kinds:

1. Sanchita karma — all accumulated actions from past lives, the storehouse of seeds.
2. Prārabdha karma — the portion of sanchita karma that has begun to ripen in this life and must be experienced.
3. Kriyamāṇa karma — new actions being created in the present moment.
4. Āgāmi karma — karma generated by present actions that will fructify in the future.

Action without attachment

The Gita (2.47) teaches the central paradox:

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन
Karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana
“You have a right to action alone, never to its fruits at any time.”

This does not mean inaction but action performed as a dedication without ego-attachment to the fruit. The performer of action, the object of action, and the fruit of action are seen as ultimately unreal from the standpoint of the Self (Ātman).

In Buddhist interpretation

In the Aṅguttara Nikāya (6.63, Nibbedhika Sutta), the Buddha defines kamma as intention (cetanā):

Cetanāhaṃ, bhikkhave, kammaṃ vadāmi.
“It is intention, monks, that I call karma.”

The Buddhist system emphasizes the role of consciousness and mental factors in determining karmic results. Unlike the Hindu view, Buddhism rejects the idea of a permanent self carrying karma across lifetimes — instead, karmic continuity operates through the rebirth-linking consciousness (patisandhicitta).

Liberation from karma

Moksha (liberation) is understood as freedom from the karmic cycle (samsara). This is achieved through:

• Jnana yogantry/jnana) yoga — knowledge of the Self, which dissolves the illusion of the separate doer
• Bhakti yogaopic/bhakti) yoga — devotion and surrender, which transforms the fruits of action
• Karma yoga — selfless action, which burns away karmic residues
• Vairagya — dispassion, which weakens the will-to-enjoy that creates karma

Verification notes

• The threefold karma doctrine is standard across all major Vedānta commentaries.
• The Buddhist definition (cetanā) is from the standard Anguttara Nikāya translation (Bodhi 1995).
• The Bhagavad Gita verses are from the critical edition (Nilakantha 1935, GRETIL).
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).