Karma is a concept in Hinduism, based on the Vedas and
Upanishads, which explains causality through a system where
beneficial events are derived from past beneficial actions and
harmful events from past harmful actions, creating a system of
actions and reactions throughout a person's reincarnated lives.
Karma in Hinduism is used to explain the problem of evil that
persists in spite of an omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent God;
in this it is related to theodicy.
One of the first and most dramatic illustrations of karma can be
found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Hindu epic. The original
Hindu concept of karma was later elaborated on by several other
movements within the religion, most notably Vedanta, Yoga and
Tantra. The concept was later adopted by other religions, such
as Buddhism and Jainism, whose views differ from Hinduism as not
involving the role of a personal supreme God. Thus, karma has
had a major influence on worldwide philosophy and spirituality.
Definition
Karma literally means "deed" or "act", and more
broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect,
action and reaction, which Hindus believe governs all life.
Karma is not fate; humans are believed to act with free will,
creating their own destinies. According to the Vedas, if an
individual sows goodness, he or she will reap goodness; if one
sows evil, he or she will reap evil. Karma refers to the
totality of mankinds' actions and their concommitant reactions
in current and previous lives, all of which determine the
future. However, many karmas do not have an immediate effect;
some accumulate and return unexpectedly in an individual's later
lives. The conquest of karma is believed to lie in intelligent
action and dispassionate reaction.
As Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains it,[1] unkindness
yields spoiled fruits, called papa, and good deeds bring forth
sweet fruits, called punya. He further notes that as one acts,
so does he become: one becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad
by bad action.
There are three types of karma in Hinduism:
1 - sanchita karma, the sum total of past karmas yet to be
resolved;
2 - prarabdha karma, that portion of sanchita karma that is to
be experienced in this life; and
3 - kriyamana karma, the karma that humans are currently
creating, which will bear fruit in the future.
