Karma
life's operating principle
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Karma, put very simply, is the fundamental operating principle of all life, based on the maxim "what goes around, comes around".
Karma is a verb and a noun. It is a philosophical concept as well as reason why something happens to you. It is a complex word, with different meanings in different contexts.
Karma can mean your action or your choice borne of free will. Karma also refers to the results/ consequences of these choices.
The concept of a Devil, or a Satan, to blame your actions on, does not exist in Indian philosophy. What does exist is a notion of "what you sow, so shall you reap" - which is known as Karma. There is no third party to blame your misdeeds on.
Very much like the laws of physical sciences, the Law of Karma applies to all our thoughts and deeds, and operates on the principle that every action has an equal and similar reaction. Now mind you, this is very simplistically put; like photosynthesis is explained initially as a food making process using sunlight, though at BSc/ MSc/ PhD levels the complexity increases manifold.
While the Abrahamic philosophies hold an external entity responsible for leading people away from the path of good, to commit bad deeds, Sanatan philosophy holds the individual soul responsible for its own words and deeds, with rewards or punishments handled by the principle of Karma.
The timeline of the rewards of our actions is left somewhat vague. It could be immediate, or its could be delayed by a few weeks/ years, or it could come to you in any of your future lives.
Each action has its consequences as well as its own timeline of bringing forth the reaction, with the cosmos keeping infallible records of this in the Aakaashic memory. Every word, every thought, every sound, every action that ever happens in creation is recorded and stored in this Cosmic Memory. It is this memory bank that all Karma refers to, to determine what unfolds in the world and with people, in line with the "what you sow, so shall you reap" philosophy.
There is this widespread misconception that karma is somewhat like revenge by some higher power or the universe, like some kind of cosmic tit for tat. It is NOT. Karma isn't about revenge. It isn't even just simply about action and consequences.
Karma is a complex sophisticated law of nature, in very much the same way that gravity is - the latter is understood and accepted as a scientific principle while the former yet hasn't. But karma is as much a law of nature as gravity is, with certain effects and consequences as well as ways to mitigate said effects/ consequences, eliminate them, work around them, even break them!
For example gravity causes someone or something to splatter on the ground when jumping from a great height. But slide down a prepared line or parachute out of an airplane and you won't splatter. Come down in an air balloon or bungee jump off a great height and you won't splatter. Does that mean the law of gravity ceased to operate? No. But there are ways to survive, safely endure, even utilise (when space shuttles use gravity to power them along their course) the laws of gravity.
Ditto karma. It works a certain way, has certain effects and consequences, and there are ways to survive, safely endure, even utilise the laws of karma. And also like gravity, there is no way to escape it! Also like gravity, it works whether you know it, believe it, understand it -- or not. After all, cave people weren't floating around in their caves just because they didnt know about gravity yet!
Airplanes and bees seemingly defy the laws of gravity, as commonly understood; but there are in fact subtle nuances which require advanced study. Very much in the same way, there are advanced studies and practices that let one seemmingly defy the laws of karma, when in fact one is simply using them at an advanced level. Not everyone can manipulate natural laws (be it gravitational or karmic) at such advanced levels - only aeronautical engineers, Wright brothers, pushpak vimaan designers or yogees.
Three kinds of Karma
Karma is of three types. One that has been added to your ledger and is yet to ripen. Second type that is fructifying in this lifetime. And the third is the future karma we will make with our choices and free will in the here and now.
SANCHITA Karma
dormant past karma
Past Karmas we have gathered through past choices and actions, in this lifetime and all the past ones. These are recorded in Akaashic memory, and are yet to ripen/ bear fruit. Imagine them as seeds, with the tree and its flowers lying dormant, waiting for the right conditions and time to bear fruit.
For most of us these are a done deal and cannot really be changed. These are the arrows we carry in the quiver of our Aakashic records, the seeds that will germinate in the soil of future lifetimes. It is the consequences that we have yet to enjoy or suffer, as the case maybe.
There is just one way out of the done deal, only way to put down the quiver and walk away, to roast the seeds of Sanchita Karma - and that is Realisation/ Enlightenment. When the actor stops being in-character, stops identifying with the stage script, realises he is only an actor on Maya's stage, becomes aware of his own True Self. Once he experiences who he is, he can quit the theatre and choose to walk away.
PRARABHDA Karma
fructified present karma
These are the ripened fruits of earlier karmas which are queued up to be translated into consequences in this current lifetime. It is the karmas that we will bear the fruits of in the current life.
Using the analogy of archery, these are the arrows already launched, headed towards the target that is our current lifespan. They cannot be put back in the quiver, nor can they be returned to the bow. As they hit the target's bulleye - we live out the consequences of previous karmas.
Prarabhda karma is what everyone calls Fate and Destiny.
AGAMI Karma
making future karma
Also called Vartamana Karma or Kriyamana Karma, these are the karmas we create for ourselves every minute, every second of our lives, with the choices we make and the actions we take, in the here and now. This is the only karma we, the unenlightened, can control, which will determine what kind of arrows land in our quiver in the future. It is the karma we need to be mindful of, as the actions we make here and now will determine the karma phal (fruits of our actions) in the future.
While the other two kinds of karmas are destiny and fate, albeit fructified/ realised or unrealised/in seed form; this third kind of karma is our free will or Purushartha.
Fruits of Karma
The consequences of your action or choices fructify at different times, from instantateous to delayed across lifetimes. So the Agami Karma we choose today will bear fruit in two ways:
Drishta Phal
immediate
Your choices bear immediate fruit and consequences.
Adrishta Phal
delayed
The consequences of your actions take time to ripen.
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