Karma by Dr. T.D. Singh

In order to accommodate the different desires of living entities, material nature manifests in variegated qualities by the will of the Lord. This material nature is broadly divided into three categories called three modes of nature (gunas) – sattvam (goodness), rajah (passion) and tamah (ignorance). The living entities behave differently when they interact with these modes. The mode of goodness is purer than the other two modes and all living beings are influenced to different degrees by the different modes of nature.

Any activity that the living entity performs is called karma. The cosmic manifestation is full of different activities. All living entities are engaged in different activities. These activities are being carried out from time immemorial and the living entities are enjoying or suffering the fruits of these activities. Based on these different activities of living beings, there is a natural law called the Law of karma in Vedantic tradition. The law of karma states that every living entity has a predestined happiness and distress in his/her present body according to the actions performed by the living entity in his/her previous and present life. The concept of karma is similar to that of action and reaction in Newton’s Law.



Karma has a close link with the free will of the individual. According to the Law of karma, free will is a property of fundamental life particle spiriton and by exercising free will a person performs various actions and is implicated in various reactions. The use of free will rightly or wrongly will decide the course of life. When the living being reaches the human form of life, the free will is fully manifest and from human life the chain of karma can be cut off by choosing the right action, the spiritual action.


Thus karma is not eternal. We can change the results of karma by using the free will rightly. This change depends on the perfection of our knowledge. Hence, in Vedanta, the importance of human form of life is emphasized.