Overview
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamConcise scholarly summary of the figure, name, tradition, and significance.
Karma (karma) — Deed, Action, the Law of Consequence · Deed, action — belongs to the Sanskrit tradition, where it is catalogued under the domain "Action, Consequence". The name means "Deed, action"[1].
Karma is the law that no deed evaporates: every act plants its seed, and the harvest is the life — and lives — that follow. From a plain Vedic noun for “ritual action” it grew into the doctrine that drives Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain cosmology alike: the moral physics by which the universe keeps its books without a bookkeeper.[2]
PuniCodex restores the name as Karma and serves its temple at its temple. The restoration aSCII-equivalent form — a description computed from the displayed form itself. The plain ASCII form karma survives as a modern convenience imposed by the early domain-name system; the restoration, not the fallback, is the form the project defends as philologically complete[3].
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
- Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.292 (deeds and intention).
- Mahābhārata, Savitrī episode.
The Name
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamEtymology, ASCII constraint, Unicode restoration, name variations, tier classification.
The name is attested in Devanagari as कर्म. Etymologically it means "Deed, action"[1].
The ASCII form karma survives only because the early domain-name system could not carry diacritics; it is a technological compromise, not an ancient spelling. The Unicode restoration Karma recovers the full diacritic detail of the scholarly transliteration directly in the address bar. The restoration aSCII-equivalent form — a description computed from the displayed form itself.
The letter-by-letter transformation runs:
- k → K — Same, capitalized
- a → a — Same
- r → r — Same
- m → m — Same
- a → a — Same
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Pronunciation
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamIPA reconstruction, phoneme breakdown, approximation, kin forms.
The reconstructed pronunciation of the name is /ˈkɑːrmə/ — Sanskrit (IAST: Karma).[1]
Phoneme by phoneme:
- Kar- — From √kṛ, “to do, make”; the r is syllabic-flavoured, the a long “ah”.
- -ma — The abstract noun: “action”, “deed” — and by extension, the law that deeds breed consequences.
For the modern speaker, the closest approximation is: “KAHR-muh”
Kindred and historical forms of the name:
- Pali — Kamma
- the — law of moral causation across all Indian traditions
The word begins as a plain noun — “deed” — and becomes the engine of the universe. The neuter gender marks the noun as a principle, not a person.
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Original Script & Provenance
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamOriginal writing system, transliteration steps, uncertainty markers, font/display notes.
The name is preserved in Devanagari as कर्म.[1]
The scholarly transliteration is Karma.
The rendering proceeds step by step:
- Sanskrit Karma is written in Devanagari as कर्म
- IAST transliteration maps each Devanagari vowel and consonant to a Latin equivalent
- Macrons mark long vowels (ā, ī, ū); dots beneath consonants mark retroflex articulation (ṭ, ḍ, ṇ, ṣ)
Sources
- Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
- Macdonell, Sanskrit Grammar for Students.
Domains & Attributes
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamSphere of influence, titles, epithets, domain cards.
Karma is the law that no deed evaporates: every act plants its seed, and the harvest is the life — and lives — that follow. From a plain Vedic noun for “ritual action” it grew into the doctrine that drives Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain cosmology alike: the moral physics by which the universe keeps its books without a bookkeeper.[1]
The Seed and the Fruit
Every deed is a seed; the fruit may ripen in this life or a later one — but it ripens.
Action by Mind, Word, Deed
Karma accrues by thought, speech, and body — the three doors of action the law watches.
The Burning Off
Karma can be exhausted by experience — burned like a field of stubble — or bound by attachment like a new seed.
Liberation Beyond It
Mokṣa, nirvāṇa: the states beyond karma’s reach — the doctrines’ common horizon.
Sources
- Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.292 (deeds and intention).
Symbols
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamIconography, attributes, and their meanings.
The iconography associated with Karma concentrates in a small set of recurring attributes, each a compressed statement about the name:[1]
- The Seed and the Fruit — Every deed is a seed; the fruit may ripen in this life or a later one — but it ripens.
- Action by Mind, Word, Deed — Karma accrues by thought, speech, and body — the three doors of action the law watches.
- The Burning Off — Karma can be exhausted by experience — burned like a field of stubble — or bound by attachment like a new seed.
- Liberation Beyond It — Mokṣa, nirvāṇa: the states beyond karma’s reach — the doctrines’ common horizon.
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Mythology
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamCore myths, primary narratives, and textual evidence.
Karma has no biography because it outranks every biography: it is the rule all biographies obey. Its ‘mythology’ is the doctrine’s own history — from the Vedic ritual’s power to bind, through the Upaniṣads’ interiorization, to the great vehicles’ global export — and the countless stories, from Nala to Savitri, in which its arithmetic drives the plot.[1]
From Ritual to Moral Physics (Upaniṣadic Revolution)
The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad relocates karma: no longer the ritual act alone but the intention behind every act — ‘one becomes good by good action, evil by evil action’. The ritual economy of the Brahmins became the moral economy of the universe, and no priest was needed to run it.[2]
The Owner of the Deed (Buddhist Formulation)
The Buddha’s formula is the doctrine’s cleanest statement: beings are the owners of their deeds, the heirs of their deeds — nowhere else does the inheritance come from. Karma in Buddhism is intention (cetanā) itself; the deed’s fruit follows like the wheel follows the ox.
The Story Where It Breaks (Savitri Cycle)
The Mahābhārata’s Savitrī tale stages the doctrine’s limit-case: Satyavān’s life exhausted by karma’s count, Yama arrives on schedule — and the wife’s flawless speech wins the husband back. The epic never denies the law; it shows a love so exact in its dharma that the law’s own keeper must honour it.
The Subtle Dust (Jain Mechanics)
Jainism made karma physical: a subtle matter that clings to the soul like dust to a wet cloth, weighing it into rebirth. The doctrine’s imagery — the soul’s lightness restored by austerity until it rises like a flame released — is the most materialist eschatology India produced.
Sources
- Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.292 (deeds and intention).
- Mahābhārata, Savitrī episode.
Syncretism & Reception
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamCross-cultural identification, later adaptations, and interpretatio.
Karma is the one doctrine shared by Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain without alteration of name — the subcontinent’s common physics. The West received it through theosophy and thence into the global vernacular, where ‘karma’ now means cosmic payback in any language; classical comparisons run to the Egyptian heart-weighing and the Greek Adrasteia.[1]
Within the Sanskrit tradition, closely related names in the corpus include Aditi, Agni, Ambikā, Aṃśa, Arjuna, and Bhakti.
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Cultural Legacy
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamModern influence, literature, art, popular culture, and contemporary practice.
The word entered every major language as a loan — among the few Sanskrit terms to do so. It underwrites the theory of rebirth, the ethics of non-harm (the deed’s victim returns as one’s debtor), and the quietist strand of Indian political thought: the revolution you cannot make today, your karma will make eventually.[1]
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Archaeology & Material Evidence
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamSites, inscriptions, artifacts, and physical attestations.
The material record for Karma survives in a small number of securely identified remains, catalogued below; the corpus is thin but unambiguous, and each site is tied to the name by ancient testimony[1].
Karma leaves no temple — it is the reason temples leave merit. The stūpas’ circumambulation-paths, the ghāṭs’ staircases into the rivers, and the endless charity-inscriptions of Indian epigraphy are its monuments: every recorded gift is a seed on record.
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Scholarly Sources
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamCited primary and secondary sources with full bibliographic metadata.
The account of Karma given in this edition rests on the witnesses and reference works listed below. Lexica and etymological dictionaries secure the form and meaning of the name; the literary and religious texts supply the narrative evidence.
- [1] Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
- [2] Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.292 (deeds and intention).
- [3] Mahābhārata, Savitrī episode.
- [4] Tattvārthasūtra of Umāsvāti (Jain mechanics).
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
- Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.292 (deeds and intention).
- Mahābhārata, Savitrī episode.
- Tattvārthasūtra of Umāsvāti (Jain mechanics).
Vedic References
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamThe Vedas, the oldest stratum of Sanskrit scripture, contain hymns and litanies that name or allude to Karma. Ṛgvedic, Yajurvedic, and Atharvavedic passages establish the figure's early association with action.
The IAST restoration Karma marks the scholarly transliteration of those Vedic passages.[1]
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Upaniṣads
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamThe Upaniṣads shift the focus from ritual to metaphysics, reinterpreting divine names as symbols of ultimate reality. Karma appears or is implied in passages that map the pantheon onto the self and the cosmos.
The restored form Karma carries the diacritic precision of Sanskrit scholarship.[1]
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Purāṇas
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamThe Purāṇas narrate the myths, genealogies, and iconographies of Karma in encyclopedic Sanskrit compendia. Texts such as the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Śiva Purāṇa, and Devībhāgavata Purāṇa shape the devotional identity of the figure.
The IAST form Karma is the scholarly anchor across these compendia.[1]
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Mantras & Stotras
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamMantras and stotras addressed to Karma encode the name in ritual sound, often accompanied by visualizations and offerings. The syllabic structure of Sanskrit lends itself to sonic veneration.
The restored spelling Karma preserves the precise phonetic value used in recitation and scholarly citation.[1]
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Meditation & Reflection
Contributed by PuniCodex TeamContemplative or interpretive essay on the figure's enduring meaning.
Karma: the plainest noun in the batch — ‘deed’ — carrying the heaviest doctrine. Restored without marks, it reads as it acts: no ornament, no exemption, no appeal. The lexicon’s other names guard temples; this one guards the law the temples were built to honour.[1]
Sources
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
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