Talk:Karm Mīmāmsa or the Science of Karm:Definition and Modes of Karm

By Vishal Agarwal

Karm, derived from the root ‘kr’ means action – physical, mental, and verbal. The concept of Karm includes the intent behind it and also the result or the fruit of Karm. Some actions are not performed with a beneficial or a goal in mind (‘Pravṛtta Karm’). According to Krishna, they do not constitute Karm because they do not contribute to rebirth in another body

Karm is that creative force which brings into existence the great variety of beings. Gita 8.3 [Existence of a great variety of beings (bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro): Due to ignorance, all perform karm with a desire for their fruit, with attachments, and under the sense that ‘I am the doer’. As a result of the karm that they discharge (visarga) bear fruit in the form of repeated births, joys and sorrows, and other results.]

Karm binds and enables one to obtain another body. It is due to mighty karm alone that one transmigrates from one body to another. Mahābhārata 12.210.45

Karm means the continuous activity of the sense organs, the organs of action, the fourfold mind, and the vital forces (prāṇas) that bring about a change in their state.

Smell, taste, form, sound, touch as the fifth, mental functioning, and functioning of the intellect – these are the seven instrumental causes of karms. Anugita 10.5

In the Vaisheshika Darshana, Karm is defined in a somewhat different manner:

Upward motion, downward motion, expansion, contraction, and movement (from one place to another) – these are the five kinds of Karm. Vaisheshika Sūtra 1.1.7

The difference in this definition is that Vaisheshika Darshana is not restricted to human actions. Therefore, this peculiar definition tries to encompass the activity of all natural entities in addition to human Karm. This text does however deal with human actions specifically too and explains that the main driver of Karm is the ātmā. When this ātmā connects with the mind and other organs and performs Karm, the results are experienced in the form of pain and happiness.

Joy and sorrow result when the ātmā, the sense organs, the objects of senses, and the mind are connected. Vaisheshika Sūtra 5.2.15

We perform Karm not merely with our hands, but in many different ways. Therefore, Karm can be classified according to the organs of our body involved in doing them into three categories:

Kāyika Karm: Actions that are performed by our organs of action, i.e., hands, legs/feet, reproductive organs, etc., or any other part of the body. Facial expressions are also included.

Mānasika Karm: Actions performed through our thoughts. E.g. thinking good or bad things. Even dreams are included in this category.

O Varuṇa, it is not solely my will that is responsible for my sins. Liquor, anger, gambling, and thoughtlessness all contribute to them. Even the elder leads one astray. A dream is sometimes sufficient to seduce a man. Rigveda 7.86.6

Vāchika Karm: Actions performed through speech or communication. The tongue is not the only organ involved in our speech. Many other organs like the vocal cords, the diaphragm, etc. are involved. Moreover, a lot of our communication is non-verbal like a mean look to someone, turning red with anger, etc. These types of communication are also included in this type of Karm.

Note that there is no strict division between these three types of Karm, and the classification is purely according to how they appear to others. For example, a person first thinks that he will give charity. Then, he does it physically by donating clothes to poor people. So here, the Karm is Kāyika Karm although the mind is involved in making the decision. But till the person does not give any clothing in charity and merely resolves mentally to do it, his karm is Mānasika Karm.

Hindu scriptures also suggest the different ways in which these different types of Karm yield their respective results- One suffers the fruit of mental sins mentally, of verbal sins verbally, and of physical sins in one’s body. Manusmriti 12.8