Karma

Generally people talk less about Krishna and more of karma !! Karma is subject of conditioned living entities. It applies to only those who have rebelled against Lord and who want to enjoy independently. !! Action need not necessarily mean karma.
!!

What is karma?
!r"-bhagav#n uv#ca ak$ara% brahma parama% svabh#vo 'dhy#tmam ucyate bh&ta-bh#vodbhava-karo visarga' karma-sa%jita'
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called adhytma, the self. Action pertaining to the development of the material bodies of the living entities is called karma, or fruitive activities. (BG 8.3)

What is karma?
!! Karma

means actions which lead to development of future bodies. It means those activities which get some reaction

Discrimination is not easy

ki% karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'py atra mohit#' tat te karma pravak$y#mi yaj j#tv# mok$yase '!ubh#t Even the intelligent are bewildered in determining what is action and what is inaction. Now I shall explain to you what action is, knowing which you shall be liberated from all misfortune. (BG4.16)

Law of Karma
!! Very

very complicated

!! Dhrtarashtra to under go the pain of killing the birds babies have to go through 100 lives and acquire punya enough to get 100 sons. The reaction came through killing of his 100 sons
!! Reaction

is many-fold:

!! prarabdha (manifested reaction), !! aprabdha (unmanifested reaction), !! kuta (inclination), !! bija (desire).

Karma, Akarma, Vikarma

karma(o hy api boddhavya% boddhavya% ca vikarma(a' akarma(a! ca boddhavya% gahan# karma(o gati' The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is. (BG 4.17)

Karma, Akarma, Vikarma

!!

Karma or sakarma (action): Action impelled by three modes but as per scriptural regulations
!! Performing ones prescribed duty, charity, feeding cows, ganga snan, feeding brahmanas, feeding poor, etc.

!!

Vikarma (forbidden action): Action impelled by three modes but against scriptural injunctions
!! Cheating, exploiting, abortion, meat eating, taking intoxicants, stealing, physical relationships outside marriage, watching forbidden actions in some form, etc.

!!

Akarma (inaction): action without any reaction. Action carried out for the pleasure of Supreme Lord Krishna

Karma, Akarma, Vikarma

!! Karma

(punya) and Vikarma (papa) both bring reactions in the form of future body.
!! Analogy: dry stool and wet stool

!! Punya

is not spiritual, but relatively better than papa. Papa is really bad.

Reactions to Sakarma or Vikarma

!!

Any act (sakarma or vikarma) will result in

!! Prarabdha (manifested reaction): specific bodily features; short or tall, beautiful or ugly, intelligence; dull or sharp, situations one is born in: rich or poor etc !! Aprarabdha (unmanifested reaction): reactions in stock yet to be manifested. When there is such stock, one feels distress, anxiety for no reason. !! Kuta (sinful inclination or pious inclination): when one does an activity it gives tendency to do it again. Such tendencies accumulate and form a desire. !! Bija (desire to do pious or sinful act): When one has got a desire to do something, he makes plans and efforts to fulfill it.

Reactions to Sakarma or Vikarma

Prarabdha and aprarabdha finish with time but kuta and bija cant be put to end by ones own endeavor. The desires will lead to further activities. !! Once one does karma, it goes on endlessly !! Original karma started with jiva envying the Supreme Lord. Whatever jiva does after that will carry that tendency. Therefore this cant be overcome by any amount of karma. !! Akarma is required
!!

Akarma
yaj#rth#t karma(o 'nyatra loko 'ya% karma-bandhana' tad-artha% karma kaunteya mukta-sa)ga' sam#cara
Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage. (BG 3.9)

Akarma
!! Since

every activity has stringent reactions, some think that better not to do any work.
!! Leave everything and go to forest. !! But in forest also, by staying in a cave, one gets tendency (!desire) to stay in the cave. !! Work and reactions cant be avoided this way.

!! Akarma

means inaction. Inaction doesnt mean no work.

Akarma
!! Action

done only for the pleasure of

Vishnu !! This doesnt bear any material results !! It has the potency to uproot all four types of accumulated reactions namely
!! Prarabdha !! Aprarabdha !! Kuta !! Bija