The Four Kinds of Karma

Whatever action he does, he will reap …

“How can I help myself overcome difficult times?” or “How can I overcome bad karma?” is a question we often hear.

Understanding our circumstances helps us to make the right decisions.

People often say that it is in their Karma to suffer, and they don’t know what they can do to overcome it. Understanding the various types of Karma can help. The Vedas and the Upanishads mention four main types of karma.

 

Think of a seed.

The fruit will appear only after the seed matures and becomes a full-grown plant. That takes years.

The tree produces hundreds of fruits – sometimes thousands. Each fruit contains at least one seed. This, in turn, gives rise to more trees and many more fruits.

Karma is this seed. He has several returns and takes time to mature.

 

Prarabdha Karma or Ripened Karma

This is Karma that has matured.

When we do something, the record of that activity is recorded in the universe. So when the fruit ripens, it either needs to be picked or it will automatically fall to the ground. Staying in the tree forever is not possible.

This is Karma that has matured with time. Everything that we are currently going through life that is not under our control is Prarabdha Karma.

 

However, this does not mean that our future cannot be changed.

 

Sanchita Karma or Stored Karma

This is the Karma that is stored.

All fruits do not ripen on the tree at the same time. It comes and goes in the seasons. There are people who seem to have the same kinds of problems in life continuously.

Sometimes they are up, then down quickly, then up again for a short period of time, and so on. This is because of the stored Karma.

If mango trees have been planted, then there will be plenty of mangoes every year. But if cacti have also been planted, they will also bloom repeatedly.

This is why problems usually come all together. When it rains it pours! Of course, this means that good times also come as a group. The good news is that Sanchita Karma can be changed if we go to the root of the seed. We can nurture the seed or we can destroy it. The main thing is to get to the root.

 

Agami Karma or Next Karma

 

Agami Karma is mandatory.

It is the result of having realized past Karma. Based on this karma, if certain actions have been performed, then certain other actions will also have to be performed. For example, if you see the mango tree, you will automatically see the leaves, the fruit, and the bark of the tree as well. You will smell the mouth-watering mangoes and probably hear the rustling of leaves in the wind. You will experience room temperature. Eventually, you will leave and you will no longer see the tree. This is all automatic and implicit from the moment you first saw the tree.

This Karma is important because all the choices we make today have a direct influence on our future tomorrow. What we do now determines what happens in the next moment. It is only by being continually aware of what we are doing in the present moment that we can take care of Agami or future Karma.

 

Vartamana Karma or Present Karma

 

This is the Karma you are going through now.

Suppose that, for some reason, you are tired of mangoes. You can either cut down the trees or uproot them. You still have to get rid of the wood, rotten fruit, rotting leaves, and everything else. It is a great effort, but it is a unique effort. After that, there will be no more mangoes waiting for you every year. You can plant new seeds – perhaps tomatoes – and harvest them every few months, clearing your karmic field regularly.

 

 

Managing your stored karma is the key to managing your future. By planting positive seeds now, you secure your short- and long-term future. According to Master Choa Kok Sui, the founder of modern Pranic Healing, doing service and tithing regularly cleanses much negative karma from the past.

 

“The law of compassion and mercy supersedes the Law of Karma.” –
Master Choa Kok Sui

 

Karma is not to be confused with Fate. Fate is the notion that man’s life is pre-planned for him by some external power, and he has no control over his destiny. Karma, on the other hand, can be corrected.

Meditating regularly can help you become aware of your Karma and thus strive to change the course of events, with the help of higher powers.

 

“Here they say that a person consists of desires. And as is his desire, so is his will. As is his will, so is his action. Whatever action he does, that he will reap.” –
The Vedas

 

We are good people with beautiful stories and amazing experiences.

We are also hiding a lot of hurt, pain, and confusion.

We want to be better; it’s just that sometimes we struggle to understand ourselves.

Everyone wants to be the best version of themselves. Everyone feels guilty for not being able to live up to their own expectations.

It’s okay to hurt. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to fall, as long as you get up again.

Text by
Arkadeb Bhattacharyya
, translated with permission from worldprana.net