Karma
Action and consequence, approached without reducing them to fate.
Introductory source-based synthesis. External references were consulted for the stated scope; specialist peer review is not claimed.
Begin with what is being done
Karman concerns action. In philosophical and religious accounts it also enters explanations of consequences, bondage and rebirth. Different traditions develop those relations differently, so “karma” should not be treated as a complete explanation whenever something good or painful happens.
Action, results and discipline
Gītā 2.47 is a well-known reference in discussions of action and its fruits. Its surrounding argument matters: an inquiry into action is not simply an invitation to withdraw from responsibility. Mārga’s Karma Yoga entry gives a reading pathway focused on this question.
Keep inference within its limits
A doctrinal account of action does not establish knowledge of a stranger’s past deeds. Avoid using it to assign blame for another person’s suffering. In a study notebook, distinguish the source’s explicit claim from a later interpretation and from your own inference. Ask how intention, obligation and the results of action are related in the selected passage. This introductory record offers conceptual context, not prediction or personal diagnosis.
Questions to carry
- 01What relation does the source establish between action and result?
- 02How does it connect agency with responsibility?
Sources & further reading
- 01Heritage IITKanpur · Bhagavad Gītā 2.47primary source
Sanskrit verse identifier and opening text consulted; no translated quotation reproduced.
Consulted 2026-11-07 - 02Shyam Ranganathan · Hindu Philosophy · Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophyscholarly secondary
Reference consulted for the introductory account; follow the source for its full context.
Consulted 2026-11-07