Three Kinds of Karma

Three Kinds of Karma

by Swami Sivananda

1. Sanchita Karmas are accumulated works

2. Prarabdha Karmas are ripe or fructuous actions

3. Kriyamana or Agami Karmas are current works

Sanchita are destroyed by Brahma Jnana. One should enjoy the Prarabdha anyhow (Vyavaharika Drishti). Kriyamana are no actions, as the Jnani has Akarta and Sakshi Bhava. Tarash, the case in which arrows are accumulated, represents our Sanchita Karmas; the arrow that is ready for discharging represents our Agami Karmas; and the arrow which has already left the bow, which cannot return, which must hit the target, represents the Prarabdha Karmas. The articles in the store-room represent the Sanchita; the articles that are put in the shop for sale are Prarabdha; the daily sale proceeds are the Agami.

There are three kinds of Prarabdha, viz., Iccha Prarabdha, Aniccha Prarabdha, and Paraiccha Prarabdha. There is difference between the Iccha Prarabdha of Vivekins and non-Vivekins. Non-Vivekins think that they are the agents of all actions. They are egoistic. They do mischief to other people. They always do evil actions. They are always full of misery. Vivekins eradicate attachment, desires and egoism. They have no desire for money. They lead a peaceful life and serve others.

Aniccha Prarabdha is common to Vivekins and non-Vivekins. Both suffer from the heat of the sun, wind, rain, disease, accidental injury to the head by striking against the door, lightning-stroke, etc. Paraiccha Prarabdha is common to both. One man prostrates before a Vivekin or a non-Vivekin and implores him to render some help or service. He has to undergo the pleasure and pain that accrue from this work.

The seed-like subtle impressions of the entire accumulated actions lie dormant in Chittakasa (the mental space). When a great Jnani gets illumination through direct intuitive knowledge, that he is not the five sheaths but transcendental to them and also their witnessing intelligence (Sakshi), the Atman, then the subtle impressions of Sanchita Karma lying in Chittakasa of the Manomaya Kosha remain in the sheath only; they can no longer enchain the liberated Jnani.

Just as a potter, having set in motion the wheel by a rod, removes his hand and rod from it, allowing the wheel to revolve till the momentum previously imparted to it is exhausted, in the same way, the Jnani, even after his attainment of Jivanmukti through Self-knowledge, continues enjoying the fruit of his Prarabdha Karma up to the end of the present body. Prarabdha is exhausted by no other means than by enjoying its fruit.

Just as the potter’s wheel, after being set in motion continues revolving, even after the connection with the potter is cut off, so also a Jnani continues to enjoy the fruit of his Prarabdha Karma; but they cannot produce the seed of Sanchita Karma on account of his non-attachment or absence of craving for them.

The enjoyment of the fruit of Prarabdha Karma falls to his lot by the force of Prarabdha. He has not the least desire for them as he has realised, through Self-knowledge, their impermanent and unreal nature. So their enjoyment does not in any way affect him. The experience of happiness and misery, owing to his non-attachment, is impotent to produce the seeds of Sanchita Karma, as the parched grains are impotent to germinate and produce any crop.

Brahma Jnana annihilates Agami Karmas (current works) of a Jnani as he has no contact with them, that is, he is untouched or unaffected by his Karmas, like the lotus leaf which is unaffected by the drops of water on it.

The accumulated and current actions of a Jnani take shelter in Brahmanda Prakriti.

Those who serve and adore a Jnani acquire his merit of current actions, while those who hate and censure him get the demerit of his current actions.

Thus the Jnani gets disentangled from the fetters of all Karmas (Tattva Bodha).

Three Kinds of Karma – Understanding Sanchita, Prarabdha, and Agami

Three Kinds of Karma is an important spiritual teaching that explains how actions influence life across time. Karma does not mean only physical action; it includes thoughts, words, intentions, habits, and emotional reactions. Every action leaves an impression, and these impressions shape character, experiences, and future conditions. To understand karma properly, many Indian philosophical traditions explain it in three forms: Sanchita, Prarabdha, and Agami.

Three Kinds of Karma help us understand why life contains both freedom and limitation. Some situations seem to come without our present choice, while some are clearly created by our current actions. A person may be born into a certain family, body, culture, or circumstance, but they still have the ability to think, choose, improve, and act wisely. This balance between past influence and present effort is central to the law of karma.

Sanchita Karma means the accumulated store of past actions. It is like a large collection of karmic seeds gathered through many past experiences. Not all of these seeds produce results at the same time. Some remain inactive, waiting for the right conditions. This idea explains why the soul carries deep tendencies, desires, fears, talents, and impressions that may not be fully explained by present life alone.

Three Kinds of Karma also include Prarabdha Karma, which means that part of past karma which has already begun to produce results. It is often compared to an arrow that has already been released from the bow. Once it has started moving, it must complete its course. Prarabdha may shape major life conditions such as birth, body, certain relationships, unavoidable experiences, and some difficult or favorable situations.

Prarabdha does not mean that a person should become passive. Even if some conditions are already set in motion, our response to them still matters. A person may face hardship, but they can respond with patience, courage, learning, and faith. Another person may receive comfort, but misuse it through pride or laziness. In this way, present attitude can transform the inner meaning of experience.

Agami Karma means the karma being created now through present actions. Every choice made today becomes a seed for the future. When we speak kindly, act honestly, serve others, control anger, and live with awareness, we create positive impressions. When we act with greed, cruelty, dishonesty, or selfishness, we create disturbing impressions. This shows that the future is not completely fixed; it is being shaped in the present moment.

Three Kinds of Karma teach personal responsibility. We cannot change everything immediately, but we can always choose our intention, effort, and response. A wise person does not waste life blaming fate, nor do they become arrogant by thinking they control everything. They understand that past karma may bring certain situations, but present awareness decides how they move forward.

This teaching also helps reduce pride and despair. If success comes, we should not think it is only because of personal greatness. Many visible and invisible causes support every achievement. If failure or suffering comes, we should not become hopeless. Difficult situations can become opportunities for purification, maturity, and inner strength. Karma is not meant to frighten us; it is meant to awaken us.

Three Kinds of Karma are also connected with spiritual practice. Through meditation, selfless service, prayer, self-study, truthfulness, and self-control, the mind becomes purer. A pure mind creates better present karma and becomes less disturbed by past karma. Spiritual wisdom teaches that when ego and attachment are reduced, actions no longer bind the soul in the same way.

The highest approach is to perform action without selfish attachment. Work should be done sincerely, but not with egoistic pride or restless craving for results. When action is offered with humility and devotion, it purifies rather than binds. This is the spirit of Karma Yoga, where daily life becomes a path of inner freedom.

Three Kinds of Karma remind us that every moment has value. The past may explain some parts of life, but the present is still powerful. We may not erase all old results at once, but we can stop creating new suffering through careless actions. We can choose truth over falsehood, patience over anger, service over selfishness, and wisdom over confusion.

In the end, Three Kinds of Karma give a complete view of human life. Sanchita is the stored karma, Prarabdha is the karma already bearing fruit, and Agami is the karma being created now. By understanding these three, a person learns to accept life with maturity, act with responsibility, and move toward spiritual freedom. Karma then becomes not a burden, but a guide for conscious and noble living.

Lawful and Forbidden Actions (Vidhi-Nishedha)