Category: PhilosophyPart of speech: nounDifficulty: IntermediateRecommended for ★ UPSC
कर्म
/karma/Roman
English meaning: Action / Moral consequence
Definition
The universal principle of cause and effect in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain philosophies — that every action has moral consequences affecting the actor's future. Also refers to one's duty or work (as in karma yoga — the path of righteous action).
Example
“कर्म फलं ददाति।”
In English: “Action bears its fruit.”
Literary Heritage
“योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।”
/Yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā Dhanañjaya./
“Perform actions fixed in yoga, abandoning attachment, O Arjuna.”
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Language information
- Language
- संस्कृतम्
- Sanskrit
- Script
- Devanagari
- Family
- Indo-Aryan
- Speakers
- 5M