Types of Karma

3.2.1. Types of Karma
i) Sanchita Karma or Stored Karma
This is the karma which is stored up. All fruits don’t mature on the tree at the same time. It comes and goes in seasons.
There are people who seem to have the same kinds of problems in life over and over again.
Sometimes they’re up, then they’re down quickly, then they’re up again for a short time and so on.
This is because of the stored up karma. If mango trees have been planted, then there will be lots of mangoes every year.
But if cactus plants have been planted too, then they will also flourish repeatedly.
This is why problems usually come all together. When it rains, it pours! Of course, it means that good times also come in a bunch.
The good news is Sanchita Karma can be changed if we go to the root of the seed.
We can either nurture the seed or we can destroy it. The main thing is in going to the root.
 

1. TYPES OF KARMA

2. 3.2.1. Types of Karma i) Sanchita Karma or Stored Karma This is the karma which is stored up. All fruits don’t mature on the tree at the same time. It comes and goes in seasons. There are people who seem to have the same kinds of problems in life over and over again. Sometimes they’re up, then they’re down quickly, then they’re up again for a short time and so on. This is because of the stored up karma. If mango trees have been planted, then there will be lots of mangoes every year. But if cactus plants have been planted too, then they will also flourish repeatedly. This is why problems usually come all together. When it rains, it pours! Of course, it means that good times also come in a bunch. The good news is Sanchita Karma can be changed if we go to the root of the seed. We can either nurture the seed or we can destroy it. The main thing is in going to the root.  

3. ii) Agami Karma or Forthcoming Karma Agami Karma is mandatory. It’s a result of having performed past karma. Based on this karma, if certain actions have been performed, then certain other actions will also have to be performed. For instance, if you see the mango tree, you will automatically be seeing the leaves, fruits and bark of the tree too. You’ll smell the mouth-watering mangoes and probably hear the rustling of the leaves in the wind. You’ll experience the ambient temperature. Eventually you’ll walk away and no longer be seeing the tree. All of these are automatic and implied from the moment you first saw the tree. Karma is important because all the choices we make today have a direct bearing on our future tomorrow. What we do now determines what happens in the next moment. It’s only by being continuously aware of what we are doing in the present moment that we can take care of Agami or forthcoming karma.

4. iii) Prarabdha or Vartamana Karma or Present Karma This is the karma that you’re going through right now. Suppose for some reason, you’re sick of mangoes. You can chop the trees off or uproot them. You still have to get rid of the wood, rotting fruits, the decomposing leaves and all that. It’s a huge effort, but it’s a one-time effort. Thereafter, there will be no more mangoes waiting for you every year. You can plant new seeds – maybe tomatoes – and harvest those every few months, clearing up your karmic field regularly.