The Sanskrit word ‘karma’ usually means ‘action’ and occasionally ‘the result of action’. According to the doctrine of karma one who does certain karmas deliberately and purposively has to reap two kinds of consequences. The visible (dṛṩṭa) [ದೃಷ್ಠ] consequence of a theft, for example, is some gain for the thief. But certain invisible (adṛṩṭa) [ಅದೃಷ್ಠ] ‘seeds’ collect in the thief, which sprout to produce the right consequences for him at the right time in future (in this life or in the next). The Upaniṣads [ಉಪನಿಷತ್] speak of three kinds of karma (karma-traya) [ಕರ್ಮ-ತ್ರಯ], namely, sañcita, āgāmī and prārabdha [ಸಂಚಿತ, ಅಗಾಮಿ, ಪ್ರಾರಬ್ಧ]. Those that the agent has already accumulated over many lives are sañcita (accumulated); those that we collect in this life are āgāmī and those that begin to fructify are prārabdha. Nobody can escape the consequences of prarabdha karma. The Lingayats, who accept the above Upaniṣad doctrine, however, believe that since they follow Lingayathism, the highest religion, they burn all their karmas in this life, become eligible for MŌKṢA [ಮೋಕ್ಷ] and, therefore, have no next life or residue of KARMA. They believe that since non-Lingayats have rebirths they are called Bhavis [ಭವಿ] (those who are born repeatedly).

KARMĒNDRIYAS: [ಕರ್ಮೇಂದ್ರೀಯ]

The Vachana-writers following the ancient Indian philosophers speak of five karmēndriyas (motor organs) as being made up of the Shaktis (forces). The motor organs are – hands, legs, anus, speech organ and generative organ. These must be perceived as the organs, which are capable of performing moral or immoral acts. Therefore, man is advised to use them considerately.