What Is Karma?
Questioner: Acharya Ji, what is karma?
Acharya Prashant: Karma is a reflection of who you are, that’s all. You are the doer. Karma means action. You are the actor. Karma means deed. Doer, deed, actor, action, karta, karma; that’s all, there is nothing mystical about it.
What I have become from the inside, I’ll exhibit on the?
Questioner: Outside.
Acharya Prashant: Suppose through some process you convince me that I’m a dog, so the doer has become a dog. Inside the doer, the actor has become a dog. So what will be the karma now? Bhau-bhau. That is karma.
If within you become a dog, then without, externally, you start barking. That is karma, simple. Which means that if somebody is barking, don’t punish them, right? Or don’t rebuke them. Instead, show them the mirror, and they will realize they are not a dog. And if they come to see that they are not a dog, then they will stop barking. This is the principle of karma. The principle of karma is actually that karma is inseparable from karta. That is the principle of karma.
Karma is inseparable from karta.
And what comes first: karma or karta?
Questioner: Karta.
Acharya Prashant: Karta. Therefore, do not focus on karma.
The principle of karma is: forget karma, focus on karta, the doer, the actor. That is the principle of karma. It’s a very funny thing, no? The principle of karma is, do not focus on karma, focus on karta, the doer, the actor. That is karma.
Questioner: Actually, Acharya Ji, I’ve read many scriptures like the Bhagavatam, the Puranas, and all. so it’s just a little doubt, it's different from what I’ve learned.
Acharya Prashant: Stories?
Questioner: Yes.
Acharya Prashant: You love stories or do you love the Truth?
Questioner: Truth.
Acharya Prashant: And if you love the Truth, then you must first go to the principle books. If you’re reading books of Hinduism, then you must go to the central books. The central books are the Upanishads, right? Go to them, and then in their light you can read the Puranic literature, and you’ll understand it.
Remember what I told you first, religion is not about?
Questioner: Stories.
Acharya Prashant: Stories. But we all think stories constitute religion. So all these religious systems have their own stories.
Religion is not fundamentally about stories.
Stories can help in explaining a certain concept, right? That’s all the importance that stories have. Otherwise, stories are not history, and stories are not to be taken seriously. But if stories are aids to understanding, then stories are useful.
