Definition.
karma (कर्म | karman)
n., from Sanskrit karman — “action, deed, work, effect”
In the philosophical and spiritual traditions of India, karma denotes the universal law of subtle causality, through which every action — mental, verbal, or physical — generates a corresponding effect within the experiential field of the being.
The word derives from the Sanskrit root √kṛ (कृ), meaning “to do,” “to act,” or “to create.” Karma, therefore, literally means “that which has been done” — a consequence, an energetic imprint of action embedded within the field of consciousness.
Major interpretations of karma across traditions:
▸ Vedanta: karma is the chain of action and reaction that binds the soul (jivatman) to the cycle of rebirths (samsara). Liberation (moksha) occurs when karma is exhausted or transcended through knowledge (jnana), devotion (bhakti), or renunciation (vairagya).
▸ Yoga: distinctions are made between karma yoga (the path of selfless action), sanchita karma (accumulated past karma), prarabdha karma (karma active in the present life), and agami karma (karma being created now).
▸ Buddhism (Pali: kamma): karma is not divine punishment or reward, but a natural law. What matters is not only the action itself but the intention (cetana) behind it — “Volition is karma,” says the Buddha.
▸ Jainism: karma is seen as a subtle matter (karma vargana) that attaches to the soul and obscures it. Austerity and clear discernment help purify this karmic dust.
▸ Taoism and Hermetism: karma is akin to the law of balance — the harmony between cause and effect, or the return of energy to its source. It appears in forms like wu wei (non-forcing action) or the Hermetic Law of Correspondence, pointing to a way of living beyond the realm of karmic entanglement.
In the GRACE Method of Karmic Unbinding and Archetypal Constellations by Adrian Constantine Băjenaru, karma is understood as an energetic code inscribed into the matrix of experience, which can be reprogrammed through presence, love, and release. Karma is not merely a burden, but rather a language of becoming, the echo of one’s own soul, calling us to learn how to love with awareness.
On saṁskāras and karmic imprints
To truly understand the nature of karma, we must enter the subtle domain of saṁskāras (संस्कार) — energetic traces or latent impressions left in the mental field by each lived experience.
The word saṁskāra comes from the Sanskrit root saṁ-√kṛ, meaning “formation, refinement, imprint.” In the Vedantic and Yogic traditions, saṁskāras are repetitive patterns, unconscious tendencies that act like a subtle software embedded in consciousness. They are the vibrational memory of the past — and the hidden blueprint of future behavior.
A thought repeated becomes a desire.
A desire becomes an action.
An action repeated becomes a habit.
A habit becomes a character.
A character becomes destiny (karma).
And in between… is saṁskāra.
These impressions are not only mental but cellular, emotional, and spiritual. They shape how we react, attract, or reject experiences — often without knowing why. Saṁskāra is the pattern. Karma is the result of the pattern. And between them stands conscious free will.
The Sanskrit word karma (कर्म | karman), rooted in the ancient Vedic language, originally referred to “work,” “act,” or “deed” — most often associated with ritual actions, especially fire sacrifices (agnicayana) in early Vedic texts like the Rigveda and Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa.
These sacred texts spoke of karma not merely as ceremonial performance but as a force of cosmic magnitude, capable of invoking immortality, shaping destiny, and forging the invisible bridges between intention and outcome. In that era, the sacrifice wasn’t only a ritual—it was the highest expression of human will offered to the divine order (ṛta).
And while karma was tightly linked to ritual acts performed within the sacred enclosure (vedi), the Vedic sages also hinted at a deeper truth: that good and evil, merit and sin, were determined not only by outer action, but by the moral and metaphysical alignment of the self. Thus, karma was not just a fire on the altar — it was also the fire within.
Over time, this concept expanded beyond the liturgical frame. The Brāhmaṇa texts began to explore karma as an ethical imprint — a force that outlives the deed itself, echoing into afterlife and rebirth. Virtue (sukṛta) and sin (pāpa) emerged as energetic codes recorded in consciousness, rather than mere ritual outcomes. As revealed in verses like “what evil is done here by man, speech itself makes manifest,” the Vedic vision of karma became more subtle and psychological — it was not just about doing, but about becoming.
This shift intensified in the Upaniṣads, where karma was increasingly seen as the shaper of destiny, the sculptor of ātman’s journey through samsara. The soul, no longer defined by ritual role, began to be viewed as an eternal traveler affected by its choices. “One becomes good through good deeds, and evil through evil deeds,” declares the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — a phrase that would go on to form the bedrock of Indian metaphysical ethics.
Yet even within these ancient sources, the origin and interpretation of karma remains layered. Some scholars suggest the karma doctrine evolved not only from Vedic ritualism but also from parallel śramaṇa traditions—those of early Buddhists, Jains, and yogis, who emphasized renunciation, meditation, and moral causality over sacrificial rites.
These paths reimagined karma as a psychological or energetic imprint, transmitted not through priests but through consciousness itself. While Buddhism controversially entertained the idea of karmic transfer, Hinduism and Jainism maintained that karma is non-transferable — each soul must carry and purify its own weight.
Despite their distinctions, these traditions shared a sacred curiosity: What is the unseen thread that weaves destiny? Karma, in its essence, became that thread — an ancient metaphysical law, born from the fire of intention, echoing across lifetimes, inviting us to awaken through action, presence, and grace.
Karma in the Modern Paradigm: Between Neuroscience, Epigenetics, and Informational Fields.
In contemporary understanding, karma transcends the borders of Eastern spirituality and enters the dynamic dialogue between science, psychology, and quantum physics. It’s no longer merely an invisible law of cosmic justice, but a complex system of multidimensional causality — where every thought, emotion, and action leaves a trace not only metaphorically, but measurably: in our biology, in the energetic fields of the body, and in the social networks we inhabit.
In neuroscience, for example, the concept of neuroplasticity mirrors a kind of neural karma: what we repeatedly think, feel, and do creates stable synaptic pathways that shape future behavior. In this sense, thought becomes destiny. Epigenetics sheds a new light on karma by demonstrating that our experiences, traumas, lifestyle, and even beliefs can activate or deactivate inherited genes, leaving transgenerational imprints in our biological code. Karma, then, is not just what we have lived, but also what we energetically and genetically transmit.
From the perspective of quantum physics and field theory, karma can be viewed as a form of vibrational memory — a matrix of information stored in the subtle fields of reality, responding to intention, coherence, and choice. Rupert Sheldrake’s morphic field, Ervin Laszlo’s informational field, or the concept of biofields in energy medicine all describe a world where actions, thoughts, and emotions do not vanish, but are recorded in a subtle archive of existence. In this framework, karma is not punishment, but intelligent feedback from the universe — meant to teach, recalibrate, and help us evolve.
In this new model of karma, we are no longer victims of an unchangeable past, but co-creators of a regenerated future. We do not merely inherit sins, but also codes of healing. Through awareness, choice, and conscious work with our patterns — whether emotional, genetic, or relational — we can reprogram what once seemed “written in the stars.” Instead of running from karma, we learn to dance with it — as a subtle language through which the universe invites us to remember who we truly are.
Modern Interpretations.
In pop culture and the New Age scene, “karma” has become a buzzword — a spiritual slang circulating freely between memes, music, TikTok astrology, and digital mantras: “karma is real,” “that’s karma,” or “instant karma.” Often stripped of its metaphysical depth, the word is used like an emoji of universal justice or an ironic quip for “what goes around comes around.”
And yet, this new language — no matter how superficial it may appear — reveals a collective thirst: for meaning, for balance, for an explanation of trauma and synchronicity in a world that feels increasingly chaotic.
In contemporary New Age aesthetics, karma is intertwined with vibes, energy, soul path, and shadow work, forming a symbolic network that brings metaphysics closer to daily life. Beyond clichés, this democratization of the term reveals that the idea of spiritual responsibility — and the healing of the past — is no longer reserved for initiates, but has become a global conversation among awakening souls.
In the #Grace method.
In the Grace Method of Karmic Unbinding and Constellations, we work directly with saṁskāras to bring them to light and rewrite them.
Through intuitive constellations, we observe how an object, word, or relationship activates a deep pattern.
Through unbinding formulas, we release saṁskāras recorded in ancestral timelines. Through practices of presence and grace, we activate new sanskaras — patterns of love, clarity, and sovereignty.
So let’s get this straight:
- Saṁskāra is the imprint.
- Karma is the echo.
- Grace is the power to choose consciously, by fully exercising our personal freedom.
Through grace, we do not merely transcend karma — we actively reprogram the inner matrix of the soul. Thus, liberation is not an abstract promise, but a living choice — experienced moment to moment in awareness and love.