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    What is karma, explained simply?

    A boomerang rests in grass, a dust trail marking its circle
    Short answer: For Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, karma simply means this: every action, habit, and feeling leaves an impression that comes back later. Some effects show up right away, like a burn from fire, others take time, like fruit ripening on a tree. And what looks like the obvious cause often has a deeper root.

    What Gurudev says

    You know the feeling: you wake up, there's no coffee — and a headache shows up right away? Gurudev uses exactly this everyday example to make clear what karma actually is.

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, we do many actions but their impressions do not stay on our minds. For example, if I ask you a week later, 'What did you have for breakfast on Saturday', you will not remember, unless it was an occasion or you had a fight! If someone asks you, 'What did you have for lunch or dinner on December 29th', I don’t think you will remember. If you are able to tell them, then it means you have that karma! Certain activities and actions do not imprint an impression on the mind, in this case there is no karma . If I ask you, 'Which movie did you watch on September 23?' And you do not remember, it means that the movie has not caused a karma on you. Any impression which is compelling is what karma is . For example, you have a habit of drinking coffee every day, and one morning you wake up and there is no coffee available, or you decide not to drink coffee, what happens? I have heard people say that they get a headache. This is coffee karma! It is when you don’t do something and there is a reaction to it. But, you can get over that karma. If you have a headache, instead of having coffee again, take an aspirin or drink lots of water and bear that little pain, and then in 2-3 days you will no longer have headaches. This is how you get over coffee karma. Similarly, people who smoke, their compulsion to smoke is smoking karma, but they can say no to it. Every habit is nothing but a karma pattern . If you say no to it, then you are already getting over it.

    From the official Art of Living website — “Take The Best And Leave The Rest” (Feb 14 2015)

    Gurudev shows with another example that karma often doesn't come from the most obvious, visible cause: losing a position at work.

    If someone has removed you from your position, you assume the cause is your boss. “My boss removed me from my position.” My dear, that is not the case. The cause is not the boss. Beyond that cause, what is there? There is an unseen, deeper cause—the primal cause of all events.

    From a talk on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — “Vibhūti Pāda 3”, 00:09:18

    And not every karma works at the same speed. Some of it shows up instantly, some only after a while.

    In the same way, some karma bear fruit immediately - if you place your hand in fire, it will get burnt immediately, not tomorrow. But if you plant a pomegranate tree in the field, it will take time to yield fruit. So some karma bear fruit instantly, whereas some karma yields after some time.

    From the official Art of Living website — “Longing itself is God” (Jan 11 2012)

    Put together, this shows something simple: for Gurudev, karma isn't mystical or complicated. It's the plain connection between what you do or feel, and what grows out of it — sometimes right away, sometimes later.

    What you can do

    1. Watch small habits, like the coffee example. Notice the reaction that comes up when a familiar action doesn't happen — that makes a karma pattern visible.
    2. When something goes wrong, look for the deeper cause. Don't stop at the obvious explanation — look closer at what's really behind it.
    3. Don't expect every effect to show up right away. Some karma shows up instantly, some only after a while — give it time.
    4. Consciously say no to a compelling habit. For Gurudev, every habit is a karma pattern — saying no to it is already the first step in getting over it.

    Frequently asked questions

    How do I handle criticism from my boss without taking it personally? Gurudev compares a mind that fixates on small praise, blame, or other people's insults to chewing gum: it keeps your jaw busy but gives you no nutrition, and in the end it just tires you out without producing anything. At the same time, he sees a difficult boss and unsympathetic colleagues as valuable, because they push you to sharpen your communication and bring out your real talent.

    What is karma? Gurudev traces the question of worry back to its root: pleasant and unpleasant events simply arise according to your own karma and pass through you — there is literally nothing you truly need to worry about. At its core, he explains karma as action: past, present, and future leave and shape impressions that help determine the result you see now.

    Why do seemingly undeserved bad things happen to some people? Gurudev says pleasant and unpleasant events arise according to your own karma and pass through you. Using the example of hurt, he explains further: what happens to you is often nature bringing back something from your past. This understanding brings a deep sense of settledness, rather than experiencing yourself as a victim.

    What does karma mean? Gurudev explains that karma simply means action: past actions are impressions, future actions are impressions too, and the present action is the karma giving you a result right now. Elsewhere he describes it as the impression of the past that draws similar situations into the future, while the present action creates a fresh impression in the mind.

    Related questions

    Sources

    The quotes on this page come from:

    • Official Art of Living website — “Take The Best And Leave The Rest” (Feb 14 2015)
    • Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — “Vibhūti Pāda 3”, 00:09:18–00:09:44
    • Official Art of Living website — “Longing itself is God” (Jan 11 2012)