Kriyaman Karm (क्रियमाण कर्म)

Kriyaman Karm refers to actions presently performed through mind, speech, and body. These actions become the source of future karmic consequences.

Kriyaman Karm (क्रियमाण कर्म | kriyamāṇa karma) refers to the actions a person is presently performing through mind, speech, and body.

Meaning

kriyamāṇa — being performed, presently occurring
karma — action

Together, Kriyaman Karm refers to actions being performed in the present.

What It Means

At every moment, a person thinks, speaks, and acts.

Thoughts, intentions, decisions, desires, and actions performed in the present are called Kriyaman Karm.

The scriptures recognize actions performed through the mind as karma. Therefore, Kriyaman Karm is primarily associated with intention and attachment rather than physical actions alone. Intentions, desires, plans, attachments, and deliberate thoughts are forms of karma.

A person may therefore create Kriyaman Karm without any physical action taking place.

Who Performs Kriyaman Karm?

Kriyaman Karm can be performed only in the human form of life.

Human birth is called a Karm Yoni because it provides the freedom to make choices and perform new actions.

This freedom makes human life uniquely valuable from a spiritual perspective.

Why Kriyaman Karm Is Performed

Materially bound souls seek happiness and try to avoid suffering.

Motivated by desires, attachments, hopes, fears, and personal goals, materially bound souls continually generate thoughts through the mind. Some of those thoughts later become physical actions.

These thoughts are Kriyaman Karm.

Relationship with Future Karma

Not all Kriyaman Karm produces immediate results.

Some actions bear fruit quickly.

Others do not produce immediate consequences and instead become part of the accumulated stockpile known as Sanchit Karm.

From that accumulated stock, God later selects certain karmic fruits to be experienced as Prarabdh Karm.

Thus, the Kriyaman Karm of today may become the Sanchit Karm and Prarabdh Karm of future lives.

Why Kriyaman Karm Matters

The ability to perform Kriyaman Karm gives human life its spiritual significance.

A person can choose satsang or kusang.

A person can choose devotion or worldliness.

A person can choose actions that deepen attachment to Maya or actions that help turn the mind toward God.

For this reason, the present moment holds immense importance on the spiritual journey.

The Exception

A God-realized Saint does not act out of personal desire, selfish gain, or the search for happiness.

Being fully established in Divine Bliss, such a Saint has nothing material left to attain.

Yet Saints continue to act for the pleasure of God and for the welfare of souls.

Key Insight

Kriyaman Karm refers to actions being performed in the present.

These present actions become the source of future karmic consequences and play a central role in shaping the soul's ongoing journey through the cycle of birth and death.