Karta (कर्ता)
Karta means the doer. Understand why God, the jeev, and the mind are each called Karta in different contexts.
Karta (कर्ता | kartā) means the doer—the one who performs an action.
God, the jeev, and the mind are each called Karta in different contexts.
God as Karta
God is Nimittopadan Karan (निमित्तोपादान कारण)—both the instrumental and material cause of the entire creation.
He is also Prayojak Karta, the one who provides the power to act.
God is the judge who administers the fruits of karma. However, He does not bear karmic fruits Himself. Bearing the fruits of karma is the condition of the Mayabaddha jeev—the soul bound by Maya.
The Jeev as Karta
The jeev seeks bliss. In pursuit of bliss, it exercises its free will, choosing what to do and what not to do.
God provides the power to act, but the jeev chooses how to use that power. In this relationship, the jeev is called Prayojya Karta.
The jeev is also called Karta because of its association with the mind, through which actions are performed.
The Mind as Karta
The mind performs karma and is therefore called Karta.
The mind is made of Maya and is therefore inert. The jeev empowers the mind to act. Because of this association, the jeev is also called Karta and bears the karmic consequences of its actions.
Why Is the Jeev Also Called Akarta?
The jeev is also called Akarta (अकर्ता | akartā), the non-doer, because it cannot perform actions independently of the mind.
This becomes clear during Mahapralay (महाप्रलय | mahāpralaya), the great dissolution of creation.
During Mahapralay, the jeev does not have the mind available to perform actions. Consequently, it cannot act.
When creation begins again, God provides the jeev with a mind, and the jeev resumes performing actions through it.
Thus, the jeev is called Karta because of its association with the mind, but Akarta because it is not independently the doer.
Karta and Human Birth
Living beings in all forms of life perform actions. However, only in the human form can the jeev perform actions that generate new binding karma.
In other forms of life, the jeev undergoes the consequences of previously performed karma without creating new karmic bondage through those actions.
Go Deeper
JKP Literature
What kinds of actions create karmic bondage, and why is human birth different?
JKP Literature
If the jeev is called Karta, why are God, the jeev, and God-realized Saints also called Akarta?
