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No one can escape Karma, not even the Trimurtis, as expressed in the Garuda Purana shloka <blockquote>ब्रह्मा येन कुलालवन्नियमितो ब्रह्माण्डभाण्डोदरे विष्णुर्येन दशावतारगहने क्षिप्तो महासङ्कटे ।

No one can escape Karma, not even the Trimurtis, as expressed in the Garuda Purana shloka <blockquote>ब्रह्मा येन कुलालवन्नियमितो ब्रह्माण्डभाण्डोदरे विष्णुर्येन दशावतारगहने क्षिप्तो महासङ्कटे ।

रुद्रोयेन कपालपाणिपुटके भिक्षाटनं कारितः सूर्यो भ्राम्यति नित्यमेव गगने तरमै नमः कर्मणे ॥ १,११३.१५ ॥</blockquote>Meaning: Salutations to that Karma, which forces Brahma to work like a potter in the bowls of the cosmos, by which Vishnu was thrown into distress in the depths of the ten avataras, which made Rudra beg for alms with a skull in his hand, and which makes the sun ever go round and round in the sky.<ref name=":9">''Garuda Purana, Part 1.'' (1957 First Edition) Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. (Pages 346-348)</ref>

रुद्रोयेन कपालपाणिपुटके भिक्षाटनं कारितः सूर्यो भ्राम्यति नित्यमेव गगने तरमै नमः कर्मणे ॥ १,११३.१५ ॥</blockquote>Meaning: Salutations to that Karma, which forces Brahma to work like a potter in the bowls of the cosmos, by which Vishnu was thrown into distress in the depths of the ten avataras, which made Rudra beg for alms with a skull in his hand, and which makes the sun ever go round and round in the sky.<ref name=":9">''Garuda Purana, Part 1.'' (1957 First Edition) Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. (Pages 346-350)</ref>

Most schools of Indian thought agree with the perspective that the agent of Karma is Jiva or the embodied Atma. As per Advaita Vedanta, Jiva or the individual Atma along with the Buddhi (mind) are the agents of Karma.  

 

Most schools of Indian thought agree with the perspective that the agent of Karma is Jiva or the embodied Atma (the Karta). As per Advaita Vedanta, Jiva or the individual Atma along with the Buddhi (mind) are the agents of Karma.  

Sankhya school, however, states that Jiva is only the enjoyer (bhokta), agency lies with buddhi present in the Jiva. Owing to non-discrimination between Jiva and intellect, Jiva is mistaken to be the agent. Hence, there does not exist agency in the Jiva.<ref name=":6" />

Sankhya school, however, states that Jiva is only the enjoyer (bhokta), agency lies with buddhi present in the Jiva. Owing to non-discrimination between Jiva and intellect, Jiva is mistaken to be the agent. Hence, there does not exist agency in the Jiva.<ref name=":6" />

== Karmaphala or Result of Karma ==

== Karmaphala or Result of Karma ==

* Karma transcends place - gives its karmaphala at the specified place

Just as wind blows away a boat, Karma drags a man irrespective of his wish, even from far away country, to the place where he has to reap the fruits (Garu. Pura. 1.113.31).

Just as wind blows away a boat, Karma drags a man irrespective of his wish, even from far away country, to the place where he has to reap the fruits.

* Karma transcends time - gives its karmaphala irrespective of the time and age

A few important concepts from Garuda Purana about karmaphala may be summarized as follows<ref name=":10">Garuda Purana (Acharakand, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%83/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A7%E0%A5%A7%E0%A5%A9 Adhyaya 113])</ref><ref name=":9" />

<blockquote>बालो युवा च वृद्धश्च यः करोति शुभाशुभम् । तस्यान्तस्यामवस्थायां भुङ्क्ते जन्मनिजन्मनि ॥ १,११३.३० ॥ (Garu. Pura. 1.113.30)

* Karma transcends time - gives its karmaphala irrespective of the age

स्वकालं नातिवर्तन्ते तथा कर्म पुराकृतम् ॥ १,११३.५१ ॥ (Garu. Pura. 1.113.51)</blockquote>Birth after birth, a man reaps (eats) the fruits of his deeds, whether auspicious or inauspicious, in the respective ages of infancy, youth or old age at which the actions had been performed.

<blockquote>बालो युवा च वृद्धश्च यः करोति शुभाशुभम् । तस्यान्तस्यामवस्थायां भुङ्क्ते जन्मनिजन्मनि ॥ १,११३.३० ॥</blockquote>Birth after birth, a man reaps (eats) the fruits of his deeds, whether auspicious or inauspicious, in the respective ages of infancy, youth or old age at which the actions had been performed.

Just as flowers and fruits do not transgress their stipulated time (they do not come out earlier or later), so also is the case with karma of the previous births.

The results of the various causes of nature can be classified as good, evil and mixed. That which fulfils our interest and is beneficial to us under certain conditions is called '''good or Punya (पुण्यम्)'''; and that which injures us in any way, is called '''evil or Papa (पापम्)'''. The mixed results are those which are partly beneficial or helpful and partly injurious. These three kinds of results determine the nature of actions or causes. “ If the result is good or, in other words, if we see any action producing an effect which is either beneficial to oneself or to one’s neighbour's physically, morally  spiritually without injuring any living creature mentally or physically or in any other manner, it is called good; while that action is evil which destroys the interest of oneself or of one’s neighbours and brings suffering, sorrow,' misery, to the individual worker or to other members of the society.<ref name=":11">Swami Abhedananda. (1947 Third Edition) ''Doctrine of Karma, A Study in the Philosophy and Practice of Work.'' Calcutta: Ramakrishna Vedanta Math. (Pages 7-11)</ref>

One gets only those things he is supposed to get, he goes only to those places where he has to go (driven by Karma) and whether misery or pleasure he gets only what he deserves. A man attains only those things from his karma, why lament?The results of the various causes of nature can be classified as good, evil and mixed. That which fulfils our interest and is beneficial to us under certain conditions is called '''good or Punya (पुण्यम्)'''; and that which injures us in any way, is called '''evil or Papa (पापम्)'''. The mixed results are those which are partly beneficial or helpful and partly injurious. These three kinds of results determine the nature of actions or causes. “ If the result is good or, in other words, if we see any action producing an effect which is either beneficial to oneself or to one’s neighbour's physically, morally  spiritually without injuring any living creature mentally or physically or in any other manner, it is called good; while that action is evil which destroys the interest of oneself or of one’s neighbours and brings suffering, sorrow,' misery, to the individual worker or to other members of the society.<ref name=":11">Swami Abhedananda. (1947 Third Edition) ''Doctrine of Karma, A Study in the Philosophy and Practice of Work.'' Calcutta: Ramakrishna Vedanta Math. (Pages 7-11)</ref>

The '''mixed results''' are those which serve the interest of some, bringing happiness to one or many, but at the same time they produce evil in some other quarters. In short, action which produce good at the expense of the interest or rights of others, are called the causes of mixed results.<ref name=":11" />

The '''mixed results''' are those which serve the interest of some, bringing happiness to one or many, but at the same time they produce evil in some other quarters. In short, action which produce good at the expense of the interest or rights of others, are called the causes of mixed results.<ref name=":11" />