The Three Types of Action (from Bhagavad-gita)
Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita that one must understand the difference between right action, wrong action, and inaction.
1. Karma (Pious Activities)
These are prescribed, pious activities that are in line with scriptural injunctions. Performing good deeds, charity, and following religious principles fall into this category. While these actions lead to positive material results—such as wealth, good health, or birth in a heavenly planet—they still produce a reaction and keep one bound within the material world. These are like "golden chains."
2. Vikarma (Sinful Activities)
These are actions that are forbidden by scripture. Sinful or selfish acts, such as stealing, lying, or causing harm to others, fall into this category. Vikarma leads to negative reactions, such as suffering, distress, and birth in lower species of life. These are like "iron chains."
To help avoid these reactions, serious practitioners of Bhakti-yoga follow four regulative principles that form the foundation of a pure life.
3. Akarma (Transcendental Action)
This is often translated as "inaction" but more accurately means action that produces no material reaction. Akarma refers to activities performed solely for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord (Sri Krishna), without any attachment to the results. Because these actions are spiritual in nature, they do not create new karmic bondage. Instead, they purify the heart and lead to liberation. This is the essence of Bhakti-yoga.
Transcending Karma Through Bhakti
How can one become free from the cycle of karma?
yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam
- Bhagavad-gita 9.27
The Bhagavad-gita teaches that the only way to become completely free from the intricate law of karma is to engage in devotional service (Bhakti-yoga). When one dedicates all their actions, thoughts, and words to the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, those actions become Akarma—transcendental.
Devotional service not only prevents the creation of new karma but also gradually burns away the accumulated reactions of countless past lives. By chanting the Lord's holy names and engaging in the nine processes of Bhakti, one can rise above the dualities of good and bad and attain a state of pure, spiritual consciousness.