3. Kriyamana Karma: The Only One That Matters

This is the karma you're creating RIGHT NOW. With every decision, every word, every thought.

This is your power. This is your agency.

You can't change the past (sanchita). You can't fully control the present situation (prarabdha). But you absolutely can control how you respond to it (kriyamana).

Your current actions shape your future reality. Full stop.

How Karma Shows Up in Your Daily Life (Without You Noticing)

Let me share some real examples from my own life where I saw karma's impact playing out:

The Case of the Networking Event

In 2021, I attended a startup networking event in Bangalore. I was tired, didn't want to be there, but forced myself to go. There was this guy, Rahul, who clearly needed help understanding pitch decks. Nobody was talking to him—he looked nervous and out of place.

I could've ignored him. I almost did. But I spent 20 minutes giving him genuine feedback, sharing contacts, encouraging him.

Fast forward to 2023: I'm desperately looking for a graphic designer for a project. Deadline is crazy tight. I post on LinkedIn. Guess who responds within an hour with "I owe you one" and delivers outstanding work for half his usual rate?

Rahul.

Was this "karma"? Or just the natural consequence of building genuine relationships? Both. Same thing.

The Gossip That Backfired

My ex-colleague, let's call her Sneha, loved office gossip. She'd badmouth everyone, create drama, pit people against each other. It was her entertainment.

Short term? She seemed to thrive. People shared secrets with her, she had all the "insider info," she felt powerful.

Long term? When she needed support for a big project, nobody trusted her enough to collaborate. When she applied internally for a promotion, every panel member had a story about her. She eventually left, bitter and confused about why nobody "had her back."

The karma wasn't some cosmic punishment. It was the inevitable result of destroying trust. What you put out, you get back—not because the universe is moral, but because humans remember how you made them feel.

The Small Daily Kindnesses

I started an experiment in 2022: one small kind act every day. Holding the elevator. Complimenting someone genuinely. Letting someone merge in traffic without honking. Paying for the person behind me at the tea stall occasionally.

Nothing big. Nothing Instagram-worthy.

Within months, I noticed people were... nicer to me? My Uber ratings improved. Shopkeepers gave me discounts without asking. Strangers helped me when I was lost.

Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe karma in relationships is just the reflection of the energy you put out. You smile more, people smile back. You're kind, people are kind. It's that simple and that profound.

The Psychology Behind Karma (Science Finally Catches Up)

Here's where it gets really interesting: modern psychology has basically been validating karma concepts for decades, just using different terminology.

Reciprocity Bias

Psychologist Robert Cialdini's research shows that humans have a deep-seated need to return favors. When someone does something for you, you feel obligated to reciprocate. This isn't culture-specific; it's hardwired.

That's karma as a psychological principle. Help someone, they're predisposed to help you back. Harm someone, they're predisposed to retaliate.

Confirmation Bias and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

If you go through life believing "the world is against me," you'll unconsciously look for evidence supporting that belief. You'll remember every slight, forget every kindness, and act defensively—which makes people defensive around you—which confirms your belief.

That's negative karma creating itself through your expectations and actions.

Conversely, if you believe "good things come to good people," you act with more generosity and openness—which makes people generous and open to you—which confirms your belief.

Your mindset creates your reality. Ancient karma philosophy. Modern cognitive science. Same concept.

Mirror Neurons

Neuroscience has discovered that we have "mirror neurons" that fire both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else performing it. When you're kind, people feel it. When you're hostile, they mirror it.

The energy you emit literally affects the neural patterns of people around you. That's karma operating through biology.

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Karma vs. Justice: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

This is the question that troubles everyone: "If karma is real, why do terrible people succeed? Why do good people suffer?"

Let me tell you what I've learned: karma isn't about justice. It's about consequences.

Sometimes the consequences are immediate. Often they're delayed. Sometimes they manifest in ways we don't recognize.

My uncle is a corrupt government official. He's wealthy, lives in a huge house, his kids go to expensive schools. Where's his "bad karma"?

Well, he hasn't had a genuine conversation with anyone in years. His wife stays with him for money, not love. His kids respect his bank account, not him. He can't sleep without pills. He trusts nobody because he knows he's untrustworthy.

Is he suffering? From outside, no. From inside? Absolutely.

That's karma. Not some future divine punishment, but the present-moment consequence of living dishonestly—the inability to form authentic connections, the constant anxiety, the hollow victories.

Similarly, good people suffer not because karma is broken, but because:

1. They're dealing with prarabdha karma (past consequences still playing out)
2. They're learning lessons necessary for growth
3. Life is complex, and not everything is about karma—sometimes shit just happens

The Bhagavad Gita doesn't promise that good people won't suffer. It promises that how you handle suffering determines your future karma.

Practical Applications: Using Karma to Actually Improve Your Life

Enough philosophy. Let's get practical. How do you use the concept of karma to make your daily life better?

Practice #1: The 24-Hour Rule

Before reacting to something negative, wait 24 hours. This breaks the instant karma of reaction-creating-more-reaction.

Someone sends you an angry email? Don't fire back. Wait. Respond thoughtfully after 24 hours. You'll create better karma, and usually, the situation resolves itself.

Practice #2: The Kindness Experiment

One month. One small act of kindness every single day. No exceptions. Don't post about it. Don't tell anyone. Just do it.

Watch what happens. Watch how your mood improves. Watch how opportunities start appearing. Watch how your relationships deepen.

This isn't magic. It's you rewiring your brain toward positivity and connection. That's karma's impact on mental health.

Practice #3: The Responsibility Shift

Stop saying "Why is this happening TO me?" Start asking "What is this teaching me? How can I respond skillfully?"

This single shift moves you from victim consciousness (where you're powerless) to karma consciousness (where you're the creator of your experience).

Practice #4: Clean Communication

Before speaking, ask three questions (ancient Buddhist practice):

• Is it true?
• Is it kind?
• Is it necessary?

If it fails any of these, don't say it. This practice alone will eliminate 80% of the negative karma you create through words.

Practice #5: The Forgiveness Release

Every night, before sleeping, mentally forgive everyone who wronged you that day. Including yourself.

This isn't about them. It's about not carrying toxic karma (resentment, anger, grudges) into tomorrow. You're not excusing their behavior; you're freeing yourself from its grip.

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The Dark Side: How People Misuse Karma

We need to talk about how karma concepts get twisted and weaponized:

"It's your karma, you deserve it": This is victim-blaming disguised as spirituality. Someone gets assaulted, gets sick, loses a child—and cruel people say "it's their karma." No. That's not how this works.

Karma doesn't justify suffering or remove our responsibility to help others. The Buddha himself spent his life alleviating suffering despite believing in karma.

"Just send good vibes": Karma isn't an excuse for inaction. You can't just "think positive thoughts" and expect life to fix itself. Karma is about action, remember? You have to actually do something.

"Everything happens for a reason": Sometimes things happen for no reason at all. Randomness exists. Not everything is a karmic lesson. Sometimes bad things just happen, and the only "reason" is how you choose to respond.

Don't let toxic positivity or spiritual bypassing masquererade as karma wisdom.

Karma in the Modern World: Digital Karma is Real

Here's something interesting: karma in the age of social media operates on steroids.

Everything you post lives forever. Every tweet, every comment, every photo. You're creating digital karma that future you will have to deal with.

I know people who lost job opportunities because of inappropriate tweets from years ago. I know people who built careers because of helpful content they shared consistently. Digital footprints are karmic footprints.

Your online behavior matters:

• Are you kind in comments or do you troll?
• Do you share misinformation or verify before posting?
• Do you engage thoughtfully or reactively?

The internet never forgets. Your digital karma is permanent.

The Ultimate Karma Hack: Intention Matters

Here's the secret most people miss: intention matters as much as action in creating karma.

Two people donate ₹10,000 to charity:

• Person A does it for tax benefits and social media likes
• Person B does it genuinely wanting to help

Same action. Different intention. Different karma.

The universe (or your subconscious, or collective human consciousness—pick your framework) somehow knows the difference.

This is why you can't "game" karma. You can't do good things with selfish intentions and expect the same results as genuine goodness.

Your intention shapes the karmic quality of your action. This is why meditation and self-reflection matter—they help you understand your true motivations.

Living with Karma: My Personal Practice

After years of exploring this, here's what my karma-conscious life looks like:

Morning: Five minutes thinking about my intentions for the day. Not what I want to achieve, but who I want to be. Patient? Kind? Present?

Throughout the day: Catching myself before reacting. Pause. Breathe. Choose response over reaction.

Interactions: Treating every person—from the CEO to the security guard—with equal respect. Not because I want something from them, but because that's the energy I want to embody.

Evening: Five minutes reviewing the day. Where did I create good karma? Where did I mess up? What can I learn?

Always: Remembering that I'm not perfect. I still get angry, jealous, petty. But I'm aware of it, and awareness is the first step to change.

Is my life perfect now? Hell no. Do I still face problems? Absolutely. But I face them differently. With more equanimity. With less drama. With better outcomes.

That's the real impact of karma on daily life—not magical solutions to problems, but a framework for responding to life skillfully.

The Bottom Line: You're Writing Your Story

Here's what I wish someone had told me at 23, angry in that Starbucks:

You're not a victim of some cosmic game. You're not powerless against fate. You're not stuck with the hand you were dealt.

Every moment is an opportunity to create better karma. Every interaction. Every decision. Every thought.

The person who cut you off in traffic? You can honk and curse, creating negative karma that'll affect your mood for hours. Or you can take a breath, let it go, and arrive at your destination peacefully. Your choice. Your karma.

The colleague who got the promotion? You can spend months being bitter, poisoning your relationships and your work. Or you can congratulate them genuinely, work on improving your skills, and create positive karma that opens different doors. Your choice. Your karma.

The concept of karma isn't about divine justice or cosmic scorekeeping. It's about recognizing that you are constantly creating your reality through your actions, and you have the power to create it differently starting right now.

Your past doesn't define you. Your circumstances don't imprison you. Your karma isn't fixed.

Every single moment, you get to choose: What karma am I creating right now?

Choose wisely. Choose kindly. Choose with awareness.

And watch your life transform—not through magic, but through the simple, profound power of conscious action.

That's karma. That's all it ever was.

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What's one small change you can make today to create better karma in your life? Share in the comments. And if this article shifted your perspective even slightly, pass it along to someone who might need to hear it. That's good karma right there.