What are the 3 types of Karma?

If God loves us all, why does he let bad things happen to good people? There might be an answer in the 3 types of karma & here’s the tea.

First off, you have to understand that in Sanatan Dharma, our soul or atman doesn’t just live one life. We are constantly living, dying & coming back into another body as a new person.

This is where karma comes - simply put, karma is your soul’s bank statement. Depending on which transactions you’re making, whether its helping & serving people around you or hurting & betraying them, you get either interest or fees. If you accummulate a lot of good interest, you eventually get to be free from this cycle, which we call moksha.

Sanchita karma is your total balance of all karmas in previous & current lives - its your soul’s memory affecting your preferences & inclinations. Some if this, you pay for instantly as kriyakarma & some you keep paying for in future lives. So if you’ve ever felt a strong desire to pursue a career or passion, that’s probably something you couldn’t do fully previously.

Prarabdha karma is the tiny bit of balance carried forward into this life & no matter what you do, how good you are, you cannot escape its repurcutions. It affects the type of birth you have - whether human or an insect, the quality of your body & financial circumstances. If you face losses even after trying hard to launch a business, that might be your prarabdha karma ensuring you face challenges.

But this doesn’t mean we don’t have free will at all. Prarabdha only controls a small part of our destiny. There’s Agami Karma, which is your current actions that will eventually become your sanchita karma. It will also cancel the effects of some of your Prarabdha karma. And the best way is to feed the needy & help those around you.