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A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Section Two - Div. B - Manas as a Cosmic, Systemic and Human Factor
c. Types of Karma

We might here enumerate the different types of KARMA, even though we have not the time to enlarge upon the subject. A book by itself of vast proportions could not contain all that might be said. We should bear in mind that Karma is imposed upon the ensouling entity through the medium of matter or of substance itself (which is colored by it) and that this matter or substance is intelligent material composed of deva essence.

  • Cosmic Karma - Imposed upon the solar Logos from outside of the system.
  • Systemic Karma - The working out by the Logos of effects set in motion in previous Kalpas, and which influence His present type of Body.
  • Planetary Karma - The individual karma of a Heavenly Man, which is just as different from that of another Heavenly Man, as is the karma of the different members of the human family.
  • The Karma of a chain, which is bound up in the life experience of that entity who ensouls a chain, and is a center in the body of a Heavenly Man, in the same sense as a Heavenly Man within His scheme is a center in the body of the solar Logos.
  • Globe Karma - The individual destiny of the entity who is a center in the body of the ensouling Life of a chain.

These five existences above enumerated, who are worked upon by karma, are all cosmic and solar Lords of Light, Who achieved intelligence, and passed through the human kingdom many kalpas ago.

  • Plane Karma - This is inextricably mixed up with the [470] karma of the planetary Logos and of the Raja-Lord, and is dependent upon the interplay between these two opposite poles, - the masculine and feminine aspect of the Divine Hermaphrodite.
  • The Karma of a subplane, or the destiny of certain lesser entities who manifest through these planes.

In these two types of karma, we have what one might term the "Karma of the Hierarchies" as it has been brought about since the manifesting of the solar system. It is the result of the past of this system, and not so much the working out of effects originating in previous solar systems.

  • The Karma of the kingdoms of nature as we know them on our planet:
    1. The mineral kingdom.
    2. The vegetable kingdom.
    3. The animal kingdom.

This is necessarily the karma of the different lunar Lords who ensoul these kingdoms, and who are working out their purposes through them. We must note that we have touched therefore upon cosmic, solar, and lunar karma. In the latter is hid the great mystery of the Moon, and her place in the planetary scheme.

  • The Karma of the Human Hierarchy 54, 55, 56 in its seven groups, and of the individual Monads. This in itself is a vast and intricate subject and - during the particular cycle of the Earth globe - can be divided into: [471]
    1. World karma. (The seven root-races.)
    2. Racial karma, or the destiny and purpose of each root-race.
    3. Subrace karma, for each subrace has its own destiny to work out.
    4. National karma.
    5. Family karma.
    6. Individual karma.

All these different types of karma are intermingled and bound up in a manner inconceivable and inextricable [472] to man; even the adepts cannot untangle the mystery beyond that of the groups affiliated with them, while the Chohans of the higher degrees work with the karma of the larger groups (which are the aggregates of the lesser groups).

54 Karma and Reincarnation, the fourth and fifth doctrines of the Wisdom-religion. These two are, in reality, the A, B, C, of the Wisdom-religion. Karma is the sum total of our acts, both in the present life and in the preceding births. It is of three kinds:

  1. Sanchita karma,
  2. Prarabdha karma,
  3. Agami karma.

"Sanchita karma includes human merits and demerits accumulated in the preceding and in all other previous births. That portion of the Sanchita karma destined to influence human life in one or the present incarnation is called Prarabdha. The third kind of karma is the result of the merits and demerits of the present acts. Agami extends over all your words, thoughts, and acts. What you think, what you speak, what you do, as well as whatever results your thoughts, words, and acts produce on yourself, and on those affected by them, fall under the category of the present karma, which will be sure to sway the balance of your life for good or for evil in your future development." - The Theosophist, Vol. X, p. 235.

55 Karma (action) is of three kinds:

  1. Agami: - The bodily actions good and bad - done after the acquisition of the discriminative knowledge. (Vide Shri Sankaracharya's Tatwa Bodh, question 34).
  2. Sanchita: - The actions formerly done, serving as seeds to grow the countless births; the store of former actions preserved. Ibid., question 35).
  3. Prarabdha: - The actions of this body (i.e. birth) which give pleasure or pain in this life alone. (Ibid., question 36.)" - The Theosophist, Vol. VIII, p. 170.

56 Karma. "It must be remembered that in every action of man the influence of his prior karma constitutes an important element. For the accomplishment of every action, says, Shri Krishna, we need five essentials:

  1. The actor.
  2. The determined will.
  3. Implements for committing the act, such as hands, tongue, etc.
  4. The exercise of these implements.
  5. The influence of antecedent conduct.

The work which a man does with his body, speech or mind, whether it be just or unjust, has these five essentials or factors engaged in the performance. (Gita, XVIII, 13, 14, 15.)

These five essentials of karma are divided into 2 groups in the Mahabharata:

  1. man's present action (including the first four essentials) and,
  2. the result of his past action (which forms the fifth essential).

"At the same time it must be remarked that the result of human existence is not the work of a day or even a cycle. It is the aggregate sum of actions committed during innumerable previous existences. Each action may in itself be as slight as can be conceived, like the minutest filaments of cotton, - such that hundreds of them may be blown away by a single breath; and yet, as similar filaments when closely packed and twisted together form a rope, so heavy and strong that it can be used to pull elephants and even huge ships with, so the articles of man's karma, however trivial each of them may be in itself, would yet by the natural process of accretion, combine themselves closely and form a formidable Pasa (rope) to pull the man with, i.e. to influence his conduct for good or evil." - The Theosophist, Vol. VII, p. 60.
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