karma

Nature, time, the planets, karma, fate, the creator (Brahmā), merit, God, fortune, sin, destiny, the ender, necessity and Yama are said to be other names for karma done in past births; sayings that blame bad times, the planets, angry gods, the creator's writing, God's will or Yama all mean that happiness and sorrow come from the rise of past karma.

One's karma is said to ripen in two ways, in its own time or through means. Ripening by means is forcing karma to rise before its time through excellent, severe austerities and other pure practices, which gives the fruit at once; ripening by time is karma ripening by itself in due course (at the end of its term) and giving its fruit.

The living being is said to experience, without effort, the fruit of the merit and sin earned by its own karma, and the aggravation and calming of vata, pitta and the other doshas are named as the instrumental causes through which sin and merit bear fruit.

A footnote explains that when merit gives its fruit beings feel happiness and when sin gives its fruit they feel only sorrow, that neither is felt without these karmas, and that both need instrumental causes: for merit the calming of the doshas, for sin their aggravation.

Asked why diseases appear sooner or later even when aggravated doshas are present, the author answers that it is under the sway of karma earned through many kinds of past actions, as ocean waves come sometimes one by one and sometimes many together.