Prarabdha - Destiny Already Begun

In Vedanta, prārabdha (prarabdha) karma is that portion of the vast store of accumulated karma (sañchita) which has “already begun” to fructify. It is the karmic momentum that gives rise to the present body and life circumstances. While sañchita is the total seed-bank of past actions and agami is the karma newly generated in this lifetime, prarabdha is the “spending account,” unfolding as the pleasures and pains of the current existence.

The scriptures teach that prarabdha determines the body one takes, the family one is born into, the span of life, and many of the key experiences of one’s lifetime. Because of its deterministic flavor, it is sometimes equated with “destiny.” Just as an arrow already released from the bow must travel until its momentum is spent, so too prārabdha must play out until it is exhausted.

Prarabdha is further classified:

• Iccha prarabdha — results aligned with one’s desires.

• Aniccha prarabdha — results that come unasked, against one’s wishes.

• Pareccha prarabdha — results that arise from the desires of others.

For the ordinary person (ajñani), prarabdha is binding, producing identification with experiences of joy and sorrow. But for the knower of the Self (jñani), prarabdha is like the aftershocks of an earthquake or the spinning of a potter’s wheel after the pot is finished. Though the body continues to live out its momentum, the wise no longer identify with it. Shankara and later teachers emphasize: Self-knowledge destroys sañchita and prevents agami, but prarabdha continues until the body falls.

Ramana Maharshi noted that karma is only meaningful so long as one identifies as the doer. Once the ego is dissolved, there is no longer an agent to whom karma can attach. From the absolute standpoint, the whole structure of karmic law becomes redundant.

Thus, prarabdha illustrates the interplay of karma and knowledge. For the unenlightened, it explains the apparent inequalities of life and provides a framework for acceptance and dharmic living. For the liberated, it is seen as mithyā — a play of appearances, endured like watching a magic show.

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Root & Meaning

• Prārabdha = “that which has already begun” (from the root ā-rabh, to commence).

• The karmas that have started to bear fruit in the present life.

Scriptural References

• Bhagavad Gita (3.33): beings act according to their nature (svabhava), compelled by prarabdha.

• Mandukya Karika (3.33): compares prarabdha to an arrow already released.

• Shankara's commentaries: Self-knowledge destroys sañchita and prevents agami, but prarabdha remains until exhausted.

Traditional View

• Prarabdha karma explains present life circumstances — body, lifespan, major events.

• It cannot be avoided, even by God, because it has already begun to fructify .

• Divided into iccha (desired), aniccha (undesired), and pareccha (others’ desires).

Vedantic Analysis

• Self-knowledge (jñana) is not opposed to prarabdha: the body continues to undergo its destined course, while the wise know themselves as untouched.

• The liberated live as jivanmuktas, allowing prarabdha to play out without bondage, until death brings videhamukti.

• The image of the spinning fan or potter’s wheel is often used: momentum continues for a while, even after the source of power is cut.

Common Misunderstandings

• That Self-knowledge cancels prarabdha: Knowledge cancels ignorance, not the body’s karma.

• That prarabdha applies to the Self: Karma belongs only to the jīva, never to awareness itself.

Vedantic Resolution

Prarabdha operates only so long as there is identification with the body-mind. For the knower, it is neither binding nor ultimately real. When the prarabdha of the body is exhausted, the liberated one is freed from rebirth altogether.