The Concept of Karma in the Heterodox System of Indian Philosophy

Abstract

Philosophical systems have a concern on the doctrine of action and its after-effect. The Indian systems of philosophy always show a special interest on the concept of karma, whether they support Vedas or go beyond the authority of Vedas. All the systems of philosophy refer the concept of karma to validate their very foundation of arguments and provide a deterministic view based on moralistic or naturalistic interpretations. The unorthodox systems or the heterodox systems, namely, the Carvakas, the Jainism and the Buddhism differ in their explanation of the concept of karma. This paper examines these issues in the three heterodox systems of Indian philosophy over the concept of karma.