The word karma is derived from the root verb kri + suffix man. Kri means “to do something”, and man denotes establishment. (Similarly, dhr + man = dharma) So, karma means an action which is superior to an ordinary action. Both karma and kriyá mean action in the sense of change of place of an object, yet there is a difference between the two. An action devoid of cosmic ideation is kriyá. If we are to live in the world we must perform actions in order to maintain our physical existence. Whatever we do with our physical organs without a spiritual purpose is our kriyá – sleeping, resting, drinking and eating devoid of cosmic ideation are kriyá and not karma. Actions performed with cosmic ideation are termed karma. So people performing karma should be aware of questions such as “What is my goal? By what means can my goal be attained?” Thus all karma is kriyá, but all kriyá is not karma. Some human actions are kriyá while others are karma. The performance of kriyá leads to bondage, whereas the performance of karma leads to liberation from bondage. Even rituals and ceremonies are kriyá.

Kriyá is of two types: Nitya kriyá and naemittik kriyá. Those actions which are essential for the preservation of human existence are nitya kriyá, whereas those which are occasional and done with some other purpose are called naemittik kriyá. For instance, eating, bathing, resting, spiritual practice are nitya kriyá, because without food, drink, bathing and rest, etc., physical human existence become endangered, and in the absence of spiritual practice human psychic degeneration is unavoidable. Hence, in the daily lives of human beings, spiritual practice is indispensable. Regular spiritual practice leads to psycho-spiritual parallelism. A sadhaka slowly and steadily advances spiritually and finally becomes ensconced in the supreme spiritual stance. Naemittik kriyá are actions which are occasional and done with a set purpose, such as employment, study, charity, festivals, observances, etc. Naemittik kriyá may have a certain value in human life but is not as essential as nitya kriyá.

Human beings often attach less importance to the spiritual aspect of nitya karma and more importance to the physical aspect. This is detrimental because one should not forget that human life is short. From the moment of birth one slowly and steadily advances towards death with every passing second. This short period of time from birth to death is human life. Human beings have come from the world of invisibility and at the end of this short span of time will return to the world of invisibility. Those people can be called intelligent who utilize every moment of their short life engaged in spiritual practice. Hence regarding karma, the view of Ananda Marga is “Karma Brahmeti, karma bahukurviita” (“Karma is Brahma so do as much karma as you can”).