Yogaśāstra 2.12–14: Fruits of Karma

Rooted in the kleśas, the karmāśaya ripens in this or a future birth as type of birth, lifespan, and pleasurable or painful experience.

Dr. Ronald Steiner

Laura von Ostrowski

Patañjali Yoga Sūtra 2.12

क्लेशमूलः कर्माशयो दृष्टादृष्टजन्मवेदनीयः ||12||

kleśa-mūlaḥ karmāśayo dṛṣṭādṛṣṭa-janma-vedanīyaḥ ||12|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

kleśa bahuvrīhi-compund	kleśa substantive masculine	the afflictions
mūlaḥ nominative singular masculine	mūla substantive neuter	having as its root
karma tatpuruṣa-compound genitive	karman substantive neuter	of karma
āśayaḥ nominative singular	āśaya substantive masculine	deposit
dṛṣṭa dvandva-compound past participle passive	dṛś verbal root	seen
adṛṣṭa karmadhāraya-compound past participle passive	a previx dṛś verbal root	unseen
janma upapada-compound	janman substantive neuter	in a birth
vedanīyaḥ nominative singular masculine future participle passive	vid verbal root	to be experienced

The karmic deposit (karmāśayaḥ | nom sg), rooted in the afflictions (kleśa-mūlaḥ | nom sg m), is to be experienced in a visible [present] or unseen [future] birth (dṛṣṭādṛṣṭa-janma-vedanīyaḥ | nom sg m pfp).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Actions create the ground from which repetition grows (karmāśaya). When a familiar pattern appears, ask: What small action would leave a different trace today?

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

According to the Vyāsa-Bhāṣya, the karmic deposit of merit and demerit arises from desire, greed, delusion and anger. It may ripen in the present birth or in a future one. Exceptionally intense meritorious or harmful conduct can bear fruit at once; beings in hell have no karma ripening within that same birth, while those whose kleśa are exhausted have none that will ripen in a future birth.

Yoga Śāstra Vyāsa-Bhāṣya

The stock of works, whose root is the afflictions, is what is to be had fruition of on this visible state or in that unseen.

James R. Ballantyne - 1852

The residua of actions have their origin in distractions, and are felt in the manifest or the unmanifest life.

Ganganatha Jha - 1907

Die kleśa sind die Wurzel des Werkrückstandes, welcher abzubüßen ist in der sichtbaren [gegenwärtigen] oder unsichtbaren [zukünftigen] Geburt.

Paul Deussen - 1908

The latent-deposit of karma has its root in the hindrances and may be felt in a birth seen or in a birth unseen.

James Haughton Woods - 1914

Patañjali Yoga Sūtra 2.13

सति मूले तद्विपाको जात्यायुर्भोगाः ||13||

sati mūle tad-vipāko jāty-āyur-bhogāḥ ||13|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

sati lokative singular neuter present participle active	as verbal root	existing
mūle lokative absolutus singular	mūla substantive neuter	while the root
tat tatpuruṣa-compound genitive	tad pronoun dem	its
vipākaḥ nominative singular	vipāka substantive masculine	fruition
jāti dvandva-compound	jāti substantive feminine	birth
āyus dvandva-compound	āyus substantive neuter	lifespan
bhogāḥ nominative plural	bhoga substantive masculine	experiences

As long as the root exists (sati mūle | loc absl sg), its fruition (tad-vipākaḥ | nom sg) [consists in] birth, length of life and experience (jātyāyur-bhogāḥ | nom pl).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

What you nourish repeatedly shapes how you live, relate to time, and enjoy life (jāti, āyus, bhoga). Choose habits whose fruits you genuinely want to live with.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

As long as the kleśa remain as its root, the karmic deposit can germinate like a grain that still has its husk and has not been burned. Its three fruits are birth (jāti), lifespan (āyus) and experience (bhoga).

The Vyāsa-Bhāṣya treats the karmic potentials accumulated between birth and death as a complex that becomes manifest at death: in the standard case it produces one new birth together with its lifespan and experiences. Karma whose fruition is not fixed may be destroyed by contrary karma, subordinated to stronger karma or suppressed for a long time. The commentary distinguishes from this the beginningless vāsanā that serve as causes of memory.

Yoga Śāstra Vyāsa-Bhāṣya

While there is the root, fructification is rank, years and enjoyment.

James R. Ballantyne - 1852

The root existing, its fruition (consists in) birth, life (or age) and experience.

Ganganatha Jha - 1907

Solange diese Wurzel besteht, erfolgen als sein [des Werkrückstandes] Heranreifen Geburt, Lebensdauer und Genießen.

Paul Deussen - 1908

So long as the root exists, there will be fruition from it [that is] birth [and] length-of-life [and] kind-of-experience.

James Haughton Woods - 1914

Patañjali Yoga Sūtra 2.14

ते ह्लादपरितापफलाः पुण्यापुण्यहेतुत्वात् ||14||

te hlāda-paritāpa-phalāḥ puṇyāpuṇya-hetutvāt ||14|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

te nominative plural masculine	tad pronoun dem	these
hlāda dvandva-compound	hlāda substantive masculine	joy
paritāpa bahuvrīhi-compund	paritāpa substantive masculine	anguish
phalāḥ nominative plural masculine	phala substantive neuter	having as their fruits
puṇya dvandva-compound	puṇya substantive neuter	merit
apuṇya tatpuruṣa-compound genitive	apuṇya substantive neuter	and demerit
hetutvāt ablative singular	hetutva substantive neuter	because both are causes

These [three results] (te | nom pl m) bear pleasure or anguish as their fruit (hlāda-paritāpa-phalāḥ | nom pl m), because they are caused by merit or demerit (puṇyāpuṇya-hetutvāt | abl sg).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Actions bear fruit that may contain joy or pain (hlāda, paritāpa). You cannot control every outcome, but you can choose the quality of your intention and action.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

Birth, lifespan and experience yield pleasure when caused by merit (puṇya) and pain when caused by demerit (apuṇya). For the yogin, however, suffering is present even at the moment of sensory pleasure.

Yoga Śāstra Vyāsa-Bhāṣya

These have joy or suffering as their fruits, accordingly as the cause is virtue or vice.

James R. Ballantyne - 1852

They have pleasure or pain for their fruit, according as their cause is virtue or vice.

Ganganatha Jha - 1907

Diese [nämlich Geburt, Lebensdauer und Genießen] bringen als Frucht Erquickung oder Peinigung, je nachdem Gutes oder Böses ihre Ursache bildete.

Paul Deussen - 1908

These [fruitions] have joy or extreme anguish as results in accordance with the quality of their causes whether merit or demerit.

James Haughton Woods - 1914

Continue with AYI Free

Illustrations: AI-generated.

Editor

Dr. Ronald Steiner

From Ulm

The "Yoga Doc" - Dr. Ronald Steiner is the founder of the AYI method. This method links traditional Ashtanga Yoga with innovative Yogatherapy and living Philosophy. This forms a practice that is personal for each and... more ›

Laura von Ostrowski

Ich bin 2004 das erste Mal mit Yoga in Berührung gekommen und habe seitdem unendlich viele Facetten kennengelernt. Einerseits die vielfältigen praktischen Seiten von Yoga - in Form verschiedener Ausbildungen (500 h... more ›

Messages and ratings

0 messages

Please log in to write a message. Go to login

No messages yet.

Yogaśāstra 2.12–14: Fruits of Karma

Yogaśāstra 2.12–14: Fruits of Karma

Continue with AYI Free

Choose your privacy settings.

Adjust your preferences.

Optional