Word journey
The word karma
action and its consequences
The journey
| Form | Language | Date | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| *kʷer- | Proto-Indo-European (reconstructed) · Proto-Indo-European Religion | undated | to do, make; reconstructed root |
| kárman | Vedic Sanskrit · Historical Vedic Religion | 1,200 BCE | act, deed, ritual work (about 40 times in the Rigveda) |
| karma | Sanskrit (Upanishads) · Hinduism | 700 BCE | deeds that shape rebirth (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad) |
| kamma | Pali · Buddhism | 250 BCE | intentional action and its fruit |
| karma | English · Hinduism | 1785 CE | action; fate earned by deeds |
What is certain and what is not
In the Rigveda karman mostly means ritual action; the moral law of deeds and rebirth is first clearly set out in the Upanishads. Wiktionary dates English karma to Wilkins's 1785 Bhagavad Gita, while Dictionary.com gives 1820-30.