in a mysterious manner, for the modus operandi of the apurva is unknown.  There is also the notion prevalent in the Sa@mhitas, as we have already noticed, that he who commits wicked deeds suffers in another world, whereas he who performs good deeds enjoys the highest material pleasures.  These were probably associated with the conception of _@rta_, the inviolable order of things.  Thus these are probably the elements which built up the Karma theory which we find pretty well established but not emphasized in the Upani@sads, where it is said that according to good or bad actions men will have good or bad births.

To notice other relevant points in connection with the Karma doctrine as established in the astika systems we find that it was believed that the unseen (ad@r@s@ta) potency of the action generally required some time before it could be fit for giving the doer the merited punishment or enjoyment.  These would often accumulate and prepare the items of suffering and enjoyment for the doer in his next life.  Only the fruits of those actions which are extremely wicked or particularly good could be reaped in this life.  The nature of the next birth of a man is determined by the nature of pleasurable or painful experiences that have been made ready for him by his maturing actions of this life.  If the experiences determined for him by his action are such that they are possible to be realized in the life of a goat, the man will die and be born as a goat.  As there is no ultimate beginning in time of this world process, so there is no time at which any person first began his actions or experiences.  Man has had an infinite number of past lives of the most varied nature, and the instincts of each kind of life exist dormant in the life of every individual, and thus whenever he has any particular birth as this or that animal or man,

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the special instincts of that life (technically called vasana) come forth.  In accordance with these vasanas the person passes through the painful or pleasurable experiences as determined for him by his action.  The length of life is also determined by the number and duration of experiences as preordained by the fructifying actions of his past life.  When once certain actions become fit for giving certain experiences, these cannot be avoided, but those actions which have not matured are uprooted once for all if the person attains true knowledge as advocated by philosophy.  But even such an emancipated (mukta) person has to pass through the pleasurable or painful experiences ordained for him by the actions just ripened for giving their fruits.  There are four kinds of actions, white or virtuous (s’ukla), black or wicked (k@r@s@na), white-black or partly virtuous and partly vicious (s’ukla-k@r@s@na) as most of our actions are, neither black nor white (as’uklak@r@s@na), i.e. those acts of self-renunciation or meditation which are not associated