Are our svabhava and prarabdha-karma two results of our past karma?
Are Swabhava and Sanchit Karma two different aspects of karma or action?
Yes, that’s quite an insightful and thoughtful question.
If we use the word karma here to refer to the stockpile of karmic reactions that we have accumulated—reactions that we are destined to experience either in this life or in future lives due to actions performed in the past—then yes, that stockpile exists.
Of course, karma is not a physical commodity stored somewhere in a vault. But for the sake of understanding, we can conceptualize it as something stored in two ways: internally and externally.
1. Internal storage – Swabhava (Nature) shaped by Vasanas (Impressions)
Internally, the consequences of our past karma manifest as vasanas—the impressions on our consciousness that impel us toward certain behaviors. For instance, if someone had a tendency to get angry repeatedly in a past life, that person might be short-tempered in this life. This short temper is a result of the psychic impressions formed by previous karma.
So in this sense, Swabhava—our nature or psychological disposition—is one manifestation of our past karma. It’s how our previous actions have conditioned our internal landscape.
2. External storage – Sanchit Karma shaping life situations
Externally, our past karma also shapes the situations and circumstances we encounter in this life. This is what we often refer to as Sanchit Karma—the accumulated karmic stock that determines when and how we face certain life experiences.
For example, a person who is already short-tempered (internal karma) might end up encountering an angry driver on the road (external karma). This combination becomes a recipe for disaster. However, if the person has cultivated restraint and emotional intelligence, they can avoid reacting, and thus avoid escalation.
So, our past karma affects both:
- our disposition (Swabhava)
- and the situations we encounter (circumstances determined by Sanchit Karma).
And both of these can be positive or negative, depending on whether the karma involved was good or bad.
🔄 An Analogy: Life as a Journey
Let’s take the metaphor of a person driving a car on a journey:
- The car they are driving represents their body-mind machine, which they have received based on past karma.
- The route they travel and the weather or traffic conditions represent the external circumstances—the life situations they face, also determined by past karma.
- However, how they drive—carefully or recklessly, attentively or negligently—is their present free will.
So, while they may not have control over the car (their body) or the traffic/weather (life situations), they still have control over how they choose to act in those situations.
🧭 Key Takeaway
We may not be able to choose our Swabhava or our circumstances, but we can always choose our response. That response is where our present karma and our spiritual growth lie.
If we act responsibly—by cultivating wisdom, self-control, and spiritual awareness—we can grow and evolve irrespective of our past karma.