Different types of Action (Karma)

There are five kinds of karma, viz.,

1. utkṣepaṇa,
2. avakṣepaṇa,
3. ākuñcana
4. prasāraṇa and
5. gamana.

According to Kaṇāda, karma (action) is of five kinds. These are

1. utkṣepaṇa,
2. avakṣepaṇa,
3. ākuñcana,
4. prasāraṇa and
5. gamana.^[1]

Praśastapāda states that [the following are the five types of karma]

1. utkṣepaṇa,
2. avakṣepana,
3. ākuñcana,
4. prasāraṇa and
5. gamana.

The action which is caused by gurutva, prayatna, saṃyoga and which is the cause of conjunction of the body with upper portion of the thing and disjunction with lower portion is called utkṣepaṇa. Avakṣepaṇa is the cause of the conjunction and disjunction which are opposite of the utkṣepaṇa. The action which causes the disjunction of the avayava with the tip of a flexible thing and conjunction with the root portion of it and through which action, the avayavi becomes bend that is called ākuñcana. Through which action, this conjunction becomes opposite conjunction and this disjunction becomes opposite disjunction and the avayavi becomes straight, that is known as prasāraṇa. That action which is the cause of the conjunction and disjunction with the indefinite region is called gamana.^[2]

All the subsequent writers follow this division of karma. Hence, Viśvanātha^[3], Śivāditya, Keśava Miśra and others mention the five types of karma.

Annaṃbhaṭṭa also accepts these five kinds of karma, viz.

1. utkṣepaṇa,
2. apakṣepaṇa,
3. ākuñcana,
4. prasāraṇa, and
5. gamana.

In the Kārikāvalī, we find five types of karma.^[4]

The author of Tārkikarakṣā defines these five types of action. Hence,

1) The non-inherent (asamavāyikāraṇa) cause of the conjunction with upper space is utkṣepaṇa.

2) The non-inherent cause of the conjunction with lower space is avakṣepaṇa.

3) The non-inherent cause of the conjunction with the space near the body (śarīra sannikṛṣṭa) is known as ākuñcana.

4) The non-inherent cause of the conjunction with the space distant from the body (śarīra viprakṛṣṭa) is called prasāraṇa.

5) The non-intimate cause of the conjunction with non-specific space (aniyatadeśa) is known as gamana.^[5]

Similar definitions of utkṣepaṇa etc. are given by Annaṃbhaṭṭa. He says that action is known as utkṣepaṇa which causes conjunction with the upper space. That is known as avakṣepaṇa which is the cause of conjunction with the lower space. Ākuñcana is that action which causes the conjunction with the space nearer to the body. Prasāraṇa is that action which causes the connection with the space farthest from the body. All other motion is gamana.^[6] All actions exist in the substances–earth, water, light, air and mind.

Now it may be objected that why the actions which are distinct from these five are not mentioned separately and only five are mentioned. To this it is said the action like roaming, evacuation, flowing, flaming up and zigzag motions are all included under gamana.^[7] But the question arises if their actions like brāhmaṇa etc. then utkṣepaṇa etc. cannot be classed under gamana itself. Praśastapāda also opines that the division of karma as of five kinds is not justified as all can be included under gamana.^[8]

Nīlakaṇṭha here point out that this division of karma is made by Kaṇāda himself, who is a sage, and as such he possesses independent opinion.^[9] Hence, there is no fault in the division of karma as utkṣepaṇa etc. This argument of the Vaiśeṣikas amounts to suggest that gamana is the only karma, others are its different types.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

utkṣepaṇamavakṣepaṇamākuñcanaṃ prasāraṇaṃ gamanamiti karmāni. Vaiśeṣikasūtra, 1.1.7

[2]:

tatrotkṣepaṇaṃ śarīrāvayaveṣu tatsambaddheṣu ca yadurdhvabhāgbhiḥ pradesaiḥ … utkṣepaṇam. tadviparītasaṃyogavibhāgakāraṇaṃ karmāpakṣepaṇam ṛjuno dravyasyāgrāvayavānāṃ taddeśairvibhāgaḥ saṃyogaśca mulaoradesairyena karmaṇāvayavi kutilaḥ saṃjayate tadākuñcanam tadviparyayeṇa saṃyogavibhāgotpattou yena karmaṇāvayavi ṛjuḥ sampadyate tatprasāraṇam. yadaniyatādikpradeśasaṃyogavibhāgakāraṇaṃ tad gamanamiti. — Vaiśeṣikadarśanam with Praśastapādabhāṣya, p. 243

[3]:

utkṣepaṇamtato’pakṣepaṇamākuñcanaṃ tathā/ prasāraṇaṃ ca gamanaṃ karmāṇyetāni pañca ca// Bhāṣāpariccheda, p. 10

[4]:

utkṣepaṇāvakṣepaṇākuñcanaprasāraṇagamanāni pañca karmaṇi. Tarkasaṃgraha, p. 5

[5]:

Tārkikarakṣā, Vide, Sinha, Kaliprasad, Nyāyadarśanavimarṣa, pp. 53-54

[6]:

urdhvadeśasaṃyogaheturutkṣepaṇam.adhodesasaṃyogaheturpaḳsepaṇam.
śarirasaṃnikṛṣṭasaṃyogaheturākuñcanam.viprakṛṣṭasaṃyogahetuḥ prasāraṇam anyatsarvaṃ gamanam. Tarkasaṃgraha, p. 60

[7]:

bhramaṇādīnamapi gamane’ntarbhāvanna pañcavidhatvavirodhaḥ. Dīpikā on Ibid., p. 5

[8]:

Vaiśeṣikadarśanam with Praśastapādabhāṣya, p. 245

[9]:

na cotkṣepanādīnāṃ gamane’ntarbhāvo’stviti śaṃkarnāyam.
svataṃtrecchasya niyogaparyānuyogānarhasya ṛṣeḥ saṃmatatvāditi bhāvaḥ. cf. Tarkasaṃgraha, p. 89