Karma literally means “action.” In Hindu philosophical and religious discussions it can refer to deeds, ritual acts, and the moral or spiritual consequences connected with intentional conduct. Some Upaniṣadic passages extend the discussion of action beyond ritual toward how conduct shapes future experience; Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13 is discussed in scholarship in this connection.
Karma is not just fate. The Bhagavad Gītā distinguishes action from attachment to its outcomes and urges responsible action rather than inaction (for example, 2.47). Traditions disagree about how karma accumulates, bears fruit, interacts with divine grace or knowledge, and is overcome. Karma should never be used to claim certainty about why a particular person suffers, to blame victims, or to replace practical ethical responsibility.