Shaivism understands karma as a precise, impersonal law of cause and effect that governs the cycle of birth and death. Every thought, word, and deed leaves subtle impressions that shape future experience, binding the individual soul to saṁsāra. This karmic process is not seen as divine punishment or reward, but as a natural mechanism that perpetuates ignorance and bondage. In many Shaiva traditions, karma is counted among the principal fetters that obscure the soul’s innate Shiva-nature and prevent full recognition of that identity.

At the same time, this law of karma is never regarded as independent of Shiva. Shiva, as the supreme Lord, is understood to govern the dispensation of karmic fruits while remaining utterly untouched by them. Karma operates through Shiva’s power and under Shiva’s will, yet Shiva is free to intervene in that process through grace. This grace is not arbitrary; it is often described as capable of burning vast stores of accumulated karma and loosening the bonds that keep the soul entangled in repeated birth.

Shaivism commonly speaks of three kinds of karma: the accumulated store from past lives, that portion which has begun to bear fruit in the present life, and the karma now being created that will ripen in the future. The present body and life circumstances are shaped by the already-activated portion, which generally continues until the body falls, even for one who is spiritually liberated. However, for such a liberated being, no new binding karma is generated, and the remaining karmic momentum gradually exhausts itself. When the fetters of karma are fully dissolved, no further birth occurs and the soul abides in its realized oneness with Shiva.

Spiritual practice in Shaivism is framed as a way of purifying and transcending karma so that Shiva’s grace can operate fully. Devotional worship, righteous conduct, mantra, ritual, and yoga are undertaken as offerings to Shiva, reducing ego-driven action and softening karmic patterns. Yet these disciplines are ultimately oriented toward a deeper recognition: that the soul has never been other than Shiva. From this standpoint, karma governs the realm of ignorance, while the realization of one’s Shiva-nature, blessed by divine grace, reveals a freedom that was always already beyond the reach of karmic law.