# karma



## BrendaP

None of my dictionaries, including the WR one right here, and none of the online translators have given me a word for "karma".  What is the Greek way to express the concept of "what goes around comes around" or "you reap what you sow"?  I would have thought karma might come from a Greek word.


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## Live2Learn

To _Μείζοω Ελληνικό Λεξικό _έχει *το κάρμα*.


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## Perseas

Indeed, we use *κάρμα*. 
< English "karma" < Sanskrit "karma" .


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## BrendaP

Thanks so much to both of you.  That makes it easy for me.  Surprised it wasn't in my dictionary though.  Are there other common phrases that would express the same thing?


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## Perseas

The English saying of the original post "you reap what you saw" has as equivalent "ό,τι σπέρνεις θερίζεις".


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## BrendaP

Thanks, again, Perseas.


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## sotos

BrendaP said:


> None of my dictionaries, including the WR one right here, and none of the online translators have given me a word for "karma". What is the Greek way to express the concept of "what goes around comes around" or "you reap what you sow"? I would have thought karma might come from a Greek word.



There isn't a greek word for this because is not compatible with the greek religion and beliefs (about gods). The culturally equivalent is the ριζικό or γραμμένο, meaning "what fate or God has planned for you" but this is not understood as something changeable. This is the meaning of "grammeno": it is written, like in a log-book.


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## BrendaP

Thanks so much for that, sotos.  So, if I were to make reference to something being "karma", it would be frowned upon in the village. I think that's important to know.   But, it would be okay to refer to "reaping what you sow", because that's in the Bible?


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## shawnee

It is more a case that at the 'village' level the word κάρμα would not be understood. They would be more familiar with the alternatives already expressed, and the more often used πεπρωμένο - destiny. I enclose the term village in parenthesis because the designation is no longer as narrowly confined as it was decades ago.


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## BrendaP

Thanks, shawnee.


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## Greg Yodis

BrendaP said:


> None of my dictionaries, including the WR one right here, and none of the online translators have given me a word for "karma".  What is the Greek way to express the concept of "what goes around comes around" or "you reap what you sow"?  I would have thought karma might come from a Greek word.



What about the word in Greek "Anathoxi" ... not sure how to spell it. I just know how to pronounce it. The word is Karma on steroids. It means everything Karma does and a whole lot more. It also is a word Greek Orthodox Christians use a lot because it is very much a part of their belief system.  Hope this helps.


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