These [results] bear fruit as pleasure or pain, depending on whether the cause was merit or demerit.

Karma is not arbitrary: virtuous actions (puṇya) produce pleasant experiences (hlāda); harmful actions (apuṇya) produce suffering (paritāpa).

This is a natural law, not a system of divine reward and punishment. Just as a seed produces its corresponding fruit, each action generates its appropriate result.

However, even pleasure derived from merit keeps one bound to the cycle. The goal of yoga is not to accumulate good karma, but to transcend karma entirely.

The yogi seeks to act without generating new impressions, without rāga or dveṣa, so that actions leave no residue.