Akṛtya-karaṇa — Doing What Must Not Be Done
Akṛtya-karaṇa — performing actions that śāstra prohibits — is one of the two principal categories of transgression in the Śrī Vaiṣṇava framework. Its complement is kṛtya-akaraṇa (omitting prescribed duties). Together they form the complete map of how a soul can go astray in relation to śāstric conduct.
The akṛtyas (what must not be done) include all niṣiddha karma — the negative injunctions of śāstra. These range from gross violations (para-hiṃsā, para-dravya-apahāra, para-dāra-parigraha) to subtler transgressions (speaking falsehood, worshipping other deities as supreme, associating with those who are hostile to Bhagavān and Bhāgavatas). The unifying principle is that these actions generate pāpa (negative karma) that binds the soul more deeply in saṃsāra and obstructs the clarity needed for genuine devotional life.
In the Teṅkalai understanding, even after prapatti has been performed, akṛtya-karaṇa remains a live concern — not because prapatti's power is conditional, but because a prapanna who willfully commits akṛtyas shows that the inner transformation (tattva-jñānam, viveka) is incomplete. The Āchāryas counsel that a prapanna who slips must not be paralyzed by guilt but must return to Bhagavān immediately with renewed surrender.
The Gītā's treatment of the three guṇas is relevant here: akṛtya-karaṇa tends to arise from rajas (desire for prohibited things) and tamas (delusion about what is right). Sattva-cultivation through right conduct, study of śāstra, satsaṅga, and Āchārya proximity naturally reduces the pull toward akṛtyas.
For the prapanna, the motivation for avoiding akṛtyas shifts: it is no longer fear of karma (since Bhagavān handles that), but love for Bhagavān and desire not to grieve Him. The Āchāryas compare this to a son who avoids hurting his father not from fear of punishment but from love.