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.
[From alternate entry: akrtya-karanam]
Akṛtya Karaṇam — Doing the Forbidden
Akṛtya karaṇam (Sanskrit: a = not + kṛtya = what ought to be done + karaṇam = doing) denotes the commission of acts that śāstra explicitly forbids. In Śrī Vaiṣṇava ethical and theological discourse, all moral failings (doṣas) fall under two headings: akṛtya karaṇam — actively doing what is prohibited — and its paired counterpart kṛtya akaraṇam — failing to perform what is ordained. Together these two categories constitute a complete moral inventory of human transgression.
Scriptural basis: The Vedas and Smṛtis classify actions as nityakarmas (obligatory daily duties), naimittika karmas (occasional rites), kāmya karmas (desire-motivated acts), and niṣiddha karmas (forbidden acts). Akṛtya karaṇam corresponds to performing niṣiddha karmas — acts that generate pāpa (sin) and bind the jīva more tightly to saṃsāra. Examples range from violence against the innocent and theft to breaking sacred vows and committing bhāgavata apacāra (offences against Bhagavān's devotees), which Āchāryas regard as among the gravest transgressions.
In Prapatti thought: Piḷḷai Lokāchārya's Mumukṣuppadi and Śrīvachana Bhūṣaṇam address both types of transgression in the context of the prapanna's life after śaraṇāgati. The texts note that the doṣam arising from akṛtya karaṇam and kṛtya akaraṇam can vitiate spiritual progress if left unacknowledged. Nevertheless, Bhagavān's infinite kāruṇya (compassion) encompasses both; the sincere prapanna who recognises and regrets these lapses, and does not repeat them wilfully, is not thereby abandoned by the Lord.
Ethical vigilance after surrender: Āchāryas emphasise that genuine prapatti is not a one-time act that licences subsequent carelessness. The prapanna maintains sincere effort on both fronts — avoiding the forbidden (akṛtya karaṇam) and fulfilling the ordained (kṛtya) — not as a condition of salvation but as the natural expression of a soul that has truly understood its śeṣatva (servanthood) to Bhagavān. Keeping the paired terms in view sharpens the conscience without inducing despair, since the recourse to Bhagavān's grace remains always open.