karana

Karana is a Sanskrit term (कारण, kāraṇa) that broadly means cause or reason. In many Indian philosophical traditions, karana denotes a causal factor that brings about an effect. Discussions of karana often occur in theories of causation, where it may be described alongside other kinds of causes, such as material or efficient factors, and where the relationship between cause and effect is analyzed in metaphysical and epistemological terms. The term is also used more generally in Indian languages to mean “reason” or “grounds” for a statement or action.

In the performing arts, karana has a specialized technical sense. The Natya Shastra, an ancient treatise on dance, theater, and music attributed to Bharata Muni, describes 64 fundamental bodily movements called karanas. Each karana specifies a precise configuration and movement of limbs and the torso, and these movements are used as building blocks for choreographies and expressive storytelling in Indian classical dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, and Odissi. The concept emphasizes the physical articulation of meaning and emotion through coordinated body actions.

The term karana also appears in modern usage as a linguistic or formal label for a causal factor, and it can be encountered as a personal name or surname in various Indian communities. Etymologically, it derives from Sanskrit and has been adapted into many Indian languages, retaining its core sense of cause or reason.