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{20} A substance with a nature or action different from or opposite to that of another is called *vijātiya*. When substances with similar qualities come together, no change occurs. However, when substances with opposite qualities come together, they undergo change and are called *bikṛta*. This can be clearly seen through science and medicine. The reaction to the action of *vijātiya* substances is seen in the *rāja* itself.
In inanimate substances, contact with *vijātiya* substances also produces change, but because their action occurs naturally according to natural laws, they do not try to react on their own. However, living substances have the special characteristic that, even while coming into contact with *vijātiya* substances, they do not tolerate the contact of these *vijātiya* substances and strive to remove them. They begin to try to remove the *vijātiya* substances that have come into contact with their senses, which are formed by their own contact, and they do not rest until these *vijātiya* substances are removed. The implication is that living beings are affected by contact with *vijātiya* substances, and the contact of *vijātiya* substances is the cause of change.
The theoretical implication of this statement is that for a living being, non-living matter is *vijātiya*. When non-living matter comes into contact with a living being, it produces change in the living being. The contact of non-living matter with a living being and the resulting action can be described in philosophical terms as *karma* or other synonymous terms.
Various words that denote *karma*
The word *karma* is used both in common parlance and in scriptures. Ordinary people use the word *karma* in the sense of work, business, action, etc. in their worldly dealings. In scriptures, the word *karma* is used in various senses. For example, the word *karma* is used for any movement, whether it be of a living being or a non-living being, such as eating, drinking, walking, etc. *Karmakāṇḍī* *Mīmāṃsaka* use the word *karma* in the sense of rituals, sacrifices, etc.