Within the Sri Vaishnava understanding shaped by Ramanuja, karma is seen as a real and binding moral law, yet always under the sovereignty of Vishnu. Every action—of body, speech, and mind—bears fruit, and these fruits of pleasure and pain constitute the karmic chain that binds the individual soul (jiva) to samsara, the ongoing cycle of birth and death. Karma is not regarded as an impersonal mechanism operating independently; rather, its results are dispensed under the just and compassionate oversight of Vishnu, who can modify or override karmic consequences for the sake of the soul’s spiritual upliftment. In this way, karma is both the explanation for one’s present condition and the arena in which divine grace can be experienced.

Reincarnation, or transmigration, is understood as the natural outworking of this karmic law. The jiva, distinct yet utterly dependent on Vishnu, moves through various forms of existence—human, animal, celestial—according to accumulated karma and beginningless ignorance. Each birth, with its particular body and circumstances, is shaped by past actions, but it is also a new opportunity for spiritual progress and for turning consciously toward God. The cycle of rebirth thus functions both as consequence and as a divinely supervised pedagogy, continuing until the soul is finally freed from samsara.

Sri Vaishnavism holds that no amount of meritorious action by itself can sever this bondage. Good karma may refine one’s experiences or lead to more favorable births, but it cannot by its own power grant moksha, the ultimate liberation. For that, the tradition emphasizes bhakti (loving devotion) and especially prapatti, the act of total surrender to Vishnu. Through this surrender, the devotee opens fully to divine grace, which alone can dissolve the binding force of karma and bring an end to further rebirth.

Liberation is described not as a loss of individuality but as the soul’s eternal service to Vishnu in His abode, Vaikuntha, beyond the realm of samsara. When Vishnu grants moksha, the karmic bondage that has propelled countless births is destroyed, and after the fall of the present body there is no return to the cycle of reincarnation. Human birth is therefore regarded as especially precious, for it uniquely enables hearing, reflecting upon, and meditating on sacred teachings, and engaging in conscious devotion and surrender. Within this vision, karma and rebirth are real and serious, yet always subordinate to the will and grace of Vishnu, who guides the soul toward its final freedom.