One of the four aghātīya-karman or ‘non-destructive karmans’. It means ‘longevity’ and determines the lifespan. There are four types of Āyu-karma determining the condition of existence, one of the four realms or – gati – of the embodied soul, which can be celestial, human, animal or infernal. The lifespan of the new existence is always determined in the life immediately preceding it.