Adrsta (Sanskrit: अदृष्ट, Pronounced: adRSTa) is a concept in Indian philosophy often confused with Karma. Whereas karma can be seen as a direct result of one's own actions, Adrsta is more akin to the notion of fate or destiny. It implies an unknown and invisible force at work behind the universe.
The concept of adrsta is discussed in the Vaiśeṣika Sūtra, the main text of the Vaisheshika Hindu school of philosophy, as part of its philosophical discussion on the composition of our world and universe. After explaining the atomistic cosmology that this text theorizes as the order of existence, it focuses on that which cannot be attributed to nature from a scientific point of view, such as phenomena and the inexplicable. Such occurrences are attributed to manifestations of adrsta, or a supersensible force behind all things.[1]