The emergence of "Karma" as a central doctrine of the late Vedic and early Hindu tradition is due in part to the problem of theodicy. Given the inherent goodness of "Ṛta" and its absolute power over the operation of the universe, the presence of gross inequality and injustice in the world represented a serious religious, philosophical and ethical dilemma. The notion of "Karma" helped to overcome this problem as it was conceived as a "law of moral causation" which effectively excused the gods and "Ṛta" from the appearance of evil in the world, placing the responsibility for the same squarely upon the individual.