As the notion of "Dharma" shifted emphasis away from the gods as executors of "Ṛta" and towards the individual as upholding "Ṛta" through his actions, the ethical responsibility and culpability of the individual received an increasing amount of emphasis towards the end of the Vedic period. Central to the discussion of such culpability is the notion of "Karma". "Karma" (lit. "action") refers to the works one performs, which can occur either in congruence with or in opposition to "Dharma" – and thus, to "Ṛta" – and which are posited to stand in a causal relationship to the pains and pleasures one experiences in life.