What is the meaning of the word ‘samskara’?

Q: What is the definition of the word ‘samskara’? Is it the karma which is earned from the past life?

A: Well, the word ‘samskara’ can be translated in English as ‘deep impressions’. It does come from our past life experiences and it is also what we are gaining in this life. In our childhood and even today, when we interact with people, our indriyas or sense organs are receiving so many stimuli, the conditionings, the deeper impressions which remain as residue in our subconscious can be called ‘samskaras’.