Loading...
Current layer: Translation
Chapter 18 • Verse 15
The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation
MEANING & CONTEXT
Krishna clarifies that all actions, regardless of their nature, involve the five causes. 'Śarīra-vāṅ-manobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ'—whatever action (yat karma) a person (naraḥ) undertakes (prārabhate) by body (śarīra), speech (vāk), or mind (manobhiḥ). 'Nyāyyaṁ vā viparītaṁ vā'—whether proper (nyāyyam) or improper (viparītam). 'Pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ'—these five (pañca ete) are its causes (tasya hetavaḥ). This is the key teaching: every action—whether right or wrong, good or bad, proper or improper—involves all five causes. You can't act without these five factors. Understanding this helps you see that action is complex, and that labeling actions as 'good' or 'bad' doesn't change the fact that they all involve the same five causes. This prepares you to understand action according to gunas, where the distinction is in the quality of the action, not just in the causes.
Explore Human Experiences
How this ancient wisdom applies to your daily life
Key Takeaway
This verse clarifies that whatever action a person undertakes by body, speech, or mind (śarīra-vāṅ-manobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ), whether proper or improper (nyāyyaṁ vā viparītaṁ vā), these five are its causes (pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ). This is the key teaching: all actions—good or bad, right or wrong, proper or improper—involve the same five causes. You can't act without these five factors. Understanding this helps you see that action is complex, and that labeling actions as 'good' or 'bad' doesn't change the fact that they all involve the same causes. The distinction is in the quality and nature of the action, not in the causes. When you understand this, you recognize that you can't take full credit for success or full blame for failure, because all actions involve the same complex process with multiple causes.
Personal Reflection
Have you been thinking that good and bad actions have different causes? Have you been taking full credit for success and full blame for failure? What would change if you understood that all actions involve the same five causes?
Shortcuts
←/→ Verses
↑/↓ Layers