A core teaching · reflective in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“Action has many causes; the ego is not the whole story.”
O mighty-armed one, learn from Me these five causes, taught in the Sankhya system, for the accomplishment of all actions.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyfive · these · O mighty-armed one · causes · understand · from Me · in Sankhya · in the doctrine of conclusion · are said · for accomplishment · of all actions
Krishna asks Arjuna to understand the five causes that make any action possible. Human action is not as simple as one person deciding and doing everything alone.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Moksha Sanyasa Yoga" (Liberation through Renunciation).
Verse 13 sits in Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita — Moksha Sanyasa Yoga, "Liberation through Renunciation". The chapter has 78 verses in total.
A cricket captain gets all the credit for a win, or all the blame for a loss. Krishna's Sankhya list of five causes is a reminder that the pitch, the players, their effort and fate all had a hand.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna cites the Sankhya teaching that five causes lie behind the completion of every action.
What this verse means
Krishna asks Arjuna to understand the five causes that make any action possible. Human action is not as simple as one person deciding and doing everything alone.
Context & commentary
Krishna now explains that every action depends on five causes, preparing Arjuna to see that doing is more complex than ego claims.
What it looks like today
A cricket captain gets all the credit for a win, or all the blame for a loss. Krishna's Sankhya list of five causes is a reminder that the pitch, the players, their effort and fate all had a hand.
“It loosens the grip of self-blame and pride. Not everything that happens is carried by one doer.”
Explore related themes: sankhya (11 verses), karma (11 verses)