Bhagavad Gita 18.13 · Krishna
Five causes of every action
पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे।
साङ्ख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम्॥
pañcaitāni mahābāho kāraṇāni nibodha mesāṅkhye kṛtānte proktāni siddhaye sarvakarmaṇām
Learn from Me, mighty-armed one, the five causes behind the completion of every action, as taught in the Sankhya wisdom.
Words
- karma
What it means
Krishna introduces a famous teaching from Sankhya, an ancient school of analysis. Every karma, every action, he says, has five causes, not one. We tend to think I did it, or I failed. The truth is more humble, and more freeing. Many factors come together in everything we do.
The story
Arjuna feels the whole war rests on his shoulders. Krishna is about to show him that no single person causes any outcome alone.
In your life
Think of a team that won a big contract and one person claiming all the credit. It never works like that. Thank one person today who contributed to something you achieved.
No action has only one cause.