18-13

पन्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे ।
सांख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम् ॥ १३ ॥

pancaitAni mahAbAho kAraNAni nibodha me |
sAMkhye kRtAnte proktAni siddhaye sarvakarmaNAm || 13 ||

महाबाहो [mahAbAho] Arjuna, निबोध [nibodha] hear and know एतानि [etAni] these पन्च [panca] five कारणानि [kAraNAni] causes सिद्धये [siddhaye] for the achievement सर्वकर्मणाम् [sarvakarmaNAm] of all actions मे [me] from Me. प्रोक्तानि [proktAni] They are specified सांख्ये कृतान्ते [sAMkhye kRtAnte] in the reflections of the Upanishads.

‘Reflections’ come from intelligence and understanding. The ‘reflections of the Upanishads’ refer to the intelligence built by understanding the concepts in the Upanishads in their true form.

If we aren’t the reason for outcomes, what causes things to happen?

In this Shloka, The Lord says – Hear and know the five causes of achievement from Me. ‘Achieving an action’ is about initiating it. The five causes come from the understanding put together by the intelligence derived from the Upanishads. Put them into place in My presence.

The intelligence derived from the Upanishads says that the body, its organs, its breath and the Self are instruments of the Lord - The Lord uses them to make things happen, as stated in scriptures such as बृहदारण्यक [bRhadAraNyaka], 3-7-22: ‘The One who sits inside the Self, is distinct from the Self, whom the Self doesn’t know, to whom the Self is the body, who controls the Self from the inside - He regulates you and is the Self in yourself. He is ever-lasting’. Also said in यजुरारण्यक [yajurAraNyaka] , 3-11-2: ‘The One who is the Self to every Self, ruling by entering inside’.

Next, the Lord enumerates the five causes.