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BG 18.13 — 18.13 Learn from Me, O mighty-armed Arjuna, these five causes as declared in the Sankhya system for the accomplishment of all actions.
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पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे |
साङ्ख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम् ||१८-१३||

pañcaitāni mahābāho kāraṇāni nibodha me . sāṅkhye kṛtānte proktāni siddhaye sarvakarmaṇām ||18-13||


18.13 Learn from Me, O mighty-armed Arjuna, these five causes as declared in the Sankhya system for the accomplishment of all actions.

Word-by-word meanings

18.13 पञ्च five? एतानि these? महाबाहो O mightyarmed? कारणानि causes? निबोध learn? मे from Me? सांख्ये in the Sankhya? कृतान्ते which is the end of all actions? प्रोक्तानि as declared? सिद्धये for the accomplishment? सर्वकर्मणाम् of all actions.Commentary The Self has no connection whatevr with activity. Nature does everything. The Self is the silent witness. He remains indifferent. The whole superstructure of human activity is the result of the five welldefined causes which are enumerated in the

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

18.13 O mighty-armed one, nibodha, learn; me, from Me; imani, these; panca, five; karanani, factors, accessories, which are going to be stated-for drawing the attention of his (Arjuna's) mind and for showing the difference among these categories [Categories: locus (body) etc], the Lord praises those accessories in the succeeding verses as fit for being known-; siddhaye, for the accomplishment; sarva-karmanam, of all actions; proktani, which have been spoken of; sankhye, in Vedanta-sankhya is that scripture where the subject-matters [In the sentence, 'Thou art That', the word Thou means the individual Self, and That means Brahman. The comprehension of their unity, and also 'hearing, reflection and meditation' are referred to as the subject-matters.] to be known are fully (samyak) stated (khyayante)-; krtante, in which actions terminate. Krtante alifies that very word (Vedanta). Krtam mean action. That in which occurs the culmination (anta) of that krtam is krtantam, i.e. the termination of actions. In the texts, '৷৷.as much utility as a man has in a well' (2.46), and 'O son of Prtha, all actions in their totality culminate in Knowledge' (4.33), the Lord shows the cessation of all actions when the knowledge of the Self dawns. Hence (it is said): '৷৷.which have been spoken of in that Vedanta where actions culminate and which is meant for the knowledge of the Self.' Which are they? This is being answered:

(Showing excerpt)

Swami Gambirananda

18.13 O mighty-armed one, learned from Me these [Another reading is etani.-Tr.] five factors for the accomplishment of all actions, which have been spoken of in the Vedanta in which actions terminate.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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