Gita 18.15

Moksha Sanyasa Yoga

शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः | न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः ||१५||

śarīra-vāṅ-manobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ | nyāyyaṁ vā viparītaṁ vā pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ ||15||

In essence: Every action—whether through body, speech, or mind, whether righteous or sinful—arises from the same five causes.

A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "So the five factors operate even for wrong actions? Does that mean wrongdoers aren't really responsible?"

Guru: "They are responsible—but not solely responsible. The karta, the ego-sense directing action, is one of the five factors and it made a choice. But that choice arose within a body, using faculties, with certain efforts, under particular circumstances. Understanding this doesn't remove responsibility; it contextualizes it."

Sadhak: "How does that help? I still need to judge actions as right or wrong."

Guru: "The judgment of actions remains. What changes is your understanding of how actions arise. When you see someone do wrong, instead of simply condemning the person, you see: here was a deluded karta (which factor to address through teaching), using certain faculties (which might be redirected), with certain efforts (which might be channeled differently), under circumstances (which might be changed). This analysis enables transformation rather than mere punishment."

Sadhak: "What about mental actions—just thoughts? Do the same five factors apply?"

Guru: "Absolutely. Your angry thought has a bodily basis (brain chemistry), a karta (the 'I' who thinks it), instruments (mind, memory), effort (attention sustained on it), and circumstances (what triggered it). This is why mental discipline matters—thoughts are real actions with real causal structures."

Sadhak: "So I can't excuse myself by saying 'It was just a thought'?"

Guru: "Correct. Mental action is action. Verbal action is action. Physical action is action. All three operate through the same five factors, all three generate karma. The difference is in intensity and immediacy of effect, but not in fundamental nature. Master your thoughts and you master the subtlest level of action."

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🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Set an intention to observe all three channels of action today: body, speech, and mind. Before speaking or acting, pause briefly to notice: 'This is an action. Five factors are converging.' This simple awareness often interrupts automatic harmful patterns.

☀️ Daytime

When you catch yourself judging someone harshly for their actions, apply the five-factor analysis: 'What body, ego, faculties, efforts, and circumstances produced this behavior?' This doesn't mean excusing wrong—it means understanding it deeply enough to respond wisely rather than merely react.

🌙 Evening

Review your mental actions—recurring thoughts, judgments, fantasies. Apply the same five-factor analysis you would to physical deeds. Ask: 'What bodily state, ego-attachment, mental habits, attention investment, and circumstances generated these thoughts?' This brings your mental life under the same scrutiny as your visible behavior.

Common Questions

If even wrong actions have five causes beyond the individual, doesn't this undermine moral responsibility?

No—it deepens moral understanding. The individual (karta) remains a necessary cause and thus retains responsibility. But understanding that other factors contribute enables more effective moral intervention. Instead of merely blaming, we can ask: which factor can we change? The criminal's circumstances? Their education? Their impulse control? This leads to both accountability and rehabilitation.

Why does Krishna include both right and wrong actions under the same causal framework?

Because the teaching is about the nature of action itself, not about judging specific actions. Understanding the five-factor structure applies universally. Just as physics explains both healing and harm, this metaphysics explains both virtue and vice. The framework is neutral; the moral evaluation of specific actions remains based on dharma.

Are verbal and mental actions really equivalent to physical actions?

They share the same five-factor causal structure and generate karmic consequences. However, their effects differ in scope and intensity. A thought of anger affects mainly you; angry words affect relationships; angry violence affects bodies. All are real actions, but with different spheres of impact. The Gita treats all three seriously because all three shape character and destiny.

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