पञ्चैतानि महाबाहो कारणानि निबोध मे
सांख्ये कृतान्ते प्रोक्तानि सिद्धये सर्वकर्मणाम्
pañcaitāni mahābāho kāraṇāni nibodha me
sāṃkhye kṛtānte proktāni siddhaye sarvakarmaṇām
TRANSLATION
Learn from Me, O Arjuna, these five causes for the accomplishment of all acts, as described in Sankhya-Krtanta—the science of the exact understanding of things for the accomplishment of works.
PURPORT
‘Sankhya’ means Buddhi (reasoning). ‘Sankhya-krtanta’ means that which is determined after due deliberations by the Buddhi in accordance with the Vedas on the nature of the things as they are. Learn them from Me. There are five causes for the accomplishment of all actions. But the understanding according to the Vedas (Vaidiki-buddhi) is that the Supreme Self alone is the agent working through body, senses, Pranas and the individual self, as asserted in the following Shrutis: ‘He who, dwelling in the self, who rules the self from within your self, the Inner Ruler, immortal’ (Br.U.Madh., 3.7.22), and ‘He who has penetrated the interior, is the Ruler of all creatures and the Self of all’ (Tai.A., 3.11.3).
Shri Krishna now sets forth the five causes:
