Shloka 896
Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank
पञठ्चकारणसंख्यातो निष्ठा सर्वत्र वै हरि: | अधिष्ठान, कर्ता, भिन्न-भिन्न प्रकारके करण, नाना प्रकारकी अलग-अलग चेष्टाएँ तथा पाँचवाँ दैव--इन पाँच कारणोंके रूपमें सर्वत्र श्रीहरि ही विराजमान हैं
pañcakāraṇasaṅkhyāto niṣṭhā sarvatra vai hariḥ | adhiṣṭhānaṃ kartā bhinna-bhinna-prakārakaṃ karaṇaṃ nānā-prakārāḥ pṛthak-pṛthag ceṣṭāḥ tathā pañcamaṃ daivam—eteṣu pañcasu kāraṇeṣu rūpeṇa sarvatra śrīharir eva virājamānaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Hari ist überall gegenwärtig als das Prinzip, das man durch die fünf Ursachen des Handelns erkennt. Als ‘Grundlage’ (das Körperfeld), als ‘Handelnder’ (der Täter), als die verschiedenen Werkzeuge, als die vielen unterschiedlichen Bemühungen und als der fünfte Faktor—Schicksal oder das Göttliche—in all diesen fünf Ursachen weilt allein Śrī Hari in jeder dieser Gestalten.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
All action is understood through five causal factors—basis (adhiṣṭhāna), agent (kartā), instruments (karaṇa), efforts (ceṣṭā), and destiny/providence (daiva)—and the Lord (Hari) pervades them all. Ethically, this discourages both fatalism and egoism: one must act responsibly using one’s capacities, while recognizing limits and the divine support underlying outcomes.
Vaiśaṃpāyana continues a didactic exposition in Śānti Parva, presenting a philosophical account of how actions arise. The passage reframes causation in moral terms, teaching that multiple conditions contribute to results and that the divine presence is immanent within those conditions.