Shloka 14
भीष्मविक्रमदर्शनं तथा क्रौञ्चारुणव्यूहविधानम् | Bhīṣma’s Ascendancy and the Organization of the Krauñcāruṇa Formation
हे महाबाहो! सम्पूर्ण कर्मोकी सिद्धिके ये पाँच हेतु कर्मोंका अन्त करनेके लिये उपाय बतलानेवाले सांख्य-शास्त्रमें कहे गये हैं, उनको तू मुझसे भलीभाँति जान ।। अधिष्ठानं तथा कर्ता करणं च पृथग्विधम् । विविधाश्व पृथक्चेष्टा दैवं चैवात्र पज्चमम्,इस विषयमें अर्थात् कर्मोंकी सिद्धिमें अधिष्ठान" और कर्ता+ तथा भिन्न-भिन्न प्रकारके करण* एवं नाना प्रकारकी अलग-अलग चेष्टाएँ: और वैसे ही पाँचवाँ हेतु दैव+ है
adhiṣṭhānaṃ tathā kartā karaṇaṃ ca pṛthagvidham | vividhāś ca pṛthakceṣṭā daivaṃ caivātra pañcamam ||
Arjuna said: “O mighty-armed one, please explain to me clearly the five factors that the Sāṅkhya teaching declares as the means by which actions reach completion. In the accomplishment of any deed there are: the basis or seat (the body and its situation), the agent (the doer), the various instruments (senses, mind, and tools), the many distinct efforts and movements, and—fifth—destiny or the divine factor. Knowing these, one should act responsibly without pride, and without blaming oneself or others as the sole cause.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Any action succeeds through five contributing causes—basis (adhiṣṭhāna), agent (kartā), instruments (karaṇa), distinct efforts (ceṣṭā), and the divine/destiny factor (daiva). This frames ethical responsibility: act with diligence and humility, avoiding egoistic claims of sole authorship or simplistic blame.
Arjuna addresses the mighty-armed interlocutor (implicitly Kṛṣṇa) and asks for a clear account of the five causal factors taught in Sāṅkhya regarding how actions are accomplished, setting up a discussion on karma, agency, and the role of fate/divine order.