Shloka 15
शरीरवाड्मनोभिर्यत् कर्म प्रारभते नर: । न्याय्यं*) वा विपरीतं* वा पज्चैते तस्य हेतव:
arjuna uvāca | śarīra-vāg-manobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ | nyāyyaṃ vā viparītaṃ vā pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ ||
Arjuna said: Whatever action a person undertakes through body, speech, or mind—whether it is rightful or contrary to righteousness—there are five causes that stand behind it.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions arise through three channels—body, speech, and mind—and whether they are righteous or unrighteous, they are not random: they depend on identifiable causes. The verse points toward a structured view of moral agency, where responsibility includes understanding the factors that generate conduct.
Arjuna is speaking and introducing a doctrinal point: any human action, good or bad, has five underlying causes. This sets up a discussion on how deeds are produced and how one should judge or regulate conduct in a dharmic framework.