śarīra-vāṅ-manobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ nyāyyaṁ vā viparītaṁ vā pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ
"Whatever action a person performs with body, speech, or mind—whether right or wrong—these five are its causes."
What This Means:
Every action - physical, verbal, or mental - whether good or bad, requires all five factors. These five causes apply to all types of actions without exception.
Going Deeper:
This universalizes the teaching. Actions through body (sharira), speech (vak), and mind (manas) - the threefold classification of karma - all depend on these five factors. Importantly, even wrong (viparita) actions require the same five factors. This isn't to excuse wrongdoing, but to show that no individual is the sole author of any action.
How To Apply This:
Understand that even your mistakes aren't solely 'yours.' Many factors contributed. This doesn't remove responsibility but reduces crushing guilt and supports learning.
Key Sanskrit Terms: