|| 18.15 ||

शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः। न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः।।

śarīra-vāṅ-manobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ nyāyyaṁ vā viparītaṁ vā pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ

śarīra (body) vāk (speech) manobhiḥ (by the mind) yat (whatever) karma (work) prārabhate (begins) naraḥ (a person) nyāyyam (just/right) vā (or) viparītam (opposite/wrong) vā (or) pañca (five) ete (all these) tasya (of that) hetavaḥ (causes).

Whatever right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is caused by these five factors.

Kṛṣṇa clarifies the scope of these five factors. He says that whatever action a person performs through the body, through speech, or through the mind—whether that action is ‘Nyāyyam’ (just and scriptural) or ‘Viparītam’ (wrong and sinful)—these five factors are always the causes. No act can escape this cosmic structure. This means that even our bad deeds are enabled by the body and the sanction of the Lord (who allows us our free will). Every word we speak and every thought we entertain is a ‘Karma’ that relies on these factors. We are constantly using the Lord’s ‘Hardware’ (the body) and ‘Energy’ (life-force) to act out our desires. This makes us deeply accountable for how we use these borrowed resources. It teaches us the responsibility of ‘Management’. Since we are using the Lord’s facilities, we should try to ensure our acts are ‘Nyāyyam’—aligned with truth. We shouldn’t use God’s energy to act against God’s laws. By realizing that even a single word uses five cosmic factors, we become much more mindful of our conduct. Every act is a serious investment of universal resources.