शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः ।न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः ॥
śarīravāṅmanobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ |nyāyyaṃ vā viparītaṃ vā pañcaite tasya hetavaḥ ||
- शरीरवाङ्मनोभिः · śarīravāṅmanobhiḥ
- with body, speech, and mind
- यत् · yat
- whatever
- कर्म · karma
- action
- प्रारभते · prārabhate
- undertakes
- नरः · naraḥ
- a person
- न्याय्यम् · nyāyyam
- right
- वा · vā
- or
- विपरीतम् · viparītam
- wrong, contrary
- पञ्च · pañca
- five
- एते · ete
- these
- तस्य · tasya
- of it
- हेतवः · hetavaḥ
- the causes
“Whatever action a person undertakes with body, speech, or mind — whether right or wrong — these five are its causes.”
— Original plain-language translation
Every deed, good or bad, spoken or silent, shares the same fivefold causation. The universality matters: even wrong acts are not the soul's lone product, though responsibility remains (18.16–18.17 will balance this). Body, speech, and mind cover the whole field of human action.
— Reader's notes (original)