The Five Causes of Action
Learn from Me the five causes for the accomplishment of all action: the body, the doer, the senses, the endeavor, and providence.
Every action requires five factors: the body (physical basis), the agent (apparent doer), the senses (instruments), the effort (energy), and providence (divine element). This analysis shows that the individual ego is only one factor among five—we are not the sole authors of our actions. Understanding this reduces pride in success and despair in failure, while acknowledging the mysterious role of grace in all achievement.
The body, the doer, the various senses, the many different functions of life, and ultimately providence—these are the five factors of action.
This analysis deflates ego—we are collaborators with multiple forces, not sole authors. Humility naturally follows this understanding.
Bhagavad Gita
Written about in
- What the Bhagavad Gita says about letting go of results
Five things bring any act about: the body, the doer, the senses, the effort and providence. You are one factor among five.