Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Now we will move to second section the Gyana of Karma Yogi which will keep a Karma Yogi free from bondage. So Krishna will provide this in terms of Sankya Yoga, the analysis of material elements into material factors.

Bg 18.13

pañcaitāni mahā-bāho
kāraṇāni nibodha me
sāṅkhye kṛtānte proktāni
siddhaye sarva-karmaṇām

Synonyms: 

pañca — five; etāni — these; mahā–bāho — O mighty-armed one; kāraṇāni — causes; nibodha — just understand; me — from Me; sāṅkhye — in the Vedānta; kṛta–ante — in the conclusion; proktāni — said; siddhaye— for the perfection; sarva — of all; karmaṇām — activities.

Translation: 

O mighty-armed Arjuna, according to the Vedānta there are five causes for the accomplishment of all action. Now learn of these from Me.

pañcaitāni mahā-bāho, O Maha Baho, Krishna is referring to Arjuna as Maha-Baho second time in this chapter, 

pañcaitāni, 5 there are

kāraṇāni nibodha me, there are 5 factors of action

sāṅkhye kṛtānte proktāni, within Sankhya kṛtānte, for Kriti action to lead to its anta to its conclusion proktāni these are known in Sankhya as five factors 

siddhaye sarva-karmaṇām, if an action has to lead to its fruits these factors are involved. 

Srila Prabhupada mentioned in Purport, “The ultimate control is invested in the Supersoul.”

Purport: “Sāṅkhya means the stock of knowledge, and Vedānta is the final stock of knowledge accepted by all leading ācāryas.”

So Sankhya is the stock of knowledge what does stock means? Like flower has a stock its lower part is connected with shrub or creeper and then there is the body of the flower, so like that the fully blossom flower is the Vedanta and Sankhya is the stock, Sankhya and Vedanta are not disconnected they are connected, Sankhya its mata physical division is accepted in Vedanta but Vedanta goes beyond matter to spirit. Sankhya and Vedanta are two different systems of schools of thought, philosophy within 6 Vedic philosophy and among them Vedanta is considered a conclusion, so Krishna is saying this Vedantic conclusion is there but it doesn’t reject sankhya in its entirety, the sankhya conceptual analysis is used over here, siddhaye sarva-karmaṇām, for any action to attain perfection these factors are involved.

End of transcription.