Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 14
अधिष्ठानं तथा कर्ता करणं च पृथग्विधम्।विविधाश्च पृथक्चेष्टा दैवं चैवात्र पञ्चमम्।।
adhiṣṭhānaṁ tathā kartā karaṇaṁ ca pṛthag-vidham
vividhāś ca pṛthak ceṣṭā daivaṁ caivātra pañcamam
also searched as "adhishthanam tatha karta karanam cha prithagvidham"
Translation
The seat of action, the agent, the various kinds of organs, the different and distinctive functions of vital air, and the fifth among these—Divinity—all these.
Vāṇi's rendering
The body, the doer, the many instruments, the many kinds of effort — and providence, the fifth.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अधिष्ठानम्adhiṣṭhānaṁ | the seat, the standing-place — the body in which action happens |
| तथाtathā | and likewise |
| कर्ताkartā | the doer, the one who takes himself to be acting |
| करणम्karaṇaṁ | the instrument — the senses and organs through which work is carried out |
| चca | and |
| पृथग्विधम्pṛthag-vidham | of separate and differing kinds |
| विविधाःvividhāś | manifold, of many sorts (visarga becomes ś before the following ca) |
| चca | and |
| पृथक्pṛthak | distinct, each one apart from the others |
| चेष्टाःceṣṭā | movements, exertions, the stirrings of effort (visarga dropped before daivaṁ) |
| दैवम्daivaṁ | providence — what is given, not arranged by the doer |
| चca | and |
| एवeva | indeed, just so |
| अत्रatra | here, among these |
| पञ्चमम्pañcamam | the fifth |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 14 mean?
Krishna names the five things without which no action occurs: the body it happens in, the doer, the instruments, the many kinds of effort, and daivam — providence, the fifth. The doer is one item, not the source. Every deed you have ever called yours had four other partners standing in it with you.
What is the fifth cause, daivam, in this verse?
Daivam is what you did not arrange and cannot audit — the timing, the weather, the stranger who turned up, the strength that was there that morning. Krishna sets it alongside body and effort as an equal partner in every act. Not an excuse. Simply an honest fifth name on the ledger.
What does adhishthanam tatha karta karanam cha prithagvidham mean?
The seat, the doer, the instruments of many kinds. Adhiṣṭhānam is the body — the ground action stands on. Kartā is the one who says I did it. Karaṇam is the eyes, hands, tongue, mind that carry it out. Three of five, and already the credit is divided.
Does this verse mean I am not responsible for what I do?
No. Krishna keeps kartā firmly on the list — you are genuinely one of the five, and the arrow does leave your hand. What dissolves is the fantasy of sole authorship, which feeds arrogance in victory and self-hatred in defeat. Act fully. Just stop signing the whole outcome with your name.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Count them. Five, and you are only one of the five. Krishna lists what it takes for anything at all to get done — a body to stand in, a doer, instruments, effort, and then daivam, the part nobody arranges. Arjuna has been speaking as though the killing would be his alone. Krishna does not deny he is on the list. He denies he is the list. Notice what this does to both your pride and your guilt: the same arithmetic thins them. Next time something you built comes out well, count the five. Next time it collapses, count them again.