56: Karma.  "It must be remembered that in every action of man the influence of his prior karma constitutes an important element.  For the accomplishment of every action, says, Sri Krishna, we need five essentials:—
1. The actor.
2. The determined will.
3. Implements for committing the act, such as hands, tongue, etc.
4. The exercise of these implements.
5. The influence of antecedent conduct.
The work which a man does with his body, speech or mind, whether it be just or unjust, has these five essentials or factors engaged in the performance.  (Gita, XVIII, 13, 14, 15.)
These five essentials of karma are divided into 2 groups in the Mahabharata:—1, man's present action (including the first four essentials) and, 2, the result of his past action (which forms the fifth essential).
"At the same time it must be remarked that the result of human existence is not the work of a day or even a cycle.  It is the aggregate sum of actions committed during innumerable previous existences.  Each action may in itself be as slight as can be conceived, like the minutest filaments of cotton,—such that hundreds of them may be blown away by a single breath; and yet, as similar filaments when closely packed and twisted together form a rope, so heavy and strong that it can be used to pull elephants and even huge ships with, so the articles of man's karma, however trivial each of them may be in itself, would yet by the natural process of accretion, combine themselves closely and form a formidable Pasa (rope) to pull the man with, i.e. to influence his conduct for good or evil."—The Theosophist, Vol. VII, p. 60.