Krishna shifts to a new subject. He tells Arjuna: learn from me the five factors that stand behind every action. These have been described in the Sankhya system of philosophy, and they apply to the accomplishment of all actions without exception.
Why does this matter? Because most of us walk through life thinking 'I did this' and 'I achieved that.' Krishna is about to dismantle that assumption. No action is a solo performance. Five forces converge every time anything happens — and understanding this shatters the illusion of individual doership.
The next shloka will name all five. This verse is the introduction — Krishna clearing the stage before laying out one of the Gita's most ego-dissolving teachings.