1. Not that which is inferred, on account of the impossibility of
construction, and on account of activity.
The Sûtras have so far set forth the doctrine that the highest Brahman
is the cause of the origination and so on of the world, and have refuted
the objections raised by others. They now, in order to safeguard their
own position, proceed to demolish the positions held by those very
adversaries. For otherwise it might happen that some slow-witted persons,
unaware of those other views resting on mere fallacious arguments, would
imagine them possibly to be authoritative, and hence might be somewhat
shaken in their belief in the Vedic doctrine. Another pâda therefore is
begun to the express end of refuting the theories of others. The
beginning is made with the theory of Kapila, because that theory has
several features, such as the view of the existence of the effect in the
cause, which are approved of by the followers of the Veda, and hence is
more likely, than others, to give rise to the erroneous view of its
being the true doctrine. The Sûtras I, 1, 5 and ff. have proved only
that the Vedic texts do not set forth the Sânkhya view, while the task
of the present pâda is to demolish that view itself: the Sûtras cannot
therefore be charged with needless reiteration.
The outline of the Sânkhya doctrine is as follows. 'There is the
fundamental Prakriti, which is not an effect; there are the seven
effects of Prakriti, viz. the Mahat and so on, and the sixteen effects
of those effects; and there is the soul, which is neither Prakriti nor
effect'--such is the comprehensive statement of the principles. The
entity called 'fundamental Prakriti' is constituted by the three
substances called Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, (when) in a state of
complete equipoise, none of the three being either in defect or in
excess; the essential nature of those three consists respectively in
pleasure, pain, and dullness; they have for their respective effects
lightness and illumination, excitement and mobility, heaviness and
obstruction; they are absolutely non-perceivable by means of the senses,
and to be defined and distinguished through their effects only. Prakriti,
consisting in the equipoise of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas is one, itself
non-sentient but subserving the enjoyment and final release of the many
sentient beings, eternal, all-pervading, ever active, not the effect of
anything, but the one general cause. There are seven Principles which
are the effects of Prakriti and the causal substances of everything else;
these seven are the Mahat, the ahankâra, the subtle matter (tanmâtra) of
sound, the subtle matter of touch, the subtle matter of colour, the
subtle matter of taste, and the subtle matter of smell. The ahankâra is
threefold, being either modified (vaikârika), or active (taijasa), or
the originator of the elements (bhûtâdi).
The vaikârika is of sattva-nature and the originator of the sense--
organs; the bhûtâdi is of tamas--nature, and the cause of those subtle
matters (tanmâtra) which in their turn are the cause of the gross
elements; the taijasa is of the nature of ragas, and assists the other
two. The five gross elements are the ether and so on; the five
intellectual senses are hearing and so on; the five organs of action are
speech and so on. With the addition of the internal organ (manas) these
are the sixteen entities which are mere effects.--The soul, not being
capable of any change, is not either the causal matter or the effect of
anything. For the same reason it is without attributes, consisting of
mere intelligence, eternal, non-active, all-pervading, and different in
each body. Being incapable of change and non-active, it can neither be
an agent nor an enjoyer; but although this is so, men in their confusion
of mind, due to the closeness to each other of Prakriti and the soul,
erroneously attribute to Prakriti the intelligence of the soul, and to
the soul the activity of Prakriti--just as the redness of the rose
superimposes itself on the crystal near it,--and thus consider the soul
to be an 'I' and an enjoyer. Fruition thus results from ignorance, and
release from knowledge of the truth. This their theory the Sânkhyas
prove by means of perception, inference, and authoritative tradition.
Now with regard to those matters which are proved by perception, we
Vedântins have no very special reason for dissenting from the Sânkhyas;
and what they say about their authoritative tradition, claiming to be
founded on the knowledge of all-knowing persons such as Kapila, has been
pretty well disproved by us in the first adhyâya. If, now, we further
manage to refute the inference which leads them to assume the Pradhâna
as the cause of the--world, we shall have disestablished their whole
theory. We therefore proceed to give this refutation.
On this point the Sânkhyas reason as follows. It must necessarily be
admitted that the entire world has one cause only; for if effects were
assumed to originate from several causes we should never arrive at an
ultimate cause. Assume that parts such as e.g. threads produce a whole
(i.e. in the case of threads, a piece of cloth) in the way of their
being joined together by means of their six sides, which are parts of
the threads. You must then further assume that the threads themselves
are in the same way produced by their parts, having a similar
constitution. And these parts again by their parts, until you reach the
atoms; these also must be assumed to produce their immediate effects by
being joined together with their six sides, for otherwise solid
extension (prathiman) could not be brought about. And then the atoms
also as being wholes, consisting of parts [FOOTNOTE 482:1], must be
viewed as produced by their parts, and these again by their parts and so
on, so that we never arrive at an ultimate cause. In order therefore to
establish such an ultimate cause we must have recourse to the hypothesis
of the general cause being constituted by one substance, which possesses
the power of transforming itself in various different ways, without at
the same time forfeiting its own essential nature, and which forms the
general substrate for an infinity of different effects, from the Mahat
downwards. This one general cause is the Pradhâna constituted by the
equipoise of the three gunas. The reasons for the assumption of this
Pradhâna are as follows:--'On account of the limitedness of particular
things; of connexion (anvaya); of activity proceeding from special power;
and of the difference and non-difference of cause and effect--the Non-
evolved (Pradhâna) is the general cause of this many-natured Universe'
(vaisvarûpya) (Sânkhya Kâ. I, 15; 16).--The term 'vaisvarûpya' denotes
that which possesses all forms, i.e. the entire world with its variously
constituted parts--bodies, worlds, and so on. This world, which on
account of its variegated constitution must be held to be an effect, has
for its cause the Unevolved (avyakta = Prakriti), which is of the same
nature as the world. Why so? Because it is an effect; for we perceive
that every effect is different from its special cause--which has the
same nature as the effect--and at the same time is non-different. Such
effected things as e.g. a jar and a gold ornament are different from
their causes, i.e. clay and gold, which have the same nature as the
effects, and at the same time non-different. Hence the manifold-natured
world originates from the Pradhâna which has the same nature, and is
again merged in it: the world thus has the Pradhâna alone for its cause.
This Pradhâna is constituted by the equipoise of the three gunas, and
thus is a cause possessing a nature equal to that of its effect, i.e.
the world; for the world is of the nature of pleasure, pain, and
dullness, which consist of sattva, rajas, and tamas respectively. The
case is analogous to that of a jar consisting of clay; of that also the
cause is none other than the substance clay. For in every case
observation shows that only such causal substances as are of the same
nature as the effects possess that power which is called the origination
of the effect. That the general cause can be found only in the unevolved
Pradhâna, which consists of the three gunas in a state of equipoise and
is unlimited with regard to space as well as time, follows from the
limitedness of the particular things, viz. the Mahat, the ahankâra, and
so on. These latter things are limited like jars and so on, and hence
incapable of originating the entire world. Hence it follows that this
world, consisting of the three gunas, has for its only cause the
Pradhâna, which is constituted by those three gunas in a state of
equipoise.
Against this argumentation the Sûtra says, 'Not that which is inferred,
on account of the impossibility of construction, and on account of
activity.'--'Inference' means 'that which is inferred,' i.e. the
Pradhâna. The Pradhâna postulated by you is not capable of constructing
this manifold-natured world, because while itself being non-intelligent
it is not guided by an intelligent being understanding its nature.
Whatever is of this latter kind is incapable of producing effects; as e.
g. wood and the like by themselves are not capable of constructing a
palace or a carriage. As it is matter of observation that non-
intelligent wood, not guided by an intelligent agent understanding its
nature, cannot produce effects; and as it is observed that if guided by
such an agent matter does enter on action so as to produce effects; the
Pradhâna, which is not ruled by an intelligent agent, cannot be the
general cause. The 'and' in the Sûtra is meant to add as a further
argument that 'presence' (anvaya) has no proving force. For whiteness
present in cows and so on is not invariably accompanied by the quality
of being the cause of the class characteristics of cows. Nor must it be
said that qualities such as whiteness, although present in the effect,
may not indeed be causes, but that substances such as gold and the like
which are present in certain effects are invariably accompanied by the
quality of being causes, and that hence also the substances called
sattva, rajas, and tamas, which are found present in all effects, are
proved to be the causes of all those effects. For sattva and so on are
attributes of substances, but not themselves substances. Sattva and so
on are the causes of the lightness, light, &c.. belonging to substances
such as earth and the like, and hence distinctive attributes of the
essential nature of those substances, but they are not observed to be
present in any effects in a substantial form, as clay, gold, and other
substances are. It is for this reason that they are known as 'gunas.'
You have further said that the world's having one cause only must be
postulated in order that an ultimate cause may be reached. But as the
sattva, rajas, and tamas are not one but three, you yourself do not
assume one cause, and hence do not manage to arrive at an ultimate cause.
For your Pradhâna consists in the equipoise of the three gunas; there
are thus several causes, and you have no more an ultimate cause than
others. Nor can you say that this end is accomplished through the three
gunas being unlimited. For if the three gunas are all alike unlimited,
and therefore omnipresent, there is nowhere a plus or minus of any of
them, and as thus no inequality can result, effects cannot originate. In
order to explain the origination of results it is therefore necessary to
assume limitation of the gunas.
Nor is our view confirmed by those cases only in which it is clearly
perceived that matter produces effects only when guided by an
intelligent principle; other cases also (where the fact is not perceived
with equal clearness) are in favour of our view. This the next Sûtra
declares.
[FOOTNOTE 482:1. As follows from their having six sides.]