Verse 14

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

सुखाद्यन्वितमेतच्च व्यक्तं व्यक्तं समीक्ष्यते ।
प्रसादतापदैन्यादिकार्यस्येहोपलब्धितः ॥ १४ ॥

sukhādyanvitametacca vyaktaṃ vyaktaṃ samīkṣyate |
prasādatāpadainyādikāryasyehopalabdhitaḥ || 14 ||

“All that is Manifest is clearly known to be homogeneous with Pleasure and the rest, from the fact of the Effect being found to be the product of Satisfaction, Irritation and Dejection, etc.”—(14)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following argument might be urged (against the Sāṃkhya)—“It may be taken as established that the Effect is existent; but how is it proved that all the diverse Products emanate from Primordial Matter itself?”

The answer to this is provided in the following—[see verse 14 above]

As proofs of the existence of Primordial Matter, the following five affirmative arguments have been set forth by the other philosophers (Sāṅkhyas), detailed as below (in Sāṃkhyakārikā, 15-16)—‘(1) Because the various Products are finite,—(2) because they are homogeneous,—(3) because activity is due to efficiency (potency),—(4) because there is distinction between Cause and Effect,—and (5) because there is merging of the entire world (of effects),—therefore the Unmanifest (Primordial Matter) exists—The meaning of this is as follows:—

(1) Because the various Products are finite:

Primordial Matter exists,—because the various Products are finite. In this world it has been seen that a thing that has a producer is always finite; for instance, the Potter takes up earth-clods which are finite and produces the Jar, which again is finite containing a seer or two seers and a half (of water); the ‘Manifest’ consisting of Cosmic Intelligence and the rest, is found to be finite,—Cosmic Intelligence being only one, the I-principle being only one, the Rudimentary Substances being only five, the Sense-organs being only eleven, the Gross Substances being only five. Hence, through Inference, we prove it that Primordial Matter does exist, and it produces the Manifests which is finite. If Primordial Matter were not there, then all this Manifest would not be finite (would be without any definite size).

(2) Because the various Products are found to be homogeneous:

For the following reason also, Primordial Matter must be there—Because the various Products are found to be homogeneous. As a matter of fact, whenever something is found to belong to a certain genus, it is bound to have emanated from a Cause consisting of that Genus; for instance, when things like the Jar and the Saucer are found to belong to the Genus ‘Clay’, they are the products of the Cause consisting of Clay. The Manifest in question is found to be homogeneous with—permeated by—such Genuses (Generic entities) as ‘Pleasure’, ‘Pain’ and ‘Delusion’;—how?—because of its being found to be the product of Composure, Distress and Dejection, Thus Composure, Buoyancy, Attachment, Delight and Affection are the products of the Sattva-Attribute (Harmony); as a matter of fact, Composure (Happiness) is actually spoken of as Sattva (Harmony); similarly Irritation, Emaciation, Piercing Pain, Niunbness, Anxiety, Calamity, and Impetuosity are products of the Rajas-Attribute (Energy); and Pain is spoken of as ‘Energy’;—Depression, Concealment, Despondency, Disgust and Lethargy are the products of the Tamm-Attribute (Inertia); and Inertia is spoken as ‘Delusion’, All this—Composure, Irritation and Dejection—is found to be the Product of Cosmic Intelligence and the rest (constituting the ‘Manifest’,; and from this it is inferred that these are only particular phases of ‘Pleasure’, ‘Pain’, and ‘Delusion’ (as representing the three Attributes of Sattva, Rajas and Tamm, respectively). And from the fact of their being products of ‘Pleasure’, etc. it follows that they are ‘homogeneous’ with ‘Pleasure’, etc.; and from this ‘homogeneity’, it also follows that they have emanated from a Source (Cause) which is constituted of these (Pleasure, etc’,; this having been established, it also follows by implication that this Source or Cause must be Primordial Matter. Thus it is established that Primordial Matter exists—by the fact that the diverse products are found to be homogeneous.

(3) Because activity is clue to efficiency:

For the following reason also, Primordial Matter must exist:—Because activity is clue to efficiency;—in the ordinary world, when a man takes up an activity, it is only when he has the efficiency (or capacity) for it; for instance, the Weaver taking up the work of cloth-weaving. By this we infer that Primordial Matter has the efficiency (or Capacity) by virtue of which it produces the ‘Manifest’;—this efficiency (or Capacity) cannot be there without a substratum; hence we conclude that there is Primordial Matter wherein the said efficiency subsists.

(4) Because there is distinction between Cause and Effect:

For the following reason also Primordial Matter must exist:—Because there is distinction between Cause and Effect. In this world, it is found that there is distinction between Cause and Effect; e.g, the Clay is the Cause, the Jar is the Effect; and this Effect has a character entirely different from that of the Cause; e.g. the Jar has the capacity to contain Honey, Water and Milk, while Clay has no such capacity. Similarly seeing the Effect, in the shape of the ‘Manifest’ in question, we infer that there is Primordial Matter out of which is produced the Product in the shape of Cosmic Intelligence and the rest.

(5) Because there is merging of the entire world:

For the following reason also, Primordial Matter must exist:—Because there is merging of the entire world; the term ‘Vaiśvarupya’, ‘Entire World’, stands for the three Regions (Heaven, Earth and Nether World); all these, at the time of Dissolution, merge into something; for instance, the five Gross Substances merge into the Rudimentary Substances,—the five Rudimentary Substances and the Sense-organs merge into the I-principle,—the I-principle merges into Cosmic Intelligence; thus the whole of the Three Worlds become merged; ‘merging’ means non-differentiation, as for instance, in the state of Milk, the differentiation is not possible, that Milk is different from Curd; similarly at the time of Universal Dissolution, no such discrimination is possible as that ‘this is Manifest (Product) and that is Unmanifest (Cause) From this we conclude that there is such an entity as Primordial Matter wherein Cosmic Intelligence and the rest (making up the Manifest) become merged, incapable of being distinguished.

Our Teacher (Śāntarakṣita), however, has mentioned (in the Text) only one reason—that of Homogeneity, which is meant to imply the others also.

In the Text, in the phrase ‘Pleasure and the rest’, the term ‘the rest’ includes Pain and Delusion;—the term. ‘Manifest’ stands for all the entities, from Cosmic Intelligence down to the Gross Substances.—The phrase ‘is clearly known’ means is distinctly perceived;—how?—‘from the fad. of the Effect, etc. etc.’; the term ‘et cetera’ is connected with each member of the compound (Composure, etc., Irritation, etc. and Dejection, etc.). This is as we have already explained above.—(14)