Verse 46 (statement of the Doctrine of ‘God’ or Theism)

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

सर्वोत्पत्तिमतामीशमन्ये हेतुं प्रचक्षते ।
नाचेतनं स्वकार्याणि किल प्रारभते स्वयम् ॥ ४६ ॥

sarvotpattimatāmīśamanye hetuṃ pracakṣate |
nācetanaṃ svakāryāṇi kila prārabhate svayam || 46 ||

Other philosophers declare the ‘lord’ to be the cause of all things produced; on the ground that no insentient thing, by itself, can produce its effects.—(46)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

(A) Statement of the Doctrine of ‘God’ (Theism).

Inasmuch as things that are not produced,—such as the Atom, Ākāśa and so forth,—are eternal, they have no Cause, hence the Text has added the qualification ‘things produced’.—The term ‘Lord’ stands for God.—‘Others’—i.e. the Naiyāyika and other (Theists).—Some of these Theists hold that “the creator of the whole world is a distinct Soul or Spirit with special qualities, the omniscient God”;—others hold that “the creator is a Substance (Being) distinct from the ‘Soul’ or ‘Spirit’, because He is eternal, one and equipped with the knowledge of all things, and as such having qualities different from those of the ‘Spirit’ or ‘Soul’”.

Question—“Where there are already such Causes of the world as Merit and Demerit, Atoms and so forth, why do these philosophers postulate another Cause in the shape of God?”

Answer—No insentient thing, etc.—Though Merit and the rest may be the Cause,—yet all these, being devoid of sentience or intelligence, cannot, by themselves, without an Operator or Supervisor, produce their effects; hence there must be a Creator (who is intelligent), as nothing that is devoid of intelligence is ever found to be the Operator. This argument is formulated as follows:—What is devoid of Intelligence cannot produce its Effect, without an Operator;—e.g. such things as Clay-lump, Stick, Water, String and the rest (all which are required for the making of the Jar) cannot produce the Jar, without the Potter;—Merit and the rest (which are regarded as the Cause of the World) are all devoid of Intelligence;—hence the idea that (these are enough to produce the World) would be contrary to the universal Proposition stated. Thus it becomes established that there is an Operator and that is God.—Even so, Merit and the rest do not become useless (in the producing of the World); because God is only the ‘Efficient Cause’ (Guide, Supervisor) [and Atoms and Merit, etc. would still be needed as the ‘Constituent’ and ‘Contributory’ Causes],

The following objection might be urged:—“Those Merit and Demerit that are held to subsist in the Soul or Spirit (of Man) may be the required Operator; why should one assume a God?”

Answer—That cannot be right; the particular Spirit at that time (of Creation) would be wholly unconscious so long as his Body, Sense-organs and other aggregates of Causes and Effects are not produced, the Spirit remains unconscious, not perceiving even such Colour, etc. as are quite perceptible; under the circumstances, how could it perceive Merit and Demerit, which are entirely imperceptible? To this end, there is the following declaration—‘The ignorant Creature, not master of his own pleasure and pain, may go to Heaven or to the Nethermost Hole,—only as he is urged by God’ [quoted in Nyāyavārtika 4. 1.21, where the Tātparya speaks of it as ‘Smṛti’ ].—(46)