Verse 503

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

पारम्पर्येण साक्षाद्वा कचित्किञ्चिद्धि शक्तिमत् ।
ततः कर्मफलादीनां सम्बन्ध उपपद्यते ॥ ५०३ ॥

pāramparyeṇa sākṣādvā kacitkiñciddhi śaktimat |
tataḥ karmaphalādīnāṃ sambandha upapadyate || 503 ||

Either indirectly or directly, it is only a certain thing,—and in only certain gases—that has the potentiality in regard to another thing; thus alone are such relations as that between actions and their results possible.—(503)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Question—“How does the Causal relation become established?”

Answer:—[see verse 503 above]

Just as, in regard to external things, the law of Action and Reaction is restricted, so is it in regard to the group of Psychical Concepts also; as the causal potency is everywhere restricted; it is only from certain good and bad acts that particular results, agreeable or disagreeable, follow, through a chain of ‘moments’; e.g. from the apprehension of Colour follows its Remembrance,—from cognition follows definite conclusion,—from the act of depositing follows the subsequent seeking for it,—from the longing for a thing follows the actual sight of it,—thence the cessation of the eagerness for it. In no case do the Buddhists admit of all these Reactions of Remembrance and the rest as connected with any one single entity; for them, it is mere Conception, a mere Idea. This has been thus declared—‘The Action is there, the Result is there, but the Maker (Agent) is not perceived,—one who abandons these thought-phases and takes up others; nothing apart from the Law of Things; tills Law of Things being that where such and such a thing appears when such and such another thing is present—the former is said to be produced from the production of the latter.’

‘Such relations as between Actions and their Reactions’;—this is meant to include Remembrance and the rest;—the ‘relation’ meant is that of ‘Cause and Effect’ (‘Producer and Product’)—(503)

Objection—“If that is so, then how is it that among people and in the scriptures it is said in reference to the Soul—‘When the action has been done by him, who else will experience its Reaction?’”

Answer:—[see verse 504 next]