Verse 3.8.15

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.8.15:

अनन्तरं फलं यस्याः कल्पते तां क्रियां विदुः ।
प्रधानभूतां तादर्थ्याद् अन्यासां तु तदाख्यता ॥ १५ ॥

anantaraṃ phalaṃ yasyāḥ kalpate tāṃ kriyāṃ viduḥ |
pradhānabhūtāṃ tādarthyād anyāsāṃ tu tadākhyatā || 15 ||

15. That moment immediately after which the result is produced has been said to be action primarily: The others are also so called because they are intended to produce that very result (tādarthyāt).

Commentary

[That is action immediately after which the result is seen and which is performed as a means of bringing about the result. Taking the action called cooking as an example, if rice is what is cooked, softening of the grains is the result of the action of cooking and it happens after the separation of the grains (vicaṭana). That is, therefore, the action of cooking. It is this which is superimposed on such moments as putting the vessel on the fire. Everything which precedes vicaṭana can only lead to the fruit indirectly and is, therefore, not action. They arc the means of action and, by superimposition, they are also said to be action. As vicaṭana is only one moment without sequence, how can it be called action? It happens this way. As the preceding subordinate moments have sequence and vicaṭana is superimposed on them, the latter also acquires sequence. Others think that vicaṭana itself appears as the subordinate moments. From words, such moments as putting the vessel on the fire are understood as cooking which is essentially vicaṭana. The previous moments are only vicaṭana in different forms. This is the essence of the M. Bhā. statement: Atha kaḥ paceḥ pradhānorthaḥ? yāsau taṇḍulānāṃ viklittiḥ = ‘what is the main meaning of the root √pac? It is the softening of the grains of rice’ (M. Bhā. II p. 32. 1. 24-25). In the expression: pacyate odanaḥ svayameva = ‘the rice cooks by itself, the root √pac has this meaning of vicaṭana = separation of the grain or viklittiḥ = softening of the grains. The root √pac is sometimes said to be dvyartha = having two meanings. The main meaning would then be vicaṭana and the preceding subordinate moments would be the secondary meaning.

What has been said of the root √pac is meant to apply to all the roots. It was only an illustration.]

Even if sequence is superimposed on ‘Being’, how does it become sādhya, something to be brought about, considering that Being is supposed to be eternal?