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Āptamīmāṁsā
If the effect is illusory, the cause must also be illusory; the atoms (anu) then become illusory:
कार्यभ्रान्तेरणुभ्रान्तिः कार्यलिङ्ग हि कारणम् । उभयाभावतस्तत्स्थं गुणजातीतरच्च न ॥६८॥
सामान्यार्थ - भूतचतुष्क-रूप कार्य के भ्रान्त होने पर तत्कारण अणु भी भ्रान्त ही ठहरेंगे क्योंकि कार्य के द्वारा कारण का ज्ञान किया जाता है (अर्थात् कारण कार्यलिङ्गक होता है)। कार्य और कारण दोनों के अभाव से उनमें रहने वाले गुण, जाति, क्रिया - आदि का भी अभाव हो जाएगा।
As the cause (kārana) is established by the effect (kārya), therefore, when the effect (bhūtacatuṣka of the Buddhists) is illusory, the cause [the atoms (anu) responsible for the formation of molecules (skandha)] must also be illusory. And with nonexistent character of both, the cause and the effect, the attributes of the effect like quality (guna) and genus (jāti) will also become illusory (non-existent).
Note: The relation between the material cause and its effect is that wherever the cause is present the effect would be present, and wherever the effect would be present the cause must have been present. Again, negatively, if the cause is absent the effect must also be absent and conversely if the effect is absent the cause must also be absent.
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