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The answer to this is that cause and effect are not in absolute agreement, nor also do they completely differ. If they be regarded as absolutely agreeing with each other, they would be identical and both would be of the nature of cause or both of the nature of effect, but would not stand to each other in the relation of cause-effect. If they be different from each other in entirety, if the effect be regarded as real existent entity, the cause would not be one at all. Hence the cause and the effect are neither in absolute conformity, nor are they completely different. Hence the cause, karman need not be formless, because its effect, pleasure-pain is such (1923).
a
Of course it remains to be explained why the cause is said to be one befitting the effect, when not only cause-effect but everything in the world is both similar and dissimilar. Even when everything in the world is both similar and dissimilar to every other thing in the world, the effect is an essential mode of the cause and hence it is required that the cause should be befitting the effect; the things other than the effect are alien modes, and hence the cause does not agree with their nature. That is to say, while the cause is transformed into the effect, it is not transformed into any other thing, and hence it is said that the cause is in conformity with the effect; the cause may be similar to other things in other ways but from this particular paint of own and alien modes, the cause is not in conformity with things other than its own effect. In the present context, pleasure and pain are the essential modes of their cause as follows: the conjunction of soul aud merit is the cause of pleasure and the latter is its mode; and the conjunction of soul and demerit is the cause of pain which is its mode. As pleasure is said to be good, auspicious, etc. these very attributes are applied to its cause-the material punya also; and the material papa is called bad, inauspicious, etc. because its effect pain is said to be such. Hence it is from this particular point of view that merit-demerit are said to be befitting causes of pleasure-pain (1924).
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