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94
The Doer (Karta) and the deed (Karma)
doer. Here, the matter is the Upādāna and the soul is the instrumental or Nimitta cause.
In this connection a basic concept is worth remembering that the doer, deed, and action, all three, refer to the same Dravya (substance). In Kalasa 51 of Atmakhyāti, Ācārya Amṛtacandra describes this concept very well.
The following discussion in the question-answer form provides additional concepts contained in these stanzas.
Question: Gāthā 90 says that by nature the Upayoga is pure and flawless but it also exists in impure forms. Does it mean that the Upayoga can be a doer of something which is beyond its nature? If the ability of becoming impure is also due to its nature then how can one say that it is pure and flawless by nature?
Answer: Before going for an answer, one point should be clear that our saying depends on the context. More important is to understand the truth behind all spoken or written words.
Acārya Amṛtacandra in AtmaKhyati as well as Ācārya Jayasena in Tätparyavṛtti has given a nice example in connection with Gāthā 89. To comprehend the answer of this question one can use that example in a simple form as follows:
It is well known that a perfectly pure and flawless crystal put on a black leaf looks black. When it is put on a green banana leaf then it appears green. When it is put on a golden plate then it looks yellow. One can say that in reality the crystal is not green but it becomes green due to the presence of the green leaf. The green leaf is the instrumental cause to transform the crystal into a crystal of green shade. This transformation in the crystal has been due to its own ability; in the same situation, instead of the crystal if one puts a wooden piece on the banana leaf then it would not appear green because the wood does not have that ability.
The foregoing example highlights the following points:
