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(B)
Refutation of the Sankhya Doctrins.
COMMENTARY. With the words Tadatra ', the Anthor begins the Refutation of the Sankhya Philosophy).
TEXT (16)
IN ANSWER TO THIS, THE WISE ONES DECLARE THAT THE ARGUMENT THAT HAS BEEN URGED (BY THE Sanlehya AGAINST THE DOCTRINE THAT THE EFFECT IS NON-EXISTENT PRIOR TO ITS PRODUCTION) IS EQUALLY APPLICABLE TO THE DOCTRINE OF THE Existence OF THE EFFECT. AND THE ANSWER THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO THAT ARGUMENT WOULD EQUALLY APTLY
BE THE ANSWER OF THE WISE ONES ALSO.-(16)
COMMENTARY It has been asserted (by the Sandhya) that "The various products emanating from Primordial Matter and other Canses, are of the same essence as those Causes ".-In regard to this, we proceed to consider the following points :-If these diverse Effects are of the same essence na Primordial Matter, then how is it that they emanale from it as its effects? When one thing is non-different from (of the same essence as) another, it cannot be its cause or effect; because the Cause and its Effect must be totally different in character from one another. If it were not so, how could there be any clear concertion as to one thing being the 'Cause' and another the Effect? In that case, how could there be any such deduction as that made by you—(a) that Primordial Matter must always be the Cause, (b) that the group of sixteen, consisting of the five Gross Substances and eleven Sense-organs must always be the Effect, and (c) that among Cosmic Intelligence, I-principle and Rudimentary Substances, one is the Effect of what prececles, and the Cause of what follows it! This deduction has been thus formulated in the Sankhya. karika, 3)—"Primordial Matter is never a Product-the group of seven consisting of the Cosmic Intelligence and the rest are both Product and Productive the group of sixteen is always Product ;-the Spirit is neither Product nor Productive ".-In fact (under the Sārikhya Doctrine) everything would be equally liable to be the Cause or Effect of everything else. Or, the character of Cause und Effect being always relative, --and (under the Sarichya doctrine of all things being of the same essence) there being no entirely different thing to be conceived of as in relation to another,-all things would, like the Spirit, be neither Product nor Pro. ductive; otherwise the Spirit also might be spoken of as 'Product' and
