Tattva Sangraha Vol 1

Author(s): Kamlashila, Ganganatha Jha
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 89

14
TATTVASANGRAHA : CHAPTER II.
TEXT (87).
GoD CANNOT BE THE CAUSE OF BORN THINGS,—BECAUSE HE IS HOMSELF DEVOID OF BIRTH, ---LIKE THE SKY. LOTUS'. OTHERWISE, ALL THINGS WOULD COMED INTO EXISTENCE
SIMULTANEOUSLY.-(87)
COMMENTARY
That which is itself devoid of birth cannot be the cause of anything; -as the Sky-lotus-God is devoid of birth :-hence the proposition that He is the cause would be contrary to the Universal Premiss. This argument is meant only to indicate an absurdity in the doctrine of the Opponent; hence it is not open to the objection that the substratum of its Reason (Probans) is * unproven
Otherwise, all things would come into existence simultaneously ;-what is meant is that, if the Cause were one whose efficiency is never obstructed, then all things would come into existence simultaneously.-exactly like things which are admitted to be produced at one and the same time.
This argument is the proof that annuls the Invariable Concomitance of the Theist. Or this may be taken merely as stating the sense of what has been said before.
The absurdity involved in the Theist's position) is to be shown in this manner :- When the Cause is present, in its complete form, then the Effect must appear as a matter of course; just as it is found in the case of the Sprout which appears as soon as the final stage has been reached by the causal conditions conducive to it now under the doctrine of the Theist, as God, the cause of all things, would always be there and free from defects, all things, the whole world, should come into existence at once.
The following argument might be urged:-"God is not the only Cause (of all things); in fact what He does He does through the help of such auxiliary causes as Merit and the rest,—God Himself being only the Efficient (Oontrolling) Cause. So that so long as Merit and the rest are not there, the 'Cause of things cannot be said to be present there in its efficient form."
This is not right; if there is help that has got to be rendered to God by the Auxiliary Oauses,-then alone could He be regarded as dependent upon their aid; as a matter of fact however, God is eternal and as nothing can introduce into Him any efficiency that is not there already, there can be no help that He should receive from the Auxiliary Causes; why then, should He need such auxiliaries as are of no use to Him - Further, even these Auxiliary Causes,-all of them should have their birth subject to God and as such, they should be always near Him. Thus, how can our Reason be regarded as 'unproven Nor is our Reason inconclusive': for if that were so (doubtful), then there would be no 'Perfect (defectless) Cause' at all of things). If then, the Perfect Cause itself never came into existence, then there would be no birth (production) of anything, as the absence of Perfect Cause' would always be there.