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that karma as a nimitta ( Farfar ) effectuates the constitutive cause and produces the effect, for the material cause by itself cannot be changed into the effect except through the intervention of the nimitta and karma. The position of Samkhya yoga is that the constitutive cause which is praksti itself does not require any outside factor to act upon it as an efficient cause in the production of the effect--Prakrti as equilibrated is self-generating and does not require the action of an external factor to be evolved into the product. Patañjali lays down the rule that karma as a nimitta karma has no effectuating power ( Aprayojakam ) to compel the praksti to give rise to the effect concerned. What the nimitta actually does is that it removes the obstacle in the path of the evolution of the prakrti, 'karma is both dharma as well as adharma. Every material stuff or prakrti has the inherent power of evolving into its corresponding effect but it cannot do so on account of the obstacle existing in the path of evolution. It is said that dharma mobilizes praksti by removing the obstacles placed before it by adharma and vice-versa. If the obstacle is removed, the material cause or prakrti will evolve itself on this line. Dharma by resisting adharma clears up the path of adharma to manifest itself and in the same way dharma stands in the path of adharma. According to the Yogasūtral dharma as nimitta removes the obstacle viz. adharma which prevents prakṣti from evolving itslef into the right product. Similar is the case with adharma. The yogi believes in inherent capacity of the praksti or the material cause to evolve itself into its' own effect. If the nimitta functions at all, it functions only to remove the obstacle in the path of the evolution of praksti. Thus dharma or adharma has no effectuating power to compel prakrti to evolve in a particular fashion. When the removal of the obstacle in the path of the evolution takes place, the evolution follows as a natural course. The only point is that the relation between dharma and adharma being antagonistic, dharma removes obstacles in the path of the praksti by adharma and adharma does the same in relation to dharma. The 1. Patañjali's Yogasūtra IV. 3.
