Vedarthasangraha of Ramanuja - 30 The theory of causation- Only real effect from

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5. The theory of causation- Only real effect from real cause

 

yathaH vaasthava kaaryakaaraNa bhaavaadhi jnaapane pravrttham; atha eva

"asadheva idham agra

aaseeth" ithyaarabhya asathkaaryavaadha nisheDhaaya kriyathe, "kuthasthu khalu

soumyaevam syaath" ithi. praag asathaH

uthpatthiH ahethukaa ithyarThaH. thadheva upapaadhayathi, kaTham asathaH

sajjaayetha ithi. asathaH uthpannam asadhaathmaka eva bhavathi ithyarThaH.

yaTha mrdhaH uthpannam ghataadhikam mrdhaathmakam.sathaH uthpatthirnaama vyavahaara

viSesha hethubhoothaH avasThaaviSeshayogaH.

 

Ramanuja shows that the passage on sadhvidhya

affirms the causal realtio between Brahman and the world. The statement asadheva idham agra aaseeth which declares that the effect was not

preexistent in the cause is examined and

refuted.

 

yathaH vaasthava kaaryakaaraNa bhaavaadhi

jnaapanepravrttham

 

The passage in

sadhvidhya establishes the causal relationship between Brahman and the world.

 

atha eva "asadheva idham agra

aaseeth" ithyaarabhya asathkaaryavaadha nisheDhaaya kriyathe, "kuthasthu khalu

soumyaevam syaath" ithi

 

For this reason

only in the passage on sadhvidhya it is said `this (meaning the world) was only

asath (nonbeing) in the beginning,' and it is refuted subsequently by saying, "how

can this be my dear."

 

praag asathaH uthpatthiH ahethukaa ithyarThaH. thadheva upapaadhayathi,

kaTham asathaH sajjaayetha ithi.

 

If the effect was

not existing in the cause its origination will be without a cause. This is what

is meant by saying, how can an existent effect originate from nonexistent cause.

 

asathaH uthpannam asadhaathmaka eva bhavathi ithyarThaH. yaTha mrdhaH

uthpannam ghataadhikam mrdhaathmakam

 

Only a nonexistent

effect can originate from non existent cause. Hence it naturally follows that

an effect from an existent cause must also be exixstent. In other words,a real

cause will produce only a real result. This is illustrated quoting the example of

the mud, saying that the pots which are produced from clay are of the clay

only.

 

Ramanuja proceeds

to explain the theory of causation further in the following passages.