Mandukya Karika Lecture 122 on 27-September-2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

So, we have entered into the fourth chapter of the Mandukya Karika The Upanishad itself was over in the first chapter itself, called Agama Prakarana. Now the fourth chapter is called Alatha Shanti Prakarana. And Gaudapada is creating endless amount of Ashanti by trying to argue with everybody else. But definitely what happens? Do we really require all these arguments for God realization or spiritual progress? Not directly, but indirectly. What is indirectly? I'll give a small example. Every sadhaka is a devotee, but every devotee is not a sadhaka. Because a devotee thinks, this is what is called a religious person. Really, this religious person does everything religiously, but there is no transformation in the life. The most important thing is transformation. And the next problem that comes is, I don't want to transform myself. Why? Because I will lose my, even whatever small happiness I am having, I will have to give it up. No, on the other hand, I will get much more happiness. Swami Vivekananda said, if you squeeze an orange, you get certain amount of happiness. But I know two things. I know how to get a lot of juice out of the same orange. And I don't squeeze a second orange. I don't require a second orange. Only from one orange, it will never get exhausted. What does he mean? Infinity never gets exhausted. So spiritual life, remember, is not anti-happiness. It is anti-worldliness, anti-limitation, but never anti-happiness. On the other hand, it is the greatest happiness. And to understand that, we require a lot of logic. And I am giving you a very simple example. Supposing you are having some problem. You are not able to enjoy the world very much. Is it a handicap? Is it a defect? Or is it a lack? Or can it be converted into a high-powered enjoyment? Yes, we can do it. There are two ways to do it. One is, the first principle of happiness is that happiness is not anything outside. Happiness is a state of the mind. If I feel I am very happy, then that is I am happy. If I feel, even in the most favorable circumstances, in the most congenial atmosphere, Oh, I am suffering. I am not happy with what is. If it had been that way, it would have been better. No. If I change my mind, then I can be much more happy. So, this is the psychology. How does all these Gaudapadas and Shankaracharya is even worse in these arguments? How do you know? When you study Vivekachudamani or books like Atmabodha, then you may not feel that one. But you study, especially the second chapter, 16th verse onwards, नासतो विद्यते भावो, the 13th chapter, the 15th chapter, his commentaries, he goes on endlessly trying to refute all the opposing schools of philosophy. And he goes into such interminable depths. Our brain gets, very often, it goes round and round. What is the point I am making? That if we can develop this rationality and then put it to day-to-day practical help, then we can get a higher type of happiness. This is the first step. But, as we have discussed many times, there are five types of happiness out there. And ignorance of these other states of happiness is our main problem. We think that happiness can come only, especially when we put a sweet mango or a sweet inside our mouth. But there is intellectual happiness, there is aesthetic happiness, and there is moral happiness. And anybody who wants to be a spiritual person, he cannot neglect even one. It is beautifully illustrated, if you have four anas, you have only four anas. If you have one rupee, you have four anas and much more. If you have eight anas, you have four anas, much more, but only that much. But if you have one rupee, you have four four anas, then two eight anas, like that it increases. The higher happiness definitely includes the lower happiness. So, if you have got twelve anas, you have got much more value. But if you have got one rupee, you have got much more value. Spirituality is like that. One rupee and everybody else is like having one Naya Paisa. Not even that old, a Brahma Chakra Paisa, old Paisa, a very holy Paisa, big hole is there. You know, people had become multi-millionaires. Perhaps, you have never heard about it. Because all the government did not realize that the cost of the copper is much higher than what they were pouring into this Paisa. Some clever merchants, they started offering more exchange and then you give me fifty old Paisa, we will give you one rupee. The government is useless, banks are useless, we will give you more. And people, ignorant that why they are offering, they have brought out all their old Paisas and then these fellows went, melted that and made it into copper and became multi-millionaires. A clever fellow, because of his cleverness, intelligence, he can be very rich also. So anyway, what I am trying to tell you, spiritual life is the highest type of happiness. If we do not understand and equate it, oh, spiritual life means people did lot of Tapasya, they were not getting food, they don't have homes, they are sleeping under the trees and they suffer from heat and cold and from lack of spiced food, etc. That is a gross underestimation. How much happiness? Bhartruvari says, what happiness can compare to the happiness a person gets, a Sannyasi gets, sleeping, drinking the pure river water, sleeping under the tree and he need not worry at all about anything. Marvelous story. So the point I wanted to bring about is that if we can develop our power of rationalization, that is what is important, then we can overcome many problems. In fact, many problems would not arise in the first place. So that is what is the benefit of all these arguments that are being given. But apart from that, there is a lot of beautiful information. As I said, that is not necessary for Mukti, spiritual progress, but it can counter other, what is called Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, etc. That is why the only way is Pratipaksha Bhavana. Lift the mind, not fight with anybody. By fighting, nobody can win this war.

Anyway, now I want to come back to this. So as I said, we are in the Alatha Shanti Prakaranam. A lot of arguments will come and this 13th verse is against arguing both Nyaya Vaisheshika's Asatkarya Vada and Sankhya Yoga's Satkarya Vada both have defects. So we are trying to find out what is the original cause of this entire universe. By any amount of thinking we can never arise because both the Asatkarya Vadis and Satkarya Vadis have tried their level best to prove that there is a Karana and according to Nyaya Vaisheshika, the atoms are the cause and according to the Sankhya Yoga school, Prakruti is the cause. We have seen that Asatkarya Vada, something new, something that did not exist. A non-existing something can never come into existence, it is illogical, fallacious, unacceptable. And that is what the arguments debate between Sankhya Yoga who defeats the Asatkarya Vada. But now, Gaudapada points out the fallacies in the logical treatment of these Satkarya Vadins. What are they? Prakruti also cannot be the cause. Why can't Prakruti be the cause? He gave some arguments. What are these arguments? First of all, he says, do you say that Prakruti is the root cause? Yes, Prakruti is the root cause of this entire universe and for the sake of argument, Advaita Vedanta also accepts it.

That is why Bhagawan says,

mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram hetunanena kaunteya jagad viparivartate

Under my supervision, Prakruti transforms itself into what we call the world, both external and internal. We take it. Now before I go further, I want to add an addenda or a note. So, the first part of the Vedas, it accepts this creative process. Actually, Brahman became creation. Why do they accept? Because for children, we have to give apple and you produce an apple either real or wooden. And wooden is better because if you produce a real apple, then this one apple, this is another apple, one plus one are two but then after a few minutes, when the teacher looks away, there will be only Advaita. So that is not going to work out. Now what I am going to tell, there are certain fallacies. What is the fallacy? What is your concept of Prakruti? If the Advaitin asks, the Satkaryavadin, he says, first of all, it is Anadi. Second, he says, it is changeless. It can never change. And it is eternal. And it is unborn. Now all these four definitions are smashed, squashed by the Advaitin. How? Because effect means change. Milk cannot remain as milk and yet become curds. So if Prakruti has to change into this form, it has to change. What is your concept? It is Nityam. Nityam means changeless. Now that is squashed. Now what is the other thing? Prakruti is unborn. And you cannot give any example. Why? In this world you take any object. I gave the example of the seed and the tree. Where from the seed has come? From the tree. If there were no tree, there would be no seed. Vice versa, if there was no seed, there would be also no tree. So, imagine, there is a seed. That is called Prakruti according to Satkaryavadins. And what happens after some time? Even if we temporarily accept your argument that Prakruti is the Moolakarana, and does Prakruti have any other Karana? No, it is Anadi. Anadi means eternal. If we accept also temporarily, and he says that this Prakruti, which is Anadi, has given birth to this world, but there is no example known to us. If you see a tree, it must have come from previous seed. And if you see previous seed, it must have come from a tree. So, you can't say which is the Moolakarana and which is the effect. You can never say. So, first is, something that creates an effect, it is changeful. You say it is Nityam. Nityam means changeless. It cannot be changeless. Second, you say it is Anadi. Anadi means beginningless. Beginningless, we don't have any example. In this world, you don't get. Apply the same principle to Prakruti also. It is impossible. And if you say that it is beginningless, then from a beginningless something, that which is beginning can never come. That way, it is disproved. Then fourth, very important. What is your idea of Prakruti? It never changes. Satkaryavadins tell us that both the cause and effect have exactly the same nature. That means what? That means Prakruti will be having Anadi and Ananta is Nitya. What about this world? Everything that we know, it has a beginning. In fact, it is changing all the time and it will come to an end. Everything that is born has to die. Now, your theory that Prakruti, that is Karana and Karana and Karya, the cause and effect are exactly of similar nature. That is illogical because you say this world is the effect of Prakruti. Prakruti is always eternal. That is changeless. But this world is always changeful. That you have contradicted yourself terribly. So arguments go on like this. And because of these arguments, the Gaudapada says that your Karya-karana Vada or Satkaryavada is also fallacious. So Asatkaryavada is fallacious. Satkaryavada is also fallacious. Then what is your explanation? My explanation is there is no need for any explanation. Why? Because if there is something, what is this thing? Where from it has come? How did it come? All these questions come. When there is no creation at all, all these questions will not come at all. For that, an inadequate example is given. That is to say, a dream is given. Dream example. As long as we are dreaming, we are thinking that everything is exactly like in the waking state. And then somebody gives you some money in your dream. Or somebody gives you a blow, let us imagine. You wake up. Upon waking up, will you go and check your bank balance? How much money is added there? If you are not lost already to some hacker, what you have, you are extraordinarily fortunate. But if you go on inquiring, who gave me a blow, you will not even go into that at all if you are intelligent. Why? Why because you know that that was not reality. You have seen something, but it is not real. And that which is unreal, we never question that how did the son of a barren woman, when was he born, what is his history, you will not ask. So, how come this mirage water is not quenching my thirst? That also you will not question. So, how did this non-existing hare has suddenly acquired some horns? That also you will not question. We do it every day. As soon as we come to know that something is never existing, we don't go into the details. This is the answer Gaudapada wants to convey to us. According to Advaita there is no Srishti. But here a clarification is needed. Then what is it that we are seeing? Ask yourself. When you are in dream, what is it you are seeing? It appears absolutely real. But really speaking, there is no reality. So, the answer is, all these types of explanations are only useless types of explanations. You wake up from this dream called this world, that I am the body, I am this particular person. When we wake up, just as we wake up from the dream into the waking, we don't ask questions about the events that have taken place. So also, this Jagrat Prapancha will also not be questioned when we understand from the higher standpoint that really there was no question. Until that time, we have to be careful. Just like in dream, we go through Sukha, Dukha and positive and negative experiences. All experiences have to be accepted. This is the essence of until the 13th mantra.

Now, we are entering into from 14th to 23. That is very very important for us. In these 10 verses, from 14th to 23, Gaudapada is pointing out that Vedas themselves, in every Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Chandogya Upanishad, Taittiriya Upanishad, Prashna Upanishad, Aitareya Upanishad, we are talking only about not one Janma, but three Janmas of every Jeevatma. Like that innumerable Jeevatmas are there. Is it not Srishti? Yes, it is Srishti. This is called Srishti Vada in the Vedas. In fact, the whole first part of the Vedas is called Karma Kanda. What is Karma Kanda? The world is real, my body, mind are real, my life is real, I am undergoing both happiness and unhappiness. But, I don't like unhappiness. I want to be always happy. At least, I want to be happy so long as I am alive. You know, the wish of every Jeeva is that first, let me go through the least possible suffering and then die. So, a very interesting incident comes to my mind. How do we wish to die? Because we know we can't afford not to die. This is a fact of life. And, it will be a fact of life also. But, what about scientific developments? They are prolonging age. Very true. I will come to that next. Now, there was a scholarly Swami in Bangalore called Swami Harshanandaji. And, he has written this 108 names of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramakrishna Nama Sankirtana. Beautiful! Very beautifully he has written. All over the world many people sing it just like we sing Ram Nama. You know, we have got five Namas are there. Ram Nama is there. Krishna Nama is there. Sri Ramakrishna Nama is there. Holy Mother's Nama is there. And, Shiva Nama is there. These five have become very popular now, everywhere. So, the person who had written this Ramakrishna Nama was Swami Harshanandaji. A great soul, no doubt. Towards the end, he says, Anayasa Mrutyam Dehe. Lord Ramakrishna, you please give me a death which is absolutely painless. And, I am sure, he was praying for those things. And, you know, Thakur had granted his wish. One day, afternoon, he had his lunch. He went into the bathroom and he fell down and went into a comatic state. Within half an hour, without knowing, he just passed away. So, what I am trying to tell all of us, that we know that death is inevitable. But what do we want? The first thing is, so long as I am alive, let me have the least bit of suffering because suffering cannot be totally avoided. It is impossible. If you don't have hunger, and the more hungry you are, actually you are laying foundation for more happiness. The more tired you are, hungry, thirsty you are, the more pleasure you get from the things, from food, from water, from rest, etc. But, every creature wishes anayasa mrutyu. But, some people die horrendously. Varieties of death are there. Better we come to know about them. First is, some people, they not only suffer, they make everybody suffer. But, there are some punyatmas, and only they suffer. They will not give any suffering to other people. So, varieties of death. What is our unconscious or conscious wish? Anayasa Mrutyam Dehe. Is it possible? Yes, by God's grace it is possible. How is it possible? Like Swami Harshanandaji, you also go on praying. I am also praying. If the body has to go, it has to go. I cannot stop it. You can't stop it. Nobody can stop it. Even Ramakrishna cannot stop it. Because, the nature of the body is like that. Now, what is important is, if I have to die, let me die painlessly, as quickly as possible. That is a great prayer we have to remember. Now, how are we going to fulfil these desires? What is the first desire? Let me have the least bit of suffering and most happiness. How to do it? How to get a good birth? First, how to get a good birth? It is better to be born in Brahma Loka, otherwise Prajapati Loka, otherwise Brihaspati Loka, otherwise Indra Loka, at least some higher type of happiness. Beautifully described in the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad. So many Lokas are there. About 13 or 14 descriptions are there, higher and higher happiness. So, how to fulfil these three things? Less amount of suffering and a death which is painless and very instantaneous. Third, pre-birth in a higher place or even if I have to be reborn. sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto 'bhijayate So Yoga is the only way. The first part of the Vedas called Karmakanda deals with it. Now, what are we talking about? Talking about Srishti. Srishti means this world. This world means the whole Lokas, whole world is divided into three parts as we know. Seven lower Lokas called Narakas. So, Patala is the 14th lowest Loka. Brahma Loka is the highest Loka. So, beginning from the human birth, next higher seven Lokas are there. Naturally, even the most wicked person also he wants to have these three desires only. Is there any way for us to fulfil all the three desires? Yes. That portion of the Vedas which explain to us that if you do these Karmas, if you behave in this way, if you live your life in this way, then your suffering will be minimal. Only existential suffering will be there but even then minimal suffering will be there. I hope you understand what is called existential suffering. Buddha's greatest teaching is life is full of suffering. He is not talking Karmapala's suffering only. He is also talking about existential suffering. What is existential suffering? Suffering associated with mere existence. Birth is suffering. Growing up is suffering. Youth is suffering. Is youth suffering? Yes, youth is terrible suffering. I think childhood is the most happy period. Why? Because ignorance is bliss. So a child comes I want to eat lozenges. Okay, buy some lozenges. But the youth, I want to marry that particular boy who is the second richest person in the world. Why not the first richest person? Because he is already married. So second or marrying the one third one. Everybody wants to marry a dream girl, I want to marry. How many people get? Because dream girl is obtainable only in dreams. When you marry a girl she will come out in the waking up state, and then you will regret endlessly in so many ways. So even the most evil person his desires will be the same. Only the papa karma he is doing, he will never be able to get it. So the first part of the Vedas will give us a very comprehensive means. Whatever wish you want, legitimately dharmic way, we can pray to God, we obtain the grace of the Gods, etc. And we can get money, we can get health, we can get happiness, we can get so many things. And that all is related to Jagat. First there is creation, this is called Karma Siddhanta. This is called Srishti Siddhanta. This is called Karma Phala Siddhanta. So the whole thing is related to the Karma Phala. So long as we have not grown up, we have not developed the power of questioning our motives, our understanding. Until that time we have to follow with tremendous faith whatever has been prescribed in this first part of the Vedas. But we cannot even look up just as we cannot look up at the midday sun until we grow a lot. After experiencing for a long time, after so much of going and coming and going and coming, that is we are here, we do some Puja, get the Punya Phala, go to higher Lokas, come back, and again it is like topping up your mobile phone every time. Kshine Punye Martyalokam Vishante Evam. So all the Punya Phala will be exhausted. Then we have to top it up. Then you go. But after sometime, we wake up. This very experience of going and coming will make us wake up. And then when we wake up, and then we say, is there any way that I don't need to top up? There will be no death at all. If there has to be no death, there should be no birth at all. So I must go beyond both birth and death. I cannot simply go beyond birth. Second, I want to be fully aware. The more we are aware, the more we will be enjoying life. Thirdly, unbroken eternal happiness. Simply put together Sat, Chit, Ananda. Is there such a thing? Yes. How do we know? Because this very observance of Karma Kanda, apart from giving us Puniyam, also slowly makes us have faith. This is a wonderful point. I have pointed out earlier too many times. Very important for us. Because faith doesn't come in easily. What should we do? First you pray to God. And then you do what is necessary. And to your great shock or surprise you will see you are getting. And first time you may think it is accident, fluke. Then you do it second time. Because the nature of happiness is I want to have it again and again and again. So you do it a second time. Top it up. And you get second time. Third time. Then you are convinced that the scripture showed me a way how I can fulfill my desire. And that faith comes in the scripture. And in the beginning like a baby always wanting to play with dolls etc. We will be playing with this. There is no shortcut for that. We have to grow up like every baby has to grow up. So teething problems will be there. Nobody can escape them. And teething problems will be there in the second childhood also. I know what is first childhood. We all know. Do you know what is second childhood? And that is called old age. Old age also teething problems will be there. Artificial teeth will be provided. What for? To gnash our teeth whenever there is a problem. So after some time this very karmakanda produces within us tremendous amount of Shraddha. Then we open our eyes. Look up and say, avrutta chakshuhu amrutatatvamichchan. He becomes a dhiraha, kaschid dhiraha. The Veda is not only talking about happiness in this world, happiness in the higher world. It is talking about eternal happiness. And then slowly the search is not outside, search is not for higher worlds, search is for the Atman which is within. And that is the real purpose of the Vedas. Why are the Vedas accepting the creative process? It is to turn our attention that since we believe that the world is real, until we stop believing it is real. The Shastra has to slowly take our hand and lead us step by step so that we can come out of this Srishti. There is a state where Srishti Stithi Laya will not be there at all. And that is the only real state. Why? Because logic tells us if Srishti is real there is no Mukti. The question of Mukti comes only when we know something is unreal. If both are real, God also is real, Brahman also is real, and this world also is real. Brahman remains Brahman. And this world remains this world. And anybody who is in this world since it is real you cannot get out of something which is real. We can definitely get out of what is unreal. If you are seeing a real snake there is no question of this Rajju Sarpa Brahanti. This applies only if this Sarpa Brahanti is there, unreal snake is there. This is a very finer point. The Vedas are accepting Srishti not because the world is there. It is accepted from a lower point of view but once we grow up just as all the dolls etc. become meaningless, so also our mind will not be bothered about this Srishti. And then how to get out of this Srishti? This is what Advaita Vedanta wants to tell. There are no realities. Only one reality will be there. That reality is Brahman. Even though at this stage the whole world is real and all these arguments we are seeing are concerned only, related only, whether it is a new creation a non-existing creation, or an existing creation, or something changing into something else etc. Gaudapada's final conclusion which is Advaita Vedanta's final conclusion is that this is all Maya. That is what Shankaracharya had summarized in his most famous quotation, oft quoted saying Then what happens after realization? Brahman alone becomes Sathyam. Supposing a Jeevanmukta is the world real for him? No. World will be Mithya only. Is he living in a Mithya world? No. He is living in Brahman's world. Everything is looked upon as Brahman only and not as we look at it. It is very difficult for us to put ourselves in the shoes of a Jeevanmukta. Even though the scriptures are trying their level best. This is just to recollect what we have been discussing practically from the very first of this Alata Shanti Prakaranam until the 13th Karika.

Now from 14th to 23rd 10 Karikas or 10 shlokas. What is Gaudapada trying to tell? That he is trying to counter what I described just now, a Vaidika concept of creation. Because the opponent can ask, you are saying that there is no Srishti. But we see in the Vedas, every Upanishad practically is telling for that only this introduction. Yes, yes. So long as a person is thinking I am seeing a ghost. If you want to cure him, the first thing is you should never say there is no ghost. You should say, so you are seeing one ghost my friend. But look at my condition. I am seeing two ghosts. Who is the ghost? One ghost is what you are seeing. Another ghost is you. Two ghosts I am seeing. Now every efficient physician he will accept the condition of the patient. You are absolutely right. Because what the patient is not making up. He is only telling what he is experiencing. Srishti is real. But slowly I will lead you outside this roga. But for that you should never deny it. But there is roga and many people had the same roga. Many people had been curated and they now enjoying and my great-grandfather is the authentic Vaidya and you will get them in Kerala. Many of these Kerala Vaidyas are there and they will definitely cure you. This is the assurance given. Then the patient becomes tremendous faith. Oh! So everybody is telling that it is all my imagination. No, no, no, no, absolutely you are suffering from it. Definitely the fellow is suffering. So I will help you. This is the stance. This is the standpoint of the Vaidyas. So long as we think the world is real, the Veda will not deny. It will accept and it will try to help us to make this world itself a better world like psychological treatment. And then slowly when we have grown up sufficiently intelligence has grown by the grace of God, then we say, my son, whatever is changing that is not real. Give a definition of reality. First we are talking about reality, reality, reality. What is reality? Give a definition that whatever never changes is reality. Whatever changes is not reality. Simple. And this is what Sri Ramakrishna says. God alone is real, permanent. Everything is impermanent. Sri Ramakrishna did not use the word unreal frequently. He used the word temporary. And really everything is temporary. My childhood was temporary. My youth was even more temporary. And my middle age was much longer lasting. And my old age is lasting, going on and on and on. Not only I feel it, I ask anybody, they also tell the same thing. So, this is the stance for that Karmapala Siddhanta, Vishwa Srishti Siddhanta, Gaudapada is attacking from the 14th to the 23rd verse. Here, two peculiar words Gaudapada uses, Hetu and Phalam. What is Phalam? Phalam means here, substitute it with the word Sharira. What is Hetu? Karma. Karma and Sharira. Karma came from Sharira. Sharira came from Karma. Seed came from the tree. Tree came from the seed. This is endless arguments will go on. So, this is from the 14th onwards until 23rd. That is what he wants to tell us. Now, today's class, I will read out so that I can avoid reading it out in our next class.

हेतोरादिः फलं येषामादिर्हेतुः फलस्य च ।

हेतोः फलस्य चानादिः कथं तैरुपवर्ण्यते ॥ १४ ॥

hetorādiḥ phalaṃ yeṣāmādirhetuḥ phalasya ca |

hetoḥ phalasya cānādiḥ kathaṃ tairupavarṇyate || 14 ||

Don't worry. Don't even think about. I will just read out the English meaning. And English meaning, English translation is if not even more bewildering than the Sanskrit itself. So, just I will read out.

How can they who assert that the effect is the cause of the cause and the cause is the cause of the effect maintain the beginninglessness of both the cause and effect?

हेतोरादिः फलं येषामादिर्हेतुः फलस्य च ।

तथा जन्म भवेत्तेषां पुत्राज्जन्म पितुर्यथा ॥ १५

hetorādiḥ phalaṃ yeṣāmādirhetuḥ phalasya ca |

tathā janma bhavetteṣāṃ putrājjanma pituryathā || 15 ||

Why can't it be those who maintain that the effect is the cause of the cause and the cause is the cause of the effect? Describe, in fact, the evolution as though the birth of the father comes from the son. I will just elaborate only in one sentence. The son is born from the father. Father is the cause son is the effect. And who is the cause of the father? The son. So, son is the cause of the father and father is the son of the cause. Same thing. Seed and tree and egg and chicken problem which is first. Hetur Adhi Phalam Yesham Adhi Hetu Phalasyacha

That is over 15th then we will go to the 15th.

संभवे हेतुफलयोरेषितव्यः क्रमस्त्वया ।

युगपत्संभवे यस्मादसंबन्धो विषाणवत् ॥ १६ ॥

saṃbhave hetuphalayoreṣitavyaḥ kramastvayā |

yugapatsaṃbhave yasmādasaṃbandho viṣāṇavat || 16 ||

In case causality be still maintained, the order in which cause and effect succeed each other must be stated. If it be stated that they appear simultaneously then they being like the two horns of an animal they cannot be mutually related to each other as cause and effect.

फलादुत्पद्यमानस्सन्न ते हेतुः प्रसिध्यति ।

अप्रसिद्धः कथं हेतुः फलमुत्पादयिष्यति ॥ १७ ॥

phalādutpadyamānassanna te hetuḥ prasidhyati |

aprasiddhaḥ kathaṃ hetuḥ phalamutpādayiṣyati || 17 ||

Your cause cannot be established if it be produced from the effect. How can the cause which is itself not established give birth to the effect?

यदि हेतोः फलात्सिद्धिः फलसिद्धिश्च हेतुतः ।

कतरत्पूर्वनिष्पन्नं यस्य सिद्धिरपेक्षया ॥ १८ ॥

yadi hetoḥ phalātsiddhiḥ phalasiddhiśca hetutaḥ |

kataratpūrvaniṣpannaṃ yasya siddhirapekṣayā || 18 ||

If the cause is produced from the effect and the effect is again produced from the cause, which of the two is born first upon which depends the birth of the other?

अशक्तिरपरिज्ञानं क्रमकोपोऽथ वा पुनः ।

एवं हि सर्वथा बुद्धैः अजातिः परिदीपिता ॥ १९ ॥

aśaktiraparijñānaṃ kramakopo'tha vā punaḥ |

evaṃ hi sarvathā buddhaiḥ ajātiḥ paridīpitā || 19 ||

The inability to reply on your part only indicates your ignorance through the impossibility of establishing the order of succession which is first, which is next. Cause is first or effect is, clearly lead the wise people to conclude that the theory of absolute non-creation is the only reality.

बीजाङ्कुराख्यो दृष्टान्तः सदा साध्यसमो हि स ।

न हि साध्यसमो हेतुः सिद्धौ साध्यस्य युज्यते ॥ २० ॥

bījāṅkurākhyo dṛṣṭāntaḥ sadā sādhyasamo hi sa |

na hi sādhyasamo hetuḥ siddhau sādhyasya yujyate || 20 ||

The illustration of the seed and the sprout is itself a matter which is yet to be proved. The middle term (that is the illustration) which is itself yet to be proved cannot be used for establishing a proposition to be proved.

पूर्वापरापरिज्ञानम् अजातेः परिदीपकम् ।

जायमानाद्धि वै धर्मात् कथं पूर्वं न गृह्यते ॥ २१ ॥

pūrvāparāparijñānam ajāteḥ paridīpakam |

jāyamānāddhi vai dharmāt kathaṃ pūrvaṃ na gṛhyate || 21 ||

The ignorance regarding the antecedent and the subsequence of the cause and the effect, clearly proves the absence of evolution and creation. If the effect has really been produced from a cause, then why can you not point out the antecedent, the earlier cause?

स्वतो वा परतो वाऽपि न किंचिद्वस्तु जायते ।

सदसत्सदसद्वाऽपि न किंचिद्वस्तु जायते ॥ २२ ॥

svato vā parato vā'pi na kiṃcidvastu jāyate |

sadasatsadasadvā'pi na kiṃcidvastu jāyate || 22 |

Nothing whatsoever is born either of itself or of another. Nothing is ever produced whether it be being or non-being or both being and non-being.

हेतुर्न जायतेऽनादेः फलं चापि स्वभावतः ।

आदिर्न विद्यते यस्य तस्य ह्यादिर्न विद्यते ॥ २३ ॥

heturna jāyate'nādeḥ phalaṃ cāpi svabhāvataḥ |

ādirna vidyate yasya tasya hyādirna vidyate || 23 ||

A cause cannot be produced from an effect which is without beginning nor the effect born of its own nature itself. That which is without beginning is necessarily free from birth.

These are the things from 14th to 23rd. I think it is absolutely crystal clear whatever I have spoken. We will talk about it in the next. I will only give you the beautiful essence of it and definitely we should be able to understand that. I will stop here.