Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras

Chapter 3: Śūnyavāda Satkāryavāda

Sūtra 3.1

शून्यवाद इति निर्गुणब्रह्मानन्तो मूलदेशः ॥ ३.१ ॥
śūnyavāda iti nirguṇabrahmānanto mūladeśaḥ ‖ 3.1 ‖

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śūnyavādaḥ: doctrine of nonexistence; iti: according to; nirguṇa-brahma: unqualified + source; anantaḥ: infinite; mūladeśaḥ: point of origin

“The doctrine of nonexistence states that the unqualified source is the infinite point of origin.”

Sūtra 3.2

चतुष्कारणस्य मूलं कार्यकारणम् ॥ ३.२ ॥
catuṣkāraṇasya mūlaṃ kāryakāraṇam ‖ 3.2 ‖

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catuṣkāraṇasya: of the four causes; mūlam: origin; kāryakāraṇam: final cause

“Of the four causes, the origin is the final cause.”

Sūtra 3.3

सत्कार्यवाद इति कार्यं यथा बीजनि मूले ॥ ३.३ ॥
satkāryavāda iti kāryaṃ yathā bījani mūle ‖ 3.3 ‖

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satkāryavādaḥ: doctrine of preexistence; iti: according to; kāryam: effect; yathā: as; bījani: seeds; mūle: in the origin

“The doctrine of preexistence states that the effect preexists as seeds within the origin.”

Sūtra 3.4

मूलं निर्बीजासत् तस्य बीजानां निर्विकल्पाव्यक्तस्यात् तेषां कार्यं सविकल्पव्यक्तसत् ॥ ३.४ ॥
mūlaṃ nirbījāsat tasya bījānāṃ nirvikalpāvyaktasyāt teṣāṃ kāryaṃ savikalpavyaktasat ‖ 3.4 ‖

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mūlam: origin; nirbīja-asat: seedless + nonexistence; tasya: its; bījānām: seeds; nirvikalpa-avyakta-syāt: undifferentiated + unmanifest + potential existence; teṣām: their; kāryam: effect; savikalpa-vyakta-sat: differentiated + manifest + existence

“The origin is seedless nonexistence; its seeds are undifferentiated, unmanifest potential existence; their effect is differentiated, manifest existence.”

Sūtra 3.5

मूलं पारमार्थिकसत्यं तस्य बीजानां प्राधानिकसत्यं तेषां कार्यं व्यावहारिकसत्यम् ॥ ३.५ ॥
mūlaṃ pāramārthikasatyaṃ tasya bījānāṃ prādhānikasatyaṃ teṣāṃ kāryaṃ vyāvahārikasatyam ‖ 3.5 ‖

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mūlam: origin; pāramārthika-satyam: absolute + reality; tasya: its; bījānām: of seeds; prādhānika-satyam: primary + reality; teṣām: their; kāryam: effect; vyāvahārika-satyam: transactional + reality

“The origin is the absolute reality; its seeds are the primary reality; their effect is the transactional reality.”

Sūtra 3.6

मूलं परमात्मा तस्य बीजानां सूत्रात्मा तेषां कार्यं जीवात्मा ॥ ३.६ ॥
mūlaṃ paramātmā tasya bījānāṃ sūtrātmā teṣāṃ kāryaṃ jīvātmā ‖ 3.6 ‖

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mūlam: origin; paramātmā: supreme self; tasya: its; bījānām: of seeds; sūtrātmā: thread self; teṣām: their; kāryam: effect; jīvātmā: living self

“The origin is the supreme self; its seeds are the thread-self; their effect is the living self.”