सौक्ष्म्यात्तदनुपलब्धिर्नाभावात्, कार्यतस्तदुपलब्धिः ।
महदादि तच्च कार्यं, प्रकृतिविरूपं सरूपं च ॥ ८ ॥
saukṣmyāttadanupalabdhirnābhāvāt, kāryatastadupalabdhiḥ ।
mahadādi tacca kāryaṁ, prakṛtivirūpaṁ sarūpaṁ ca ॥ 8 ॥
Saukṣmyāt=due to subtlety; tat anupalabdhiḥ=its non perception; na=not; abhāvāt=due to non-existence; kāryataḥ=through the effects; tat upalabdhiḥ=its perception; mahat=buddhi (intellect); ādi=and the rest; tacca kāryaṁ=and its effects; prakṛti=Prakriti; virūpaṁ=dissimila; sarūpaṁ=similar (to Prakriti); ca=and
Prakriti is not seen due to its subtlety, not due to its non-existence. It is perceived through its effects. Mahat (intellect) and others are its effects and are both like the Prakriti, the cause, as well as unlike it.
As we saw in Karika 7, an entity which is existent, may not be perceived through the five senses because of multiple reasons. One such reason is extreme subtlety. Mula Prakriti is known to be subtler than even the subtlest of all manifestation. Buddhi (intellect) is known to be the subtlest of all that is manifest. So, Prakriti, being the subtlest is not perceivable through the senses. Just because it is not perceivable, we cannot claim that it does not exist. We can infer its existence through its effects. As we know, Mahat (buddhi/intellect) and the rest are the effects of Prakriti.
The karika also says that the effects can be similar to or non-similar to the cause. Mahat (intellect), ahamkara (ego) and the five tanmatras (subtle elements) are both effects (unlike Prakriti) and cause (like Prakriti). The sixteen other tattvas (elements) – 5 organs of action, 5 organs of perception, 5 maha-bhutas (great elements) and the mind are effects only (unlike Prakriti). More details will be mentioned in subsequent karikas.
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