IN THE PRODUCTION OF CAUSE AND EFFECT — The ‘effects’ mentioned here are thirteen in number and are constituted of the five great elements, the five senses, mind, intellect and ahamkara. The macrocosmic gross elements in their gunas are themselves represented in the microcosm as the five indriyas. We had discussed this in the description of the Cosmic-Form of the Lord (Chapter XI). These sense organs cannot bring their stimuli of the outer world to the individual personality unless there is the converging point of all the indriyas, called the mind.

In order to respond properly to the stimuli, there must be a coordinating and understanding, discriminating and reasoning principle that governs the mind; and that principle is the intellect. In the world-of-objects, constituted of the elements, in the realm of the mind and in the responses sent out by the intellect, there must be a constant sense of I-ness, born out of the individual’s identification with all that is mentioned above. This is called the ‘Ego.’ All these thirteen items, together in their aggregate, represent the ‘effect’ (karya), mentioned in the stanza.

PRAKRITI IS SAID TO BE THE CAUSE — All the above-mentioned together constitute the world-of-matter. The five elements in their combination become the entire world-of-objects including the body, the senses, sensation and the instrument-of-judgement. From the five Great Elements down to the Ego, all items enumerated together form the “world-of-objects” — since all of them can be perceived.

AS EXPERIENCING PLEASURE AND PAIN — That which perceives the entire world-of-objects and their reactions upon the ego which is the individual’s direct reaction to the world, is the Self. The Light of Consciousness is that which illumines the world-of-objects outside and the instruments of perception, feeling and thought within.

PURUSHA IS SAID TO BE THE CAUSE — Pleasure and pain are the reactions in our intellect. When desirable objects in a conducive pattern reach our life, the experience is called ‘pleasure.’ And the opposite sensation, produced by undesirable objects, is called ‘pain.’ Every experience, in its final analysis, is adjudged either as pain or as pleasure. The Awareness in us illumines these. It would be impossible to be conscious of the flow of experiences without the Grace of the Consciousness. Therefore, the Spirit (Purusha) is explained here as the cause for the experiences in life. In short, Purusha is the cause for samsara. The Spirit, functioning in a field as the “Knower” of it, suffers the sorrows of samsara. He who stands in the Sun suffers the heat; if he retires into the shade, he enjoys its coolness.

THUS, IT IS SAID IN THE ABOVE THAT THE “KNOWER-OF-THE-FIELD” (PURUSHA) IS THE ENJOYER OF THE PLEASURE AND PAIN — SAMSARA. WHAT IS THIS SAMSARA DUE TO? — THE LORD SAYS:

Karya-karana-kartrtve, with regard to the source of body and organs: Karya is the body, and karana are the thirteen [Five sense organs, five motor organs, mind, intellect and ego.] organs existing in it. Here, by the word karya are understood the aforesaid elements that produce the body as also the objects which are modifications born of Nature. And since the qualities-which are born of Nature and manifest themselves as happiness, sorrow and delusion-are dependent on the organs, (therefore) they are implied by the word karana, organs. The kartrtvam, (lit) agentship, with regard to these body and organs consists in being the source of the body and organs. With regard to this source of the body and organs, prakrtih, Nature; ucyate, is said to be; the hetuh, cause, in the sense of being the originator. Thus, by virtue of being the source of body and organs, Nature is the cause of mundane existence. Even if the reading be karya-karana-kartrtva, karya (effect, modification) will mean anything that is the transformation of something; and karana (cause) will be that which becomes transformed. So the meaning of the compund will be: ‘with regard to the source of the effect and the cause’. Or, karya means the sixteen [The eleven organs (five sensory, five motor, and mind) and the five objects (sound etc.).] modificaitons, and karana means the seven [Mahat, egoism, and the five subtle elements.] transformations of Nature. They themselves are called effect and cuase. So far as the agentship with regard to these is concerned Nature is said to be the cause, because of the same reason of being their originator. As to how the soul can be the cause of mundane existence is being stated: Purusah, the soul, the empirical being, the knower of the field-all these are synonymous; is the hetuh, cause; bhoktrtve, so far as enjoyership, the fact of being the perceiver; sukha-duhkhanam, of happiness and sorrow-which are objects of experience, is concerned. How, again, is it asserted with respect to Nature and soul that, they are the causes of mundane existence by virtue of this fact of their (respectively) being the source of body and organs, and the perceiver of happiness and sorrow? As to this the answer is being stated: How can there be any mundane existence if there be no modification of Nature in the form of body and organs, happiness and sorrow, and cause and effect, and there be no soul, the conscious being, to experience them? On the other hand, there can be mundane existence when there is a contact, in the form of ignorance, between Nature-modified in the form of body and organs, and cause and effect as an object of experience and the soul opposed to it as the experiencer. Therefore it was reasonable to have said that, Nature and soul become the cause of mundane existence by (respectively) becoming the originators of the body and organs, and the perceiver of happiness and sorrow. What again is this that is called worldly existence? Worldly existence consists in the experience of happiness and sorrow; and the state of mundane existence of the soul consists in its being the experiencer of happiness and sorrow. It has been asserted that the state of mundane existence of the soul consists in its being the experiencer of happiness and sorrow. How does it come about? This is being answered: