Satkaryavada

The Samkhya school of philosophy, which follows Prakṛti Parinama-vada (doctrine of the transformation of objective nature), describes the origination and evolution of universe through its theory of Satkāryavāda (सत्कार्यवाद) which is the theory of causation. According to this theory, the manifested effect is pre-existent in the cause; and the original material cause of everything that is perceived is Prakriti. When Prakriti is not in proximity with immutable Purusha, the conscious ability (chiti-shakti), the three modes (gunas-sattva, rajas and tamas) of prakriti are in equipoise and prakriti is an unmanifest potential. When the conscious ability and the objective ability interact the three modes of the objective nature become disturbed and enter a state of flux giving rise to diverse manifest appearance. Satkāryavāda is the Samkhya theory of the pre-existent effect, which states that the effect Karya already exists in its material cause, which is Sat, and therefore nothing new is brought into existence. This theory uses two basic concepts. Sat(सत्) – existence Karya(कार्य)- the manifested effect This theory asserts that something that exists (Sat), cannot originate from non-existence (Asat). This theory, also associated with the Yoga school of Patanjali, is the systematic unfolding of Uddalaka Aruni’s 'substantialism' and 'eternalism' (Sassatavada). Ishvarakrishna in his Samkhyakarika Sl.9 gives five reasons why the effect has to pre-exist in its material cause – असदकरणादुपादानग्रहणात् सर्वसम्भवाभावात् । शक्तस्य शक्यकरणात् कारणभावाच्च सत्कार्यम् ॥ ९ ॥ what is not cannot be produced, the effect requires a material cause, not everything arises from everything, the cause produces only what corresponds to its potential the effect has the nature of the cause. During Vedic times, in seeking to determine the rta or order underlying all phenomena, a postulation was made that change can be understood in terms of a potency inherent in these phenomena, that is, in the cause to produce the effect, this potency was termed svadha (own power).