0397 Verse 520

Original

जन्मातिरिक्तकालेन व्यापारेणात्र किं फलम् ।
सत्तैव व्यापृतिस्तस्यां सत्यां कार्योदयो यतः ॥ ५२० ॥

janmātiriktakālena vyāpāreṇātra kiṃ phalam |
sattaiva vyāpṛtistasyāṃ satyāṃ kāryodayo yataḥ || 520 ||

What would be the good of any activity at any time other than that of its own birth? Mere existence is the only operation, as it is when this is there that the effect appears.—(520)

Kamalaśīla

Question—“If ang, on coming into existence, did not become operative, how could it become the Cause in the bringing about of a particular effect?”

Answer:—[see verse 520 above]

Inasmuch as the Effect is produced immediately after the Cause has come into existence, any operation of that Cause on this Effect, after the latter has come about, would be absolutely useless. Because, what is it that is called the ‘operation’ of the Cause? It is that immediately after which the Effect secures its appearance; and as a matter of fact, the Effect appears immediately after the existence of the Cause; hence it is this existence itself which may be called the ‘operation What is the need of assuming any ‘operation’ other than this ‘birth’ (coming into existence) of the Cause?—(520)

“If this is so, then, how is it that people speak of ‘the Effect has need of the Cause’, ‘the Cause operates on the Effect’?”

Answer:—[see verse 521 next]