Sarvadarshanasangraha 14.34

14.34

And hence, for the manifold world, which is of the nature of pleasure, pain, and delusion, a cause of such a nature must be determined. And so runs the formal inference: The totality of entities in dispute has a cause consisting of pleasure, pain, and delusion, because it is accompanied by them. Whatever is accompanied by something has that as its cause, just as a necklace or the like, being accompanied by gold, has gold as its cause; and this is such; therefore, it is so. There, regarding that cause of the world, that which is of the nature of pleasure is sattva; that which is of the nature of pain is rajas; and that which is of the nature of delusion is tamas; thus is established a cause consisting of the three qualities. To explain: Individual entities are experienced as possessing the three qualities. For instance, in the case of Maitra's wife, Satyavatī, pleasure arises in Maitra, because of the manifestation of the quality of sattva toward him; pain [arises] in her co-wives, because of the manifestation of the quality of rajas toward them; and delusion arises in Caitra, who cannot obtain her, because of the manifestation of the quality of tamas toward him. Similarly, another thing, like a pot, when obtained, produces pleasure; being stolen by others, it causes pain; and to an indifferent person, it presents itself as an object of indifference. Indifference indeed is delusion, since the word 'delusion' is derived from the verbal root 'muh', meaning 'distraction/unconsciousness', because in objects of indifference mental activity does not arise. Therefore, the whole host of entities is understood to consist of pleasure, pain, and delusion, and to have as its cause the primary principle endowed with the three qualities. So it is heard in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad: