Verses on Sāṃkhya 9.3

9.3

saukṣmyāttadanupalabdhiḥ pradhānasyetyarthaḥ / pradhānaṃ saukṣmyānnopalabhyate yathākāśe dhūmoṣmajalanīhāraparamāṇavaḥ santo 'pi nopalabhyante / kathaṃ tarhi tadupalabdhiḥ / kāryatastadupalabdhiḥ / kāryaṇa dṛṣṭvā kāraṇamanumīyate / asti pradhānaṃ kāraṇaṃ yasyedaṃ kāryam / buddhirahaṃkārapañcatanmātrāṇi ekādaśendriyāṇi pañcamahābhūtāni eva tatkāryam / tacca kāryaṃ prakṛtivirūpam / prakṛtiḥ pradhānaṃ tasya virūpaṃ prakṛterasadṛśaṃ svarūpaṃ ca samānarūpaṃ ca tathā loke 'pi pitustulya eva putro bhavatyatulyaśca / yena hetunā tulyamatulyaṃ tadupariṣṭādvakṣyāmaḥ // 8 //

Its non-perception is due to subtlety: meaning, of primary matter. Primary matter is not perceived due to subtlety, just as in the sky particles of smoke, heat, water, and frost, though existent, are not perceived. How then is its perception [obtained]? 'Its perception is from its effect.' Having seen the effect, the cause is inferred: there exists primary matter as the cause to which this effect belongs. The intellect, ego-maker, five subtle elements, eleven sense faculties, and five gross elements—this alone is that effect. And that effect is 'dissimilar to primordial nature': primordial nature is primary matter; dissimilar to it means unlike primordial nature; 'and similar', that is, of the same form. Likewise in the world also, a son is both equal to his father and unequal. By what reason it is equal and unequal, that we shall explain below. // 8