The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 13.1.38

13.1.38

sarpa uvāca |
kāryābhāve kriyā na syātsatyasatyapi kāraṇe |
tasmāttvamasminhetau me vācyo heturviśeṣataḥ || 38 ||

"The serpent said, 'Whether any cause exists or not, no effect is produced without an (intermediate) act. Therefore, causation being of no moment in either case, my agency only as the cause (in this matter) ought to be considered in its proper bearings. If, O fowler, thou thinkest me to be the cause in truth, then the guilt of this act of killing a living being rests on the shoulders of another who incited me to this end.'