History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c95.269

v7.c95.269

Even from Upaniṣadic times various views were held about the origin of the world and similar questions. The Śv. Up (I 1) asks the question 'Is *brahma* the cause? Whence are we born? Whereby do we live and whither are we going? Tell us, O knowers of *brahman*, under whose control do we abide in pain or pleasure'? The next verse states 'Should Time or nature or necessity or chance or the elements be considered as the cause or He who is (called) Puruṣa? It cannot be their combination either, since even the self has no power over happiness and misery' Then verse 3 (latter half) states 'He being one superintends (or controls) all causes viz Time, self and the rest' Yāj 1. 350 refers to five views on the question as to what causes desirable or undesirable results viz some hold that it is *Daiva* alone, some put forward Svabhāva (nature), some rely on Time, some on human effort and some on a combination of all these; but, Yājñavalkya's own view (I. 349, 351) is that good or bad results are due to *daiva* and *puruṣakāra* and that the former is nothing but effort of former existences that has begun to manifest results. The Śāntiparva (chap. 238. 4-5=cr. ed 230. 4-5) refers to the fact that there are three views, viz either human effort or *daiva* or *svabhāva* being the cause, but its own view appears to be that Puruṣākāra and Daiva combine to produce fruits. The Matsyapurāṇa (221. 8) asserts that *daiva*, effort and *kāla* working together produce the fruits of actions. The Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (II. 8. 61-62) refers to three views viz. Daiva, effort and Svabhāva are put forward as causes separately but its own view is that daiva and effort together yield fruits.