Shloka 49
Sāṅkhya: Categories of the Absolute Truth and the Unfolding of Creation
Tattva-vicāra
परस्य दृश्यते धर्मो ह्यपरस्मिन्समन्वयात् । अतो विशेषो भावानां भूमावेवोपलक्ष्यते ॥ ४९ ॥
parasya dṛśyate dharmo hy aparasmin samanvayāt ato viśeṣo bhāvānāṁ bhūmāv evopalakṣyate
Because the cause is present within its effect through continuity, the characteristics of the former are seen in the latter; therefore the distinctive features of all the elements are perceived in earth alone.
Sound is the cause of the sky, sky is the cause of the air, air is the cause of fire, fire is the cause of water, and water is the cause of earth. In the sky there is only sound; in the air there are sound and touch; in the fire there are sound, touch and form; in water there are sound, touch, form and taste; and in the earth there are sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Therefore earth is the reservoir of all the qualities of the other elements. Earth is the sum total of all other elements. The earth has all five qualities of the elements, water has four qualities, fire has three, air has two, and the sky has only one quality, sound.
FAQs
This verse explains that because properties can appear in other things through association, true distinction is finally understood by referring everything back to its underlying basis (substratum).
Kapila is guiding Devahuti in Sāṅkhya analysis—how to discern tattvas correctly—by showing that perceived qualities can be mixed through association, so one must trace distinctions to the foundational reality underlying phenomena.
Don’t judge only by borrowed qualities (status, influence, association). Examine the foundation—character, motives, and the underlying truth of a situation—before concluding what something truly is.