Shloka 41
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
अथवा मततमेतत्ते ते5प्यन्योन्यप्रयोजका: । कार्यकारणसंदेहो भवत्यन्योन्यचोदनात्
athavā matam etat te te 'py anyonya-prayojakāḥ | kārya-kāraṇa-sandeho bhavaty anyonya-codanāt ||
“O kung ito ang palagay mo—na maging ang mga iyon (gaya ng gulong at mga katulad) ay nagtutulakan sa isa’t isa at kaya maituturing na sanhi—kung gayon, sa pagtanggap ng gayong pag-uudyok na pabalik-balik, nagkakaroon ng pag-aalinlangan sa paghatol kung alin ang sanhi at alin ang bunga. Kapag sinasabing ang bawat isa’y nagtutulak sa kapwa, nagiging malabo ang pasya sa unang sanhi.”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse critiques a theory of mutual causation: if two factors are said to cause each other, then the distinction between cause and effect becomes indeterminate, producing epistemic doubt about causal priority and responsibility.
The serpent-speaker challenges an opponent’s explanation of how instruments like punishment and related mechanisms function as causes, arguing that claiming they mutually impel one another undermines any clear decision about what truly causes what.