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 ||
“又或者你认为：即便这些（如轮等）也彼此推动，因此也算作因——那么一旦承认这种相互促发，在判定何者为因、何者为果时便会生出疑惑。若说彼此皆为对方之推动者，则关于因果先后的裁断本身也将变得可疑。”
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.