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sridatta1 · Joined: 03 Aug 2005 Posts: 637 Location: india

Neither did God enter the world, nor did any characteristic of God enter the world

172. Kaaranasparshaspruhaa naatra sutrabhaashyendrajaalavat.

Translation: The temptation to touch the cause through the analysis of the effect fails in the case of unimaginable God and imaginable world. Even the Brahma Sutras and Shankara have given a suitable simile of a magic master here.

Explanation: There is a temptation for everybody to think that there is a possibility of touching God through the analysis of creation because God is the cause and the world is the effect. This temptation is justified if the cause and effect are linked to each other by logic as in the case of mud and the pot, or gold and the chain, etc. The cause and effect in the world are both imaginable items. The characteristics of the cause are seen in the effect also since the cause spontaneously enters the effect during the very process of creation. But in the case of God, neither did God enter the world, nor did any characteristic of God enter the world. Therefore, the temptation is never fulfilled in the case of God. As already said, the simile is the magic master and the magic (castle) created by him. Neither the magic master nor any characteristic of him exists in the magic created. Shankara has given this example (Maayaaviva vijrumbhayatyapi…). Even the Brahma Sutras refer to this example (Atmanichaivam vichitraah…)