Verse 3.7.122-123

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.7.122-123:

सम्भावनात् क्रियासिद्धौ कर्तृत्वेन समाश्रितः ।
क्रियायामात्मसाध्यायां साधनानां प्रयोजकः ॥ १२२ ॥
प्रयोगमात्रे न्यग्भावं स्वातन्त्र्यादेव निश्रितः ।
अविशिष्टो भवत्यन्यैः स्वतन्त्रैर्मुक्तसंशयैः ॥ १२३ ॥

sambhāvanāt kriyāsiddhau kartṛtvena samāśritaḥ |
kriyāyāmātmasādhyāyāṃ sādhanānāṃ prayojakaḥ || 122 ||
prayogamātre nyagbhāvaṃ svātantryādeva niśritaḥ |
aviśiṣṭo bhavatyanyaiḥ svatantrairmuktasaṃśayaiḥ || 123 ||

122-123. The agent who is prompted by another is not different from the other independent agents about whom there is no doubt because (1) he has been chosen as the agent for his capacity to accomplish the action, (2) he engages the other accessories to do the action which they can accomplish, (3) he is prompted by another and so becomes subordinate just because of his independence.

Commentary

If one who is independent (svatantra) is the agent, how can he remain so when he is made to do something by somebody else? This is now explained—

[Read verse 122-123 above]

[The agent has been said to be independent and independence has been defined in stanzas 101-102. But when A makes B do something, how does B become the agent? He has no independence. The answer is that B does nor lose his independence merely because A makes him do something. A would not make him do it unless A knew his capacity. This capacity makes him retain his independence. Just because of this capacity-independence, he comes under somebody else’s orders. Thus there is no contradiction between his independence and his dependence. The one who is ordered retains his independence in the matter of engaging the other accessories of the action in a suitable manner. There he is not under anybody else’s order. In this way, he is not different from a person who acts spontaneously.]