Karika 9

असदकरणादुपादानग्रहणात् सर्वसंभवाभावात्Alternative: सर्वसम्भवाभावात्।
शक्तस्य शक्यकरणात् कारणभावाच्च सत् कार्यम्Alternative: सत्कार्यम्॥ ९॥

Translation by Henry Thomas Colebrooke (1837): Effect subsists (antecedently to the operation of cause); for what exists not, can by no operation of cause be brought into existence. Materials, too, are selected which are fit for the purpose: every thing is not by every means possible; what is capable, does that to which it is competent; and like is produced from like.

Translation by John Davies (1881): Existing things (sat) are (proved to be) effects from the non-existence of (formal) being by the non-existence of cause; by the taking (by men) of a material cause (to produce anything); from the non-existence of universal production (by every cause); from the possible causality of an efficient agent (only); and from the nature of cause.

Translation by Ganganath Jha (1896): The effect is an entity; (1) because a non-entity can never be brought into existence; (2) because of a (determinate) relation of the cause (with the effect); (3) because everything cannot be possible (by any and every means); (4) because a competent (cause) can do (only) that for which it is competent; and (5) lastly, because the effect is non-different from the cause.

Translation by Nandalal Sinha (1915): The effect is ever existent, because that which is non-existent, can by no means be brought into existence; because effects take adequate material causes; because all things are not produced from all causes; because a competent cause can effect that only for which it is competent; and also because the effect possesses the nature of the cause.

Translation by Har Dutt Sharma (1933): The effect is existent (in its cause), since, non-existent cannot be produced, since the material (cause) is selected, since everything cannot be produced (from anything), since a potent (cause) produces that of which it is capable and since (effect is) of the same nature as the cause.

Translation by Radhanath Phukan (1960): The effect even prior to its manifestation always exists as a real entity in its cause (which also must always be a real entity), as the following considerations will show: (1) Asadakaraṇāt: Nothing can be produced out of a thing which is as non-existent as the barren woman's son. (2) Upādānagrahaṇāt: In producing anything, one has to have recourse to the proper materials out of which only that thing can be produced. We cannot produce curd from water. Only milk can produce it. This shows that the effect has a certain fixed relation to its cause. (3) Sarva Saṃbhavābhāvāt: It is not possible to press out oil from sand. Oil can be obtained from mustard seed or such other seeds in which it exists. This shows that the effect always exists in latent form in its cause; otherwise, it would be possible to produce all things from anything. (4) Śaktasya Śakyakaraṇāt: It is common knowledge that the effect must be such as is within the power of the cause to create. There must therefore be a relation between the cause and the effect as regards potency also. (5) Kāraṇabhāvāt: The cause and its effect have inherent or intrinsic similarity or they may be as non-different as the woven cloth from its cause, viz., the threads. According to Sāṁkhya, everything has a cause. The cause and its effect always co-exist even before the latter becomes known or visible. Nothing happens by chance. Chance, according to Sāṁkhya, is a meaningless word used by us to cover our own ignorance when we cannot ascertain the cause of a thing. As shown in Kārikā III above, the whole universe is a continuous process of change of causes into their effects. The root cause, which itself is causeless, is Avyakta of the next Kārikā.

Translation by Swami Virupakshananda (1995): The effect is ever existent, because (1) what is non-existent can by no means be brought into existence; (2) because effects take adequate material cause; (3) because all effects are not producible from all causes; (4) because an efficient cause can produce only that for which it is efficient; and finally, (5) because the effect is of the same essence as the cause.

Translation by G. Srinivasan (recent): It is an error of logic to accept that continuous or all possible modes of action (manifestation) are possible without a physical cause; the ability to act in all possible ways must be due to the existence of a cause, therefore it becomes an axiomatic rule.