Mula Prakriti is the inanimate principle. Beginning with mahat are the seven (mahat, ego, and the five subtle elements), which are nature and changes. Those consisting of sixteen (the mind, the five senses, the five instruments of action, and the five gross elements) are just change. The Self is not nature nor change.

Primordial nature (mülaprakrti) is uncreated. The seven — the great one (mahat), etc. — are both created and creative. The sixteen are created. Purusa is neither created nor creative

Mula Prakriti (Primal nature) is not an evolute (vikriti/effect). Mahat (intellect) etc. (the seven), are both evolvent (prakriti/cause) and evolutes (vikriti/effect). Sixteen of the tattvas (elements) are only evolutes (effect). Purusha (consciousness) is neither an evolute nor an evolvent.

The original Prakrti, the root of all is not a product; the seven principles beginning with Mahat, the Great One, the intellect, are both productions and productive; the sixteen (the five organs of sense, the :five organs of action, the five gross e1eroentS and the mind) are only products and not productive. The Purusa, the spirit, is neither a product nor productive.

What are the special characteristics of the Manifest, the Unmanifest and the Knower – that we explain.

Pradhana is the Primal Nature, since it is the origin of the seven evolvents and the evolutes. It is the origin having no cause, hence it is the Primal Nature and not a product. It is not produced from anything else and therefore, the Primal Nature is not a product of anything.. IVIabat etc, the seven are productions and productive. Mahat is intellect. Intellect and the rest-seven, are intellect, ego and the five subtle elements-these are the seven productions and productive : for, from the Nature is intellect produced and is therefore a product, a product of the Nature, but it itself produces the ego and therefore is productive. The ego,too, is produced from the intellect and is therefore a product; but is productive for, it gives rise to the five subtle elements. Again, the subtle element of sound is produced from tbe ego, hence is a product, and from it is produced the ether and therefore is productive. Likewise the subtle element of touch is produced from the ego and so is a product, and since it gives rise to wind, is pro­ductive. The subtle element of smell is produced from the ego, hence is a product, but as it gives rise to earth, is productive. The subtle element of form is produced from the ego and therefore is a product, but as it produces light, it is productive. The subtle element of taste being produced from the ego is a product, but as it produces water, is productive. In this manner the seven, Mahat and the rest, are productive and productions. The group of sixteen is a product. The five organs of sense, the five organs of action, the eleventh mind and the five gross elements-this group of the sixteen, is only a product. Vikriti means a product. The Spirit is neither a product nor is productive.

Tattva–kaumudi of Vācaspatimiśra:

Briefly, the objects treated in the Scripture are of four varieties. Some objects are merely evolvents; some objects are merely evolutes; some are both evolvents and evolutes. Some others are neither the evolvent nor the evolute.

Question: What is the Primal evolvent?

Answer: The Primal Nature is non-evolute. That which procreates or evolves (ie brings into existence other Tattvas) is Prakrti; it is also called Pradhiina, the Primordial, representing the state of equipoise o f (the attributes) o f Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas and is non-evolute, that is to say, it is only an Evolvent.

It is explained: Mula. It is the Root-evolvent (Mula-Prakrti) because it is the root ( of all other evolutes) while also being at the same time the Primal Matter. It is the root of the aggregate of all products (ie the universe), while it has no root o f its own (ie it is uncaused). (If a cause to Prakrti also is posited) it would land us in unwarranted regressus a d infinitum, because, a further cause of that cause would also have to be postulated and this would lead to an endless series of causes which is irrational and not consistent with valid reason.

Question: How many are the objects which are both evolvents and evolutes? And which are those?

Answer: Evolvent-evolutes are seven beginning with Mahat, ie they are both evolvent and evolutes. The Great Principle (Mahat or Buddhi) is the cause of Ahafzkiira. (I-Principle), while it is itself (being) the product of the Root evolvent. Similarly, the Principle of Ahanklira is the cause of the five Primary elements (Tanmatras) and (eleven) sense-organs (lndriyas), itself being the effect of Buddhi. In the same way, the five Primary elements are the causes of gross elements like the ether (iiklisa) etc while they are themselves the evolutes o f Ahankiira, the I-Principle.

Question: How many are the evolutes and what are they?

Answer: Evolutes are ‘sixteen’ in number; ‘Sixteen’ because they are limited by that number; they are: five gross elements and eleven sense organs; these are merely evolutes (modifications) and not evolvent. The particle tu (in the text) is used to emphasise this. (Though tu is placed before viklirab in the text) it should be taken as coming after vikiiriifi. Cow, jar, tree, etc are the modifications o f ‘earth’ element; similarly, curd and sprout are of milk and seed respectively, milk and seed being modification of cow and tree. This difference does not affect (the above position) because tree etc are not different from earth in their essence. It is the productiveness of something different in essence for which the term Prakrti stands and cow, tree, etc do not differ from each other in essence. This is proved by the fact that they all have the common property of being gross and are preceptible by the senses.
Now, that which is neither of the above two, is described thus: ‘The Spirit is neither an evolute nor an evolvent.’ All this will be explained later on.

In order to establish the above proposition, the different kinds of proof (valid means of cognition) ought to be described A special definition cannot be framed without first framing the general definition. Therefore, common definitions of the means of right cognition follow: