Critical Analysis of Satkāryavāda

Abstract: The question of cause and effect plays a vital role in both philosophy and science, as it helps in understanding ultimate reality, explaining knowledge, guiding ethical and moral principles, and framing laws and relations in scientific inquiries. According to Satkāryavāda, as propounded by Sāṅkhya Darśana, the effect already presents in the cause in an unmanifested form before it appears. This article critically analyses Satkāryavāda, highlighting its strength in explaining continuity and transformation in a way that resonates with the modern scientific law of conservation. At the same time, it examines criticisms from Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika and Buddhist traditions, which challenge its inability to fully explain novelty or new creation. While Satkāryavāda remains a significant and coherent theory of causation, the study concludes that it provides only a partial explanation of the theory of causation. Keywords: Satkāryavāda, Sāṅkhya cause-effect, Causation, Motion