Mandukya Karika, verse 4.4

Text

भूतं न जायते किंचिदभूतं नैव जायते ।
विवदन्तो द्वया ह्येवमजातिं ख्यापयन्ति ते ॥ ४ ॥

bhūtaṃ na jāyate kiṃcidabhūtaṃ naiva jāyate |
vivadanto dvayā hyevamajātiṃ khyāpayanti te || 4 ||

4. The existent cannot (again) pass into (birth) existence. Nor can the non-existent be born or come into being as existent. Thus disputing among themselves, they, as a matter of fact, tend to establish the Advaita view and support the Ajāti or the absolute non-evolution (of what exists).

Shankara Bhashya (commentary)

What do they, by refuting each other’s conclusions and quarrelling among themselves, really establish? It is thūs replied:—No1 entity which is already in existence can again pass into birth. The reason is that as entity, it already exists. Ft is just like the Ātman, which already being in existence, cannot be born again as a new entity. Thus argues the supporter of evolution from non-ens (i.e., from a non-existing cause) and refutes the Sāṃkhya theory that an existing cause is born again as an effect. Similarly, the follower of the Sāṃkhya theory refutes the supporter of the non-ens view regarding creation by a non-existing cause. He declares that a non-existing2 cause, on account of its very non-existence, cannot, like the horns of a hare, produce an effect. Thus3 quarrelling among themselves, by supporting “existent” and “non-existent” causes, they refute theirs respective opponent’s views and declare, in effect, the truth that there is no creation at all.