satkaryavada

Indian philosophy

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Satkaryavada is a fundamental concept in Indian philosophy, particularly within the Samkhya and Yoga schools. It posits that the effect (karya) pre-exists in the cause (sat). This means that nothing new is ever created; rather, existing causes manifest into effects. For example, a pot (effect) is already present in the clay (cause) before it is shaped. This contrasts with the idea of asatkaryavada, which suggests that effects are entirely new and do not exist in the cause prior to their manifestation. Satkaryavada emphasizes a causal relationship where the potential for the effect is inherent in the cause itself.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Indian philosophy
The nature, origin, and structure of the world (prakriti)
…of causality known as the satkaryavada, according to which an effect is implicitly pre-existent in its cause prior to its production. This latter doctrine is established on the ground that if the effect were not already existent in its cause, then something would have to come out of nothing. The…
Read More
…of causality known as the satkaryavada, according to which an effect is implicitly pre-existent in its cause prior to its production. This latter doctrine is established on the ground that if the effect were not already existent in its cause, then something would have to come out of nothing. The…
Read More