कृतप्रयत्नापेक्षस्तु विहितप्रतिषिद्धावैयर्थ्यादिभ्यः ॥ ४२ ॥
kṛtaprayatnāpekṣastu vihitapratiṣiddhāvaiyarthyādibhyaḥ || 42 ||
kṛtaprayatna-apekṣaḥ—Depends on works done; tu—but; vihita-pratiṣiddha-avaiyarthyādibhyaḥ—on account of the relevancy of injunctions and prohibitions etc.
42. But (the Lord’s making the soul act) depends on works done (by it); (thus only would) injunctions and prohibitions etc. be relevant.
This Sutra refutes a possible doubt that since the Lord makes some persons do good and others evil, He must be cruel and whimsical. It says, that the Lord always directs the soul according to its good or bad deeds in previous births. And Samsara being without beginning, there will always be previous births, with actions done in them, for the guidance of the Lord. So He cannot be accused of being cruel and whimsical. It is thus alone that the scriptural injunctions and prohibitions can have any meaning; for otherwise the Jiva will gain nothing by observing these injunctions.
This does not however mar the independence of the Lord, though it may be said that since He depends on the acts of the soul, He is not free to do what He likes; for a king who presents or punishes His subjects according to their acts does not cease to be a sovereign thereby.