आत्मकृतेः परिणामात् ॥ २६ ॥
ātmakṛteḥ pariṇāmāt || 26 ||
ātmakṛteḥ—As it created Itself; pariṇāmāt—by undergoing modification.
26. (Brahman is the material cause of the world) because (the Sruti says that) It created Itself by undergoing modifications.
“That Itself manifested Itself” (Taitt. 2.7), which shows that Brahman alone created the world, out of Itself, which is possible only by undergoing modification. The word ‘Itself’ in the text shows that there was no other cause operating. The modification is apparent according to Sankara and real according to Ramanuja.