सत्त्वाच्चापरस्य ॥ १६ ॥
sattvāccāparasya || 16 ||
sattvāt—On account of (its) existing; ca—and; aparasya—of the posterior.
16. And on account of the posterior (i.e. the effect, which comes into being after the cause) existing (as the cause before creation).
The Sruti says that before creation the world had its being in the cause, Brahman, as one with It : “Verily in the beginning this was Self, one only” (Ait. Ar. 2. 4, 1. 1); “In the beginning, my dear, this was only existence” (Chh. 6. 2. 1). Now since before creation it was non-different from the cause, it continues to be so even after creation.