Sāṃkhya Kārikā verse 15

भेदानां परिमाणात्, समन्वयात्, शक्तितः प्रवृत्तेश्च । कारणकार्यविभागात्, अविभागाद्वैश्वरूप्यस्य ॥ १५ ॥

bhedānāṃ parimāṇāt samanvayāt śaktitaḥ pravṛtteḥ ca |
kāraṇa-kārya-vibhāgāt-avibhāgāt-vaiśvarūpyasya ||

bheda - dividing, breaking, splitting, cleaving, rending, tearing, piercing; distinction, difference, kind, sort, species, variety; separation, division, partition, part, portionpariṇāma - transformation into; change, alteration, development, evolutionsamanvayāt - regular succession or order, connected sequence or consequence, conjunction, mutual or immediate connection; in consequence ofśakti - power, energy; ability, capability; strength; might, effortpravṛtti - activity, exertion, efficacy, function; finer cognition, special cognition, sensuous cognition; moving onwards, advance, progressca - andkāraṇa - cause, reason, the cause of anything; instrument, means; motive origin, principlekārya - an effect, result; to be made or done or practised or performed, practicable, feasible; to be caused to dovibhāga - distinctionavibhāga - no separation, no distinction betweenvaiśvarūpya - manifoldness, multiplicity, diversity

Commentaries and Reflections

Commentary by S Ramaswami:

bhedānām- The effect cannot go beyond the original cause.
parimāṇāt- Limited quantity, i.e. a potter cannot produce more pots than for the amount of clay.

However with the same amount he can produce a number of different types of pots.
i.e. Bhuddi, Ahaṃkāra, 5 Tanmātra, 5 Māha Bhūta , 11 Indriya.
—
If there is no original cause, as the Bhuddists say, how do you account for the limited number of products? Because the created world is limited.
—
samanavayat- To balance.
Taking special qualities and inferring an original cause.
—
śaktitaḥ-pravṛtteḥ- From the absence of any other quality, we infer that Pradhāna has the ability to produce. Functioning through energy.
—
kāraṇa- Cause. That which is capable of doing something.
kārya- Effect. That which has been produced.
—
avibhāgāt- Non separate.
It is possible for us to separate Cause and effect.
I.e. A pot can be used to hold milk, water, honey, etc…Whereas in its original state of clay it is inert. So it is different and yet has the same quality.
—
avibhāgāt- Now divide cause and effect to fund the original cause.
vaiśvarūpyasya- Th manifest universe. The 23 principles.

Because the end cannot be found in these, we have to infer that there is a final cause beyond them.
An independent original cause.