SrimadBhagavatam Episode 169: Maharishi Kapila concludes his teaching; Devahuti extols Him

Maharishi Kapila continues,

“A single object can become the shelter for taste, form, quality. In other words it can be experienced differently based on the way it appeals to the different sense organs. The eye enjoys its beautiful colour, the tongue consider it delicious and so on. Similarly, the concept of a single God is explained differently by different scriptures.

Pujas, varied rituals, charities, penance, reciting Vedas, contemplating the meaning contained within Vedic statements, conquering senses, conquering mind, practicing the eight limbs of Yoga (ashtānga yoga), having intense devotional feelings towards the Lord (bhakti yoga), giving up fruitive actions (sarva karma sanyasa), travelling on either paths of dharma i.e. path of outward expansion (pravṛtti) or path of return (nivṛtti), discriminating between things permanent and impermanent in creation (nitya-anitya vastu viveka) and practice of absolute detachment are the various tools to realize the self-illuminating Supreme Lord, an embodiment of all auspiciousness and who is both with attributes (saguna) and without attributes (nirguna).

O Mother! I have explained to you the path of devotion (bhakti yoga) applicable to all the four types of living beings viz., ārtha, jigyāsa, arthārtha and jnānis.

I have also explained the form of time (kāla swaroopa), whose activities are impossible to comprehend and which, existing with the being, is actually responsible for transformations such as birth.

O Mother! Spiritual ignorance (ajnana) is the reason for the various activities of the individual. It is this ignorance that compels him to act. Experiencing the various stages, he is unable to realize his true essence. I have explained about this in totality.

O mother, this knowledge which I have imparted should never be preached to the wicked, foolish, arrogant, disinterested, agnostic and unrighteous persons. They will not be able to understand even if it is explained to them. It should never be given to a fraudster.

This knowledge should never be shared with a person who is deeply attached towards worldly comforts, to the householder whose mind is focused on sensual pleasures, to a non-devotee and to a person who loathes my devotees.

Śraddadhānāya bhaktāya vinītāyānasūyave bhūteṣu kṛta-maitrāya śuśrūṣābhiratāya ca

Bahir-jāta-virāgāya śānta-cittāya dīyatām nirmatsarāya śucaye yasyāhaṁ preyasāṁ priyaḥ

This should be taught to a person who is absolutely dedicated, humble, devoted, has no feelings of envy, is compassionate towards all forms of life, is desirous of performing Guru-seva, is disinterested in external worldly activities and who has a pure mind. This should be taught to a person who maintains external and internal purity. It should be taught to the person who loves Me the most.

Ya idaṁ śṛṇuyād amba śraddhayā puruṣaḥ sakṛt

Yo vābhidhatte mac-cittaḥ sa hy eti padavīṁ ca me

O Mother! The person who, fixing his mind completely upon Me, listens to this once with dedication or who teaches this to others will definitely reach My supreme abode known as liberation!

With this chapter thirty two of the third canto comes to an end.

Third Canto Chapter Thirty-three

In this chapter, Devahuti receiving this knowledge from the Supreme Lord who had incarnated as her son Kapila and her attaining liberation are detailed.

Maitreya Maharishi continued, “O Vidura! Devahuti, wife of Maharishi Kardama, with rapt attention and dedication heard everything that the Lord, in the form of her son Kapila, had taught to her thus far. By listening to this, the veil of ignorance that had clouded her intellect dissolved completely.

Maharishi Kapila is the foremost amongst siddhas who have propagated the knowledge of Prakriti- Puruśa (Nature-self). She offered her obeisance to Maharishi Kapila and prayed,

“O Kapila! When you were sleeping in the waters of dissolution, from your lotus navel Lord Brahma emerged. The 5 basic elements, senses, the subtle sensory perceptions, and the living beings exist within You. Your visible form is the seed for the existence of this entire universe, which is nothing but a flow of the trigunas. Immediately upon birth, Lord Brahma, meditated upon You.

You are the self-willed Lord. You are devoid of action. You are the Lord of all living entities. Your energies are unlimited and beyond imagination. You have, out of Your own will, divided Your infinite energy into sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas(ignorance) and through them are conducting Your activities of creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe.

O Lord! This entire creation rests in Your womb. At the end of creation, You will in the form of a small infant lay down on a banyan leaf sucking your big toe. How could it be possible for such Supreme Lord to enter into my womb? It is my greatest fortune that You were born to me.

In order to punish the wicked and to protect the devotees who abide by Your directives, You periodically incarnate. Just as Your incarnations such as Varāha have brought about the well-being of the creation, even this incarnation of Yours is intended for imparting the knowledge of the Self to those who are deeply desirous of liberation.

O Lord! Even if an illiterate, ignorant tribal hunter thinks of You once or chants Your divine name or offers obeisance to You just once, he becomes as respectful as a person who has performed plentiful Vedic rituals”.

For instance, uttering the words Hare Krishna or Jaya Guru Datta before beginning to speak, or while standing, sitting bestows auspicious results. Instead of saying ‘hello’ why can’t you say ‘Jaya Guru Datta’?

Pradyumnāya namah