The Tale and Teachings of Lord Brahmā, Version II
Book III, Chapter 8
10. At that time, this universe was immersed in water. Viṣṇu had closed His eyes—although His ability to perceive is never obscured—and was lying alone [upon the waters] on the bed of the king of serpents (Śeṣa), without exertion. He was waiting for the right time, and absorbed in the bliss of His own self.
11. With the subtle elements withdrawn within His body,1 Viṣṇu aroused His power (śakti) of Time, and remained upon those waters, His resting place, just like a fire concealed within wood, its potency remaining latent.
12. After sleeping on the waters for a thousand cycles of the four yugas, the blueprint for creation was revealed by His own power called Time, which had been stirred to action by Him. Then, Viṣṇu gazed on all the worlds dissolved in His body.
13. This matter within Him was agitated by the guṇa of rajas, which, in turn, had been activated by Time [in the form] of Viṣṇu’s glance permeating subtle matter. After it had been stirred, it manifested forth from the area of His navel.
14. Through the instigation of Time, which awakens karma, this matter sprang up suddenly in the form of a self-manifested calyx of a lotus, illuminating that vast expanse of water, like the sun.
15. Viṣṇu then entered that lotus. It was a manifestation of all the guṇas, and [contained] the universes. Within it, the one they call Svayambhū (Brahmā, the self-manifest one), the creator and the Veda personified, was manifest.
16. Seated on that lotus stem but not being able to see the worlds within it, Brahmā moved [his neck] around in space with strained eyes. As a result of this, he obtained four heads, one for each of the directions.
17. The lotus was surrounded by the waters buffeted by waves agitated by the winds which bring about the end of the cosmic cycles (yugas). Mounted upon it, that first among the celestials could not understand the nature of the worlds, nor even of his own self:
18. “Who am I, this person situated on the top of this lotus? And from where has this solitary lotus on the water come? There must be something existing here beneath it upon which it is resting.”
19. Deliberating in this way, the unborn Brahmā entered the waters through the fibers in the stalk of the lotus. Then he went down the rough lotus stalk, seeking its source, but could not find it.
20. As the unborn one was seeking his source in the absolute darkness, a long time passed by. Time is the weapon that generates fear in embodied beings and wastes away their life spans, O Vidura.
21. When his endeavor proved unsuccessful, the god desisted from this, and returned back to his resting place. He sat down, slowly controlled his breath, stilled his mind, and undertook the practice of the yoga of samādhi.2
22. After performing the practice of yoga for a period corresponding to a person’s life span, wisdom eventually dawned in Brahmā.3 Then, he saw in his heart the appearance of something that he had never seen before.
23. Brahmā saw a solitary Being lying in the waters [that fill up the universe] at the end of the yuga cosmic cycle on a couch made up of the coils of the vast cosmic serpent Śeṣa.4 Śeṣa was white as the lotus fiber, dispelling the darkness with the radiance from the jewels of his myriad hoods.
24. This Being surpassed the beautiful appearance of an emerald mountain with vast golden peaks; with garments of evening clouds; filled with flowers, herbs, waterfalls, and gems; garlanded by forest flowers, and with trees as feet and bamboos as arms.
25. His body, which enveloped the three worlds, could only be compared to itself in breadth and extension. The [beauty] of His various divine ornaments and garments was enhanced by [the beauty] of His bodily appearance.5
26. Out of grace, He displayed His feet, which were like lotuses, their charming leaflike toes separated by the luster of their moonlike nails. These feet fulfill all desires, and are worshipped through various practices by those people seeking to fulfill personal desires.
27. His face was welcoming, its smile removing the afflictions of the world. It was decorated with gleaming earrings, reddened by the reflection of His bimba–fruit colored lips, and had a beautiful nose and eyebrows.
28. He was beautifully adorned, with a garment golden as the filament of a kadamba flower, and with a belt around His waist, dear Vidura. He wore a priceless necklace and His beloved śrīvatsa6 on His chest.
29. He was like the most majestic of trees in creation, with roots in brahman,7 and branches in the form of His thousand arms covered by the choicest gems and valuable armlets, and in the form of shoots enveloped by the coils of the great serpent Śeṣa.
30. Bhagavān was like a great mountain, the abode of moving and non-moving entities. He was the companion of Śeṣa, who was immersed in the water, His thousand heads appearing like golden peaks of the mountain. The kaustubha gem that He wore was like a jewel from the mountain’s mines.
31. Hari was bedecked by a garland of forest flowers, which was made of His own glories, and which was beautified by the utterances of the Vedas in the form of swarms of bees. He could not be approached even by the celestial gods of the sun, moon, wind, and fire, and was unassailable, being encircled throughout the three worlds by His weapons.
32. At that same moment, lord Brahmā, the [future] creator of the universe, who had the know-how to create the worlds, also saw the lotus growing from the pond of Viṣṇu’s navel, along with his own self, the waters, the wind, the sky, and nothing else.
33. Influenced by rajas, the seed of action, Brahmā desired to create offspring, but he could only see the aforementioned things to be in existance. So, inclined toward the act of creation, he fixed his mind on Bhagavān, whose ways are mysterious, and glorified the Lord, who is praiseworthy.
Book III, Chapter 9
1. Brahmā said:
“I have realized you today, after a long period [of tapas]. It is lamentable that this Your nature, Bhagavān, is not known by embodied beings. Actually, there is nothing other than You—anything else is false. You appear to be manifold because of the mixture of the guṇas of māyā.
2. This form of Yours was manifest in the beginning out of compassion for the saintly, so as to reveal its nature as pure consciousness. It is eternally free from tamas, and it is the seed from which hundreds of avatāras manifest. I myself manifest from the lotus growing out of the navel region of this form.
3. O Supreme Being! I do not see anything higher than this form (svarūpa) of Yours; it is pure bliss, inconceivable, and of infinite radiance. It is the cause of the senses and sense objects, and the source of the universe, yet it transcends the universe. I take refuge in You.
4. You are the source of auspiciousness for the world! Perhaps this form was manifest in meditation (dhyāna) to bless we who are Your worshippers. Obeisance to You, Bhagavān! I submit to You! This form is spurned by the unrighteous who live a hellish life.
5. But You never depart from the lotus of the hearts of those people who imbibe through the channels of their ears the fragrance of Your lotus feet carried by the wind of the sacred texts.8 They cling to Your lotus feet with the highest bhakti.
6. For as long as people do not accept Your lotus feet, which bestow fearlessness, they are afflicted by greed, humiliation, unlimited desire, and lamentation caused by family, body, and possessions. They are also afflicted by the false notion of possessiveness, the root of all sorrow.
7. Those misfortunate people whose senses are averse to contact with Your Lordship, which removes all inauspiciousness, are worthy of compassion. Their minds overwhelmed by greed, they engage in deeds for some petty pleasure, which only lasts for a fleeting moment, and which always ends up being counterproductive.
8. O Viṣṇu! My mind becomes despondent upon observing beings incessantly tormented by hunger, thirst, and the three humors,9 as well as by winter, summer, wind, and rain. They are also tormented by their mutual dealings among themselves because of the fire of lust, as well as anger, which is so difficult to bear, O Acyuta.
9. O Lord. As long as a person, due to the power of Bhagavān’s māyā, sees this body as existing for the purpose of sensual indulgence and as separate from You, he or she will not surpass this saṁsāra. Although it is ephemeral, saṁsāra causes abundant suffering as the fruit of action.
10. Even sages in this world are caught up in the cycle of saṁsāra, O Lord, because of being averse to connecting with You, and their endeavors are destroyed by Fate. Their minds filled with various desires, they engage their senses in the day with great frustration, and experience insomnia at night, their sleep interrupted constantly.
11. O Lord! The path to You for people is from the connection attained through hearing about You. You reside in the lotus hearts that are pervaded by bhakti yoga. Out of compassion for Your devotees, You appear in whatever form they meditate upon.
12. Out of compassion for all beings, although One entity, the Lord is situated as the internal ātman within all the various entities,10 although He cannot be attained by the unrighteous. But He is not pleased by the celestial hosts, whose hearts are bound up with material desires, even when worshipped with elaborate paraphernalia.
13. It is the adoration of You, Bhagavān that is the real purpose of acts by people, whether by means of worship, severe austerities, charity, ritual sacrifice, or other various deeds. Dharma which is offered to You is never vanquished.
14. I offer obeisance to You, O Supreme Īśvara! Your enjoyment and pastime (līlā-rāsa) is the cause of the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of this universe.11 You are the wisdom of intelligence by which the illusion of differences is evaporated. Your wonderful form (svarūpa) is eternal.
15. I revere Him, the unborn One. Those who recite His names, and the deeds and qualities of His avatāras, which resemble those of humans, at the moment of death, even if they do so unintentionally,12 immediately throw off the impurities of many lives and attain the fullness of immortality.”
[Brahmā continues to glorify Hari.]
26. Maitreya said:
“After having seen the source of his own self, by means of his austerity, wisdom, and samādhi, and after having glorified Him as far as words and thought can allow, Brahmā fell silent, as if exhausted.”
The Tale of Queen Devahūti: The Mystic Powers of Yoga
Yoga Blueprint
The story of sage Kardama and Queen Devahūti is noteworthy in its illustration of the mystic powers that accrue from intense meditational practices (a subject matter that occupies almost a quarter of the Yoga Sūtras). These powers are associated with asceticism throughout the entire history of Indic literature, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain, from the earliest Vedic textual sources right into the ongoing hagiographies of modern mystics. The classic eight mystic powers include prākāmya, the ability to fulfill one’s will, and īsitṛtva, the ability to control and rearrange the elements, which we see in this story in Kardama’s ability to create an aerial palace at will and fill it with desirable objects. Among other supernormal feats, he then expands himself into nine different forms (see Yoga Sūtras IV.4–5).
[Prologue: Kardama, a forest-dwelling ascetic, was offered the hand of Princess Devahūti, who had long been in love with him. He agreed to the marriage on the condition that as soon as she would beget a child, if she so wished, he would leave and take the vow of sannyāsa, the fourth stage of life as a wandering ascetic. Devahūti agreed to this condition.]
Book III, Chapter 23
1. Maitreya said:
“After her parents had departed, the chaste Devahūti, who was expert in reading the moods of her husband, served him constantly with love, just like Bhavānī (Pārvatī) served her husband, Lord Śiva.
2.–3. Dedicated and attentive, O Vidura, and renouncing desire, deceit, aversion, greed, sinfulness, and pride, Devahūti continuously satisfied her noble husband through her affection, service, and loving words offered with intimacy, purity of heart, respectfulness, and self-control.
4.–5. She was submissive and emaciated by observing vows over a long period, and was expecting great blessings from her husband who was more powerful than Destiny. From his side, with a voice trembling with love, and overwhelmed with affection, Kardama, foremost of the divine sages, spoke to Devahūti, the daughter of Manu, who had been so devoted.
6. Kardama said:
‘O daughter of Manu, now I have become pleased by your exceptional service and complete devotion. This body is very dear to embodied beings, but you have neglected it in renunciation for my sake. You have been very dedicated.
7. I now bestow upon you divine vision. See how I, dedicated to the pursuit of the goal of life, have obtained the Lord’s blessings by dint of my yogic practice, learning, samādhi,13 and austerities (tapas).14 You have attained those same blessings, through your service to me. These blessings lift one beyond fear and lamentation.
8. What is the use of other material achievements, which are repeatedly destroyed by the raising of the eyebrows of Lord Viṣṇu15 [that is, by Time]? You have attained perfection. Enjoy the divine fortunes you have earned from the performance of your dharma. These are hard to achieve by those types of men who have the perverse ambition of becoming kings.’
9. Kapila was versed in all the spiritual knowledge systems, and when Devahūti observed him speaking in this way, she became free of anxiety. Her smiling face beaming with bashful glances, she replied with her voice slightly choked with love and modesty.
10. Devahūti said:
‘Lord, best of the twice-born brāhmaṇas, naturally I already know that [all] this has been achieved by you, the master of mystic powers (yogamāyā). But offspring are a more precious gift to women who have been virtuous [than mystic powers]. Moreover, you once made the promise that one day we would unite intimately.
11. My mind is overwhelmed with love incited by you, but my body, which is full of sexual desire, is wasted and emaciated. Please make suitable arrangements in accordance with the scriptures16 so that it can be made attractive. And please create a suitable place [for our sexual union], my Lord.’”
12. Maitreya said:
“Then, O Vidura, Kardama, desiring the satisfaction of his beloved, situated himself in yogic meditation, and [with his yogic powers] created a flying palace that could travel according to one’s wish.17
13. It was a celestial palace that fulfilled all desires. It was replete with all kinds of gems, adorned with pillars of jewels, and generated all types of wealth and prosperity.
14.–15. It was filled with celestial paraphernalia, and was pleasant in all seasons. It was decorated with a variety of ribbons and banners; resplendent with fabrics, assorted linens, silks, and fine cloth; and there were bees inside buzzing about beautiful wreaths and exotic garlands.
16. It was constructed with different levels placed one on top of the other. The place was delightful, with seats, fans, couches, and beds placed here and there.
17. It was adorned with various types of artwork placed all about, and was magnificent with emerald floors and coral daises.
18. Resplendent with doors inset with diamonds and with coral thresholds at the entranceway, the palace was crowned with golden urns on its sapphire turrets.
19. It was designed with very valuable arched doorways of gold, and had assorted canopies built into the walls. These walls were inset with diamonds and rubies that looked like eyes.
20. It echoed here and there with the cooing of flocks of pigeons and swans. These kept flying up again and again, mistaking artificial [birds] to be their own kind.
21. Kardama was himself astonished by its pleasure grounds, resting places, bedchambers, courtyards, and patios, all designed to delight!
22. Kardama, who knew the minds of all creatures,18 addressed himself to his wife, who was staring at this spectacular house, her mind ill at ease.
23. ‘Bathe in this lake, O timid Devahūti, and then ascend into this palace. It is a sacred place created by Viṣṇu and fulfills the wishes of human beings.’
24. The lotus-eyed Devahūti, who was wearing dusty clothes and whose hair was matted, accepted the words of her husband.
25. Her body was covered with dirt and her breasts were speckled with grime. She entered the sacred pure waters of the Sarasvatī river.
26. Within a building inside the lake, she saw ten thousand young girls who were all youthful and as fragrant as lotuses.
27. When they saw Devahūti, the women immediately rose up and addressed her with folded hands: ‘We are your maidservants. Instruct us as to what we can do for you.’
28. The respectful women bathed the wise Devahūti with costly bathing paraphernalia, and offered her new, spotless, fine-quality cloth.
29. They gave her exquisite, valuable shiny ornaments. They fed her with foodstuffs of every flavor, and gave her an inebriating nectar drink.
30. After this, Devahūti saw herself [in a mirror]: she was clean, wearing spotless garments and a garland, receiving great honor from the maidservants, and blessed by the gods.
31. Bathed and with washed hair, she was decorated with all kinds of ornaments, bracelets, tinkling golden ankle bells, and a golden necklace.
32. She was adorned with a golden girdle decorated with jewels placed over her hips, a pearl necklace, and golden ornaments of great value.
33. She had beautiful teeth and eyebrows, and her eyes, which rivaled the lotus, had slightly moist corners. Her face was glowing with bluish curls.
34. As soon as she thought of her beloved husband, the best of sages, she immediately found herself with her thousand maidservants in the very place where Kardama was to be found.
35. Upon observing her husband before her and the thousand maidservants accompanying her, Devahūti fell into a state of confusion from witnessing his display of yogic power.
36. Devahūti had been bathed clean, and her lovely breasts covered. Unlike her previous condition, she now appeared effulgent, revealing her original beauty.
37. She was beautifully dressed and was being served by the thousand celestial females. Love arose in the benevolent Kardama, and he brought Devahūti to the palace.
38. Kardama’s [yogic] glory was not dissipated in that palace, even though he was devoted to his beloved and received personal service from the celestial damsels.19 He was as effulgent as the beautiful moon, lord of the rows of blooming night lotuses, surrounded by stars in the sky.
39. Praised by the siddhas, perfected beings,20 he enjoyed for a long time in that palace in the valleys of Meru, king of the mountains. Delightful with breezes, which are the friends of Cupid, and the auspicious sounds of the Gaṅgā river’s descent,21 these valleys were the pleasure grounds of the celestial guardians of the eight directions. Surrounded by groups of damsels, Kardama resembled Kuvera, treasurer of the celestials.
40. Fully satisfied, he enjoyed with his wife in the celestial gardens of Vaiśrambhaka, Surasana, Nandana, Puṣpabhadraka, Caitrarathya, and in the celestial Mānasa lake.
41. Moving like the wind through the realms of the universe in that magnificent and resplendent palace, which could travel at his will, Kardama outdid the celestials in their vehicles.
42. What is there that is difficult to attain for those people whose minds are controlled? They take shelter at Kṛṣṇa’s feet, which remove distress.
43. After showing his wife the extent of the wondrous sphere of the universe with all its manifestations, the great yogī returned to his āśrama.
44. Kardama divided his body into nine forms and gave sexual pleasure to his beautiful wife, the daughter of Manu, who was eager for sexual pleasure. They enjoyed for many years; but these passed as if in an instant.
45. Reclining in that palace in the company of her very handsome husband on a magnificent bed, which enhanced sexual pleasure, Devahūti was not aware of the passing of Time.
46. In this manner, through the power of yoga, one hundred years went by in the twinkling of an eye for the couple who were enjoying themselves, eager for sexual pleasure.
47. The powerful Kardama, knower of the ātman and knower of everyone’s desires, considered Devahūti as his other half. He divided himself into nine personal forms and deposited his semen in Devahūti.
48. Consequently, Devahūti gave birth that very day to nine female babies. They were delightful in every limb, and as fragrant as the red lotus.
49. Seeing her husband setting out to leave home [as per their agreement22], Devahūti, who desired [a son] was smiling externally, but inside her heart was agitated with distress.
50. Her face downcast, she scratched the ground with her foot, with its beautiful jewel-like nails, and spoke sweetly with her charming voice, holding back her tears.
51. Devahūti said:
‘Everything that you promised me, my Lord, I have received. Nonetheless, dedicated as I am to you, kindly provide me with security.
52. O brāhmaṇa, your daughters will find suitable husbands for themselves. But there should be someone to free me from anxiety when you set out for the forest.
53. Enough of wasting so much of my time in attachment to sense indulgence. [On account of this], I had given up [seeking] the Supreme Soul, my lord.
54. Attached to you, I indulged in sense gratification, ignorant of your higher nature. Despite this, please bestow fearlessness upon me.
55. Attachment, when placed in unrighteous people out of ignorance, is the cause of saṁsāra; but when placed in the righteous, it leads to nonattachment.23
56. A person whose work in this world does not lead to dharma, or to detachment, or to the service of Viṣṇu, is actually as good as dead, even though living.
57. I am surely such a person: I have been utterly deceived by the Lord’s illusion (māyā) because, despite obtaining you, the giver of liberation, I did not desire liberation from bondage.’”
Book III, Chapter 24
1. Maitreya said:
“The compassionate sage, remembering what had previously been declared by Viṣṇu,24 replied to the praiseworthy daughter of Manu, who was speaking despondently in this way.
2. The sage said:
‘Do not torment yourself in this manner, O princess: you are blameless. The infallible Lord will shortly enter your womb.
3. May you be blessed: you have been firm in your vows. Worship Īśvara with faith, charity, wealth, austerities, moral observances (niyama),25 and sense control.
4. Viṣṇu, as your son, will spread my fame. Worshipped by you, [He will impart to you] teachings on the subject of Brahman and cut the knot in your heart.’”26
5. Maitreya said:
“With great respect, Devahūti fully trusted the advice of Kardama, who was one of the prajāpatis.27 She worshipped the Supreme Soul (puruṣa), who is the most worthy of worship.
6. After the passing of many moons, the Lord, Madhusūdana [Viṣṇu]28 entered into the seed of Kardama and took birth from Devahūti, like fire from wood.
7. At that time, hosts of clouds and musical instruments resounded in the sky. Celestial gandharvas sang and apsarās danced joyfully.29
8. Divine flowers fell, thrown by celestials traveling in the heavens,30 and everything became pure: the directions, the waters, and people’s minds.
9. Brahmā, along with sages such as Marīci,31 arrived at the location of Kardama’s āśrama, which was encircled by the Sarasvatī river.
10. Brahmā, who is unborn and self-manifest,32 knew that the Supreme Godhead had taken birth through His pure partial manifestation.33
11. Offering homage to Lord Viṣṇu with pure mind, his spirits enlivened because of that which the Lord intended to do [teach the truths of Sāṅkhya], Brahmā spoke as follows to Kardama.
12. Brahmā said:
‘I have been fully honored by you without offense, my dear Kardama. You are respectful to others and have respected my instruction that I previously imparted to you.
13. Sons should perform service to the father in exactly this manner. One should accept the words of the guru with gravity, saying: “This will definitely be done.”
14. These chaste daughters of yours with beautiful waists, dear Kardama, will certainly increase this creation manifold with their own progeny.
15. Therefore, bestow your daughters in marriage today, according to their wishes and personalities, to the best of the sages, and thereby spread your fame throughout the world.
16. O sage, I know that the original Person [Viṣṇu] has incarnated by His own power and assumed a body as Kapila, a treasure trove for all beings.
17. He has golden hair, lotus eyes, and lotus feet marked with the lotus.34 By means of yoga, wisdom, and knowledge, He will pull out the roots of action performed in ignorance.35
18. He, Viṣṇu, the destroyer of the demon Kaitabha,36 has entered your womb, O Devahūti, daughter of Manu. After cutting your knot of doubt and illusion, He will wander over the earth.
19. This son will be known in the world as Kapila, and will be highly esteemed by the great teachers of the Sāṅkhya knowledge system.37 He will wander about spreading your fame.’”
20. Maitreya said:
“After encouraging the couple, Brahmā, ‘the Swan,’38 the creator of the Universe, returned on his swan carrier back to his abode, the highest place in the three realms,39 accompanied by the four Kumāras40 along with Nārada.41
21. O Vidura, Kardama, who received instructions from Brahmā in this way, did as had been instructed. After Brahmā had departed, he bestowed his daughters to the progenitors of the universe.42
[…]
26. When Kardama understood that Viṣṇu, chief of the gods, had incarnated, he approached Him in private, offered Him homage, and addressed Him:
27. ‘At last, after a long time the gods are definitely pleased with those who are burning in hell due to their own misdeeds.43
28. Ascetics in secluded places strive to see God’s feet by means of pure concentration (samādhi) in undeviating yoga practice that has matured over many births.44
29. That same Supreme Bhagavān has today taken birth in the homes of vulgar folk such as us. Disregarding our offenses, He nourishes the aspirations of His devotees.
30. Bhagavān broadcasts the fame of His devotees. You have incarnated in my house desiring to establish the knowledge [of Sāṅkhya philosophy] and fulfill Your promise truthfully.
31. [Although] You are without [material] forms, whatever forms please Your devotees are pleasing to You, O Bhagavān!45
32. I offer homage to You. Even Your footstool46 is always worthy of worship by sages desiring to understand the Truth. You possess complete beauty, potency, knowledge, fame, renunciation, and power.47
33. I offer respects to You, Kapila. Your power manifests simply by dint of Your own will. You are the maintainer of the worlds, and You are the three guṇas.48 Through Your intelligence You absorb the material manifestation back into Your own self. You are the Supreme Person, the creation, cosmic Intelligence, Time, and the wise Seer of Truth.
34. Today I am submitting a request to You, O Lord of beings: following the path of the roaming ascetics, I wish to wander forth, free from sorrow, connected to You in my heart. All my obligations have been erased by You, and all my desires fulfilled.’
35. The Lord said:
‘Whatever is spoken by Me in worldly or spiritual matters is authoritative for people in the world. This is the reason for My taking birth in your family: to fulfill what I previously told you, O sage.
36. This birth of Mine in this world is to reestablish the teachings of Sāṅkhya—the analysis of the ingredients of material reality. This knowledge in the matter of self-realization is highly esteemed by those desiring liberation from the subtle body.49
37. This path toward realization of the soul is difficult to understand, and so had disappeared, lost due to the passing of the ages. Please know that I have assumed this body in order to reestablish it.50
38. Go as you please, with My approval. Overcome Death, which is so hard to overcome, by dedicating all your actions to Me; worship Me to [attain] the state of immortality.
39. I am self-luminous, the hidden refuge within all beings. Without anxieties, you will perceive Me, the [Supreme] Ātman, in [your own] ātman through the ātman.51 At that time you will attain the state of fearlessness.
40. I will impart spiritual knowledge, which puts an end to all karma, to My mother. By this knowledge, she will overcome fear.’”
41. Maitreya said:
“Kardama, the progenitor of species (prajāpati), addressed in this way by Kapila, circumambulated Him,52 and joyfully set out for the forest.
42. The sage, fixed in the vow of silence and absorbed in the ātman, wandered forth over the earth, without any company, without residence, and neglecting the sacred ritualistic fire.53
43. He fixed his mind on Brahman, which is beyond the real and unreal.54 Although it itself is devoid of the guṇa qualities (sattva, rajas, tamas), yet it is through Brahman that the guṇas are manifest.55 It can be experienced only by exclusive devotion.56
44. Kardama was without ego, without sense of ownership, beyond all dualities,57 perceiving all beings equally, and the seer of his own inner self. He was fixed, his mind peacefully turned inward, like an ocean whose waves are calm.58
45. Freed from the bonds of (saṁsāra), he realized his own self by means of the highest devotion to God, Vāsudeva, the omniscient inner Soul.
46. He saw God, Bhagavān, as the Supreme Soul situated within all beings, and all beings within Bhagavān, the Supreme Soul.
47. With his mind free from desire and aversion, and seeing everything equally, Kardama attained the divine destination by engaging in devotion to God.”
The Teachings of Lord Kapila: Sāṅkhya Yoga
Yoga Blueprint
The result of the union between Kardama and Devahūti is the birth of Kapila, an incarnation of Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa informs us in the Bhagavad Gītā (IV.7–8) that He descends into the world, among other reasons, to reestablish dharma. This is the bhakti notion of avatāra, the incarnating of Viṣṇu into the world in times of need. Of particular relevance to Yoga, however, is that tradition recognizes Kapila as the original expounder of the Sāṅkhya system of philosophy.59 Yoga operates within the metaphysical contours provided by the Sāṅkhya principles—indeed, while later tradition pairs Sāṅkhya and Yoga as “sister schools,” earlier sources, including the Gītā (V.4–5) consider them one and the same—Sāṅkhya providing the metaphysics, and Yoga the practices relevant to liberating the soul, ātman/puruṣa, from the world of matter, prakṛti.60
Kapila’s instructions to his mother represent classic Yoga teachings embedded in the highly devotionalized context of bhakti. This section contains some of the most important core teachings of the Bhāgavata: many of the verses illustrating the teachings of bhakti in part 1 are found in these instructions. Particularly noteworthy are the teachings on the experience of birth, as well as on the process of dying and the fate awaiting those who have squandered their human life after the moment of death.
Book III, Chapter 25
1. Śaunaka spoke:
“Although He Himself is actually unborn, Kapila, who is Bhagavān in person, took birth through His spiritual potency as the expounder of Sāṅkhya philosophy, so as to impart knowledge of the ātman to mankind.
2. My life force61 is never satiated from repeatedly hearing about the Lord of the Vedas.62 He is the best of men, and the foremost of all yogīs.
3. Please narrate to me whatever deeds the Lord performed through His own potency and out of His inherent free will. I am a faithful soul, and these deeds are praiseworthy.”
4. Sūta replied:
“At this, feeling pleased at being requested in this way about metaphysical subjects, the noble Maitreya, the friend of Vyāsa, proceeded to speak the following words to Vidura.”
5. Maitreya said:
“After His father had set out for the forest, Lord Kapila resided there in that forest of Bindusara, desiring to please His mother, Devahūti.
6. One day, remembering the words of Brahmā, the creator, Devahūti asked her son, when He was sitting leisurely, to disclose the highest path to Truth.”
7. Devahūti said:
“I am completely disgusted with the illusory thirst for sense pleasure, O Lord. I have fallen into a state of darkest ignorance, O Master.
8. You are the guide over that dense darkness of ignorance (tamas), which is so difficult to overcome. By Your grace, today, after many births, I have gained my eye of Truth.
9. Your Lordship is truly the Primeval God, the Supreme Īśvara of humankind. You are the eye of the world, which is blinded by ignorance (tamas). You are like the risen sun [which dispels darkness].
10. This impediment in this life—the notion of ‘I,’ ‘me,’ and ‘mine’ [the ego]—was created by You.63 Therefore, it is You, O Lord, who should dispel my illusion.
11. I offer homage to You. You are the supreme Knower of the real goal of life. I desire to know about [the relationship between] puruṣa and prakṛti (spirit and matter). I have submitted myself to You for refuge, because You are worthy of refuge. You are the axe [that cuts] the tree of saṁsāra for Your dependents.”
12. Maitreya said:
“Kapila, His handsome face gently smiling, listened to the faultless request of His mother, and welcomed it in His mind. A request such as this advances the goal of liberation for saintly people who are self-controlled.”
13. The Lord said:
“I hold the Yoga system directed toward the ātman to be the highest goal for humankind. From this comes the ultimate detachment from happiness and distress.
14. Today, I will explain to you that same Yoga system that I imparted of old,64 O sinless lady, inclusive of all its limbs (sarva-aṅga).65 This is the yoga of the sages who are eager to hear.
15. Consciousness is considered to be [inclined] toward either bondage or liberation. Attached to the guṇas [it experiences] bondage; on the other hand, devoted to the Supreme Person, [it experiences] liberation.66
16. When the mind is freed from the impurities of desire and greed, etc., which are produced from the false notion of ‘I,’ ‘me,’ and ‘mine,’ it becomes pure, equipoised, and transcends happiness and distress.
17. When this occurs, a person [realizes] the soul as autonomous, transcendent to prakṛti, eternal, self-effulgent, minute, and indivisible.
18. When consciousness is immersed in knowledge and renunciation as well as devotion, one realizes that prakṛti acts with indifference;67 through this realization, its power is dispelled.
19. There is no auspicious path for yogīs to attain Brahman that is comparable to the practice of bhakti to Bhagavān, who is the Universal Soul.
20. The sages know that it is attachment that is the ever-present snare of the soul. Yet, when directed to the sādhus (ascetics), attachment opens the door to liberation.68
21. The virtues69 of a sādhu are tolerance, compassion, friendship toward all beings, holding no enemies, and peacefulness.
22. Sādhus perform staunch bhakti to Me with undeviating minds. For My sake, they have abandoned all actions, and they have renounced family and friends.
23. Fully absorbed in Me, they hear and narrate the relishable narratives of My activities. The various sufferings [of the world] do not afflict them, since their consciousness is absorbed in Me.
24. These sādhus, O virtuous lady, are free of all attachments—indeed, they themselves remove the faults of attachment [from others]. So you should aspire for their association.
25. From association with saints, the realization of My power arises. These narratives of My activities become pleasing to the ears and the heart. By enjoying them, faith, love, and devotion quickly manifest consecutively on the path to liberation.
26. By means of bhakti and the contemplation of My creations, a person experiences the arising of detachment from sensual pleasure—whether pleasure experienced in the past or heard about in scripture.70 Engaged on the path of yoga, and intent on the control of the mind, such a person will persevere with correct yogic practices.
27. Such a person, through not dedicating himself or herself to the guṇas of prakṛti, but rather through dedication to knowledge, the cultivation of detachment, yoga focused on Me, and bhakti, attains Me, while still in this world. I am the innermost Soul.”
28. Devahūti said:
“What type of bhakti to You is optimal, and what should my sense activity be, by means of which I can easily attain Your abode, nirvāṇa?71
29. O You who are the essence of nirvāṇa, what is the nature of that Yoga centered on Bhagavān that You previously spoke about?72 How many limbs of yoga (yoga-aṅgas) are there, by which [one attains] an understanding of Truth?
30. Explain those to me, a woman,73 O Lord, such that I can easily understand that which is difficult to understand by your grace. My understanding of such things is limited.”
31. Maitreya said:
“After understanding the intention of His mother in this way, Kapila felt love for her—He had, after all, taken birth from her body. So He spoke to her about the knowledge of Truth transmitted down [through the ages] that they call Sāṅkhya, as well as about the yoga of the various forms of bhakti.”
32.–33. The Lord said:
“Bhakti to Bhagavān has no cause. It consists of sattva in the activities of the senses74 and it includes the performance of action prescribed by scripture. It is the natural state of the mind when it is fixed [on God], and is more profound than [conventional] liberation. Bhakti dissolves the subtle body quickly,75 just like the digestive fire burns food that has been eaten.
34. The bhāgavata devotees associate among each other and celebrate My deeds [when I incarnate in the world]. Their endeavors are devoted to Me, and they are satisfied in serving My feet.76 Some of them do not desire to attain oneness with Me.77
35. These saints, O mother, perceive My beautiful Divine forms, with their reddish eyes78 and smiling faces, and they converse with them with pleasing words. These forms bestow blessings.
36. Bhakti leads those whose hearts and life forces have been captivated by those forms to My subtle abode,79 even if they did not desire this. These forms have captivating limbs, sweet words, smiling glances, and perform wondrous pastimes.
37. I am the Lord of māyā, but these saints do not desire My majesty, nor Godly opulence,80 nor the power that ensues from the eight-limbed path of yoga,81 nor the beauty of the Supreme.82 They nonetheless attain all these in My abode.83
38. O mother, you are the embodiment of peacefulness. Those who place Me as the Supreme will never perish, and My weapon, the ever-vigilant Time, does not destroy them. For such people, I am their intimate soul, the son, friend, teacher, well-wisher, and beloved deity.
39.–40. They have renounced this world, as well as that world beyond [the celestial realms],84 and the [subtle] body that travels between both of them. In this world they have renounced everything—friends and family, wealth, livestock, and household—and they worship Me alone, the all-observing Godhead, with exclusive devotion. I take these devotees to the place beyond death.
41. The oppressing fear [of death] cannot be removed by any means other than by I Myself, Bhagavān, the Īśvara of puruṣa and prakṛti, and Supreme Ātman of all beings.
42. Out of fear of Me, the wind blows, out of fear of Me, the sun burns, and out of fear of Me, Indra85 makes the rain pour and Death perform its task.
43. Immersed in knowledge and renunciation and engaged in bhakti yoga, the yogīs fearlessly take shelter of My feet for deliverance.
44. The mind fixed on Me through the ardent practice of bhakti yoga becomes steady. It is only in this manner that ultimate perfection manifests in people in this world.”
Book III, Chapter 26
[We have omitted this chapter as it includes a highly technical and theistic rendition of the evolution of the Sāṅkhya metaphysical categories.]
Book III, Chapter 27
1. The Lord said:
“Although situated in prakṛti, the soul is not affected by the guṇas of prakṛti. This is because it is unchanging, is not an agent, and is transcendent to the guṇas. It is like the sun [reflected] on the water86 [which remains unchanged although its reflection in the water may appear to change].
2. When this soul is absorbed in the guṇas of prakṛti, deluded by the ego,87 it thinks: ‘I am the doer.’
3. Because of this, one enters the state of saṁsāra against one’s will, and is frustrated. As a result of becoming entangled with the negative consequences of action,88 one [finds himself] in good, bad, or mixed births.
4. Although the objects do not actually exist89—just like the appearance of misfortunes in a dream—saṁsāra nonetheless does not cease for one who contemplates the objects of the senses.
5. Therefore, by the intense practice of bhakti yoga, one should gradually make the mind, which has been attached to the path of illusion, indifferent [to the objects of the senses], and bring it under control.
6. Endowed with faith, one should [bring the mind under control] by practicing the principles of yoga—the yamas (moral precepts), etc.,90 and listening to narratives about Me with real affection for Me.
7. Detached, [one should control the mind] by equanimity to all creatures, by being hostile to none, by celibacy, by silence, and by the performance of one’s duty which has become more powerful [by being offered to God].
8. The sage is satisfied with whatever comes spontaneously. He is measured in eating, dwells in a solitary place, and is peaceful, friendly, compassionate, and self-possessed.
9. By dint of knowledge and perceiving the reality of prakṛti and puruṣa, he does not create false attachments to this body and its relationships.
10. Transcending the states of the intelligence91 and renouncing all other conceptions, the seer of the self realizes the self by means of the self,92 as clearly as one sees the sun with one’s eyes.
11. He perceives it as distinct from the subtle body, a reflection of the real in the unreal.93 It is the true existent, the friend, the perceiver of that which is nonreal and nondual, and it is that which pervades all reality.
12. This is just like when one’s reflection in water is seen by one standing on land. It is like the sun which is perceived through its reflection situated in a body of water although it itself is situated in the heavens.
13. In this way, the threefold ego [in sattva, rajas, and tamas] is characterized by its reflections made of the mind, senses, and physical body. It is through this ego, which contains the reflection of the truth, that the ātman, the seer, is realized.94
14. When the gross and subtle elements, mind, and intelligence, etc., are merged in prakṛti during sleep, the seer remains awake, free of ego.
15. At the time of deep sleep, when the ego has ceased to function, the seer falsely thinks that the self has ceased to be, although it has not ceased to be, just like a person who is afflicted when his or her wealth has been lost.
16. Contemplating this, one realizes that the one who is the support and animator of all things including the ego, is the ātman.”
17. Devahūti said:
“O brāhmaṇa, prakṛti can never free the puruṣa, because of the mutual interdependence of the two of them since beginningless time.
18. Just as the existence of smell can never be separate from the element of earth, or taste from water, so in the same way the intelligence (buddhi) can never be separated from the higher self, the ātman.
19. How can liberation occur while the guṇas are still active? The bondage of karma envelops the passive puruṣa within them.
20. Sometimes, through contemplation on the true nature of reality, the great fear [of saṁsāra] can be curbed somewhat. But because its cause has not ceased, it again reappears.”
21.–23. Śrī Bhagavān said:
“By performing one’s dharma with a pure mind without attachment to the results; by intense bhakti to Me over a long period of time nourished with hearing about Me; by knowledge, which perceives the true nature of the world; by strong detachment; by the practices of yoga performed with austerity (tapas); and by intense concentration on the ātman, prakṛti, which engulfs the puruṣa day and night, gradually disappears, just like the wooden kindling stick that produces fire becomes consumed [by the fire].
24. Prakṛti’s imperfections have been experienced so many times, and she has been renounced in the past after her sensual pleasures (bhoga) have been exhausted. At this point, she can no longer create imperfections for the ātman, which is now situated in its own glory.
25. This is just like a dream, which brings many inauspicious images to a sleeping mind, yet is not able to cause delusion for one who is awake.
26. In the same way, prakṛti can never cause harm for one who has seen the nature of reality, whose mind is fixed on Me, and who delights in the ātman.
27. After a period of many lifetimes, the sage who delights in his own ātman in this manner is completely detached from everything up to the highest celestial realm of Brahmā.
28.–29. My bhakta, awakened to his true purpose, easily attains by My abundant grace his own ultimate nature, perfection, known as liberation (kaivalya) even while still in this world. When he has become detached from the subtle body, the yogī is fixed and his doubts are destroyed by dint of directly perceiving his true nature. After attaining this, he never returns [to the world of saṁsāra].
30. When the mind of the perfected yogī is not attracted by the powers accumulated from yoga practice, which is the only way of acquiring them, then he attains My ultimate destination, My dear mother, and death can no longer gloat.”
Book III, Chapter 28
1. Śrī Bhagavān said:
“I will describe to you the characteristics of sabīja yoga, O princess [when the mind is fixed undeviating on an object].95 By this practice, the mind becomes joyful, and undoubtedly attains the path to Truth.
2. It includes: performing one’s duties (dharma) to the best of one’s capabilities, refraining from unrighteousness, contentment with what is obtained by Providence, worshipping the feet of those who know the ātman.96
3. Giving up mundane dharma and attraction to the dharma of liberation,97 the moderate intake of pure foodstuffs, and living always in a solitary peaceful place.
4. One should practice nonviolence (ahiṁsā), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), and adopt only as many possessions as required (yāvadartha-parigrahaḥ). One should practice celibacy (brahmacarya), austerity (tapaḥ), cleanliness (śauca), study (svādyāya), and worship the Supreme Being (Puruṣārcana).98
5. Observing silence, one should become fixed [in a sitting posture] by mastering the appropriate āsanas, gradually mastering breath control (prāṇa-jaya), and practicing withdrawal of the senses from sense objects (pratyāhāra), with the mind fixed on the heart.
6. One should fix the breath on one of the cakras (subtle energy centers)99 of the body with one’s mind. One should contemplate the activities of Lord Viṣṇu and become absorbed (samādhāna) in that way.
7. By these and other processes, alert, and with controlled breath, one should gradually fix one’s mind, which is prone to corrupt and unspiritual ways, with one’s intelligence.
8. Once one has mastered āsana one should establish a seat (āsana)100 in a clean place, and, sitting comfortably with the body erect, one should perform practice.
9. One should cleanse the passageway of the air by performing pūra-kumbhaka-recaka breath restraints101 or by the reverse processes, such that the mind (citta) can become fixed and undistracted.
10. The mind of the yogī whose breath is controlled should soon become purified, just as iron, [melted by] fire and fanned by wind, releases its impurities.
11. By prāṇāyāma one can burn imperfections;102 by dhāraṇā, one’s sins; by pratyāhāra, contact with sense objects; and by dhyāna, ungodly tendencies.
12. When one’s mind is perfectly controlled by the practice of yoga, with one’s gaze fixed on the tip of the nose,103 one should meditate on the form of Bhagavān.
13. He has pleasing lotuslike features, with reddish eyes like the interior of a lotus, and is dark like the petals of the blue lotus. He bears a conch, discus, and club.
14. His shiny silken garments are yellow like the filament of a lotus, the kaustubha jewel adorns His neck, and the mark of śrīvatsa His chest.104
15. His neck is encircled by a forest garland with intoxicated humming bees swarming about it, and He is adorned by a magnificent necklace, bracelets, helmet, armlets, and anklets.
16. His hips are adorned with a brilliantly shining girdle, and He is seated in the lotus of the heart. His countenance is serene and He has the most beautiful appearance, gladdening the eyes and the mind.
17. He is eternally gorgeous to behold, and is worshipped by the entire universe. He has the youthful vigor of the prime of youth, and is anxious to bestow His blessings upon His devotees.
18. The glories of this exalted person are worthy of recitation in hymns, and bring renown to pious people [who glorify Him]. One should perform meditation (dhyāna) upon the entire form of the Lord, until the mind no longer deviates.
19. The activities of the Lord are always attractive. Therefore, with the mind full of pure love, one should meditate upon Him in the core of one’s heart as standing, walking, sitting, or lying down.
20. When the mind has attained fixed concentration focused on all His limbs together, the sage should then visualize and fix the mind on Bhagavān’s respective limbs, one by one.”
[A detailed visualization of each of Bhagavān’s limbs follows here.]
34. A person, at this point, with heart flowing with love for the Lord, Hari, Bhagavān; with hair standing on end from ecstasy; and constantly overwhelmed with streams of tears from intense love, gradually withdraws the hook of the citta.105
35. At this stage, the mind suddenly attains liberation (nirvāṇa), and enters the state of freedom, detached and without objects, like the flame of a lamp [when it is extinguished]. Freed from the flow of the guṇas, one now perceives the ātman, fully manifest and autonomous.
36. The yogī, as a result of this supreme dissolution of the mind, becomes situated in the wonders of the ātman. Attaining the nature of the higher self, the yogī realizes that the cause of the experiences of pleasure and pain (duḥkha) that one had previously attributed to one’s own self, were actually occurring in the ahaṅkāra, which has no ultimate and enduring reality.
37. The highest yogī, who has realized his or her own true nature as ātman, is not aware of whether the body is sitting or standing, or whether, by chance, it has reached somewhere or else departed under the control of Fate, just like one who is blinded by intoxication is not aware of whether one is covered by clothing or not.
38. The body along with its life airs remains under the control of Fate for as long as its karma, which has already been activated, has not expired.106 But the yogī who has attained samādhi and awakened to the reality of things does not again accept it or its expansions as real, but rather as just a dream.
39. Just as a mortal being is seen as different from sons and wealth, even though they are considered to be one’s own, so is the case with the puruṣa, which is seen as different from the body and its extensions.
40.–41. Just as fire is different from the firebrand and the sparks and smoke produced from it—it is in fact different even from the very firebrand that is considered identical to it, so the ātman, who is the seer, is different from the sense objects, senses, and internal organ. And Bhagavān, who is known as Brahman, is different both from prakṛti and from that which is called jīva.
42. One should see all beings in the ātman and the ātman in all beings, by dint of the fact that all beings have the same nature within the material elements.
43. Just as fire, although one, appears different according to its sources, so the ātman situated in prakṛti appears different due to the diversity in its embodiments [but is one].
44. Therefore, after transcending one’s own prakṛti, which is divine and very hard to comprehend, and which has the nature of cause and effect, one becomes situated in one’s own true nature.
Book III, Chapter 29
1.–2. Devahūti said:
“You have described the characteristics of mahat (cosmic intelligence)107 etc., and of prakṛti and puruṣa and the higher nature of these two as outlined in the Sāṅkhya traditions. Now please tell me about their root, the path of bhakti yoga. Describe this to me in detail, O Lord.
3. Narrate the various destinations in saṁsāra of the embodied jīvas. From hearing about these complete detachment can arise in the puruṣa, O Lord.
4. Please tell me about that manifestation of Īśvara called Time, which is the controller of even the higher celestials. It is because of [the fear of] Time that people perform pious activities.
5. You have appeared as the shining light of yoga for those people who are spiritually blind due to false understanding and who have have been sleeping under the false security of tamas for such a long time. They are exhausted because their minds are devoted to activities performed for the satisfaction of desire.”
6. Maitreya said:
“The great sage welcomed these gentle words of his mother, O best of the Kurus. Pleased and overwhelmed with compassion, He replied to her.”
7. Śri Bhagavān said:
“Bhakti yoga has many different forms, which manifest in different ways, O noble lady! These ways are differentiated in accordance with their natural guṇas. And the mental states of people are distinguished in accordance to these ways.
8. A person considering himself different from others, who performs bhakti to Me out of a motive involving violence, pride, or envy, is one in tamas, full of anger.
9. A person considering himself different from others, who engages in acts of worshipping the deity with a motive involving desire for sense objects, fame, or power, is in rajas.
10. A person considering himself different from others, who engages in worship for the purpose of eliminating karma, or as an offering to the Supreme, or because worship is something that ought to be done, is in sattva.
11.–12. The characteristic of bhakti yoga that transcends the guṇas (nirguṇa) is described as when the mind flows without cessation toward Me, simply from hearing about My qualities. I am the most intimate refuge. This bhakti toward Puruṣottama, the Supreme Being, is uninterrupted and free of all motives (ahaitukī).
13. Devotees do not accept the five types of liberation—salokya, living on the same realm as Me; sārṣṭi, having the same opulence as Me; sāmīpya, living in My association; sārūpya, having the same form as Me; and ekatvam, undifferentiated oneness with Me—even when these are awarded, if they are devoid of My service.108
14. It is this latter which has been described as the highest type of what goes by the name bhakti yoga. By this one transcends the three guṇas and attains My abode.
15.–19. Through worship and through performing one’s duty without attachment to the results; through regular lavish acts of ritual worship which do not involve any violence; through seeing, touching, offering pūjā (ritual worship) and praise, and honoring My deities; through considering Me to be in all living entities; through sattva; through detachment; through offering respect to the great saints; through compassion to the less fortunate; through friendship with those who are one’s equals and through following the yamas and niyamas (moral virtues); by hearing spiritual discourses; by chanting My name congregationally (nama-saṅkīrtana); through uprightness and association with noble people; through abandoning ego; through these qualities the mind of a person dedicated to Me becomes purified. Then he or she easily draws close to Me, simply by hearing of My qualities.
20. Just as the flow of wind delivers a smell from its source to the nose, so the mind devoted to yoga is carried to the Supreme.
21. I am always present in the ātmans of all beings.109 A person disregarding this performs deity worship in the temple that is hypocritical.
22. One who worships Me in the form of the Deity, but, out of ignorance, disregards Me as Īśvara in the form of the ātman residing in all beings, offers only ashes.
23. The mind of a person who does not see others as equal, honoring Me but hating other entities, who is fixed in hostility with other beings, does not attain peace.
24. O sinless lady, I am not satisfied when I am worshipped in the Deity through the performance of rituals conducted with all sorts of paraphernalia by a person who is disrespectful of other living beings.
25. One should worship Me as Īśvara through deity worship and such things, performing one’s duty, until one sees Me in one’s own heart, and situated in the hearts of all beings.
26. To one who makes a distinction between his own belly and that of others, I inflict great fear in the form of Death. Such a person does not see all beings as equal.
27. Therefore, by means of charity, respect, and friendship, and with equanimity, one should honor Me as residing as the embodied ātman in all beings.
28. Living entities are superior to nonliving entities, O pious lady, and among them, those that have life airs (prāṇa) are higher. From these, those that have developed minds (citta) are higher, and from these in turn, those with sense perception are higher still.
29. Even among these, those that have the sense of taste are higher than those who have the sense of touch, and higher than these are those with the sense of smell, while those with the sense of hearing are superior.
30. Entities who can distinguish forms are higher than these, and from these those with teeth in two jaws. From these, many-legged creatures are higher, from which the quadrupeds are best, and the two-legged beings higher still.
31. From these, those who respect the fourfold caste division of society are better, and from these, the brāhmaṇas are best. From among the brāhmaṇas, the knower of the Veda is higher, and better than him, the one who knows the true meaning of the Vedas.
32. One who can remove all doubts is better still, and one who performs his or her dharma superior again. Higher still than this is the performance of dharma free of all attachments, without seeking any benefit for oneself.
33. From all these, the soul who has completely dedicated his or her wealth and works to Me is best of all. I do not consider any living entity superior to a person whose soul is dedicated to Me, who has renounced all works to Me, who realizes he or she is not the ultimate doer of action,110 and who sees all beings equally.
34. One should honor all these living beings with one’s mind, considering that it is Īśvara, Bhagavān, who has entered them in the form of his partial manifestation,111 the jīva (embodied ātman).
35. My dear lady, I have explained to you both bhakti yoga and the eight-limbed path of generic yoga. By means of either one of these, a person may attain the puruṣa.
36. This puruṣa is transcendent to prakṛti. It is a form of Bhagavān, who is Brahman, the Paramātman, and Destiny, the force behind karma.
37. That which is the source of the changes in the forms of all matter from mahat (buddhi, the macro cosmic intelligence),112 to the microatoms of Sāṅkhya, is known as divine Time. It is because of Time that those who do not see the oneness behind all things113 experience fear.
38. The one who enters all entities, who is the sustainer of everything, and who annihilates them through other entities is known as Viṣṇu. He is Time, the Master of all rulers. He is the Lord of sacrifice.
39. No one is dear to Him, no one an enemy, and no one a friend. Ever vigilant, He approaches in the form of Death those people who are forgetful.
40. It is out of fear of Him that the wind blows, it is out of fear of Him that the sun shines, it is out of fear of Him that the god Indra showers rain, and it is out of fear of Him that the host of stars shine.
41. It is because of Him that the trees along with the plants and creepers bear their fruits and flowers at their appropriate times.
42. It is because of Him that the frightened rivers flow, that the ocean does not rise up beyond its bounds, that fire blazes, and the earth along with its mountains does not collapse.
43. It is under the control of Him that the sky provides space for all breathing creatures, and the first macro-evolute of prakṛti, the mahat, expands its body into the universe, covered by its seven sheaths.114
44. It is out of fear of Him that the divinities, who oversee the functions of the guṇas,115 and in whose power lie all moving and non-moving entities, perpetuate creation, maintenance, and destruction in every yuga, age.
45. Time is the eternal destroyer. It has no beginning but is the cause of all beginnings. It causes the birth and destruction of people through other people. It brings death even to the celestial Yama, the Lord of death.”
Book III, Chapter 30
1. Kapila said:
“People do not realize the mighty power of this Time. They are like a row of clouds, impelled forward by a powerful wind.
2. Whatever object a person attains after great difficulty for the purpose of finding happiness, Bhagavān destroys. The person then laments when this happens.
3. It is because of illusion that a person believes the household, property, and possessions of this vulnerable body, along with its relationships, to be stable.
4. Irrespective of whatever womb one transmigrates into in this worldly existence, once there, one finds satisfaction in that species; one never becomes averse to it.
5. Bewildered by the divine māyā, even when situated in hell, one does not wish to relinquish even that birth, as one finds one’s pleasure in hellish experiences.
6. A person whose heart has been deeply captivated by friends, wealth, livestock, homestead, offspring, wife, and body thinks himself great.
7. With every limb of his body burning with anxiety created by these, an evil-minded fool engages in never-ending sins.
8. His senses and mind are stolen by the enchantment of unchaste women in the form of sweet words conducted in secret encounters, and by the sweet babblings of his young children.
9. Ever committed to the false dharma of the household which only produces unhappiness, the householder thinks himself happy when working to counteract the suffering.
10. He maintains his family with wealth secured by means of great violence from here or there. Although he himself ends up consuming only whatever remnants are left over, it is he who attains lower births because of his [methods of] maintaining them.
11. When his means of livelihood fails, he tries again and again. Overpowered by greed, and becoming feeble, he covets the possessions of others.
12. Unsuccessful in maintaining his family, bereft of wealth, and with all his efforts in vain, the poor unfortunate fellow sighs as he broods on his situation, his intelligence bewildered.
13. Because he is unable to support his family, his wife and other dependents cease to offer him the respect they had previously, just like a farmer does to a worn-out bull.
14. Even then in this situation detachment does not awaken in him. Deformed due to the onset of old age, and himself now maintained by his own dependents, he faces death in his own home.
15. He lives neglected like this, his digestion weak, eating little, and with limited energy, eating whatever is placed before him contemptuously like a dog.
16. His eyes dilate from the air flowing up, and his windpipe is blocked by mucus. His breathing becomes asthmatic and he makes a rasping sound in his throat.
17. Lying on his bed surrounded by his relatives who are grieving, he cannot reply when addressed by them, as he has succumbed to the control of the noose of death.
18. In this way, a person whose senses were uncontrolled, and who had been absorbed in family responsibility, dies, his mind overwhelmed by great pain, while his relatives weep.
19. At that moment, two agents of Yama, Lord of death, arrive. They are terrifying, with ferocious eyes. Upon seeing them, his heart is petrified, and he releases stool and urine.
20. They enclose him in a body suitable for inflicting suffering, and bind his neck forcibly with nooses. Then they lead him down a long road, just like the king’s soldiers lead a criminal for punishment.
21. Overwhelmed by trembling due to their threats, his heart is terrified by those two, and he is savaged by dogs along the path. Overwrought, he remembers his own past sins.
22. Afflicted by hunger and thirst on that path of burning sand, and without water or shelter, he is scorched by the sun, forest conflagrations, and wind. He is lashed severely on his back with a whip as he walks, even though he is barely capable of doing so.
23. Fainting and collapsing periodically out of exhaustion, he gets up on his feet again and again, and is led forcibly along that awful road to the abode of Yama, Lord of death.
24. He is dragged along this road, ninety-nine thousand yojanas116 long, in two or three hours, and receives his punishments.
25. His limbs are burned after piling firebrands around them. Then his body is devoured—and this is performed sometimes by his own self, sometimes by others.
26. In the abode of Yama, his entrails are pulled out by dogs and vultures while he is still alive, and his body is punctured by the bites of snakes and scorpions.
27. His limbs are torn off one by one, and he is trampled by elephants. He is thrown off the peaks of mountains, and he is enclosed in caves filled with water.
28. Whether man or woman, he experiences the punishments of the hellish realms of Tāmisra, Andhatāmisra, and Raurava,117 merited due to their mutual sexual indulgences.
29. Even here on earth, dear mother, heaven and hell are perceived; hellish punishments are visible here, too.
30. In this manner, one who only maintains his family or fills his own belly in this world, after leaving these behind and going to the next world, experiences the appropriate fruits of his actions.
31. He alone is the one who attains darkness after giving up this physical body, which he had maintained by means of enmity to other beings. His own inauspicious deeds are his only provisions for the journey.
32. In hell, a person experiences his karmic reactions for maintaining his family, which accrue to him by destiny, just like a person who becomes afflicted upon losing his wealth.
33. A soul eager to maintain his family solely through unrighteous means (adharma) goes to the hell called Andhatāmisra, the deepest destination in tamas.
34. From the lower hellish realms, after experiencing the appropriate number of punishments in due order, he can then return again to this realm, purified.”
Book III, Chapter 31
1. Śrī Bhagavān said:
“A person, encased in a drop of semen, attains the womb of a woman and enters the fetus of an offspring in accordance with his or her karma under the direction of Providence.
2. After the first night, he reaches the embryonic stage; after five nights, a bubble; in ten days, the size of a jujube berry; and after that he becomes flesh or an egg.
3. Within a month, a head is formed; within two months, the forms of arms, feet, and other organs; and within three months, the appearance of nails, hair, bones, skin, genitals, and bodily apertures.
4. By four months the seven dhātus118 are formed; within five, hunger and thirst arise. By the fifth month, he moves to the right side of the womb, impelled by the outer skin membrane.
5. The dhātus increase by the mother’s imbibing of food and drink, etc. He lies in a disagreeable enclosure with stool and urine, a breeding ground of microorganisms.
6. He is bitten all over his body every moment by organisms, and, experiencing great pain because of his softness, he swoons. And he is frequently afflicted by hunger.
7. He is affected by the mother’s eating of food that is excessively bitter, spicy, hot, salty, dry, or sour, etc., and pain spreads through all his limbs.
8. Enveloped in the embryo within, and in the intestines beyond that, he lies there, his head pushed toward his stomach, and his neck and back bent.
9. Unable to move his limbs, he is like a bird in a cage. In that situation, by the grace of Providence, he regains his memory of the past hundred births. Remembering these for a long time, he sighs. What happiness can he attain in such a state?
10. After attaining the seventh month, he gains consciousness. He is shaken by the winds of birth and cannot remain in one place, like the other organisms sharing the womb.
11. The wise soul, embedded within the seven layers [of the dhātus], frightened and seeking help with prayers, folds his hands in supplication and invokes with faltering words the one who has placed him in the womb:
12. The living entity says:
‘I seek shelter in the One who banishes fear, who adopts various bodily incarnations, whose lotus feet wander on the earth out of a desire to protect it and who is worshipped by it. It is due to Him that I have attained this condition, which is befitting me, as I am unworthy and unrighteous.
13. This ātman appears bound here, enveloped by its karma. It has entered a state of māyā, consisting of the bodily elements, senses, and mind. I offer homage to Him who dwells within my suffering heart. He is pure, unchanging, and of absolute knowledge.
14. The ātman exists as a distinct entity in this body made of the five elements. I have been covered by Him, but I, the ātman, am not the senses, guṇas, sense objects, or mind. I offer homage to that sage Supreme Being who is beyond prakṛti and puruṣa. His greatness has no bounds.
15. Because of His māyā, I am wandering on this path of saṁsāra, bound by my karma and these formidable guṇas. Because of this, my [spiritual] memory is lost out of exhaustion. By what means can I discover again that abode [the ātman] without the blessings of the great saints?
16. Which other Lord can bestow such knowledge of the past, present, and future? We, who follow the path of karma for the jīvas, worship him for the cessation of the threefold miseries.119 By his partial incarnation,120 he pervades all moving and non-moving beings.
17. The embodied ātman has fallen into this pit of stool, urine, and blood, in an enclosure that is inside the body of someone else. Desiring to escape while counting the remaining months, his body is scorched by gastric fire. When will this pitiful-minded one be released, O Bhagavān?
18. The ātman has been constrained in this situation for ten months by the great kindness of your Lordship, O God. He, the Master of the fallen, should be pleased by His own actions. What else can one do other than to offer Him homage with folded hands?
19. In a body capable of sense control, this jīva in the body enveloped by the seven dhātus perceives according to intelligence; others [in nonhuman forms] perceive according to the abilities of their bodies. I perceive that primordial supreme Being revealed both inside and outside, just like the individual soul is revealed.
20. Although I am living in a dwelling place of extreme suffering, O Lord, I do not wish to leave the womb to go into the blind well of the outside world. One who emerges out there encounters the Lord’s māyā, attains a bewildered intelligence, and enters the cycle of saṁsāra.
21. Therefore, free of all concerns, I will quickly extricate myself from tamas with the help of my mind which has been devoted to the lotus feet of Viṣṇu, and so has become my friend. By this means, I hope I will never again enter this condition of being in a body with its various outlets.’”121
22. Kapila said:
“Having attained wisdom in this way while offering worship, the wise entity of ten months is suddenly propelled downward by the birth airs for delivery.
23. Propelled by that wind, his head is turned downward suddenly and painfully, and he emerges with difficulty, breathless. But his memory becomes erased.
24. Fallen on the ground mixed with blood, he struggles like a worm in excrement, and wails loudly. His knowledge is gone, and he has ended up in the opposite situation [to that for which he had aspired in the womb].
25. He is offered nourishment by people who cannot understand his actual desires, and so when he is offered some unwanted thing, he has no power to refuse it.
26. Lying on a soiled bed, the newborn child is troubled by insects. He is not able to scratch his own limbs, nor sit, stand up, or move.
27. Mosquitoes, bugs, and gnats bite his soft skin as he wails, deprived of the wisdom he had gained, just like worms bite smaller worms.
28. After experiencing the frustrations of infancy and childhood in this way, he later becomes angry out of ignorance, as his desires are unfulfilled. He then becomes immersed in lamentation.
29. His frustration and pride grow as his body grows, and, full of desires, he creates enmity with other lusty people, and brings about his own destruction.
30. Lacking knowledge, the foolish embodied being dwelling in this body made of the five elements, is constantly absorbed in the illusion of ‘I’ and ‘mine.’
31. He performs activities for the sake of his body, but, bound by the reactions of those acts, he ends up perpetuating saṁsāra. Bound by those actions that were performed in ignorance, another body follows him, also causing suffering.
32. If, on the path of saṁsāra, the person again follows unrighteous people whose energy is devoted to satisfying the stomach and genitals, and he or she enjoys in this way, that person once again enters a state of tamas, just as before.
33. From such association, truthfulness, cleanliness, compassion, gravity, intelligence, wealth, modesty, fame, forgiveness, tolerance, self-control, and good fortune become destroyed.
34. One should not associate with such agitated unrighteous ignorant people, who have destroyed their ātman. They are like pet deer under the control of women, and pitiable.
35. There is no other bewilderment, entrapment, or other type of attachment as powerful as the attachment to a woman or those attached to women.
36. Brahmā (Prajāpati), after seeing his own daughter, became overpowered by her beauty. When she assumed the form of a doe, he shamelessly pursued her in the form of a stag.
37. Among created beings, and beings created by them, and by those created by the latter in turn, what person is there in existence who does not have his mind disturbed by māyā in the form of a woman—other than the sage Nārāyaṇa?
38. Just see the power of My māyā in the form of a woman: just by the movements of her eyebrows, she makes the conquerors of all the quarters follow at her heels!
39. One who desires to attain the final goal of yoga, who seeks the ātman, and who has attained the Supreme by service to Me, should never associate with women. The sages say she is the doorway to hell for such aspirants.
40. Māyā, created by the gods in the shape of a woman, approaches enticingly. You should regard her as your death, like a well, covered over by grass.
41. Similarly, out of illusion, a woman thinks of a man as her husband, thinking of him as the provider of wealth, children, and homestead, but he is actually also My māyā. She attained the state of being a woman due to attachment to women [in a past life as a man].
42. A woman should likewise perceive a man as her death in the form of husband, children, and household sent to her by Fate, just like the singing [of the hunter is death] to a deer.
43. While a person wanders from realm to realm in the subtle body enjoying, he or she performs actions continually.
44. The subtle body follows the ātman. The gross body is made of the gross elements and the senses: when it is overwhelmed, death takes place, when it is manifest, birth.122
45. Death is when the body, the location from which objects are experienced, becomes incapable of perceiving objects, and birth is when the perception of objects arise from a sense of ‘I-ness.’
46. This is just as when the eyes lose their ability to perceive the parts of an object, the power of sight does so, too, and so the seer (ātman) becomes incapable of engaging in the function of perception by means of either.
47. Because of all this, a wise person should not be miserly, bewildered, or fearful of life. After understanding the nature of the jīva, one should go about in this world free of attachments.
48. Situated in this body, one should go about in this world created by māyā, endowed with full insight, intelligence, and detachment gained from the practice of yoga.”
Book III, Chapter 32
22. Therefore, with all your heart, worship the Supreme with devotion because of His qualities. His lotus feet are worthy of worship.
23. Bhakti yoga directed to Bhagavān, Vāsudeva, quickly produces detachment (vairāgya). The knowledge ensuing from this causes the direct perception of Brahman.
24. The mind of such a person does not perceive differences in the form of pleasant and unpleasant caused by the agitation of the senses toward sense objects. Sense objects are in fact, neutral [neither pleasant nor unpleasant], in and of themselves.
25. In this state, one becomes free of attachments, and one’s perception become equanimous. One thus perceives the ātman by means of the ātman.123 At this stage, one has transcended all notions of acceptance and rejection, and attained the supreme destination.
26. The being Īśvara is the Supreme Ātman (Paramātman), pure consciousness. Although Bhagavān is one, He is approached differently according to different perceptions and states of mind.
27. Therefore, complete detachment is the cherished goal that is to be attained by a yogī through any and all of the processes of yoga.
28. Brahman is consciousness. It is unitary and transcendent to the senses. Due to illusion, it appears through the outward flowing senses in forms other than its own and hence it appears as being endowed with qualities of sound, etc. (i.e., the material world).
29. Just as the mahat appears as the ahaṅkāra (cosmic ego) in its three expressions [sattva, rajas, and tamas] and as the five [gross elements] and also the eleven divisions [mind and ten working and perceiving senses], so the jīva has the universe as its body.124
30. The controlled mind, free of attachment, can perceive Truth by means of constant faith, bhakti, yoga practice, and detachment.
31. So that knowledge leading to the perception of Brahman has been explained to you, dear mother! Through this knowledge, one can understand the Truths of prakṛti and puruṣa.
32. Jñāna yoga is transcendent to the guṇas, while yoga is characterized by bhakti devoted to Me. Although two, their goal is actually one: He who is known by the word Bhagavān.
33. Just as one object containing many qualities is perceived variously by the different senses, so, in the same way, Bhagavān although one, is perceived variously by the different paths outlined in the scriptures.
34.–36. By work, sacrifices, charity, austerity, study, and deliberation; by the control of the mind and senses; by the renunciation of deeds performed out of desire; by the practice of yoga with its various limbs—and of course especially bhakti yoga—by the performance of dharma characterized by both desire for the fruits of actions and disinterest in the fruits; by insight into the Truth of the ātman; and by firm detachment, by all these means, the self-manifest Bhagavān is perceived variously either with qualities or without (saguṇa or nirguṇa) [depending on the means chosen].
37. I have spoken to you about the four types of bhakti [in each of the three guṇas as well as that transcendent to the guṇas, nirguṇa]. I have also spoken to you about Time, the ways of which are unknown, and which lies concealed among living beings.
38. There are many forms of saṁsāra for the jīvas all created by ignorance and actions. Entering into these, O mother, the ātman cannot even understand its own situation.
39. These teachings should never be imparted to rascals, the ill-mannered, fools, transgressors, or those who make a show of religion.
40. It should not be taught to those who are avaricious, nor to those whose minds are attached to their households, nor to non-devotees, and certainly not to those who despise My bhaktas.
41.–42. It should be imparted to the faithful, the bhaktas, the cultured, those who are not envious, those who have developed friendship for all living entities, those who are dedicated to serving, those who are detached from external things, those whose minds are peaceful, those who are humble, those who are free of ego, those who are pure, and those for whom I am the most precious of precious things.
43. A person who hears this with faith, O mother, and who imparts it with mind fixed on Me, attains My abode immediately.
Book III, Chapter 33
1. After hearing all these words from Kapila, His mother, Devahūti, beloved of Kardama, had the veil of ignorance dispelled. She honored Kapila, the founder of the perfect knowledge characterized by the subject matter of the evolutes from prakṛti (tattvas), and pleased Him.
2. Devahūti said:
“Only the unborn Brahmā himself, who was born from the lotus growing from Your stomach, could meditate on Your form, lying in the cosmic waters. It is composed of the elements, senses, and sense objects, contains the flow of the guṇas, and is the seed for all reality.
3. Your Lordship brings about the creation, maintenance, and destruction of this universe by means of Your own power, which is divided by the flow of the guṇas, even though You Yourself have no desires to fulfill. You are the Īśvara of the ātman, with unlimited powers, and Your will is infallible. You are beyond human comprehension.
4. How is it possible, O Lord, that He in whose stomach this entire universe is situated was born from my womb? He lies alone as a baby on a banyan leaf at the end of the cosmic age (yuga) sucking His big toe!125
5. The purpose of Your assuming a body is to quell the sinful and bestow prosperity on those who follow Your directions. Just as was the case with Your other avatāras such as the boar,126 so too now You have come to reveal the knowledge of the ātman.
6. By hearing and chanting the sacred names, bowing to Him or even just remembering Him occasionally, even a dog-eater immediately becomes qualified to perform the Vedic ritual of pressing the soma juice,127 not to mention seeing You, O Bhagavān!
7. Aho! My son, even one who cooks dogs becomes honorable if he takes Your name on the tip of his tongue! Those who recite Your name have thereby become Āryas, performed austerities, undertaken Vedic rites, taken sacred bath, and studied the Vedas.
8. I offer my respects to You, Kapila. You are Bhagavān. You are Viṣṇu, the Supreme Person, Brahman, the source of the Vedas. You can be understood by the mind which has reversed the flow of the senses [from outward to inward]. The flow of the guṇas is destroyed by Your potency.”
9. Maitreya said:
“The Supreme Person, Bhagavān, under the name of Kapila, was adored by His mother. Honored in this way, He then spoke to her as follows, with a choked-up voice:
10. Kapila said:
‘This path which I have explained to you, O mother, is very easily performed. By following it, you will quickly attain the highest goal.
11. Have faith in these teachings of Mine; they are relished by the knowers of Brahman. By following them, you will attain fearlessness. Those who do not know them attain rebirth.’”
12. Maitreya said:
“After Kapila had revealed the path to the ātman to that pious lady, He took leave from her, His mother, who had come to realize Brahman, and set forth.
13. Then Kuntī became fixed in yoga through the instructions on yoga that had been spoken by her son. There, in that āśrama, the crown of the Sarasvatī river, she concentrated her mind.
14. Her curly locks of hair became matted and tawny from repeated bathing. Her body became emaciated from severe austerities, and she wore the bark garments of the ascetics.
15. Her household had been materialized by the yoga austerity of her husband, Prajāpati Kardama. It was incomparable and envied even by the denizens of the celestial realms.
16. It had couches of ivory resembling the foam of milk gilded in gold, and golden seats with the softest covers.
17. Jeweled lamps shone on pure crystal walls with huge emeralds, and the women were decorated with gems.
18. The gardens of the house were beautified with flowers and celestial trees, and replete with the warbling of pairs of birds, and the humming of intoxicated black bees.
19. The celestials used to sing when Devahūti, caressed by Kardama, entered the pond, fragrant with lotuses.
20. But she was downcast in appearance, desolate due to separation from her son. Then, she renounced this most desirable location, which was envied even by Indra’s lady folk.
21. Her husband had already departed for the forest, and now Devahūti became desolate due to separation from her son. Although she had realized the truth of Sāṅkhya, she was affectionate toward Him, like a cow on the loss of her calf.
22. Meditating on her son, Lord Kapila, who is Hari, she quickly became detached from such a residence, O son.
23. As her son had instructed, she meditated on the form of Bhagavān with its smiling face as the object of meditation through concentrating on both the entirety of the form and also limb by limb.
24.–25. By means of the force of bhakti yoga, by powerful renunciation, by knowledge born from the adherence to the appropriate vows, which is the cause of [knowing] Brahman, Devahūti saw the all-pervading Supreme Truth in her purified mind, through direct personal realization. The dualities caused by māyā and the guṇas then disappeared.
26. Her mind became fixed on Brahman, who is Bhagavān, the refuge of the ātman. Once her impurities had been purified, she attained bliss and her embodied condition as a jīva drew to an end.
27. Because of her constant immersion in the state of samādhi, all bewilderment caused by the guṇas was dispelled. Then she forgot about her body, just as, upon arising, one forgets whatever was seen in one’s dream.
28. She was covered with grime, like a fire covered with smoke. But, since she was free of all cares, her body was nourished by others, and did not become emaciated.
29. Her mind was completely absorbed in Vāsudeva, and so she was no longer aware of her own body, which was dedicated to austerity and yoga. Her clothes had fallen off and her hair was in disarray, but her body was now protected by Providence.
30. In this manner, Devahūti followed the path taught by Kapila and attained [the stage known variously as] nirvāṇa, ātman, Brahman, and Bhagavān.
31. O hero Vidūra! That place where she attained perfection became a most sacred place. It became celebrated throughout the three worlds under the name of Siddhapada (‘the Place of Perfection’).
32. Her mortal body, purified by such practice of yoga, became a river, O gentle Vidūra. It became a preeminent river, worshipped by perfected beings, as it bestowed perfection.
33. The great yogī Bhagavān Kapila then took permission from His mother and also departed from His father’s āśrama. He set forth for the northeast.
34. Honored by the celestial siddhas, cāraṇas, gandharvas, apsaras, and sages, He was provided a dwelling place as an offering by the personified ocean.
35. He remains there, revered by the Sāṅkhya masters, fixed in the practice of yoga, absorbed in meditation for the peace of the three worlds.
36. O sinless Vidūra! I have recounted to you whatever you asked of me about the pure discussion between Kapila and Devahūti.
37. Whoever hears this esoteric teaching of yoga imparted by sage Kapila, with mind fixed on Bhagavān, whose emblem is Garuḍa,128 will attain the lotus feet of Bhagavān.”