Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Thirty-three
Activities of Kapila
SB3.33.1
TEXT 1
maitreya uvāca
evaṁ niśamya kapilasya vaco janitrī
sā kardamasya dayitā kila devahūtiḥ
visrasta-moha-paṭalā tam abhipraṇamya
tuṣṭāva tattva-viṣayāṅkita-siddhi-bhūmim
SYNONYMS
maitreyaḥ uvāca—Maitreya said; evam—thus; niśamya—having heard; kapilasya—of Lord Kapila; vacaḥ—the words; janitrī—the mother; sā—she; kardamasya—of Kardama Muni; dayitā—the dear wife; kila—namely; devahūtiḥ—Devahūti; visrasta—freed from; moha-paṭalā—the covering of illusion; tam—unto Him; abhipraṇamya—having offered obeisances; tuṣṭāva—recited prayers; tattva—basic principles; viṣaya—in the matter of; aṅkita—the author; siddhi—of liberation; bhūmim—the background.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Maitreya said: Thus Devahūti, the mother of Lord Kapila and wife of Kardama Muni, became freed from all ignorance concerning devotional service and transcendental knowledge. She offered her obeisances unto the Lord, the author of the basic principles of the Sāṅkhya system of philosophy, which is the background of liberation, and she satisfied Him with the following verses of prayer.
PURPORT
The system of philosophy enunciated by Lord Kapila before His mother is the background for situation on the spiritual platform. The specific significance of this system of philosophy is stated herein as siddhi-bhūmim—it is the background of salvation. People who are suffering in this material world because they are conditioned by the material energy can easily get freedom from the clutches of matter by understanding the Sāṅkhya philosophy enunciated by Lord Kapila. By this system of philosophy, one can immediately become free, even though one is situated in this material world. That stage is called jīvan-mukti. This means that one is liberated even though one stays with his material body. That happened for Devahūti, the mother of Lord Kapila, and she therefore satisfied the Lord by offering her prayers. Anyone who understands the basic principle of Sāṅkhya philosophy is elevated in devotional service and becomes fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, or liberated, even within this material world.
SB3.33.2 TEXT 2 devahūtir uvāca athāpy ajo ’ntaḥ-salile śayānaṁ bhūtendriyārthātma-mayaṁ vapus te guṇa-pravāhaṁ sad-aśeṣa-bījaṁ dadhyau svayaṁ yaj-jaṭharābja-jātaḥ SYNONYMS devahūtiḥ uvāca—Devahūti said; atha api—moreover; ajaḥ—Lord Brahmā; antaḥ-salile—in the water; śayānam—lying; bhūta—the material elements; indriya—the senses; artha—the sense objects; ātma—the mind; mayam—pervaded by; vapuḥ—body; te—Your; guṇa-pravāham—the source of the stream of the three modes of material nature; sat—manifest; aśeṣa—of all; bījam—the seed; dadhyau—meditated upon; svayam—himself; yat—of whom; jaṭhara—from the abdomen; abja—from the lotus flower; jātaḥ—born.
TRANSLATION Devahūti said: Brahmā is said to be unborn because he takes birth from the lotus flower which grows from Your abdomen while You lie in the ocean at the bottom of the universe. But even Brahmā simply meditated upon You, whose body is the source of unlimited universes. PURPORT Brahmā is also named Aja, “he who is unborn.” Whenever we think of someone’s birth, there must be a material father and mother, for thus one is born. But Brahmā, being the first living creature within this universe, was born directly from the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is known as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇu form lying down in the ocean at the bottom of the universe. Devahūti wanted to impress upon the Lord that when Brahmā wants to see Him, he has to meditate upon Him. “You are the seed of all creation,” she said. “Although Brahmā was directly born from You, he still has to perform many years of meditation, and even then he cannot see You directly, face to face. Your body is lying within the vast water at the bottom of the universe, and thus You are known as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.”
The nature of the Lord’s gigantic body is also explained in this verse. That body is transcendental, untouched by matter. Since the material manifestation has come from His body, His body therefore existed before the material creation. The conclusion is that the transcendental body of Viṣṇu is not made of material elements. The body of Viṣṇu is the source of all other living entities, as well as the material nature, which is also supposed to be the energy of that Supreme Personality of Godhead. Devahūti said, “You are the background of the material manifestation and all created energy; therefore Your delivering me from the clutches of māyā by explaining the system of Sāṅkhya philosophy is not so astonishing. But Your being born from my abdomen is certainly wonderful because although You are the source of all creation, You have so kindly taken birth as my child. That is most wonderful. Your body is the source of all the universe, and still You put Your body within the abdomen of a common woman like me. To me, that is most astonishing.”
SB3.33.3 TEXT 3 sa eva viśvasya bhavān vidhatte guṇa-pravāheṇa vibhakta-vīryaḥ sargādy anīho ’vitathābhisandhir ātmeśvaro ’tarkya-sahasra-śaktiḥ SYNONYMS saḥ—that very person; eva—certainly; viśvasya—of the universe; bhavān—You; vidhatte—carry on; guṇa-pravāheṇa—by the interaction of the modes; vibhakta—divided; vīryaḥ—Your energies; sarga-ādi—the creation and so on; anīhaḥ—the nondoer; avitatha—not futile; abhisandhiḥ—Your determination; ātma-īśvaraḥ—the Lord of all living entities; atarkya—inconceivable; sahasra—thousands; śaktiḥ—possessing energies.
TRANSLATION My dear Lord, although personally You have nothing to do, You have distributed Your energies in the interactions of the material modes of nature, and for that reason the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic manifestation take place. My dear Lord, You are self-determined and are the Supreme Personality of Godhead for all living entities. For them You created this material manifestation, and although You are one, Your diverse energies can act multifariously. This is inconceivable to us. PURPORT The statement made in this verse by Devahūti that the Absolute Truth has many diverse energies although He personally has nothing to do is confirmed in the Upaniṣads. There is no one greater than Him or on an equal level with Him, and everything is completely done by His energy, as if by nature. It is understood herein, therefore, that although the modes of material nature are entrusted to different manifestations like Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, each of whom is particularly invested with different kinds of power, the Supreme Lord is completely aloof from such activities. Devahūti is saying, “Although You personally are not doing anything, Your determination is absolute. There is no question of Your fulfilling Your will with the help of anyone else besides Yourself. You are, in the end, the Supreme Soul and the supreme controller. Your will, therefore, cannot be checked by anyone else.” The Supreme Lord can check others’ plans. As it is said, “Man proposes and God disposes.” But when the Supreme Personality of Godhead proposes, that desire is under no one else’s control. He is absolute. We are ultimately dependent on Him to fulfill our desires, but we cannot say that God’s desires are also dependent. That is His inconceivable power. That which may be inconceivable for ordinary living entities is easily done by Him. And in spite of His being unlimited, He has subjected Himself to being known from the authoritative scriptures like the Vedic literatures. As it is said, śabda-mūlatvāt: He can be known through the śabda-brahma, or Vedic literature.
Why is the creation made? Since the Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for all living entities, He created this material manifestation for those living entities who want to enjoy or lord it over material nature. As the Supreme Godhead, He arranges to fulfill their various desires. It is confirmed also in the Vedas, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān: the supreme one supplies the necessities of the many living entities. There is no limit to the demands of the different kinds of living entities, and the supreme one, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, alone maintains them and supplies them by His inconceivable energy.
SB3.33.4 TEXT 4 sa tvaṁ bhṛto me jaṭhareṇa nātha kathaṁ nu yasyodara etad āsīt viśvaṁ yugānte vaṭa-patra ekaḥ śete sma māyā-śiśur aṅghri-pānaḥ SYNONYMS saḥ—that very person; tvam—You; bhṛtaḥ—took birth; me jaṭhareṇa—by my abdomen; nātha—O my Lord; katham—how; nu—then; yasya—of whom; udare—in the belly; etat—this; āsīt—did rest; viśvam—universe; yuga-ante—at the end of the millennium; vaṭa-patre—on the leaf of a banyan tree; ekaḥ—alone; śete sma—You lay down; māyā—possessing inconceivable powers; śiśuḥ—a baby; aṅghri—Your toe; pānaḥ—licking.
TRANSLATION As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You have taken birth from my abdomen. O my Lord, how is that possible for the supreme one, who has in His belly all the cosmic manifestation? The answer is that it is possible, for at the end of the millennium You lie down on a leaf of a banyan tree, and just like a small baby, You lick the toe of Your lotus foot. PURPORT At the time of dissolution the Lord sometimes appears as a small baby lying on a leaf of a banyan tree, floating on the devastating water. Therefore Devahūti suggests, “Your lying down within the abdomen of a common woman like me is not so astonishing. You can lie down on the leaf of a banyan tree and float on the water of devastation as a small baby. It is not very wonderful, therefore, that You can lie down in the abdomen of my body. You teach us that those who are very fond of children within this material world and who therefore enter into marriage to enjoy family life with children can also have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their child, and the most wonderful thing is that the Lord Himself licks His toe.”
Since all the great sages and devotees apply all energy and all activities in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there must be some transcendental pleasure in the toes of His lotus feet. The Lord licks His toe to taste the nectar for which the devotees always aspire. Sometimes the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself wonders how much transcendental pleasure is within Himself, and in order to taste His own potency, He sometimes takes the position of tasting Himself. Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but He appears as a devotee to taste the sweetness of the transcendental mellow in Himself which is tasted by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the greatest of all devotees.
SB3.33.5 TEXT 5 tvaṁ deha-tantraḥ praśamāya pāpmanāṁ nideśa-bhājāṁ ca vibho vibhūtaye yathāvatārās tava sūkarādayas tathāyam apy ātma-pathopalabdhaye SYNONYMS tvam—You; deha—this body; tantraḥ—have assumed; praśamāya—for the diminution; pāpmanām—of sinful activities; nideśa-bhājām—of instructions in devotion; ca—and; vibho—O my Lord; vibhūtaye—for the expansion; yathā—as; avatārāḥ—incarnations; tava—Your; sūkara-ādayaḥ—the boar and other forms; tathā—so; ayam—this incarnation of Kapila; api—surely; ātma-patha—the path of self-realization; upalabdhaye—in order to reveal.
TRANSLATION My dear Lord, You have assumed this body in order to diminish the sinful activities of the fallen and to enrich their knowledge in devotion and liberation. Since these sinful people are dependent on Your direction, by Your own will You assume incarnations as a boar and as other forms. Similarly, You have appeared in order to distribute transcendental knowledge to Your dependents. PURPORT In the previous verses, the general transcendental qualifications of the Supreme Personality of Godhead were described. Now the specific purpose of the Lord’s appearance is also described. By His different energies He bestows different kinds of bodies upon the living entities, who are conditioned by their propensity to lord it over material nature, but in course of time these living entities become so degraded that they need enlightenment. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that whenever there are discrepancies in the discharge of the real purpose of this material existence, the Lord appears as an incarnation. The Lord’s form as Kapila directs the fallen souls and enriches them with knowledge and devotion so that they may go back to Godhead. There are many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, like those of the boar, the fish, the tortoise and the half-man half-lion. Lord Kapiladeva is also one of the incarnations of Godhead. It is accepted herein that Lord Kapiladeva appeared on the surface of the earth to give transcendental knowledge to the misguided conditioned souls.
SB3.33.6 TEXT 6 yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit śvādo ’pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt SYNONYMS yat—of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); nāmadheya—the name; śravaṇa—hearing; anukīrtanāt—by chanting; yat—to whom; prahvaṇāt—by offering obeisances; yat—whom; smaraṇāt—by remembering; api—even; kvacit—at any time; śva-adaḥ—a dog-eater; api—even; sadyaḥ—immediately; savanāya—for performing Vedic sacrifices; kalpate—becomes eligible; kutaḥ—what to speak of; punaḥ—again; te—You; bhagavan—O Supreme Personality of Godhead; nu—then; darśanāt—by seeing face to face.
TRANSLATION To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters immediately becomes eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him. PURPORT Herein the spiritual potency of chanting, hearing or remembering the holy name of the Supreme Lord is greatly stressed. Rūpa Gosvāmī has discussed the sequence of sinful activities of the conditioned soul, and he has established, in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, that those who engage in devotional service become freed from the reactions of all sinful activities. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord says that He takes charge of one who surrenders unto Him, and He makes him immune to all reactions to sinful activities. If by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead one becomes so swiftly cleared of all reactions to sinful activities, then what is to be said of those persons who see Him face to face?
Another consideration here is that persons who are purified by the process of chanting and hearing become immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices. Generally, only a person who is born in a family of brāhmaṇas, who has been reformed by the ten kinds of purificatory processes and who is learned in Vedic literature is allowed to perform the Vedic sacrifices. But here the word sadyaḥ, “immediately,” is used, and Śrīdhara Svāmī also remarks that one can immediately become eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices. A person born in a family of the low caste which is accustomed to eat dogs is so positioned due to his past sinful activities, but by chanting or hearing once in pureness, or in an offenseless manner, he is immediately relieved of the sinful reaction. Not only is he relieved of the sinful reaction, but he immediately achieves the result of all purificatory processes. Taking birth in the family of a brāhmaṇa is certainly due to pious activities in one’s past life. But still a child who is born in a family of a brāhmaṇa depends for his further reformation upon initiation into acceptance of a sacred thread and many other reformatory processes. But a person who chants the holy name of the Lord, even if born in a family of caṇḍālas, dog-eaters, does not need reformation. Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, he immediately becomes purified and becomes as good as the most learned brāhmaṇa.
Śrīdhara Svāmī especially remarks in this connection, anena pūjyatvaṁ lakṣyate. Some caste brāhmaṇas remark that by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, purification begins. Of course, that depends on the individual process of chanting, but this remark of Śrīdhara Svāmī’s is completely applicable if one chants the holy name of the Lord without offense, for he immediately becomes more than a brāhmaṇa. As Śrīdhara Svāmī says, pūjyatvam: he immediately becomes as respectable as a most learned brāhmaṇa and can be allowed to perform Vedic sacrifices. If simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord one becomes sanctified instantly, then what can be said of those persons who see the Supreme Lord face to face and who understand the descent of the Lord, as Devahūti understands Kapiladeva.
Usually, initiation depends on the bona fide spiritual master, who directs the disciple. If he sees that a disciple has become competent and purified by the process of chanting, he offers the sacred thread to the disciple just so that he will be recognized as one-hundred-percent equal with a brāhmaṇa. This is also confirmed in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa by Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī: “As a base metal like bell metal can be changed into gold by a chemical process, any person can similarly be changed into a brāhmaṇa by dīkṣā-vidhāna, the initiation process”.
It is sometimes remarked that by the chanting process one begins to purify himself and can take birth in his next life in a brāhmaṇa family and then be reformed. But at this present moment, even those who are born in the best brāhmaṇa families are not reformed, nor is there any certainty that they are actually born of brāhmaṇa fathers. Formerly the garbhādhāna reformatory system was prevalent, but at the present moment there is no such garbhādhāna, or seed-giving ceremony. Under these circumstances, no one knows if a man is factually born of a brāhmaṇa father. Whether one has acquired the qualification of a brāhmaṇa depends on the judgment of the bona fide spiritual master. He bestows upon the disciple the position of a brāhmaṇa by his own judgment. When one is accepted as a brāhmaṇa in the sacred thread ceremony under the pāñcarātrika system, then he is dvija, twice-born. That is confirmed by Sanātana Gosvāmī: dvijatvaṁ jāyate. By the process of initiation by the spiritual master, a person is accepted as a brāhmaṇa in his purified state of chanting the holy name of the Lord. He then makes further progress to become a qualified Vaiṣṇava, which means that the brahminical qualification is already acquired.
SB3.33.7 TEXT 7 aho bata śva-paco ’to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te SYNONYMS aho bata—oh, how glorious; śva-pacaḥ—a dog-eater; ataḥ—hence; garīyān—worshipable; yat—of whom; jihvā-agre—on the tip of the tongue; vartate—is; nāma—the holy name; tubhyam—unto You; tepuḥ tapaḥ—practiced austerities; te—they; juhuvuḥ—executed fire sacrifices; sasnuḥ—took bath in the sacred rivers; āryāḥ—Āryans; brahma anūcuḥ—studied the Vedas; nāma—the holy name; gṛṇanti—accept; ye—they who; te—Your.
TRANSLATION Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Āryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required. PURPORT As it is stated in the previous verse, a person who has once offenselessly chanted the holy name of God becomes immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices. One should not be astonished by this statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. One should not disbelieve or think, “How by chanting the holy name of the Lord can one become a holy man to be compared to the most elevated brāhmaṇa?” To eradicate such doubts in the minds of unbelievers, this verse affirms that the stage of chanting of the holy name of the Lord is not sudden, but that the chanters have already performed all kinds of Vedic rituals and sacrifices. It is not very astounding, for no one in this life can chant the holy name of the Lord unless he has passed all lower stages, such as performing the Vedic ritualistic sacrifices, studying the Vedas and practicing good behavior like that of the Āryans. All this must first have been done. Just as a student in a law class is to be understood to have already graduated from general education, anyone who is engaged in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—must have already passed all lower stages. It is said that those who simply chant the holy name with the tip of the tongue are glorious. One does not even have to chant the holy name and understand the whole procedure, namely the offensive stage, offenseless stage and pure stage; if the holy name is sounded on the tip of the tongue, that is also sufficient. It is said herein that nāma, a singular number, one name, Kṛṣṇa or Rāma, is sufficient. It is not that one has to chant all the holy names of the Lord. The holy names of the Lord are innumerable, and one does not have to chant all the names to prove that he has already undergone all the processes of Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. If one chants once only, it is to be understood that he has already passed all the examinations, not to speak of those who are chanting always, twenty-four hours a day. It is specifically said here, tubhyam: “unto You only.” One must chant God’s name, not, as the Māyāvādī philosophers say, any name, such as a demigod’s name or the names of God’s energies. Only the holy name of the Supreme Lord will be effective. Anyone who compares the holy name of the Supreme Lord to the names of the demigods is called pāṣaṇḍī, or an offender.
The holy name has to be chanted to please the Supreme Lord, and not for any sense gratification or professional purpose. If this pure mentality is there, then even though a person is born of a low family, such as a dog-eater’s, he is so glorious that not only has he purified himself, but he is quite competent to deliver others. He is competent to speak on the importance of the transcendental name, just as Ṭhākura Haridāsa did. He was apparently born in a family of Muhammadans, but because he was chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord offenselessly, Lord Caitanya empowered him to become the authority, or ācārya, of spreading the name. It did not matter that he was born in a family which was not following the Vedic rules and regulations. Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Advaita Prabhu accepted him as an authority because he was offenselessly chanting the name of the Lord. Authorities like Advaita Prabhu and Lord Caitanya immediately accepted that he had already performed all kinds of austerities, studied the Vedas and performed all sacrifices. That is automatically understood. There is a hereditary class of brāhmaṇas called the smārta-brāhmaṇas, however, who are of the opinion that even if such persons who are chanting the holy name of the Lord are accepted as purified, they still have to perform the Vedic rites or await their next birth in a family of brāhmaṇas so that they can perform the Vedic rituals. But actually that is not the case. Such a man does not need to wait for the next birth to become purified. He is at once purified. It is understood that he has already performed all sorts of rites. It is the so-called brāhmaṇas who actually have to undergo different kinds of austerities before reaching that point of purification. There are many other Vedic performances which are not described here. All such Vedic rituals have been already performed by the chanters of the holy name.
The word juhuvuḥ means that the chanters of the holy name have already performed all kinds of sacrifices. Sasnuḥ means that they have already traveled to all the holy places of pilgrimage and taken part in purificatory activities at those places. They are called āryāḥ because they have already finished all these requirements, and therefore they must be among the Āryans or those who have qualified themselves to become Āryans. “Āryan” refers to those who are civilized, whose manners are regulated according to the Vedic rituals. Any devotee who is chanting the holy name of the Lord is the best kind of Āryan. Unless one studies the Vedas, one cannot become an Āryan, but it is automatically understood that the chanters have already studied all the Vedic literature. The specific word used here is anūcuḥ, which means that because they have already completed all those recommended acts, they have become qualified to be spiritual masters.
The very word gṛṇanti, which is used in this verse, means to be already established in the perfectional stage of ritualistic performances. If one is seated on the bench of a high court and is giving judgment on cases, it means that he has already passed all legal exams and is better than those who are engaged in the study of law or those expecting to study law in the future. In a similar way, persons who are chanting the holy name are transcendental to those who are factually performing the Vedic rituals and those who expect to be qualified (or, in other words, those who are born in families of brāhmaṇas but have not yet undergone the reformatory processes and who therefore expect to study the Vedic rituals and perform the sacrifices in the future).
There are many Vedic statements in different places saying that anyone who chants the holy name of the Lord becomes immediately freed from conditional life and that anyone who hears the holy name of the Lord, even though born of a family of dog-eaters, also becomes liberated from the clutches of material entanglement.
SB3.33.8 TEXT 8 taṁ tvām ahaṁ brahma paraṁ pumāṁsaṁ pratyak-srotasy ātmani saṁvibhāvyam sva-tejasā dhvasta-guṇa-pravāhaṁ vande viṣṇuṁ kapilaṁ veda-garbham SYNONYMS tam—unto Him; tvām—You; aham—I; brahma—Brahman; param—supreme; pumāṁsam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pratyak-srotasi—turned inwards; ātmani—in the mind; saṁvibhāvyam—meditated upon, perceived; sva-tejasā—by Your own potency; dhvasta—vanished; guṇa-pravāham—the influence of the modes of material nature; vande—I offer obeisances; viṣṇum—unto Lord Viṣṇu; kapilam—named Kapila; veda-garbham—the repository of the Vedas.
TRANSLATION I believe, my Lord, that You are Lord Viṣṇu Himself under the name of Kapila, and You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Brahman! The saints and sages, being freed from all the disturbances of the senses and mind, meditate upon You, for by Your mercy only can one become free from the clutches of the three modes of material nature. At the time of dissolution, all the Vedas are sustained in You only. PURPORT Devahūti, the mother of Kapila, instead of prolonging her prayers, summarized that Lord Kapila was none other than Viṣṇu and that since she was a woman it was not possible for her to worship Him properly simply by prayer. It was her intention that the Lord be satisfied. The word pratyak is significant. In yogic practice, the eight divisions are yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi. pratyāhāra means to wind up the activities of the senses. The level of realization of the Supreme Lord evidenced by Devahūti is possible when one is able to withdraw the senses from material activities. When one is engaged in devotional service, there is no scope for his senses to be engaged otherwise. In such full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can understand the Supreme Lord as He is.
SB3.33.9 TEXT 9 maitreya uvāca īḍito bhagavān evaṁ kapilākhyaḥ paraḥ pumān vācāviklavayety āha mātaraṁ mātṛ-vatsalaḥ SYNONYMS maitreyaḥ uvāca—Maitreya said; īḍitaḥ—praised; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; evam—thus; kapila-ākhyaḥ—named Kapila; paraḥ—supreme; pumān—person; vācā—with words; aviklavayā—grave; iti—thus; āha—replied; mātaram—to His mother; mātṛ-vatsalaḥ—very affectionate to His mother.
TRANSLATION Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kapila, satisfied by the words of His mother, towards whom He was very affectionate, replied with gravity. PURPORT Since the Lord is all-perfect, His exhibition of affection for His mother was also complete. After hearing the words of His mother, He most respectfully, with due gravity and good manners, replied.
SB3.33.10 TEXT 10 kapila uvāca mārgeṇānena mātas te susevyenoditena me āsthitena parāṁ kāṣṭhām acirād avarotsyasi SYNONYMS kapilaḥ uvāca—Lord Kapila said; mārgeṇa—by the path; anena—this; mātaḥ—My dear mother; te—for you; su-sevyena—very easy to execute; uditena—instructed; me—by Me; āsthitena—being performed; parām—supreme; kāṣṭhām—goal; acirāt—very soon; avarotsyasi—you will attain.
TRANSLATION The Personality of Godhead said: My dear mother, the path of self-realization which I have already instructed to you is very easy. You can execute this system without difficulty, and by following it you shall very soon be liberated, even within your present body. PURPORT Devotional service is so perfect that simply by following the rules and regulations and executing them under the direction of the spiritual master, one is liberated, as it is said herein, from the clutches of māyā, even in this body. In other yogic processes, or in empiric philosophical speculation, one is never certain whether or not he is at the perfectional stage. But in the discharge of devotional service, if one has unflinching faith in the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master and follows the rules and regulations, he is sure to be liberated, even within this present body. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, has also confirmed this. Īhā yasya harer dāsye: regardless of where he is situated, anyone whose only aim is to serve the Supreme Lord under the direction of the spiritual master is called jīvan-mukta, or one who is liberated even with his material body. Sometimes doubts arise in the minds of neophytes about whether or not the spiritual master is liberated, and sometimes neophytes are doubtful about the bodily affairs of the spiritual master. The point of liberation, however, is not to see the bodily symptoms of the spiritual master. One has to see the spiritual symptoms of the spiritual master. Jīvan-mukta means that even though one is in the material body (there are still some material necessities, since the body is material), because one is fully situated in the service of the Lord, he should be understood to be liberated.
Liberation entails being situated in one’s own position. That is the definition in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: muktir. .. svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. The svarūpa, or actual identity of the living entity, is described by Lord Caitanya. Jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya—kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’: [Cc. Madhya 20.108] the real identity of the living entity is that he is eternally a servitor of the Supreme Lord. If someone is one-hundred-percent engaged in the service of the Lord, he is to be understood as liberated. One must understand whether or not he is liberated by his activities in devotional service, not by other symptoms.
SB3.33.11 TEXT 11 śraddhatsvaitan mataṁ mahyaṁ juṣṭaṁ yad brahma-vādibhiḥ yena mām abhayaṁ yāyā mṛtyum ṛcchanty atad-vidaḥ SYNONYMS śraddhatsva—you may rest assured; etat—about this; matam—instruction; mahyam—My; juṣṭam—followed; yat—which; brahma-vādibhiḥ—by transcendentalists; yena—by which; mām—unto Me; abhayam—without fear; yāyāḥ—you shall reach; mṛtyum—death; ṛcchanti—attain; a-tat-vidaḥ—persons who are not conversant with this.
TRANSLATION My dear mother, those who are actually transcendentalists certainly follow My instructions, as I have given them to you. You may rest assured that if you traverse this path of self-realization perfectly, surely you shall be freed from fearful material contamination and shall ultimately reach Me. Mother, persons who are not conversant with this method of devotional service certainly cannot get out of the cycle of birth and death. PURPORT Material existence is full of anxiety, and therefore it is fearful. One who gets out of this material existence automatically becomes free from all anxieties and fear. One who follows the path of devotional service enunciated by Lord Kapila is very easily liberated.
SB3.33.12 TEXT 12 maitreya uvāca iti pradarśya bhagavān satīṁ tām ātmano gatim sva-mātrā brahma-vādinyā kapilo ’numato yayau SYNONYMS maitreyaḥ uvāca—Maitreya said; iti—thus; pradarśya—after instructing; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; satīm—venerable; tām—that; ātmanaḥ—of self-realization; gatim—path; sva-mātrā—from His mother; brahma-vādinyā—self-realized; kapilaḥ—Lord Kapila; anumataḥ—took permission; yayau—left.
TRANSLATION Śrī Maitreya said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead Kapila, after instructing His beloved mother, took permission from her and left His home, His mission having been fulfilled. PURPORT The mission of the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Kapila was to distribute the transcendental knowledge of Sāṅkhya philosophy, which is full of devotional service. Having imparted that knowledge to His mother—and, through His mother, to the world—Kapiladeva had no more need to stay at home, so He took permission from His mother and left. Apparently He left home for spiritual realization, although He had nothing to realize spiritually because He Himself is the person to be spiritually realized. Therefore this is an example set by the Supreme Personality of Godhead while acting like an ordinary human being so that others might learn from Him. He could, of course, have stayed with His mother, but He indicated that there was no need to stay with the family. It is best to remain alone as a brahmacārī, sannyāsī or vānaprastha and cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout one’s whole life. Those who are unable to remain alone are given license to live in household life with wife and children, not for sense gratification but for cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
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