Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Story 26 – Kapila Upadesha
Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 26 – Kapila Upadesha
Sage Kapila is considered as the first avatar of Lord Vishnu in the world. Kapila was born of Devahuti (who was the daughter of Swayambhuva Manu) and Kardhama Prajapathi who prayed to the Lord that they may have the Lord as her child.
The ultimate reality which was being lost by the effect of Time was again re established in the form of Kapila. One day Kapila Muni’s father went to him and said “It is really tough that even though people know that there is no happiness in the external world but still hanker after it. But even for such people, after some time and long Tapas, Gods bestow their grace on them & thereby the ultimate reality of God has come to this house in your form. I want to contemplate completely on the Lord and hence want to take sanyaas”.
Kapila replied thus “Yes, it is true that I have come to establish the lost ultimate reality that there is nothing here but Brahman alone. You can take sanyaas and you will realize the ultimate reality. I will be teaching my mother about the Self which will remove all her sorrows and sufferings”.
Kapila said “When a person contemplates on the ultimate reality which is pure Consciousness and one without a second, he sees the ultimate reality in his own Self and thereby overcomes fear and delusion”.
(We will start with Kapila Upadesha from tomorrow and try to go analyze the points in the text so that it will systematically lead one to the ultimate reality of Brahman as it did for his mother).
Explanation
Kapila Muni is known for the philosophy of Sankhya (which is one of the six philosophies or darshanas). There are difference of opinion among people about whether the Kapila Muni mentioned in Bhagavatham is the same Kapila Muni who compiled the sankhya system or the Sankhya sutras. It is immaterial here to enter into such controversial issues as our main aim is to realize the ultimate reality through contemplation of the reality through the stories and slokas in Srimad Bhagavatham.
A few words about the Sankhya philosophy will be useful here. Sankhyan system splits the entire world of experiences into two real and independent entities – one is the set of sentient Purushas (which are many) and a single Prakrithi (primordial matter or insentient matter). The objects in the world are all creations from Prakrithi. The prakrithi and its creations bind the purusha and thereby the purusha seems to be suffering and enjoying. When due to knowledge about the 24 tattvas (the various entities starting from Prakrithi, Mahat etc.) and their distinction from the Purusha (who is never affected by them in reality). When thus a person realizes that he is the Purusha, he gets liberated from sorrows and sufferings. This is in short about the Sankhya philosophy. There are mainly three works on Sankhya – the Sankhya Sutras of Kapila, Tattva samaasa and Sankhya Karika of Ishwara Krishna.
There are subtle differences between Sankhya philosophy and the philosophy of Vedanta (which are very vast and hence cannot be as such discussed here). The second chapter of Brahma Sutras refutes the Sankhyan philosophy. Interested people can refer to that.
Even though there are six philosophies each trying to put forth a means to removal or eradication of sorrows and sufferings, Vedanta is the final of these philosophies. There is even the Nyaya and Vaisheshika system which depend on formalizing the entire world into various entities (atomic theory has been explained in these systems which were formed long time before even science picked up these theories). Vedanta is where knowledge (both subjective and objective) culminates. Vedanta is the sole system where the seeker removes sorrows and sufferings permanently and this happens perfectly in the system of Advaita which is propounded in the Upanishads. The Vedanta system is the basis of Srimad Bhagavatham and the puranaas.
Again and again it happens that the ultimate reality is forgotten by people either through disinterest or through the propagators who tend to deviate from the standards set in the system (which means they just preach and don’t follow a single word which they preach). Hence, during those times the Lord himself comes in the world to remove the wrong notions about the ultimate reality of Brahman.
Bhagavad Gita mentions this in the most famous sloka
Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavathi bhaaratha
Abhyuthaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam srijaami aham
Whenever dharma or righteousness is on the fall and adharma or unrighteousness is on the rise, at those times I manifest myself to protect dharma.
What is Dharma???
Dharma means that which upholds life. The ultimate reality alone is that which upholds life. Thus constant contemplation of the reality alone is dharma – all other things which make one deviate from the ultimate reality of Lord is adharma whether they be going to temples or chanting the name of Vishnu (but forgetting that Vishnu is one who is present everywhere and hence not different from Siva) or various rituals starting from sandhya vandhanam etc.
This descent of the Lord to protect dharma is valid for an individual person also. When a person feels himself occupied with bad thoughts or thoughts which deviate him from the ultimate reality of Brahman – that time if the person really seeks out the Lord with full devotion and surrender, God himself comes to show him the way out of those habits (or addictions). This is where a Guru comes into picture. When a devotee seeks the God through complete devotion, God comes in the form of Guru and teaches the disciple that “you are yourself the God and whatever is present is God alone”.
Kapila Muni also explains the reality of Self in a very short verse and simple way. Realization of the ultimate reality of Lord is not realizing a God sitting somewhere in Vaikunta or Kailas but it realization of one’s own very nature of Self. Vedanta clearly answers the critics of God who claim that there is no God by telling clearly that God is nothing but one’s own Self. Claiming that there is no Self is as good as telling that “I don’t exist”!!!
Kapila Muni also tells what does a person gain from realizing the ultimate reality of God. Ultimate reality of God makes one fearless when it is known. Fear arises mainly due to dual perception. When a person perceives things which are different from himself, he gets attracted to some & repulsive to others. He also feels afraid of some of the objects which seem to affect him (in fact they don’t and cant ever attack the Self but only attack the body which itself is an illusion in the ultimate reality of God or Brahman). This fear causes one to have sorrow when something attacks him. Also likes and dislikes leads to sorrow and suffering. Thus the way out of this is very clear. The way out of this sorrow and suffering is nothing but to remove likes and dislikes. The way out of fear is to remove the wrong dual perception. These both are achieved by contemplating on the ultimate reality of non-dual God and seeing God everywhere. Whatever is seen should be seen as the Lord. This is the most simplest of actions in the world. Whatever actions a person does, he just has to remember the ultimate reality that there is only God here & then offer it to the Lord. Whenever he sees anything in the world, he just has to remember that whatever is being seen is the Lord alone. This alone will lead him to realize the non-dual reality of Lord which is his own very nature and has to sought out in the Self and not anywhere else.
When the reality of Lord, one without a second, is seen – then there is no delusion. Only when a person sees something which really doesn’t exist, he is deluded. But the moment a person sees the ultimate reality of God, there is no delusion but only eternal bliss and peace. There is thus no sorrow and sufferings but only BLISS.
This is what Kapila explains to his father about realization. We will see next as to what Kapila Muni says to his mother about the Self and path to realization.
Sage Kapila is considered as the first avatar of Lord Vishnu in the world. Kapila was born of Devahuti (who was the daughter of Swayambhuva Manu) and Kardhama Prajapathi who prayed to the Lord that they may have the Lord as her child.
The ultimate reality which was being lost by the effect of Time was again re established in the form of Kapila. One day Kapila Muni’s father went to him and said “It is really tough that even though people know that there is no happiness in the external world but still hanker after it. But even for such people, after some time and long Tapas, Gods bestow their grace on them & thereby the ultimate reality of God has come to this house in your form. I want to contemplate completely on the Lord and hence want to take sanyaas”.
Kapila replied thus “Yes, it is true that I have come to establish the lost ultimate reality that there is nothing here but Brahman alone. You can take sanyaas and you will realize the ultimate reality. I will be teaching my mother about the Self which will remove all her sorrows and sufferings”.
Kapila said “When a person contemplates on the ultimate reality which is pure Consciousness and one without a second, he sees the ultimate reality in his own Self and thereby overcomes fear and delusion”.
(We will start with Kapila Upadesha from tomorrow and try to go analyze the points in the text so that it will systematically lead one to the ultimate reality of Brahman as it did for his mother).
Explanation
Kapila Muni is known for the philosophy of Sankhya (which is one of the six philosophies or darshanas). There are difference of opinion among people about whether the Kapila Muni mentioned in Bhagavatham is the same Kapila Muni who compiled the sankhya system or the Sankhya sutras. It is immaterial here to enter into such controversial issues as our main aim is to realize the ultimate reality through contemplation of the reality through the stories and slokas in Srimad Bhagavatham.
A few words about the Sankhya philosophy will be useful here. Sankhyan system splits the entire world of experiences into two real and independent entities – one is the set of sentient Purushas (which are many) and a single Prakrithi (primordial matter or insentient matter). The objects in the world are all creations from Prakrithi. The prakrithi and its creations bind the purusha and thereby the purusha seems to be suffering and enjoying. When due to knowledge about the 24 tattvas (the various entities starting from Prakrithi, Mahat etc.) and their distinction from the Purusha (who is never affected by them in reality). When thus a person realizes that he is the Purusha, he gets liberated from sorrows and sufferings. This is in short about the Sankhya philosophy. There are mainly three works on Sankhya – the Sankhya Sutras of Kapila, Tattva samaasa and Sankhya Karika of Ishwara Krishna.
There are subtle differences between Sankhya philosophy and the philosophy of Vedanta (which are very vast and hence cannot be as such discussed here). The second chapter of Brahma Sutras refutes the Sankhyan philosophy. Interested people can refer to that.
Even though there are six philosophies each trying to put forth a means to removal or eradication of sorrows and sufferings, Vedanta is the final of these philosophies. There is even the Nyaya and Vaisheshika system which depend on formalizing the entire world into various entities (atomic theory has been explained in these systems which were formed long time before even science picked up these theories). Vedanta is where knowledge (both subjective and objective) culminates. Vedanta is the sole system where the seeker removes sorrows and sufferings permanently and this happens perfectly in the system of Advaita which is propounded in the Upanishads. The Vedanta system is the basis of Srimad Bhagavatham and the puranaas.
Again and again it happens that the ultimate reality is forgotten by people either through disinterest or through the propagators who tend to deviate from the standards set in the system (which means they just preach and don’t follow a single word which they preach). Hence, during those times the Lord himself comes in the world to remove the wrong notions about the ultimate reality of Brahman.
Bhagavad Gita mentions this in the most famous sloka
Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavathi bhaaratha
Abhyuthaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam srijaami aham
Whenever dharma or righteousness is on the fall and adharma or unrighteousness is on the rise, at those times I manifest myself to protect dharma.
What is Dharma???
Dharma means that which upholds life. The ultimate reality alone is that which upholds life. Thus constant contemplation of the reality alone is dharma – all other things which make one deviate from the ultimate reality of Lord is adharma whether they be going to temples or chanting the name of Vishnu (but forgetting that Vishnu is one who is present everywhere and hence not different from Siva) or various rituals starting from sandhya vandhanam etc.
This descent of the Lord to protect dharma is valid for an individual person also. When a person feels himself occupied with bad thoughts or thoughts which deviate him from the ultimate reality of Brahman – that time if the person really seeks out the Lord with full devotion and surrender, God himself comes to show him the way out of those habits (or addictions). This is where a Guru comes into picture. When a devotee seeks the God through complete devotion, God comes in the form of Guru and teaches the disciple that “you are yourself the God and whatever is present is God alone”.
Kapila Muni also explains the reality of Self in a very short verse and simple way. Realization of the ultimate reality of Lord is not realizing a God sitting somewhere in Vaikunta or Kailas but it realization of one’s own very nature of Self. Vedanta clearly answers the critics of God who claim that there is no God by telling clearly that God is nothing but one’s own Self. Claiming that there is no Self is as good as telling that “I don’t exist”!!!
Kapila Muni also tells what does a person gain from realizing the ultimate reality of God. Ultimate reality of God makes one fearless when it is known. Fear arises mainly due to dual perception. When a person perceives things which are different from himself, he gets attracted to some & repulsive to others. He also feels afraid of some of the objects which seem to affect him (in fact they don’t and cant ever attack the Self but only attack the body which itself is an illusion in the ultimate reality of God or Brahman). This fear causes one to have sorrow when something attacks him. Also likes and dislikes leads to sorrow and suffering. Thus the way out of this is very clear. The way out of this sorrow and suffering is nothing but to remove likes and dislikes. The way out of fear is to remove the wrong dual perception. These both are achieved by contemplating on the ultimate reality of non-dual God and seeing God everywhere. Whatever is seen should be seen as the Lord. This is the most simplest of actions in the world. Whatever actions a person does, he just has to remember the ultimate reality that there is only God here & then offer it to the Lord. Whenever he sees anything in the world, he just has to remember that whatever is being seen is the Lord alone. This alone will lead him to realize the non-dual reality of Lord which is his own very nature and has to sought out in the Self and not anywhere else.
When the reality of Lord, one without a second, is seen – then there is no delusion. Only when a person sees something which really doesn’t exist, he is deluded. But the moment a person sees the ultimate reality of God, there is no delusion but only eternal bliss and peace. There is thus no sorrow and sufferings but only BLISS.
This is what Kapila explains to his father about realization. We will see next as to what Kapila Muni says to his mother about the Self and path to realization.
# posted by vedanta : 10:02 AM
