॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
॥ द्वात्रिंशोऽध्यायः - ३२ ॥
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Discourse XXXII
Destiny of the souls departing from this world by the "Bright Path",
the "Dark Path" and so on, and the superiority of Bhaktiyoga (Preamble)
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कपिल उवाच ।
अथ यो गृहमेधीयान् धर्मानेवावसन् गृहे ।
काममर्थं च धर्मान् स्वान् दोग्धि भूयः पिपर्ति तान् ॥ १॥
स चापि भगवद्धर्मात्काममूढः पराङ्मुखः ।
यजते क्रतुभिर्देवान् पितॄंश्च श्रद्धयान्वितः ॥ २॥
तच्छ्रद्धयाक्रान्तमतिः पितृदेवव्रतः पुमान् ।
गत्वा चान्द्रमसं लोकं सोमपाः पुनरेष्यति ॥ ३॥
यदा चाहीन्द्रशय्यायां शेतेऽनन्तासनो हरिः ।
तदा लोका लयं यान्ति त एते गृहमेधिनाम् ॥ ४॥
ये स्वधर्मान् न दुह्यन्ति धीराः कामार्थहेतवे ।
निःसङ्गा न्यस्तकर्माणः प्रशान्ताः शुद्धचेतसः ॥ ५॥
निवृत्तिधर्मनिरता निर्ममा निरहङ्कृताः ।
स्वधर्माख्येन सत्त्वेन परिशुद्धेन चेतसा ॥ ६॥
सूर्यद्वारेण ते यान्ति पुरुषं विश्वतोमुखम् ।
परावरेशं प्रकृतिमस्योत्पत्त्यन्तभावनम् ॥ ७॥
द्विपरार्धावसाने यः प्रलयो ब्रह्मणस्तु ते ।
तावदध्यासते लोकं परस्य परचिन्तकाः ॥ ८॥
क्ष्माम्भोऽनलानिलवियन्मन इन्द्रियार्थ-
भूतादिभिः परिवृतं प्रतिसञ्जिहीर्षुः ।
अव्याकृतं विशति यर्हि गुणत्रयात्मा
कालं पराख्यमनुभूय परः स्वयम्भूः ॥ ९॥
एवं परेत्य भगवन्तमनुप्रविष्टा
ये योगिनो जितमरुन्मनसो विरागाः ।
तेनैव साकममृतं पुरुषं पुराणं
ब्रह्म प्रधानमुपयान्त्यगताभिमानाः ॥ १०॥
अथ तं सर्वभूतानां हृत्पद्मेषु कृतालयम् ।
श्रुतानुभावं शरणं व्रज भावेन भामिनि ॥ ११॥
आद्यः स्थिरचराणां यो वेदगर्भः सहर्षिभिः ।
योगेश्वरैः कुमाराद्यैः सिद्धैर्योगप्रवर्तकैः ॥ १२॥
भेददृष्ट्याभिमानेन निःसङ्गेनापि कर्मणा ।
कर्तृत्वात्सगुणं ब्रह्म पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभम् ॥ १३॥
स संसृत्य पुनः काले कालेनेश्वरमूर्तिना ।
जाते गुणव्यतिकरे यथापूर्वं प्रजायते ॥ १४॥
ऐश्वर्यं पारमेष्ठ्यं च तेऽपि धर्मविनिर्मितम् ।
निषेव्य पुनरायान्ति गुणव्यतिकरे सति ॥ १५॥
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Lord Kapila continued : As for the man who, while continuing at home, performs the duties of a householder and, earning wealth and the pleasures of sense through them resorts to those actions again, he too turns his face away from the Lord, deluded as he is by desire, and worships through sacrificial performances the gods as well as the manes with reverence. (1-2)
His mind being swayed by reverence for the aforesaid beings, the man undertakes vows to propitiate the gods and the manes and, having attained (thereby) to the realm of the moon (a part of the heavenly world) drinks (with them) the (inebriating) sap of the Soma plant; but (when the stock of merit that earned him an abode in the aforementioned realm is exhausted) he must return (to this mortal world). (3)
When (at the end of a Kalpa) Śrī Hari, who has Ananta (the serpent-god Śeṣa) for His seat, reclines on His couch of Śeṣa (the lord of the serpents), these worlds, attained to by the householders, get dissolved (enter His body and disappear). (4)
Those wise men, however, who do not perform their duties for the sake of sensuous enjoyment and wealth but offer their actions to Me, nay, who are free from attachment, most serene, pure of mind, devoted to the duties of those who have retired from the world, have no feeling of "I" and "mine" (with regard to the body and everything connected with it) and are endowed with a mind thoroughly cleansed by recourse to Sattva (the quality of goodness) passing by the name of one's own sacred duty, reach by the "Bright Path" the all pervading Supreme Person, the Lord of both Prakṛti and Puruṣa (Matter and Spirit), the ultimate Cause (of the universe) and also responsible for the creation, preservation and dissolution of the world. (5-7)
As for those who meditate on Hiranyagarbha (Brahmā) as no other than the Supreme, dwell in the realm of Brahmā (the highest heaven known by the name of Satyaloka) till the dissolution of Brahmā, which takes place at the end of two Parārdhas. (8)
Intending to dissolve the universe enclosed by earth, water, fire, air, ether, the mind, the senses and their object and the ego (the source of the elements) and so on, and having finished his regime extending over two Parārdhas, when Brahmā (the self-born), who is higher than the other gods, identifies himself with Prakṛti (consisting of the three Guṇas) and enters the Absolute, the Yogis that have controlled their breath and mind and are free from passion enter (the body of) the worshipful Brahmā after casting off their body, and along with him get merged into the Supreme Brahma, who is an embodiment of the highest bliss and no other than the most ancient Person, and to whom they did not attain before inasmuch as their egotism had not left them till then. (9-10)
Therefore, O great lady, seek refuge with devotion in Him alone who has taken up His abode in the lotus-like heart of all living beings and of whose glory you have (just) heard (from Me). (11)
On the other hand, even Brahmā (the repository of the Vedas and) the cause of the mobile and immobile creation, alongwith the sages (Marici and others), the lords of Yoga like Sanaka and others, and other Siddhas who are the first teachers of Yoga—even after entering (at the time of final dissolution), by virtue of their disinterested action, (the body of) the first Puruṣa, the foremost of all Puruṣas, who is no other than Brahma presiding over the three Guṇas—is born again as before (if the Lord so desires) at the time of creation—when the equilibrium of the Guṇas is disturbed by the Time-Spirit, a manifestation of the Lord Himself—because of his retaining the notion of difference and due to his sense of doership. (12-14)
And the sages too—after enjoying the glorious life of the highest heaven, earned by their meritorious acts—(likewise) return (by the will of the Lord as the mind-born sons of Brahmā) on the equilibrium of the Guṇas being disturbed (at the time of creation). (15) (1-15)
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ये त्विहासक्तमनसः कर्मसु श्रद्धयान्विताः ।
कुर्वन्त्यप्रतिषिद्धानि नित्यान्यपि च कृत्स्नशः ॥ १६॥
रजसा कुण्ठमनसः कामात्मानोऽजितेन्द्रियाः ।
पितॄन् यजन्त्यनुदिनं गृहेष्वभिरताशयाः ॥ १७॥
त्रैवर्गिकास्ते पुरुषा विमुखा हरिमेधसः ।
कथायां कथनीयोरुविक्रमस्य मधुद्विषः ॥ १८॥
नूनं दैवेन विहता ये चाच्युतकथासुधाम् ।
हित्वा शृण्वन्त्यसद्गाथाः पुरीषमिव विड्भुजः ॥ १९॥
दक्षिणेन पथार्यम्णः पितृलोकं व्रजन्ति ते ।
प्रजामनु प्रजायन्ते श्मशानान्तक्रियाकृतः ॥ २०॥
ततस्ते क्षीणसुकृताः पुनर्लोकमिमं सति ।
पतन्ति विवशा देवैः सद्यो विभ्रंशितोदयाः ॥ २१॥
तस्मात्त्वं सर्वभावेन भजस्व परमेष्ठिनम् ।
तद्गुणाश्रयया भक्त्या भजनीयपदाबुजम् ॥ २२॥
वासुदेवे भगवति भक्तियोगः प्रयोजितः ।
जनयत्याशु वैराग्यं ज्ञानं यद्ब्रह्मदर्शनम् ॥ २३॥
यदास्य चित्तमर्थेषु समेष्विन्द्रियवृत्तिभिः ।
न विगृह्णाति वैषम्यं प्रियमप्रियमित्युत ॥ २४॥
स तदैवात्मनाऽऽत्मानं निःसङ्गं समदर्शनम् ।
हेयोपादेयरहितमारूढं पदमीक्षते ॥ २५॥
ज्ञानमात्रं परं ब्रह्म परमात्मेश्वरः पुमान् ।
दृश्यादिभिः पृथग्भावैर्भगवानेक ईयते ॥ २६॥
एतावानेव योगेन समग्रेणेह योगिनः ।
युज्यतेऽभिमतो ह्यर्थो यदसङ्गस्तु कृत्स्नशः ॥ २७॥
ज्ञानमेकं पराचीनैरिन्द्रियैर्ब्रह्म निर्गुणम् ।
अवभात्यर्थरूपेण भ्रान्त्या शब्दादिधर्मिणा ॥ २८॥
यथा महानहं रूपस्त्रिवृत्पञ्चविधः स्वराट् ।
एकादशविधस्तस्य वपुरण्डं जगद्यतः ॥ २९॥
एतद्वै श्रद्धया भक्त्या योगाभ्यासेन नित्यशः ।
समाहितात्मा निःसङ्गो विरक्त्या परिपश्यति ॥ ३०॥
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They, however, whose mind is attached to the world and who are full of reverence for religious rites perform actions that are actuated by desire, though not prohibited by the scriptures, as well as those which are of an obligatory nature, in their entirety.(16)
With their understanding clouded by passion, their mind full of desires and their senses uncontrolled, they worship the manes everyday, their heart finding delight in the home alone. (17)
Devoted to the first three objects of human pursuit (viz., religious merit, wealth and sensuous enjoyment) only, these people are averse to the stories of Śrī Hari (the Slayer of the demon Madhu), whose knowledge takes away the fear of birth and death and whose innumerable exploits are worth recounting.(18)
Abandoning the nectar-like stories of the immortal Lord, they who listen to vile talks (relating to sensual enjoyment)—even as the swine feed on filth—have surely been cheated by fate. (19)
Performing religious rites from the ceremony connected with impregnation down to the obsequies, they ascend to the abode of the manes presided over by Aryamā (the lord of the manes) by the southern path (also known as the "dark path") and are (eventually) born in the line of their own progeny. (20)
Thereafter, when their merit (that earned them an abode in the realm of the manes) is exhausted, they are forthwith robbed of their glorious state by the gods (in charge of that realm) and helplessly descend once more to this world (of mortals), O virtuous lady. (21)
Therefore, do you worship with all your being the supreme Lord—whose lotus-like feet are worth adoring—through devotion evoked by His virtues.(22)
A link formed through Devotion with Lord Vāsudeva calls forth before long dispassion and spiritual wisdom that reveals the truth of the Absolute. (23)
When the mind of the devotee ceases to perceive, even through the faculty of the senses, any difference, in the shape of agreeability of otherwise, in the objects of senses, which are just the same (as being the manifestations of the same Reality, viz., Brahma), he forthwith realizes by his intellect his own self as the revealer of unity, free from attachment, devoid of merit and demerit (that which is worth accepting or rejecting) and established in its own (glorious) state. (24-25)
The Lord is nothing but absolute Consciousness and is the same as the Transcendent Reality (Brahma), the Supreme Spirit, the Ruler of all and the Highest Person. Though One, He appears in diverse forms as the seer, the object seen, the means of sight and so on.(26)
Absence of attachment to all—that is the only desired end to be attained through all forms of Yoga practised by a Yogi. (27)
Brahma is absolute Consciousness, one and attributeless; yet, through the senses, which have an outward tendency, it erroneously appears in the form of various objects possessing sound and other attributes. (28)
Just as the same supreme Brahma appeared as Mahat-tattva (the principle of cosmic intelligence), the threefold (Sāttvika, Rājasika and Tāmasika) Ego, the five gross elements and the eleven Indriyas, and the same self-effulgent Being was named as Jīva when endowed with these, even so the body of the Jīva in the form of the universe is no other than Brahma; for it is from Brahma that it has sprung.(29)
Of course, he alone can perceive it as such, whose mind has been composed and rid of all attachment through reverence, Devotion, daily practice of Yoga and dispassion. (30) (16-30)
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इत्येतत्कथितं गुर्वि ज्ञानं तद्ब्रह्मदर्शनम् ।
येनावबुद्ध्यते तत्त्वं प्रकृतेः पुरुषस्य च ॥ ३१॥
ज्ञानयोगश्च मन्निष्ठो नैर्गुण्यो भक्तिलक्षणः ।
द्वयोरप्येक एवार्थो भगवच्छब्दलक्षणः ॥ ३२॥
यथेन्द्रियैः पृथग्द्वारैरर्थो बहुगुणाश्रयः ।
एको नानेयते तद्वद्भगवान् शास्त्रवर्त्मभिः ॥ ३३॥
क्रियया क्रतुभिर्दानैस्तपःस्वाध्यायमर्शनैः ।
आत्मेन्द्रियजयेनापि सन्न्यासेन च कर्मणाम् ॥ ३४॥
योगेन विविधाङ्गेन भक्तियोगेन चैव हि ।
धर्मेणोभयचिह्नेन यः प्रवृत्तिनिवृत्तिमान् ॥ ३५॥
आत्मतत्त्वावबोधेन वैराग्येण दृढेन च ।
ईयते भगवानेभिः सगुणो निर्गुणः स्वदृक् ॥ ३६॥
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I have thus expounded to you, O revered mother, the wisdom which reveals the true nature of the Absolute, and by means of which one can realize the truth about Prakṛti (Matter) and Puruṣa (Spirit). (31)
The discipline of Jñāna (spiritual knowledge) and the discipline of Devotion—which is free from the influence of the three Guṇas—directed towards Me, lead to the same goal, which is signified by the word 'Bhagavān'. (32)
Just as one and the same substance possessed of several attributes (such as colour, taste and so on) is perceived in different ways through the senses, following different courses, even so the Lord, though one, is variously realized through different paths recommended by the scriptures. (33)
Through works of public utility (such as the digging of wells and tanks, construction of roads etc.) and sacrifices, charitable gifts and austere penance, study of the Vedas and an enquiry into their meaning, nay, even through the control of the mind and senses ((i.e., abstaining from prohibited acts) as well as through the renunciation of action, through Yoga with different limbs (such as Yama, Niyama and so on) and likewise through the discipline of Devotion, through the twofold Dharma, viz., that which is accompanied by worldly activity and that which is characterized by renunciation, and again through the realization of the true nature of the Self and through dispassion do we attain to the same self-effulgent Lord, who is both with attributes and without attributes. (34-36) (31-36)
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प्रावोचं भक्तियोगस्य स्वरूपं ते चतुर्विधम् ।
कालस्य चाव्यक्तगतेर्योऽन्तर्धावति जन्तुषु ॥ ३७॥
जीवस्य संसृतीर्बह्वीरविद्याकर्मनिर्मिताः ।
यास्वङ्ग प्रविशन्नात्मा न वेद गतिमात्मनः ॥ ३८॥
नैतत्खलायोपदिशेन्नाविनीताय कर्हिचित् ।
न स्तब्धाय न भिन्नाय नैव धर्मध्वजाय च ॥ ३९॥
न लोलुपायोपदिशेन्न गृहारूढचेतसे ।
नाभक्ताय च मे जातु न मद्भक्तद्विषामपि ॥ ४०॥
श्रद्दधानाय भक्ताय विनीतायानसूयवे ।
भूतेषु कृतमैत्राय शुश्रूषाभिरताय च ॥ ४१॥
बहिर्जातविरागाय शान्तचित्ताय दीयताम् ।
निर्मत्सराय शुचये यस्याहं प्रेयसां प्रियः ॥ ४२॥
य इदं शृणुयादम्ब श्रद्धया पुरुषः सकृत् ।
यो वाभिधत्ते मच्चित्तः स ह्येति पदवीं च मे ॥ ४३॥
इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यांसंहितायां
तृतीयस्कन्धे कापिलेये द्वात्रिंशोऽध्यायः ॥ ३२॥
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I have already told you the fourfold character (according as it is predominated by anyone of the three Guṇas or is absolutely free from their influence) of Bhaktiyoga (the discipline of Devotion) as well as the nature of Kāla (the Time-Spirit), whose movement cannot be perceived (through the senses) and who brings about the birth and death etc., of living beings. (37)
I have also described the various states of existence of the Jīva—brought about by his actions prompted by Avidyā (ignorance)—passing through which, O mother, the soul forgets his true nature. (38)
One should never teach this gospel of Mine to a wicked person (a source of annoyance to others) nor to him who is wanting in modesty, nor to an arrogant man nor again to a moral rake and in no case to a hypocrite. (39)
Nor should one impart it to a man thirsting after pleasures, nor to him who is attached to his home, nor again to him who is not My devotee, nor to those who hate My devotees. (40)
It may no doubt be imparted to a man full of reverence, a devotee, a meek soul, an uncavilling man, one who is friendly to living beings, and (likewise) to him who takes delight in service, one who has developed a distaste for external objects, a man who is serene of mind, one who is free from jealousy, one who is pure both within and without and above all to him who holds Me dearer than all. (41-42)
With his mind fixed on Me, O mother, the man who reverently listens to or repeats this (discourse of Mine) but once will surely attain to My state. (43)
Thus ends the thirty-second discourse, forming part of the "Story of Lord Kapila", in Book Three of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhītā. (37-43)
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