A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 10

"Santi" is peace, the well known invocation of the Vedas at the end of a Mantra.

"Kardama" means clay. He was born of Brahma's Chhaya or shadow.

Devahuti, being wedded to the materialised shadow of the whole Universe, gave rise to certain female types which in their turn on being wedded to the Rishis, the highest Planetary Intelligences, became the progenitors of all the life forms of the Universe. Kapila was one of the earliest Rishis. The word - Kapila means tawny or brown coloured.]

X. KAPILA'S INSTRUCTION TO HIS MOTHER DEVAHuTI.

*SKANDHA III., CHAP. 25-33.*

We now come to an important part of the Bhagavata Purana, the teachings of Kapila to his mother in the Yoga philosophy of the Bhagavat Purana.

They adapt the Sankhya and the Yoga systems to Bhakti or devotion. For a full knowledge of the teachings I refer my readers to the Purana itself, I shall only give the salient points and avoid details as much as possible, without breaking the continuity of the discourses. "Yoga directed towards atma brings about Mukti. Chitta attached to the transformations of Gunas causes Bondage; attached to Purusha, it causes Mukti. When the mind is pure and free from distractions, man perceives atma in himself, by Wisdom, Dispa.s.sion and Devotion. There is no path so friendly to the Yogins as constant devotion to Bhagavan. Company of Sadhus opens wide the door to Mukti. They are Sadhus who have forbearance and compa.s.sion, who are friendly to all beings, who have no enemies, who are free from pa.s.sions, and above all who have firm and undivided Bhakti in Me. They give up all for My sake and they hear and speak no words that do not relate to Me. Their company removes the impurities of worldliness. Men first hear about Me from the Sadhus. By faith their heart is drawn towards Me, and they have devotion for Me.

Devotion causes Dispa.s.sion and makes easy the path of Yoga. By indifference to the Guna transformations of Prakriti, by wisdom fostered by Dispa.s.sion, by Yoga and by Bhakti (devotion) offered to Me, the Jiva attains Me even while in this body."

"When the Indriyas (the senses and the mind), that manifest the objects of external and internal perception, become trained by the performance of Vedic Karma, their spontaneous Vritti (or function) in a man of concentrated mind is in Satva which is the same as Vishnu. This Vritti which is void of all selfishness is Bhakti in Bhagavan. It is superior to Mukti. It instantly destroys the Kosha (Astral body) as the digestive fire consumes food. The devoted have no yearning for that Mukti (Sayujya or Nirvana) which makes the Jiva one with Me. But they prefer ever to talk with each other about Me, to exert themselves for My sake and ever to meditate on Me. Mukti comes to them unasked. My Vibhutis, the eight Siddhis (_anima &c._) and all the glory of the highest Lokas are theirs, though they want them not. I am their Teacher, their Friend, their Companion, their all. So even Kala cannot destroy them."

"Purusha is atma. He is eternal, void of Gunas, beyond Prakriti, all pervading, self luminous and all manifestating."

"Prakriti is Pradhana, one in itself, but is also the source of all differences (_visesha_), possessed of three Gunas, unmanifested (_avyakta_) and eternal."

"The twenty four transformations of Prakriti called Pradhanika or Saguna Brahma are: -

"5 Maha Bhutas - Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Akasa.

"5 Tanmatras - Smell, Taste, Rupa, Touch and Sound.

"10 Indriyas - Ear, Skin, Eye, Tongue, Nose, Speech, Hand, Foot, Upastha and Payu.

"4 Divisions of Antahkarana - Manas, Buddhi, Chitta and Ahankara."

"Kala is the twenty-fifth. But according to some, Kala is Prabhava or Sakti of Purusha. Those who identify themselves with Prakriti are afraid of Kala. Kala as the outer aspect of Purusha disturbs the equilibrium of Gunas in Prakriti."

"Purusha energised Prakriti and the Gunas led to transformations following the action of Daiva or Karma, (Jivic record of the previous Kalpa). Prakriti brought forth the refulgent Mahat Tatva. The seed of the Universe was in the bosom of Mahat, and it manifested the Universe and destroyed the darkness of Pralaya by its own light."

"Chitta which is Vasudeva and Mahat, is Satva, transparent and pure, and the perception of Bhagavan is achieved by this division of Antahkarana."

"Transparence (fitness for the full reflection of Brahma) immutability and tranquility are the characteristics of Chitta, as of water in its primal state."

"Mahat Tatva was transformed into Ahankara Tatva, with its Kriya Sakti.

Ahankara became three-fold - Satvika (Manas), Rajasika (Indriyas) and Tamasika (Bhutas) _i.e._ Kartri or Cause, Karana or Instrument and Karyya or effect."

"Sankarshana is the Purusha of Ahankara. He is the Thousand-Headed and Ananta (endless.)"

"Manas is Sankalpa and Vikalpa. It is the generator of Kama (or desire.) So Aniruddha, the king of Indriyas, blue as the blue-lotus of autumn, the Purusha of Manas, has with patience to be got over by yogins."

"Buddhi is Rajasa transformation of Ahankara. The perception of objects, dependence on the Indriyas, doubt, wrong-knowledge, right-knowledge, memory and sleep these are the functions of Buddhi. (Pradyumna is the Purusha of Buddhi.)"

[The terminology here adopted will appear strange to the Vedantin scholar. The divisions of Antahkarana are here adopted to the sacred Tetractys or Chatur-vyuha, consisting of Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Aniruddha and Pradyumna. In Devotional practice, Antahkarana should be made the channel for higher communion and its divisions are the divisions of spiritual perception.

Chitta is the highest aspect of Antahkarana corresponding to Mahat Tatva in the Universe, with the Purusha always reflected in it. This aspect corresponds to Vasudeva, the highest Purusha in the Tetraktys.

Ahankara is the bare individuality, transformable into peculiarities, but not so transformed. Sankarshana is the corresponding Purusha.

Manas is Kama or desire brought on by likes and dislikes. It consists of the mental tendencies of attachment, repulsion and indifference.

Aniruddha is the corresponding Purusha.

Buddhi is in one word the Chitta of Patanjali, - that which functions through the physical brain.

Pradyumna is the corresponding Purusha.]

"The Indriyas are also the Rajasika transformations of Ahankara."

Prana through its Kriya Sakti gave rise to the Karma Indriyas. Buddhi through its Jnana Sakti gave rise to the Jnana Indriyas. The Tanmatras and the Maha Bhutas then came out in order of transformation. All these principles could not, however, unite to bring forth the creation.

Purusha then permeated them, and the Cosmic Egg with its covers was formed. Details are given as to how the Indriyas and Antahkarana with their Adhyatma, Adhibhuta and Adhidaiva appearing in the Virata Purusha, rose up from sleep as it were only when Chitta finally appeared.

Kapila then dilated on the relations between Purusha and Prakriti, using the ill.u.s.tration of the sun reflected on water and re-reflected on the wall. He showed how Mukti could be attained by discrimination of Prakriti and Purusha - the seer and the seen.

Devahuti asked how Mukti was possible when Prakriti and Purusha were eternally co-existent, and inter-dependent in manifestation. A man might for a time realize that the Purusha was free from the fears of relativity, but his Karma had connected him with the Gunas and the fears would recur as the ultimate cause could not be removed. Kapila replied, "By unselfish performance of duties, by purification of mind, by intense Bhakti in Bhagavan fostered by the recital of His glory, by wisdom based on the knowledge of the Tatvas, by strong dispa.s.sion, by austere yoga, by intense concentration on atma, Prakriti becomes daily subdued and it is finally consumed, even as the wood is consumed by its own fire, caused by constant friction. Given up as already enjoyed and constantly found fault with, Prakriti does no harm to the Purusha centred in Self.

Dreams do harm in sleep. But when a man wakes up, they lose all power to injure, as they are then found to be dreams only."

Kapila then explained the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali, as adapted to Bhakti and gave a graphic description of Vishnu as the object of meditation.

He then explained Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti Yoga is either Saguna or Nirguna.

As Saguna it is either Satvika, Rajasika or Tamasika.

Nirguna Bhakti Yoga is that in which the mind runs towards Bhagavan, even as the Ganges runs towards the Sea, with a constant spontaneous flow. The Devoted spurn Salokya, Sarshti, Samipya, Sarupya and Sayujya union even when offered to them and they prefer to serve Bhagavan ever and ever. Compa.s.sion and friendliness to all beings are the essential qualifications of the Devoted. They must be humble, respectful and self controlled. They must pa.s.s their days in hearing and reciting the glory of Bhagavan.

Kapila then described in vivid terms the life and death of a man of the world and his pa.s.sage after death to Yama Loka. He described the rebirth and went through every detail of ftal existence. The ftus acquires consciousness in the seventh month and gets a recollection of previous births. This recollection is lost on being born.

Those who selfishly perform their Dharma and worship Devas and Pitris go to Soma Loka, and after partaking of Soma, they are again re-born. And even their Lokas are destroyed with the daily Pralaya of Brahma.

Those who unselfishly perform their duties and give themselves up entirely to the Supreme Purusha go through Surya (Sun) to the transcosmic Loka of Parama Purusha. The worshippers of Hiranyagarbha (Brahma) reach Brahma Loka or Satya Loka and there wait for two Pararddhas _i.e._ for the life time of Brahma and upon the final dissolution of the Brahmanda go to the trans-cosmic plane of Parama Purusha.

Brahma, Marichi and other Rishis, the k.u.maras and Siddhas do their a.s.signed work unselfishly, but their Upasana admits of distinction. So they are absorbed in the Second or the First Manifested Purusha at Pralaya and become re-born at creation.

Devahuti heard all this from Kapila. Her doubts were all removed and she found the light within herself. She remained fixed in meditation as long as her Prarabdha was not exhausted. She then attained Mukti.

Kapila first went towards the North. The sea then gave Him place, where He still lies in deep Samadhi, for the peace of Triloki. (Ganga Sagar or Saugor is said to be the seat of Kapila).

These are the five kinds of Mukti. Salokya is residence in the same Loka with the Supreme Being. Sarshti is equality with the Supreme Being in all the divine attributes. Samipya is a.s.similation to the deity. Saynjya is absorption into the Supreme Being.

SKANDHA IV.