Kapila Geeta Mananam: Nirguna Bhakti as precursor to Advaita JnAnodhayam.
Teachings given to His mother Devahooti by Bhagavan Sri Kapila
III rd Skandham of Bhagavatham - Select Verses from Chapters 29, 32, 33, focusing primarily on Nirguna Bhakti, which is a precursor to Advaita JnAnodayam.
Select phrases and verses are highlighted and bold-faced. These phrases/verses underscore both Nirguna Bhakti and Advaitam.
3.29.11-12
Just as the waters of the
Ganga continuously flow into the sea, similarly by merely listening to (the
description of) my qualities the mind incessantly flows to me who reside in the
hearts of all (beings). This close and intimate devotion to the Lord
(Purushottama), without any ulterior motive, is definitely regarded as the
characteristic of the Nirguna Bhakti.
3.29.13
A pure devotee does crave after any particular kind of liberation—sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya, sārūpya or ekatva—even though they are offered.
3.29.14
14. That only is called the
absolute Bhakti yoga whereby one transcends the trinity of gunas (and
consequent samsara) and attains to my state (Brahma Stithi).
3.29. 15
15. The mind of my nirguna bhakta becomes purified by
careful performance of daily religious duties without any motive, by performance
of disinterested worship with ardent faith, without involving the least injury
to beings.
3.29. 16
Beholding at my image, by
touching, worshiping praising and bowing to me, by regarding me (as residing)
in all beings, by firmness or fortitude and non-attachment.
3.29. 17
17. By paying great respect
to the great, by showing compassion to the afflicted, by friendliness towards
one & equals and by observance yama and niyama.
3.29. 18
18. By listening to the discourses
(Atma Vidya Upadesam) about Atman, by nāma-saṅkīrtana, by
straightforwardness and by association with the noble (Souls) and by giving up
ahamkAra.
3.29. 19
19. As soon as such a devotee
listens to (the description of) my attributes, he is easily attracted to me.
3.29. 20
20. Just as fragrance being
carried by (the chariot in the form of) the wind from its source (reaches the
nose) and captures the smelling organ, similarly the mind which is constant and
unperturbed and absorbed, attains the unchanging Atman (Self).
3.29. 21
21. I am always abiding in all
beings as their Soul {AntaryAmin). A man who disregards me (antaryAmin) his
claims to performance of worship is mere sham.
3.29. 22
22. He who foolishly neglects
me, the controller of the world dwelling as a Soul (Atman or Self) in all
beings, and worships merely the images, is (similar to), offering oblations in
ashes (instead of in the fire).
3.29. 23
23. The mind of a man who
possesses ahamkara (about his body identifying it with the Soul) and who hates
me in another body regarding me as different (in every person) and contracts enmity
with other beings, never attains tranquility
3.29. 26
26 If a person makes even a
slight difference between himself and
ParamAtman, I who am Death, create big fear in him who entertains the idea of
difference.
3.29. 34
34. One could understand that
the glorious Ishwara has entered all beings as the Jiva (individual Soul) and
should pay great respects to them mentally and bow down to them
3.32.23
23. If the yoga called
devotion to Lord Vasudeva is intensely practiced, it immediately generates
desirelessness and knowledge that leads to the realization of Brahman
3.32. 24
24. (As a matter of fact) all
objects are equal (i.e. Everything is Brahman). But it is when the mind of the
devotee becomes fixed and steady in God due to the Bhakta’s love for the
excellent attributes of the Lord that it does not discriminate (between them)
according to the attitude of the senses—as being favorite and agreeable and
non-favorite and disagreeable.
3.32. 25
25. At that time he realizes the Brahman as his own Self, as being free from all
attachment, of perfect wisdom free from acceptability or rejectability (i.e.
above merits and demerits) and full of the highest bliss.
3.32. 26
26. The Para Brahman is pure
knowledge (consciousness). It is described as the Supreme Atman, the Isvara and
the Purusha. The Lord (Bhagavan) is the same who is equally perceived in
different capacities (as the seer, the thing-to-be seen and the act-of-seeing).
3.32. 28
28. The Brahman is one
(without a second). It is of the nature of knowledge or consciousness and
without any attributes. It is an illusion when through outward looking sense
organs it appears as things (like the sky) possessed of sound and other
attributes.
3.32. 30
30. Verily it is only a
non-attached person whose mind is composed and serene by Sraddha, Bhakti and
continuous practice of Yoga who realizes this Brahman.
3.32. 32
32. The path of knowledge
(Jnana Marga as per Brahma Vidya ~ Upanisads) and Nirguna Bhakti Lakshana (Bhakti
inspired by Spontaneous Love arising in purified mind). But both of them have
the same objective viz. (the realization of) the Supreme Lord (referred to as
antaryAmin in 3.29.21)
3.32. 33
33. Just as the same object
is perceived in different ways by the sense-organs, (similarly) the Supreme
Lord (though absolutely one without a second) is seen in different ways through
different sastras.
3.32.34–36
34. By doing religious acts,
by performing sacrifices, by donating gifts, by penance, by the study ofthe Vedas,
by subduing the mind and the sense-organs and by renunciation of karmas,
35. By means of the astAnga
yoga, and by the Path of Bhakti (i.e. relying upon Lord) by religious practices
both with and without the desire for their fruits, which are called Pravrtti
and Nivrtti.
36. By clear knowledge about
the nature of the Self and by firm sense of non-attachment—by means of these,
the self-illuminating Lord whether Saguna or Nirguna is realized.
3.32.43
43. Oh mother, the man who
even once hears this knowledge with faith, or relates this to others with his
mind set on me verily attains to my abode
(Epilogue)
3.33.4
devahūtir uvāca (Mother Speaks : - )
4. Oh Lord, how was it
possible that you were borne by me in my womb. It was your Maya, you in whose
stomach lay the whole of the universe, and who, at the end of yugas (i.e. after
the deluge set in) lay alone on a banyan leaf in the form of an infant sucking
its toe.
3.33.8
8. I pay obeisance to you,
Kapila, who are the highest Brahman, the Supreme Man who are worthy of
meditation in mind which is withdrawn from external objects, and who have dried
up the flow of gunas by your brilliance and who are Visnu, from whom Vedas were
revealed.
3.33.12
Maitreya said:
12. The venerable Kapila
showed to his pious mother the path leading to Atman. Having obtained the
permission of his mother, who realized the Brahman, Kapila departed.
3.33.24–25
3.33. 26
3.33.27
24. By means of stream or
overflow of devotion, by powerful renunciation, and by knowledge which was
produced by the proper observances of vows (which caused Chitta Suddi)
culminating in Brahma JnAna.
25. Her mind became pure. She
was then lost in the meditation of all-pervading Atman (ātmanā viśvato-mukham) who by His essential light removes
the limitations of the gunas of Maya (Ignorance).
26. Her mind became steadied
in the glorious Brahman which is the shelter of all the Jivas. As she
superseded her state of being a Jiva (i.e. his Ignorance was completely
dispelled), all her afflictions were over and she attained to the blessed stage
(of being completely liberated while alive).
27. As she was always engaged
in continuous meditation (after becoming Jivan Mukta) and her delusion due to
gunas was dispelled, at that time she did not remember her body, just as an
object seen in a dream (is found to be unreal) after waking up.
3.33.36
3.33.37
ya idam anuśṛṇoti yo ’bhidhatte
36. Oh child (Vidura), as per
your query I have narrated to you the sacred dialogue between Kapila and
Devahoothi. Oh sinless one.
37. He who listens to this or
narrates this doctrine of the Sage Kapila regarding the secret knowledge about
the Atman, becomes able to concentrate his mind upon the venerable Lord whose
banner has the emblem of Garuda, and he attains to the lotus-like feet of the
glorious Lord
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