Explanation of Devotional Service by Lord Kapila

Devahūti said: O Lord! Please tell me in detail about the path of bhakti-yoga without which one cannot know the characteristics of mahat-tattva and the other elements, as well as prakṛti and puruṣa, as told by you according to Sāḍkhya philosophy, by which their very natures are known in mutual divisions.

The Twenty-ninth Chapter describes bhakti affected by the guṇas and pure bhakti, as well as giving respect to living beings and the power of time.

Having heard about Sāḍkya and yoga, Devahūti again desires to about bhakti with its different types, since she should perform that process, though she has already heard about. Thus she inquires. You have described the characteristics of the elements such as mahat-tattva, by which their very natures, in divisions, are known. You should tell me about bhakti, the root cause of knowledge of those elements, without which they cannot be known.

To begin bhakti one needs a little detachment. Thus she asks about detachment. Please tell about saṁsāra, by whose explanations one becomes detached.

Also explain about time, which is one of your forms (te). By fear of time people perform auspicious acts.

For destroying the false material identity (mithyābhimateḥ) for giving enlightenment (acakṣusaḥ), for destroying darkness of sleep in material life (tamasi prasuptasya), for drying up the pool of exhaustion caused by thoughts of attachment to action, you, the revealer of the lotus of bhakti, jñāna and yoga, have appeared.

Kapila has already spoken of pure bhakti beyond the guṇas:

devānāṁ guṇa-liḍgānām ānuśravika-karmaṇām

sattva evaika-manaso vṛttiḥ svābhāvikī tu yā

animittā bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī

Bhakti to the Supreme Lord without material desires, composed of actions of the senses to reveal senses objects related to the Lord and which conform to guru’s instructions, with mind dedicated exclusively to the Lord, and which include actions on the spontaneous level, is superior to liberation. SB 3.25.32

Now Kapila begins to speak about bhakti which is contaminated by the guṇas. Bhakti-yoga, of one nature, is known to have many forms with particular methods, according to the intention of the particular person (bhāvini). That intention becomes classified by differing actions of the guṇas arising from one’s nature. Though bhakti in its essential nature is beyond the guṇas, it becomes called tamasic bhakti etc. when it is contaminated by one’s natural guṇas such as tamas.

First tamasic bhakti is described. One should not say that bhakti becomes tamasic. Rather the particular person in question is tamasic. He is angry (saṁrambhī). He does not see happiness and distress equally in himself and others (bhinna-dṛk). In other words he is without compassion. With a goal of violence, pride and hatred, the angry person with no compassion who performs bhakti (bhāvam) to me is tamasic. He is of three types. These three types are clearly described in the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa:

yaś cānyasya vināśārthaṁ bhajate śraddhayā harim

phalavat pṛthivī-pāla sā bhaktis tāmasādhamā

yo ’rccayet kaitava-dhiyā svairiṇī sva-patiṁ yathā

nārāyaṇaṁ jagannāthaṁ sā vai tāmasa-madhyamā

deva-pūjāparān dṛṣṭvā sparddhayā yo ’rccayed dharim

śṛṇuṣva pṛthivī-pāla sā bhaktis tāmasottamā

O King! He who worships with faith the Lord with the goal to destroy another person has tamasic bhakti of low grade. He who, like a prostitute, worships his master, Nārāyaṇa, Lord of the universe, with cheating mentality, has tamasic bhakti of medium grade. He who worships the Lord in a competitive mood, after seeing the worship of devatās, has tamasic bhakti of the highest type.

One should see the same work for rajasic and sattvic bhakti of three types.

Pṛthag-bhāvaḥ means he has desires for objects other than me.

He worships with the intention of destroying karma; his goal in bhakti is to destroy karma. He worships in such a way that his actions are offered to the Lord; he performs bhakti of hearing and chanting but filled with offering of occupational duties. He worships out of duty, having obtained rules for daily rites. He worships while performing his duties of his āśrama, thinking that his worship is similar to his execution of āśrama duties. He has the desire for liberation (pṛthak-bhāvaḥ). The nine types of bhakti (three types of tamasic, rajasic and sattvic bhakti), sakāma-bhakti, are successively superior. Sattvic bhakti produces some sort of knowledge. When jñāna is secondary and bhakti is primary or predominant, it is called jñāna-miśra-bhakti, which produces śānti-rati, beyond the three guṇas. If jñāna predominates and bhakti is secondary, bhakti being a mere aḍga of jñāna, then it produces sāyujya-mukti. Bhakti mixed with karmas such a horse sacrifice with desire for material gain, with some offering of actions, and attachment to results, but not offering of all actions, produces sālokya liberation with happiness and powers. If one performs bhakti and offers some karmas without desire for results, it produces śānti-rati. Though rajasic and tamasic bhakti produce results, the performers generally get material results. However, the results will be greater than usual, because of the power of bhakti. In terms of yielding devotion results, in some cases such bhakti will with time become pure bhakti, as illustrated by the following verse.

satyaṁ diśaty arthitam arthito nṛṇāṁ

naivārthado yat punar arthitā yataḥ

svayaṁ vidhatte bhajatām anicchatām

icchāpidhānaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam

The Lord certainly gives desired objects to devotees who request them, but he does not give in such a way that the devotee will ask again after finishing his enjoyment. He gives his lotus feet, which include all desirables, to those worshippers who do not desire them. SB 5.19.27

Because the mind, by hearing about my qualities, flows continuously to me, the Supreme Lord residing in the hearts of all people, just as the Gaḍgā flows to the ocean, it is said that the quality of bhakti beyond the guṇas is absence of results other than bhakti and lack of obstructions from other processes.

The qualities of pure bhakti mentioned in SB 3.25.32 are here mentioned again for easy understanding. The mind continually flows to me, the Supreme Lord, situated in all antaḥkaraṇas, and thus the easy object of meditation, just by hearing about my qualities. Because of this, it is said to be the quality of bhakti-yoga. The sentence continues in two verses. Thus the meaning is “Because the mind flows continuously to me just by bhakti-yoga with hearing and other processes beyond the guṇas, the quality of bhakti is said to be ahaitukī and avyavhitā.” Just as the water of the Gaḍgā, even though turned back by the ocean’s waves, heads into the ocean, the mind flows only to me though allured by me with offerings of kingdom, sārṣṭi, sālokya and other results. Also the example of the Gaḍgā suggests that the mind of the devotee, like the Gaḍgā, is swift, cooling, pure and worthy of worship. What are bhakti’s qualities? It is devoid of having other results in mind (ahaitukī). It is not like jñāna or yoga, since it independent of other processes, and is itself the result. (Bhakti is the process and bhakti is the result.) It has been explained in the First Canto that the first and twelfth stages of bhakti, sadhu-saḍga and prema, should not be considered cause and effect.2 This bhakti is unobstructed (avyavahitā), devoid of blockage by jñāna or karma (sattva and rajoguṇa). This means it is beyond the guṇas. It is explained in the Eleventh Canto that the devotee (who is the abode of faith and bhakti), the happiness of bhakti and other items are all beyond the guṇas:

sāttvikaḥ kārako 'saḍgī rāgāndho rājasaḥ smṛtaḥ

tāmasaḥ smṛti-vibhraṣṭo nirguṇo mad-apāśrayaḥ

A worker free of attachment is in the mode of goodness, a worker blinded by personal desire is in the mode of passion, and a worker who has completely forgotten how to tell right from wrong is in the mode of ignorance. But a worker who has taken shelter of me is understood to be transcendental to the modes of nature. SB 11.25.26

sāttviky ādhyātmikī śraddhā karma-śraddhā tu rājasī

tāmasy adharme yā śraddhā mat-sevāyāṁ tu nirguṇā

Faith directed toward ātmā is in sattva, faith rooted in prescribed karma is in rajas, faith residing in irreligious activities is in tamas, but faith in my devotional service is purely transcendental. SB 11.25.27

To make clear the meaning illustrated by the example of the Gaḍgā water, Kapila explains the lack of material desire in the devotees who have pure bhakti, by the method of kaimutya-nyāya. (The devotees do not accept even spiritual benedictions, what to speak of accepting material things!). Sālokya means living on the same planet as the Lord. Sārṣṭi means having powers similar to the Lord’s. Sāmīpya means staying near the Lord. Sārūpya means having a form similar to the Lord’s. Ekatvam means merging with the Lord. Even if these are offered, the devotees do not accept them. What is the use of such things? They do not accept them without service to me. This means that if some devotees do accept these things, they accept for service to me.

Then why do they perform bhakti? They perform bhakti because it gives the highest result. Āyantika means the state at the very end. It indicates the most excellent result. “But ātyantika means merging in Brahman.” This ātyantika is called bhakti (bhakti-yogākhyaḥ), for sometimes bhakti is also called apavarga, Brahman or nirvāṇa.

apavargaśca bhavati yo ’sau bhagavaty-ananya-nimitta-bhakti-yoga-lakṣaṇa

That bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Vāsudeva, is the real path of liberation (apavarga). SB 5.19.20

tad brahma-nirvāṇa-sukhaṁ vidur budhās

Those who are wise understand the happiness of Brahman or nirvāna. SB 7.7.37

harāvaikāntikīṁ bhaktiṁ mokṣam āhur manīṣiṇaḥ

The wise say that pure bhakti to the Lord is mokṣa.

bhaktir asya bhajanaṁ tad ihāmutropādhi-nairāsyenāmuṣmin manaḥ kalpanam etad eva naiṣkarmyam

Bhakti to the Lord means worship concentrating the mind on the Lord with rejection of objects of this world and the next. It is the state without karma (naiskārmya). Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad

”But liberation from the bondage of the three guṇas alone is famous as the final result.” That is true. That is a by-product of bhakti. Thus the verse says, “By bhakti one surpasses the guṇas.” But surpassing the guṇas is achieved without seeking it, since simply by taking shelter of the Lord’s feet the ocean of saṁsāra becomes as small as the water in calf’s hoof print. And by that bhakti one attains prema directed to me (madbhāvāya).

Now the aḍgas or components of bhakti are described. The mind is purified by executing varṇāśrama duties approved by (niṣevitaḥ) the previous pure devotees, without expectation of results. However, it should be understood that one should follow the rules of smrṭi (varṇāśrama) for purity of body, cloth and utensils by earth, water and other agents, without mantra, which are suitable for bhakti processes like arcana. Otherwise, if one were to follow all aspects of varṇāśrama, statements such as the following would be meaningless:

mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛòhām

mat-kṛte tyakta-karmāṇas tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ

They perform steady bhakti to me with exclusive devotion, giving up all actions to attain me, giving up friends and relatives. SB 3.25.22

ājñāyaivaṁ guṇān doṣān mayādiṣṭān api svakān

dharmān santyajya yaḥ sarvān māṁ bhajet sa ca sattamaḥ

A person who, understanding good and bad aspects of dharma as taught by me, gives up all his duties and simply worships me is the best of all. SB 11.11.32

The mind is purified by the process of pañcarātrika-pūja (kriya-yogena), considering what is best in terms of place etc. (śastena). One should follow this process without excessive violence. It is understood from this statement that there is no harm in destroying leaves, roots and fruit, and small living entities which are hard to avoid or hard to see, in preparing various foods for the deity, cleaning the temple, and applying decorations on the floors.

One should give up bad association (asaḍgamena) with determination (sattvena).

The mind should become purified by continually hearing about the good and bad qualities of the antaḥkaraṇa. To perform bhakti using the antaḥkaraṇa, one must hear about its good and bad qualities. Understanding one has bad qualities like pride, one can conquer those bad qualities by worship of great devotees. The devotees should engage in such a practice.

The mind of a person who performs activities of hearing and chanting about me (mad-dharmaṇaḥ), purified by these methods, approaches the perfection of bhakti-yoga represented by hearing about my qualities, which is the same as attaining me.

An example of attaining without endeavor is given. The fragrance, carried by the air, goes to the nose from the source of smell (āśayāt). Similarly the heart engaged in bhakti-yoga, goes to Paramātmā (ātmānam). Just as wind takes the fragrance in a lotus goes to the nose, all the aḍgas of bhakti make the heart which ifixed in bhakti-yoga (yoga-ratam) attain the Lord.

However, in such bhakti, offence creates restriction. Offence generally stems from disrespect to the great devotees. Though such devotees are difficult to see, many exist. In order to avoid offences to them, one should pay respects to all living entities, thinking that the Lord is present in all of them. Without doing so, even worshiping the deity forms of the Lord will not give any result. Since he is the Supreme Lord, Kapila then speaks in six verses somewhat angrily, out of affection, to benefit his devotee who does not respect all beings. In these verses disrespect, disregard, hatred and criticism are forbidden. This person performs imitation worship of my deity forms (arcā-viòambaṇam).

Because he is the master, Kapila, to teach his devotees, scolds them. Similarly he calls the worshipper a donkey if he is attached to his land.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

A human being who identifies this body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of birth worshipable, and who goes to the place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than meet men of transcendental knowledge there, is to be considered like an ass or a cow. SB 10.84.13

Even some present day guru, seeing a trace of offence in other devotees, sometimes scolds his dear disciple who serves him well by saying “You serve me but your service is useless like ashes. You cause me only suffering.” Actually the sages never talk in this manner. It is also said:

arcāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate

na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a neophyte devotee. SB 11.2.47

Śrīdhara Svāmī explains: he does not behave well with the devotees and even with other people. Prākṛta means “new or unrefined in nature.” Now, in verse 25, it will be explained that the new, immature devotee gradually becomes the highest devotee.

Bhinna-darśinaḥ means one who does not recognize that his own suffering is also felt the same way in others.

Avamaninaḥ means “of one who criticizes.” One who criticizes others is worse than one who hates others because it is said:

na tathā tapyate viddhaḥ pumān bāṇais tu marma-gaiḥ

yathā tudanti marma-sthā hy asatāṁ paruṣeṣavaḥ

Sharp arrows which pierce one’s chest and reach the heart do not cause as much suffering as the arrows of harsh, insulting words spoken by materialists that become lodged within the heart. SB 11.23.3

Since those practicing pure bhakti by their nature have pure antaḥkaraṇas, they generally do not disrespect any living being. However, karma-miśra-bhaktas can disrespect other living entities. Until the impurities of the antaḥkaraṇa no longer remain disrespect is possible. When the antaḥkaraṇa is pure, disrespect is not possible. At that time he should no longer perform karma with his bhakti. Sva-karma-kṛt means the person performs karma-miśra-bhakti in sattva-guṇa. With the appearance of the state of seeing the Lord in all beings, the person should no longer perform karma-miśra-bhakti, since he is no longer qualified for karma. Performing jñāna-miśra-bhakti, he should worship my deity form.

For the person who differentiates between his own stomach (udaram) and others’ stomachs, I appear in the form of death. One should understand that just as one has a stomach afflicted by hunger, so other people also have stomachs afflicted with hunger. If one does not understand this, he cannot surpass fear of death.

“All the starving jīvas on the earth, hearing that there is one who can satisfy their hunger, will go to him. Who will have patience like King Rantideva to feed them all?” In answer to this is said, that on the contrary (atha), they should worship those living entities with gifts as much as they can. Medini says atha can used to indicate doubt, authority, auspiciousness, with meanings of alternative, question, completeness, beginning, or totality. They should not abuse those who criticize them and try to beat them because they are hungry. They should respect them with praise, giving them greater respect than themselves. The Lord himself says:

ye brāhmaṇān mayi dhiyā kṣipato 'rcayantas

tuṣyad-dhṛdaḥ smita-sudhokṣita-padma-vaktrāḥ

vāṇyānurāga-kalayātmajavad gṛṇantaḥ

sambodhayanty aham ivāham upāhṛtas taiḥ

Just as I am controlled by you, I am controlled by those who worship the brāhmaṇas who have offended others, who see those brāhmaṇas as non-different from me, who remain pleased in heart in spite of their harsh words, showing lotus faces moistened with sweet smiles, and who pacify them by praising them with words filled with love, just as a son praises an angry father. SB 3.16.11

They should treat them as friends, equal to themselves, without speaking and with sincerity, for the Lord, treating all beings without duplicity, situated within, does not get angry, even though people become angry at him.

Unlike the jñānī, my devotee does not have to see everything completely with equal vision, but with graduations. Six and half verses show the graduations of living beings. Superior to non-living things like withered grass are living things like fresh grass. Superior to them are beings with active prāṇa, situated on earth, forms with intake and expelling of water, such as living stones. Superior to them are conscious mountains with ears and teeth, which in the beginningt had movement such as flying but were stunned by Indra’s thunderbolt. Superior to them are entities with senses. This indicates trees which have awareness of sprouting and seeing. In Mokṣa-dharma it is said tasmāt paśyanti pādapās tasmāj jighranti pādapā: higher than these are the trees which see; higher than these are the trees which smell.

Those with taste sensation, conscious of what is suitable or unsuitable as food, such as worms, are superior to the trees with touch sensation. Entities with a sense of smell, such as small insects in flowers, are superior. Superior to them are entities who protect themselves by hearing, such as some water insects.

Beings who can distinguish forms such as crows are superior. Entities with upper and lower teeth such as snakes are superior. Those with many legs such as bees are superior. It should be understood that they have two sets of teeth since they can cut flowers or wood. Four legged animals are superior and two legged human beings are superior to them. Those beings later in the list are in general superior because of superior qualities. By knowledge from scriptures, it is understood that mountains like Govardhana and Veḍkatācala, and plants like tulasī, are superior and more worthy of respect because of even greater qualities, such as residing at the Lord’s abodes.

Tataḥ means among the humans.

Better than the cutter of doubts, but does not perform all his duties, is a person who performs all his duties (and also cuts doubts). The liberated soul or jñānī is superior, because he does not accept the results of his previous actions of dharma.

Superior to the jñānī is the person who engages in worship of my name and forms, and offers his wealth (artha), identity of I and mine, mind and intelligence (ātmā) to me, without the impurity of karma or jñāna (nirantara). He renounces all karmas in order to attain me (mayi sannyasta-karmaṇaḥ), having given up varṇāśrama, for it has been said:

mayy ananyena bhāvenabhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛòhām

mat-kṛte tyakta-karmāṇas tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ

They perform firm bhakti to me with exclusive devotion, giving up all actions to attain me, giving up friends and relatives. SB 3.25.22

He is a non-doer (akartuḥ). Since he is without identity as an independent doer, he thinks, “Even in my performance of bhakti, the Supreme Lord produces my bhakti.” He sees all others’ happiness and distress as his own (sama-darśanāt). The Lord himself says:

ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśyati yo ’rjuna |

sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ

I consider that practicing yogī who sees equally everything as equal to himself in all circumstances, whether in happiness or suffering, to be the topmost yogī. BG 6.32

Sama-darśana does not have the same meaning as the Gītā verse describing the person who sees the brāhmaṇa, cow, elephant, dog and dog-eater as equal (BG 5.18), since that interpretation would contradict the present section of classification of inferior and superior beings.

Jīva-kalayā means “with his portion, the jīva.”

Kapila concludes the topic of bhakti-yoga, just explained, along with aṣṭāḍga-yoga that he had explained in the previous chapter. The person should attain the Supreme Lord. That means that he will directly meet the Lord’s form full of consciousness by bhakt-yoga. By aṣṭāḍga-yoga, he can directly experience the impersonal Brahman aspect of the Lord. Both of these accomplishments are indicated by the phrase “attaining me” according to the scriptures.

I am this form of Bhagavān who also appears as Brahman and Paramātmā, beyond material nature, and who am also defined as prakṛti, jīva, karma and astonishing time--the cause of transformation of material objects, from which fear arises for living beings with material bodies in ignorance.

“You have said that one attains the Supreme Lord by either process. You do not say ‘One attains me, the Supreme Lord.’ Who is that person?” In response Kapila puts his forefinger on his chest and clarifies the point. The meaning is this. He who becomes Bhagavān to the devotees becomes Brahman to the jñānīs and Paramāṭmā to the yogīs. That also is a form beyond prakṛti (param). The meaning is “I, your son, am that Supreme Lord.” Not only that, but prakṛti, the jīva (puruṣa), fate and time are my form. I am pradhāna and its instigator the jīva (puruṣa). I am the fate or karma of the jīva (daiva)--the various reactions (viceṣṭitam) arising by pious or sinful actions. I am time, my form which has astonishing influence (divyam), which is the cause (āspadam) of objects transforming (rūpa-bheda). It has already been said:

kālād guṇa-vyatikaraḥ pariṇāmaḥ svabhāvataḥ

karmaṇo janma mahataḥ puruṣādhiṣṭhitād abhūt

The guṇas are agitated from a state of equilibrium by time. They are transformed into another state by svabhāva. The mahat-tattva appears by karma of the jīvas. All this is under the direction of the Lord. SB 2.5.22

Kapila begins to explain about the qualities of time previously explained, since Devahūti asked. The jīvas who identify with mahat-tattva (mahat) and other elements, whose identities have a creation (adi), middle and end, who are covered with ignorance (bhinna-dṛśām) develop fear of time.

This verse describes the method of creating fear. Entering into all beings, he destroys them by other living beings. Time called Viṣṇu is the giver of results of sacrifice since he is the controller of sacrifice (adhiyajñaḥ). He is the master of those controlled.

Yad stands for yasmāt. Time represents the Lord.

Fire burns (indhe). Though overburdened with sinful people, the earth with its mountains does not sink, but in great difficulty, being very tolerant, the earth in the form of a cow complains of her miserable condition at the end of Dvāparā-yuga to the Lord.

On the order of time, the sky gives space (padam) for the living entities (śvasatām), those who are breathing, not those who are dead. By the order of time, Brahmā, made of mahat-tattva (mahān), spreads out his body in the form of the vairāja-rūpa (universal form), with planets like earth, covered by seven layers.

Out of fear of time, the devatās in charge of the guṇas such as Brahmā, Dharma and Śiva carry out creation and destruction in very kalpa.

Time, creating population through people, mothers and fathers, is the creator (ādi-kṛt).

Thus ends the commentary on Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.