Lord Kapila's Instructions on the Movements of the Living Entities

In the Thirty-first Chapter the pains in the womb, at birth, as an infant, and as a child, as well as bhakti of the jīva as it speaks in the womb are explained.

Now Kapila shows how the living entity again returns to the human species. The jīva enters a human body by previous karmas, which are put into action (netra) by the Lord.

Kalalam is a mixture of semen and blood. Budbudam is the shape of a bubble. Karkandhū is the shape of a hard badarī fruit.

By two months the form develops limbs.

The body is surrounded (vītaḥ) by the womb covering (jarāyuṇā). The right side is mentioned because the subject being dealt with is a male. It is well know that the male fetus moves to the right and the female fetus moves to the left.

The male fetus is bound up with arteries and veins within the womb of women. All that the women eat and drink passes into the womb. The fetus becomes nourished by this, and it grows. Mārkandeya Purāṇa 11.11

Ulbaṇaiḥ means “difficult to tolerate.”

Its neck and back are crooked because of the covering.

Śaukuntaḥ is a bird. Under the influence of previous karmas (daivāt) he remembers his actions, in such a way to produce sighing for a long time.

He is moved about (vepitaḥ) by the air causing childbirth, like the worms (viṣṭā-bhūḥ) born in the same womb.

He asks for blessings like “I should get the Lord’s mercy.” He who sees the ātmā (ṛṣiḥ) but, bound up the by seven dhātus, is frightened because of repeated birth, “should” pray with distressed words. Potential case is used, but it is impossible that it can mean that all jīvas must pray in this manner, since giving orders to embryos is not possible. It is used because of the relation of cause and effect. The cause is a person who should worship the Lord. Thus the person who should worship the Lord should pray in the womb. This means that other persons, who do not worship the Lord, would not pray in the womb. Thus, jīvas who do not praise the Lord will later be described in this scripture, and have also previously been described. Therefore, the prayers of the jīva in the womb mentioned here do not indicate that every jīva bound up in the material world prays in this manner, since that would contradict statements such as the following:

akāmād api ye viṣṇoḥ sakṛt pūjāṁ prakurvate

na teṣāṁ bhava-bandhas tu kadācid api jāyate

Those who worship Viṣṇu once without material desire are not subject to bondage and no longer take birth. Nārada Purāṇa 1.36.57

sakṛd eva prapanno yas tavāsmīti ca yācate

abhayaṁ sarvadā tasmai dadāmy etad vrataṁ mama

I have made a vow that I will give fearlessness to that person he who surrenders and once says “I am yours.” Rāmāyaṇa, Yuddha-kāṇòa 18.33

As well, the text does not say “The jīva at ten months, lying in the urine and stool, fainting because of great pain, and bent over, praises the Lord.” The present tense is not used. The past tense is used (jantuḥ uvāca in the next verse.) This indicates that a jīva who was a devotee prayed in this manner in the womb in the past. Not every jīva does so. Those skilled in derivation of meanings of words also declare this. After stating that in the ninth month the limbs are all formed and that the jīva says “I am again born and again die,” Garbhopaniṣad then says:

avāḍmukhaḥ pīòyamāno jantuś caivaṁ samanvitaḥ

sāḍkhyaṁ yogaṁ samabhyasyet puruṣaṁ pañcaviṁśakam

tataś ca daśame māsi prajāyata

The suffering embryo facing forward, endowed with Sāḍkhya-yoga, should worship the twenty-fifth person, the Supreme Lord. In the tenth month he is born.

The word vā in the Upaniṣad indicates that some karmī jīvas remember their previous lives, some jñānī jīvas practice Sāḍkhya-yoga, some yogī jīvas practice yoga, and that devotees should worship the item superior to the twenty-four elements, the Supreme Lord. It is logical to conclude that what was previously practiced will appear in the womb.

Śrīdhara Svāmī says the “walking the earth” is in reference to Kṛṣṇa’s appearance on earth. Kṛṣṇa accepts many forms (ātta-nānā-tanoḥ), since all forms are included within him. According to Jīva Gosvāmī, Kapila says this in expectation of Kṛṣna’s appearance in the future. Since I am impure, this condition of living in an ocean of suffering in the womb has been shown (adarśi) to be befitting. Or adarśī can mean “I have not become the object of your glance of mercy.” You do not appear in front of me because I am sinful.

The living entity remembers with astonishment the merciful, amazing pastimes of his Lord. He exists within every suffering body of us sinful jīvas. Why? We do not know if he does this to protect us, or to perform his own pastimes. I offer respects to him. It is fitting that I am here in the womb, bound by karma, experiencing the results of my sinful acts. But why does he stay as the antaryāmī in this stinking hell? He exists there as if bound by karma, though he is not. Because he wanders around Vṛndāvana with his lotus feet, it appears that he has an ātmā covered by a material body like me. But he is not covered. How does he do this? He utilized his own śakti of māyā composed of material elements, senses and mind. “If that is so, then because of using material energy, he would then be contaminated and be subject to change.” No, he is pure and without change, because he has knowledge which cannot be destroyed by māyā like my knowledge (akhaṇòa-bodham). “How can this be understood by you?” It is perceived in my completely distressed heart. He is distressed thinking, “How can knowledge give by him, situated in my heart, even to a person like me, be destroyed?”

“If he is like this, how can he stay in this body?” I , as an ātmā, dwelling among senses, material guṇas, and sense objects, though covered by a body, remain situated separately from them. I offer respects to the Lord whose greatness is not at all weakened by these things. Another version has tenāvaguṇṭha-mahimānam: According to Bhāguri, the syllable a with negative meaning has been elided, so the meaning is “his powers are not covered.” (Avaguṇṭha means covered.) I offer respects to Kṛṣṇa, who is superior to prakṛti and to the seer of prakṛti, the puruṣāvatāra.

“How did you attain this bhakti?” The cause of attaining bhakti is the mercy of great souls. By what means can a person like me (ayam) who has lost remembrance because of fatigue in traveling on the path choose the abode of the Lord (lokam) without the mercy of the great devotees? Pravṛṇīta means “choose as one cherished goal.” There is no other means except this. My worship of Kṛṣṇa has appeared only by the mercy of some Kṛṣṇa devotee guru I had in a previous life.

“With what proof do you worship this Supreme Lord?” By inference we can understand his presence. Which devatā offers knowledge to a fool like me? Among the devatās,one should be chief. He must be inferred as there is no other reason for my knowledge. His aṁśa, antaryāmī, dwells in all beings in past, present and future. We tread the path of karmas of the jīva (karma-padavīm).

O Lord! My happiness and distress, and attaining your lotus feet are all dependent on you. What can I ask for, since I am so childish and young? In this way he speaks to the Lord. I, situated in this body (dehi), am situated within another body, that of my mother, desiring to be free (vivasitum) from this (itaḥ), counting my months. “This is the eighth month, this is the ninth month, this is the tenth month.” I have no intelligence (kṛpaṇa-dhīḥ), since my happiness and distress have been given by my fate (caused by myself). When will I get out of this place? Because the difficulties cannot be tolerated within the womb, I will worship you outside.

“You have asked me, ‘When will I get out?’ Are you suggesting that I am merciless since I do not get you out right now?” With shame, fear, biting his tongue, putting himself in a humble position, the jīva speaks. I, situated in this womb for ten months, have received this situation of being your devotee, rare even for devatās, by mercy which can come from no one except you (bhavādṛśena). Such a nature is impossible for me to attain even in a life time of Brahmā. May you be satisfied by your actions! Who can compensate for that mercy? I can only fold my hands.

Thinking of the Lord’s great mercy to him, he gives more details. Having attained the human form (ayam), the jīva surrounded by the body of seven dhātus, sees with intelligence the bodily situations of happiness and distress. This means that some fortunate soul, situated in his body, becomes a jñānī (dama-śarīrī). But I, though most sinful, see, by intelligence given by the Lord (yat-sṛṣtayā), the Supreme Lord, the presiding deity of citta (caityam), 1or the Lord to be served by the citta (consciousness), who is obtained (pratītam) externally as the deity and in the heart by realization. It has already been shown (verse 11 commentary) that different jīvas experience differently at this time.

“You choose me by bhakti, but you are agitated by suffering. Because you requested to get out, now I will take you out of the womb.” “No, don’ṭ do that! I don’t what to get into a condition of suffering in the outside world!” In that place the Lord’s (deva) māyā pervades (upasarpati) all beings who have gone outside the womb (upayātam). By her, the false conception of “I am the body” (mithyā matiḥ) and repeated birth takes place.

“So, what have you decided?” Even in the womb, I have given up suffering. I will deliver myself from saṁsāra (tamasaḥ) by my friend intelligence, the chariot driver, which has been given by you, so that I will not in the future have the misfortune of again having a body of nine gates (aneka-randhram). Where will you get the ingredients for this practice? I have taken shelter (upasādita) of your lotus feet with remembering and chanting.

Deciding in this way that he will worship Kṛṣṇa, living in the womb, praising the Lord, he becomes wise (ṛṣiḥ). He will not come into this world and again suffering saṁsāra. Now hear the misfortunate condition of the afflicted jīva described in the previous chapter. The air causing birth (sūti-mārutaḥ) quickly moves the body about to enter saṁsāra (arvācinam) in order for birth to take places during the tenth month. It is understood from this that he who is wise (ṛṣiḥ) comes out of the womb without the movements of the birth air. If one desires to explain this verse in terms of one jīva, then it can mean “The wise jīva, having determination, praises the Lord, but the birth air pushes him out.”

Hatā smṛtiḥ means the he cannot remember his previous births, that he had previously died and been born.

He moves like a worm (viṣṭhā-bhūḥ). Rorūyati should be rorūyate. His knowledge of previous existence is gone (gate jñāne) and becomes forgetful of that state (viparītāṁ gatim). Even the devotee jīva’s knowledge is generally covered from childhood because of the nature of things. By a little association, he has his previous impressions aroused, and attains the Lord by his devotion.

Crying because he wants milk, his mother and others think he has a stomach ache and feed him nīma juice. When he has a stomach ache they think he is hungry, and they feed him milk. Unable to refuse, he cries. (The verb from the previous sentence is understood.)

Āmā means soft. Kṛmikam means small worm.

He becomes enflamed with anger, and inundated with grief.

His ignorance is illustrated. His body is made of five elements. It is clear that the body is not the self. However, he thinks that the body is himself and objects belong to that body (I and mine). He accepts impermanent things rather than eternal things.

For his body (tad-artham) he performs actions, by which he becomes bound (yad-baddhaḥ). That body (yaḥ) continues to give suffering such as hell to the jīva and becomes bound by karma through ignorance. His foolishness is that by doing sinful actions the body gives suffering.

As before, he will again get a body fit for hellish punishments and enter hell. This implies also that, if instead of associating with sinful people, he enjoys in his life with efforts for serving Kṛṣṇa again, he will attain Kṛṣṇa. In that case pūrvavat means “as previously described for the devotee.”

Who is bad association? Describing such persons, Kapila forbids their association in three verses. Khaṇòita-ātmaṣu means “those who destroy themselves because of degrading themselves.” (The ātmā cannot be destroyed.)

The word ca (and) should be added with tat-saḍgi-saḍgataḥ.

One should not say that a woman cannot bewilder the intelligence of great souls endowed with discriminating knowledge. Brahmā, taking the form of a buck (rohid-bhūtam), pursued his daughter in the form of a doe.

Among those created by Brahmā such as Marīci, and those created by Marīci and others such as Kaśyapa, and further descendents such as devatās and humans, those persons who do not worship Nārāyaṇa, whose intelligence is not destroyed by māyā in the form of a woman? One should not take the sentence to mean among the creations of Brahmā, who is not bewildered except for Nārāyaṇa. This would contradict the fact that Nārāyaṇa creates Brahmā.

Even the king, conquering all directions, entering the inner chambers is greeted by his wife as follows. “Giving me up, you go out to conquer to enjoy other women. What a rascal!” Hinting this with a movement of their brows, women kick the men, who bow down before them in submission. Kevalam here means “with certainty.” This is confirmed by Amara-koṣa. One does not have to search out reason for the queen’s action.

Because of this, neither the jñānī aspiring to attain liberation (pāram param) nor the devotee who has realized ātmā should have attachment to women (pramadāsu).

According to the logic of “the person lying down cannot fall any further”2 if one is a karmī, then it is not a fault to associate with women. The word asya means “any man.”

Knowing a person’s detachment, the woman shows off her own lack of desire, and approaches him in the guise of service. She then becomes a source of disturbance. Īkṣet stands for īkṣeta (one must see). Concerning a well covered with grass, the well is thinking, “Let men fall into me!” Therefore no one should even go near that blind well. Whether one is completely indifferent, having bhakti, jñāna or vairāgya, whether one is unconscious from madness or sleeping, or even dead, one should avoid women completely. That is the implication of the blind well.

Just as woman is a cause of problems for the man with bhakti and jñāna, man is a problem for women with bhakti and jñāna. This is explained in two verses. The jīva who think of women at the point of death, becoming a woman thinks of that māyā who now acts as a man (ṛṣabhyāyatīm) as her husband.

She should understand that māyā in the form of husband and sons to be death, just as the deer should understand that the song of the greedy hunter, though pleasurable, is death.

Repeated birth and death of the jīva is described. There is a doubt. The jīva enjoys the results in Svarga or other places by giving up the body by which he performs sinful or pious acts. What is the logic in that? (He should experience the results in the same body.) In answer this verse says that he enjoys the results with the body by which he performed his acts—by the subtle body. By the subtle body (jīva-bhūtena dehena) he wanders from the earth to Svarga or hell. He performs actions by the acquisition of false identity (caused by the subtle body). Going to other places is possible because of the jīva’s illusion. In that place, he enjoys (bhuñjānaḥ). Finishing that enjoyment he again returns to the earth. He then performs further actions. Thus he performs actions and enjoys in the subtle body. That is explained in this verse.

“The jīva goes from the earth on dying and enjoys in Svaraga. Returning from Svarga, he is born here. From where does the conception of death and birth arise?” The subtle body (jīvaḥ), which is the covering on the jīva, and the gross body, both of which accompany the jīva, combine into one to form in the place of enjoyment, and become the body (bhūta), senses and mind. The disintegration of that combination is death for the jīva. That is the state after leaving one gross body and prior to attaining the next gross body. In states such as deep sleep the capacity for actions remains even though no actions are performed, since when deep sleep is broken, immediately one sees the capacity for actions. The appearance of the combination is called birth (sambhavaḥ). It occurs at the time of coming out of the womb after attaining another gross body, after having given up an old one.

When gross objects of the earth cannot be perceived by the gross organ of perception because the gross body has been destroyed, it is called death (even though the subtle organ still exists). By identifying with another gross, body birth takes place. This is the cause of seeing gross objects again. Similarly, when the gross eye ball becomes incapable of seeing gross objects because of disease, the subtle eye sense organ of a person becomes incapable of seeing.

The characteristics of death and birth are again clarified. In this example, dravya means objects situated on this earth. When the gross body, the place of perceiving the objects, is destroyed and the subtle body is incapable of perceiving those objects on its own after the dissolution of the gross body, that state is called death (pañcatvam) for the jīva, though it is not his nature. Birth arises because of the appearance of the identity with another gross body, with the thought that “I am this body.” This is the cause of seeing objects on this earth (dravya-darśanam).

An example is given. When the eye balls (gross matter) are unable to see parts of objects because of destruction in the form of eye disease, then the eye sense organ (subtle) also cannot see. When both the gross organ and the subtle organ are incapable, then the seer becomes incapable of acting as a seer. That incapacity takes place on this earth, not in Svarga or hell. From understanding the explanation given in the example, the appearance and destruction of gross bodies in Svarga and hell are not really birth and death. They are simply called disappearance and appearance of the gross and subtle bodies.

Since one understands that the ātmā does not take birth or die (tasmāt), one should not be horrified.

Kalevaraṁ nasya means giving up attachment to the body.

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