Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Twenty-five
The Glories of Devotional Service
SB3.25.1
TEXT 1
śaunaka uvāca
kapilas tattva-saṅkhyātā
bhagavān ātma-māyayā
jātaḥ svayam ajaḥ sākṣād
ātma-prajñaptaye nṛṇām
SYNONYMS
śaunakaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śaunaka said; kapilaḥ—Lord Kapila; tattva—of the truth; saṅkhyātā—the expounder; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ātma-māyayā—by His internal potency; jātaḥ—took birth; svayam—Himself; ajaḥ—unborn; sākṣāt—in person; ātma-prajñaptaye—to disseminate transcendental knowledge; nṛṇām—for the human race.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śaunaka said: Although He is unborn, the Supreme Personality of Godhead took birth as Kapila Muni by His internal potency. He descended to disseminate transcendental knowledge for the benefit of the whole human race.
PURPORT
The word ātma-prajñaptaye indicates that the Lord descends for the benefit of the human race to give transcendental knowledge. Material necessities are quite sufficiently provided for in the Vedic knowledge, which offers a program for good living conditions and gradual elevation to the platform of goodness. In the mode of goodness one’s knowledge expands. On the platform of passion there is no knowledge, for passion is simply an impetus to enjoy material benefits. On the platform of ignorance there is no knowledge and no enjoyment, but simply life almost like that of animals.
The Vedas are meant to elevate one from the mode of ignorance to the platform of goodness. When one is situated in the mode of goodness he is able to understand knowledge of the self, or transcendental knowledge. This knowledge cannot be appreciated by any ordinary man. Therefore, since a disciplic succession is required, this knowledge is expounded either by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself or by His bona fide devotee. Śaunaka Muni also states here that Kapila, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, took birth, or appeared, simply to appreciate and disseminate transcendental knowledge. Simply to understand that one is not matter but spirit soul (ahaṁ brahmāsmi: “I am by nature Brahman”) is not sufficient knowledge for understanding the self and his activities. One must be situated in the activities of Brahman. Knowledge of those activities is explained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Such transcendental knowledge can be appreciated in human society but not in animal society, as clearly indicated here by the word nṛṇām, “for the human beings.” Human beings are meant for regulated life. By nature, there is regulation in animal life also, but that is not like the regulative life as described in the scriptures or by the authorities. Human life is regulated life, not animal life. In regulated life only can one understand transcendental knowledge.
SB3.25.2 TEXT 2 na hy asya varṣmaṇaḥ puṁsāṁ varimṇaḥ sarva-yoginām viśrutau śruta-devasya bhūri tṛpyanti me ’savaḥ SYNONYMS na—not; hi—indeed; asya—about Him; varṣmaṇaḥ—the greatest; puṁsām—among men; varimṇaḥ—the foremost; sarva—all; yoginām—of yogīs; viśrutau—in hearing; śruta-devasya—the master of the Vedas; bhūri—repeatedly; tṛpyanti—are sated; me—my; asavaḥ—senses.
TRANSLATION Śaunaka continued: There is no one who knows more than the Lord Himself. No one is more worshipable or more mature a yogī than He. He is therefore the master of the Vedas, and to hear about Him always is the actual pleasure of the senses. PURPORT In Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that no one can be equal to or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in the Vedas also: eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. He is the supreme living entity and is supplying the necessities of all other living entities. Thus all other living entities, both viṣṇu-tattva and jīva-tattva, are subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. The same concept is confirmed here. Na hy asya varṣmaṇaḥ puṁsām: amongst the living entities, no one can surpass the Supreme Person because no one is richer, more famous, stronger, more beautiful, wiser or more renounced than He. These qualifications make Him the Supreme Godhead, the cause of all causes. Yogīs are very proud of performing wonderful feats, but no one can compare to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Anyone who is associated with the Supreme Lord is accepted as a first-class yogī. Devotees may not be as powerful as the Supreme Lord, but by constant association with the Lord they become as good as the Lord Himself. Sometimes the devotees act more powerfully than the Lord. Of course, that is the Lord’s concession.
Also used here is the word varimṇaḥ, meaning “the most worshipful of all yogīs.” To hear from Kṛṣṇa is the real pleasure of the senses; therefore He is known as Govinda, for by His words, by His teachings, by His instruction—by everything connected with Him—He enlivens the senses. Whatever He instructs is from the transcendental platform, and His instructions, being absolute, are nondifferent from Him. Hearing from Kṛṣṇa or His expansion or plenary expansion like Kapila is very pleasing to the senses. Bhagavad-gītā can be read or heard many times, but because it gives great pleasure, the more one reads Bhagavad-gītā the more he gets the appetite to read and understand it, and each time he gets new enlightenment. That is the nature of the transcendental message. Similarly, we find that transcendental happiness in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The more we hear and chant the glories of the Lord, the more we become happy.
SB3.25.3 TEXT 3 yad yad vidhatte bhagavān svacchandātmātma-māyayā tāni me śraddadhānasya kīrtanyāny anukīrtaya SYNONYMS yat yat—whatever; vidhatte—He performs; bhagavān—the personality of Godhead; sva-chanda-ātmā—full of self-desire; ātma-māyayā—by His internal potency; tāni—all of them; me—to me; śraddadhānasya—faithful; kīrtanyāni—worthy of praise; anukīrtaya—please describe.
TRANSLATION Therefore please precisely describe all the activities and pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is full of self-desire and who assumes all these activities by His internal potency. PURPORT The word anukīrtaya is very significant. Anukīrtaya means to follow the description—not to create a concocted mental description, but to follow. Śaunaka Ṛṣi requested Sūta Gosvāmī to describe what he had actually heard from his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, about the transcendental pastimes the Lord manifested by His internal energy. Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no material body, but He can assume any kind of body by His supreme will. That is made possible by His internal energy.
SB3.25.4 TEXT 4 sūta uvāca dvaipāyana-sakhas tv evaṁ maitreyo bhagavāṁs tathā prāhedaṁ viduraṁ prīta ānvīkṣikyāṁ pracoditaḥ SYNONYMS sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta Gosvāmī said; dvaipāyana-sakhaḥ—friend of Vyāsadeva; tu—then; evam—thus; maitreyaḥ—Maitreya; bhagavān—worshipful; tathā—in that way; prāha—spoke; idam—this; viduram—to Vidura; prītaḥ—being pleased; ānvīkṣikyām—about transcendental knowledge; pracoditaḥ—being asked.
TRANSLATION Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: The most powerful sage Maitreya was a friend of Vyāsadeva. Being encouraged and pleased by Vidura’s inquiry about transcendental knowledge, Maitreya spoke as follows. PURPORT Questions and answers are very satisfactorily dealt with when the inquirer is bona fide and the speaker is also authorized. Here Maitreya is considered a powerful sage, and therefore he is also described as bhagavān. This word can be used not only for the Supreme Personality of Godhead but for anyone who is almost as powerful as the Supreme Lord. Maitreya is addressed as bhagavān because he was spiritually far advanced. He was a personal friend of Dvaipāyana Vyāsadeva, a literary incarnation of the Lord. Maitreya was very pleased with the inquiries of Vidura because they were the inquiries of a bona fide, advanced devotee. Thus Maitreya was encouraged to answer. When there are discourses on transcendental topics between devotees of equal mentality, the questions and answers are very fruitful and encouraging.
SB3.25.5 TEXT 5 maitreya uvāca pitari prasthite ’raṇyaṁ mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā tasmin bindusare ’vātsīd bhagavān kapilaḥ kila SYNONYMS maitreyaḥ uvāca—Maitreya said; pitari—when the father; prasthite—left; araṇyam—for the forest; mātuḥ—His mother; priya-cikīrṣayā—with a desire to please; tasmin—on that; bindusare—Lake Bindu-sarovara; avātsīt—He stayed; bhagavān—the Lord; kapilaḥ—Kapila; kila—indeed.
TRANSLATION Maitreya said: When Kardama left for the forest, Lord Kapila stayed on the strand of the Bindu-sarovara to please His mother, Devahūti. PURPORT In the absence of the father it is the duty of the grown son to take charge of his mother and serve her to the best of his ability so that she will not feel separation from her husband, and it is the duty of the husband to leave home as soon as there is a grown son to take charge of his wife and family affairs. That is the Vedic system of household life. One should not remain continually implicated in household affairs up to the time of death. He must leave. Family affairs and the wife may be taken charge of by a grown son.
SB3.25.6 TEXT 6 tam āsīnam akarmāṇaṁ tattva-mārgāgra-darśanam sva-sutaṁ devahūty āha dhātuḥ saṁsmaratī vacaḥ SYNONYMS tam—to Him (Kapila); āsīnam—seated; akarmāṇam—at leisure; tattva—of the Absolute Truth; mārga-agra—the ultimate goal; darśanam—who could show; sva-sutam—her son; devahūtiḥ—Devahūti; āha—said; dhātuḥ—of Brahmā; saṁsmaratī—remembering; vacaḥ—the words.
TRANSLATION When Kapila, who could show her the ultimate goal of the Absolute Truth, was sitting leisurely before her, Devahūti remembered the words Brahmā had spoken to her, and she therefore began to question Kapila as follows. SB3.25.7 TEXT 7 devahūtir uvāca nirviṇṇā nitarāṁ bhūmann asad-indriya-tarṣaṇāt yena sambhāvyamānena prapannāndhaṁ tamaḥ prabho SYNONYMS devahūtiḥ uvāca—Devahūti said; nirviṇṇā—disgusted; nitarām—very; bhūman—O my Lord; asat—impermanent; indriya—of the senses; tarṣaṇāt—from agitation; yena—by which; sambhāvyamānena—being prevalent; prapannā—I have fallen; andham tamaḥ—into the abyss of ignorance; prabho—O my Lord.
TRANSLATION Devahūti said: I am very sick of the disturbance caused by my material senses, for because of this sense disturbance, my Lord, I have fallen into the abyss of ignorance. PURPORT Here the word asad-indriya-tarṣaṇāt is significant. Asat means “impermanent,” “temporary,” and indriya means “senses.” Thus asad-indriya-tarṣaṇāt means “from being agitated by the temporarily manifest senses of the material body.” We are evolving through different statuses of material bodily existence—sometimes in a human body, sometimes in an animal body—and therefore the engagements of our material senses are also changing. Anything which changes is called temporary, or asat. We should know that beyond these temporary senses are our permanent senses, which are now covered by the material body. The permanent senses, being contaminated by matter, are not acting properly. Devotional service, therefore, involves freeing the senses from this contamination. When the contamination is completely removed and the senses act in the purity of unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we have reached sad-indriya, or eternal sensory activities. Eternal sensory activities are called devotional service, whereas temporary sensory activities are called sense gratification. Unless one becomes tired of material sense gratification, there is no opportunity to hear transcendental messages from a person like Kapila. Devahūti expressed that she was tired. Now that her husband had left home, she wanted to get relief by hearing the instructions of Lord Kapila.
SB3.25.8 TEXT 8 tasya tvaṁ tamaso ’ndhasya duṣpārasyādya pāragam sac-cakṣur janmanām ante labdhaṁ me tvad-anugrahāt SYNONYMS tasya—that; tvam—You; tamasaḥ—ignorance; andhasya—darkness; duṣpārasya—difficult to cross; adya—now; pāra-gam—crossing over; sat—transcendental; cakṣuḥ—eye; janmanām—of births; ante—at the end; labdham—attained; me—my; tvat-anugrahāt—by Your mercy.
TRANSLATION Your Lordship is my only means of getting out of this darkest region of ignorance because You are my transcendental eye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, many births. PURPORT This verse is very instructive, since it indicates the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple. The disciple or conditioned soul is put into this darkest region of ignorance and therefore is entangled in the material existence of sense gratification. It is very difficult to get out of this entanglement and attain freedom, but if one is fortunate enough to get the association of a spiritual master like Kapila Muni or His representative, then by his grace one can be delivered from the mire of ignorance. The spiritual master is therefore worshiped as one who delivers the disciple from the mire of ignorance with the light of the torch of knowledge. The word pāragam is very significant. pāragam refers to one who can take the disciple to the other side. This side is conditioned life; the other side is the life of freedom. The spiritual master takes the disciple to the other side by opening his eyes with knowledge. We are suffering simply because of ignorance. By the instruction of the spiritual master, the darkness of ignorance is removed, and thus the disciple is enabled to go to the side of freedom. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that after many, many births one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, if, after many, many births, one is able to find a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to such a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, one can be taken to the side of light.
SB3.25.9 TEXT 9 ya ādyo bhagavān puṁsām īśvaro vai bhavān kila lokasya tamasāndhasya cakṣuḥ sūrya ivoditaḥ SYNONYMS yaḥ—He who; ādyaḥ—the origin; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; puṁsām—of all living entities; īśvaraḥ—the Lord; vai—in fact; bhavān—You; kila—indeed; lokasya—of the universe; tamasā—by the darkness of ignorance; andhasya—blinded; cakṣuḥ—eye; sūryaḥ—the sun; iva—like; uditaḥ—risen.
TRANSLATION You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin and Supreme Lord of all living entities. You have arisen to disseminate the rays of the sun in order to dissipate the darkness of the ignorance of the universe. PURPORT Kapila Muni is accepted as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Here the word ādyaḥ means “the origin of all living entities,” and puṁsām īśvaraḥ means “the Lord (īśvara) of the living entities” (īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1]). Kapila Muni is the direct expansion of Kṛṣṇa, who is the sun of spiritual knowledge. As the sun dissipates the darkness of the universe, so when the light of the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down, it at once dissipates the darkness of māyā. We have our eyes, but without the light of the sun our eyes are of no value. Similarly, without the light of the Supreme Lord, or without the divine grace of the spiritual master, one cannot see things as they are.
SB3.25.10 TEXT 10 atha me deva sammoham apākraṣṭuṁ tvam arhasi yo ’vagraho ’haṁ mametīty etasmin yojitas tvayā SYNONYMS atha—now; me—my; deva—O Lord; sammoham—delusion; apākraṣṭum—to dispel; tvam—You; arhasi—be pleased; yaḥ—which; avagrahaḥ—misconception; aham—I; mama—mine; iti—thus; iti—thus; etasmin—in this; yojitaḥ—engaged; tvayā—by You.
TRANSLATION Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion. Due to my feeling of false ego, I have been engaged by Your māyā and have identified myself with the body and consequent bodily relations. PURPORT The false ego of identifying one’s body as one’s self and of claiming things possessed in relationship with this body is called māyā. In Bhagavad-gītā, Fifteenth Chapter, the Lord says, “I am sitting in everyone’s heart, and from Me come everyone’s remembrance and forgetfulness.” Devahūti has stated that false identification of the body with the self and attachment for possessions in relation to the body are also under the direction of the Lord. Does this mean that the Lord discriminates by engaging one in His devotional service and another in sense gratification? If that were true, it would be an incongruity on the part of the Supreme Lord, but that is not the actual fact. As soon as the living entity forgets his real, constitutional position of eternal servitorship to the Lord and wants instead to enjoy himself by sense gratification, he is captured by māyā. This capture by māyā is the consciousness of false identification with the body and attachment for the possessions of the body. These are the activities of māyā, and since māyā is also an agent of the Lord, it is indirectly the action of the Lord. The Lord is merciful; if anyone wants to forget Him and enjoy this material world, He gives him full facility, not directly but through the agency of His material potency. Therefore, since the material potency is the Lord’s energy, indirectly it is the Lord who gives the facility to forget Him. Devahūti therefore said, “My engagement in sense gratification was also due to You. Now kindly get me free from this entanglement.”
By the grace of the Lord one is allowed to enjoy this material world, but when one is disgusted with material enjoyment and is frustrated, and when one sincerely surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord, then the Lord is so kind that He frees one from entanglement. Kṛṣṇa says, therefore, in Bhagavad-gītā, “First of all surrender, and then I will take charge of you and free you from all reactions of sinful activities.” Sinful activities are those activities performed in forgetfulness of our relationship with the Lord. In this material world, activities for material enjoyment which are considered to be pious are also sinful. For example, one sometimes gives something in charity to a needy person with a view to getting back the money four times increased. Giving with the purpose of gaining something is called charity in the mode of passion. Everything done here is done in the modes of material nature, and therefore all activities but service to the Lord are sinful. Because of sinful activities we become attracted by the illusion of material attachment, and we think, “I am this body.” I think of the body as myself and of bodily possessions as “mine.” Devahūti requested Lord Kapila to free her from that entanglement of false identification and false possession.
SB3.25.11 TEXT 11 taṁ tvā gatāhaṁ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ sva-bhṛtya-saṁsāra-taroḥ kuṭhāram jijñāsayāhaṁ prakṛteḥ pūruṣasya namāmi sad-dharma-vidāṁ variṣṭham SYNONYMS tam—that person; tvā—unto You; gatā—have gone; aham—I; śaraṇam—shelter; śaraṇyam—worth taking shelter of; sva-bhṛtya—for Your dependents; saṁsāra—of material existence; taroḥ—of the tree; kuṭhāram—the ax; jijñāsayā—with the desire to know; aham—I; prakṛteḥ—of matter (woman); pūruṣasya—of spirit (man); namāmi—I offer obeisances; sat-dharma—of the eternal occupation; vidām—of the knowers; variṣṭham—unto the greatest.
TRANSLATION Devahūti continued: I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet because You are the only person of whom to take shelter. You are the ax which can cut the tree of material existence. I therefore offer my obeisances unto You, who are the greatest of all transcendentalists, and I inquire from You as to the relationship between man and woman and between spirit and matter. PURPORT Sāṅkhya philosophy, as is well known, deals with prakṛti and puruṣa. Puruṣa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead or anyone who imitates the Supreme Personality of Godhead as an enjoyer, and prakṛti means “nature.” In this material world, material nature is being exploited by the puruṣas, or the living entities. The intricacies in the material world of the relationship of the prakṛti and puruṣa, or the enjoyed and the enjoyer, is called saṁsāra, or material entanglement. Devahūti wanted to cut the tree of material entanglement, and she found the suitable weapon in Kapila Muni. The tree of material existence is explained in the Fifteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā as an aśvattha tree whose root is upwards and whose branches are downwards. It is recommended there that one has to cut the root of this material existential tree with the ax of detachment. What is the attachment? The attachment involves prakṛti and puruṣa. The living entities are trying to lord it over material nature. Since the conditioned soul takes material nature to be the object of his enjoyment and he takes the position of the enjoyer, he is therefore called puruṣa.
Devahūti questioned Kapila Muni, for she knew that only He could cut her attachment to this material world. The living entities, in the guises of men and women, are trying to enjoy the material energy; therefore in one sense everyone is puruṣa because puruṣa means “enjoyer” and prakṛti means “enjoyed.” In this material world both the so-called man and so-called woman are imitating the real puruṣa; the Supreme Personality of Godhead is actually the enjoyer in the transcendental sense, whereas all others are prakṛti. The living entities are considered prakṛti. In Bhagavad-gītā, matter is analyzed as aparā, or inferior nature, whereas beyond this inferior nature there is another, superior nature—the living entities. Living entities are also prakṛti, or enjoyed, but under the spell of māyā, the living entities are falsely trying to take the position of enjoyers. That is the cause of saṁsāra-bandha, or conditional life. Devahūti wanted to get out of conditional life and place herself in full surrender. The Lord is śaraṇya, which means “the only worthy personality to whom one can fully surrender,” because He is full of all opulences. If anyone actually wants relief, the best course is to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is also described here as sad-dharma-vidāṁ variṣṭham. This indicates that of all transcendental occupations the best occupation is eternal loving service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dharma is sometimes translated as “religion,” but that is not exactly the meaning. Dharma actually means “that which one cannot give up,” “that which is inseparable from oneself.” The warmth of fire is inseparable from fire; therefore warmth is called the dharma, or nature, of fire. Similarly, sad-dharma means “eternal occupation.” That eternal occupation is engagement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The purpose of Kapiladeva’s Sāṅkhya philosophy is to propagate pure, uncontaminated devotional service, and therefore He is addressed here as the most important personality amongst those who know the transcendental occupation of the living entity.
SB3.25.12 TEXT 12 maitreya uvāca iti sva-mātur niravadyam īpsitaṁ niśamya puṁsām apavarga-vardhanam dhiyābhinandyātmavatāṁ satāṁ gatir babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śobhitānanaḥ SYNONYMS maitreyaḥ uvāca—Maitreya said; iti—thus; sva-mātuḥ—of His mother; niravadyam—uncontaminated; īpsitam—desire; niśamya—after hearing; puṁsām—of people; apavarga—cessation of bodily existence; vardhanam—increasing; dhiyā—mentally; abhinandya—having thanked; ātma-vatām—interested in self-realization; satām—of the transcendentalists; gatiḥ—the path; babhāṣe—He explained; īṣat—slightly; smita—smiling; śobhita—beautiful; ānanaḥ—His face.
TRANSLATION Maitreya said: After hearing of His mother’s uncontaminated desire for transcendental realization, the Lord thanked her within Himself for her questions, and thus, His face smiling, He explained the path of the transcendentalists, who are interested in self-realization. PURPORT Devahūti has surrendered her confession of material entanglement and her desire to gain release. Her questions to Lord Kapila are very interesting for persons who are actually trying to get liberation from material entanglement and attain the perfectional stage of human life. Unless one is interested in understanding his spiritual life, or his constitutional position, and unless he also feels inconvenience in material existence, his human form of life is spoiled. One who does not care for these transcendental necessities of life and simply engages like an animal in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating has spoiled his life. Lord Kapila was very much satisfied by His mother’s questions because the answers stimulate one’s desire for liberation from the conditional life of material existence. Such questions are called apavarga-vardhanam. Those who have actual spiritual interest are called sat, or devotees. Satām prasaṅgāt. Sat means “that which eternally exists,” and asat means “that which is not eternal.” Unless one is situated on the spiritual platform, he is not sat; he is asat. The asat stands on a platform which will not exist, but anyone who stands on the spiritual platform will exist eternally. As spirit soul, everyone exists eternally, but the asat has accepted the material world as his shelter, and therefore he is full of anxiety. Asad-grāhān, the incompatible situation of the spirit soul who has the false idea of enjoying matter, is the cause of the soul’s being asat. Actually, the spirit soul is not asat. As soon as one is conscious of this fact and takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he becomes sat. Satāṁ gatiḥ, the path of the eternal, is very interesting to persons who are after liberation, and His Lordship Kapila began to speak about that path.
SB3.25.13 TEXT 13 śrī-bhagavān uvāca yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ mato niḥśreyasāya me atyantoparatir yatra duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca SYNONYMS śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the Personality of Godhead said; yogaḥ—the yoga system; ādhyātmikaḥ—relating to the soul; puṁsām—of living entities; mataḥ—is approved; niḥśreyasāya—for the ultimate benefit; me—by Me; atyanta—complete; uparatiḥ—detachment; yatra—where; duḥkhasya—from distress; ca—and; sukhasya—from happiness; ca—and.
TRANSLATION The Personality of Godhead answered: The yoga system which relates to the Lord and the individual soul, which is meant for the ultimate benefit of the living entity, and which causes detachment from all happiness and distress in the material world, is the highest yoga system. PURPORT In the material world, everyone is trying to get some material happiness, but as soon as we get some material happiness, there is also material distress. In the material world one cannot have unadulterated happiness. Any kind of happiness one has is contaminated by distress also. For example, if we want to drink milk then we have to bother to maintain a cow and keep her fit to supply milk. Drinking milk is very nice; it is also pleasure. But for the sake of drinking milk one has to accept so much trouble. The yoga system, as here stated by the Lord, is meant to end all material happiness and material distress. The best yoga, as taught in Bhagavad-gītā by Kṛṣṇa, is bhakti-yoga. It is also mentioned in the Gītā that one should try to be tolerant and not be disturbed by material happiness or distress. Of course, one may say that he is not disturbed by material happiness, but he does not know that just after one enjoys so-called material happiness, material distress will follow. This is the law of the material world. Lord Kapila states that the yoga system is the science of the spirit. One practices yoga in order to attain perfection on the spiritual platform. There is no question of material happiness or distress. It is transcendental. Lord Kapila will eventually explain how it is transcendental, but the preliminary introduction is given here.
SB3.25.14 TEXT 14 tam imaṁ te pravakṣyāmi yam avocaṁ purānaghe ṛṣīṇāṁ śrotu-kāmānāṁ yogaṁ sarvāṅga-naipuṇam SYNONYMS tam imam—that very; te—to you; pravakṣyāmi—I shall explain; yam—which; avocam—I explained; purā—formerly; anaghe—O pious mother; ṛṣīṇām—to the sages; śrotu-kāmānām—eager to hear; yogam—yoga system; sarva-aṅga—in all respects; naipuṇam—serviceable and practical.
TRANSLATION O most pious mother, I shall now explain unto you the ancient yoga system, which I explained formerly to the great sages. It is serviceable and practical in every way. PURPORT The Lord does not manufacture a new system of yoga. Sometimes it is claimed that someone has become an incarnation of God and is expounding a new theological aspect of the Absolute Truth. But here we find that although Kapila Muni is the Lord Himself and is capable of manufacturing a new doctrine for His mother, He nevertheless says, “I shall just explain the ancient system which I once explained to the great sages because they were also anxious to hear about it.” When we have a superexcellent process already present in Vedic scriptures, there is no need to concoct a new system, to mislead the innocent public. At present it has become a fashion to reject the standard system and present something bogus in the name of a newly invented process of yoga.
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