The Renunciation of Devahûti

 Chapter 33: The Renunciation of Devahûti

(1) Maitreya said: 'After the dear wife of Kardama, the mother named Devahûti, thus had listened to the words of Lord Kapila, she, being freed from the veil of ignorance, offered Him her obeisances and recited prayers to the author concerned with the fundamental [Sânkhya-yoga] truths that constitute the foundation of liberation.

 (2) Devahûti said: 'One says that the Unborn One [Brahmâ] who originated from the lotus flower [sprouting] from Your abdomen, meditated on Your body lying in the water that is the source of the stream of the modes of nature and the seed pervading everything manifest of the material elements, the senses, the sense-objects and the mind.

 (3) As that single person of the universe who through the interaction of the modes divided the creation and all of that, You stand firm on the basis of Your heroism. You thereto with distinguishing Yourself as the infallible non-doer make the difference as the Lord of all living beings whose thousands of energies are inconceivable. (

4) How can it be that You as that same person took birth from my abdomen, oh my Lord, You who with Your unimaginable powers carry the universe in Your belly, You who, at the end of the millennium all alone lying Yourself down on the leaf of a banyan tree, lick Your toe as a baby?

 (5) You have assumed this body to counter sinful activities, oh my Lord, and provide instructions for devotional service. Just as with incarnations of You like the boar incarnation and others, You, with this one, are there in order to reveal the path of self-realization. 

(6) With You even someone of the lowest birth is, by hearing the chanting of Your name, offering obeisances to You or even by simply remembering You, at any moment immediately enabled to perform the Vedic rituals. And then they have not even seen You face to face,, oh Fortunate One! 

(7) Oh how blessed and hence worshipable is he who has Your holy name on his tongue, even when he is but cooking dog meat. For Your sake the souls of spiritual education [the Aryans] who studied the Vedas and accepted Your holy name, perform austerities, execute fire sacrifices and take a bath in the sacred rivers. 

(8) I offer You my obeisances, You the Highest Spirit, the Supreme Personality, Lord Vishnu carrying the name of Kapila, He who is the source of the Vedas, to whom I turned inwards to listen, whom I perceived in my mind, meditated on and by whose potency the influence of the modes vanished.'

(9) Maitreya said: 'The Supreme Lord carrying the name of Kapila, thus being praised, full of love for His mother replied with words of gravity.

 (10) Lord Kapila said: 'By following this easy to execute path I instructed to you, My dear mother, you very soon will attain the supreme goal.

 (11) You may rest assured that with this instruction of Mine that is followed by the transcendentalists, you will reach Me free from fear, while [the cycle of birth and] death is what is attained by those not conversant with this.'

(12) Maitreya said: 'After this instruction the venerable Supreme Lord of the path of self-realization, Kapila, the teacher of the Absolute Truth, took permission from His mother and left. 

(13) The way her son had told her in His yoga instruction, she in that abode [Kardama's palace], which with its wealth of flowers was the jewel of the Sarasvatî river, fixed her attention to be connected in the science of uniting consciousness.

 (14) Regularly taking a bath, her curly matted hair turned gray and her body, clad in old garments, became thin because of the severe austerities. 

(15) Kardama Muni, the progenitor of mankind, had by the austerity of his yoga developed his unequaled home with all its paraphernalia, that was even envied by the denizens of heaven.

 (16) The ivory beds white as the foam of milk had gold filigree covers and the chairs and benches were made of gold and had cushions soft to the touch.

 (17) The walls were of pure marble inlaid with valuable emeralds and lamps shone with the same jewels the women decorated themselves with.

 (18) The garden of the house was beautiful with its flowers and fruits, many trees with pairs of singing birds and the humming of intoxicated bees. 

(19) When she entered the pond fragrant with lotuses, the heavenly associates sang to her about the great care of Kardama.

(20) [But] leaving that most desirable garden that was even envied by the wives of Indra, she had a sorry look on her face because she was afflicted by her being separated from her son.

 (21) With her husband having left for the forest and her son separated from her she, despite the truth she knew, became as sad as a caring cow that lost her calf.

 (22) While thinking of Him, her divine son Lord Kapiladeva, she very soon, oh dear Vidura, became detached from her fine home. 

(23) According to the instruction of her son meditating on the form of the Supreme Lord as the object of her spiritual absorption, she kept in mind the complete and the parts of His smiling face. 

(24-25) Impelled by her knowledge of the Absolute Truth performing her duties the proper way, she was continuously engaged in devotional service and very strong in renunciation. Spiritually purified by the Great Soul whose face is seen everywhere, she then in her self-realization saw the symptoms of the modes of nature disappear. 

(26) With her mind situated in Brahman, in the Supreme Lord as also in the Supersoul residing in all living beings, the distress of the unfortunate condition of her soul disappeared and she attained transcendental bliss. 

(27) Elevated to the eternal state of full absorption she, being freed from the modes, no longer was reminded of her material body, just as one forgets one's dream after waking up. 

(28) Her body was maintained by others [by her heavenly maidens] but, because she suffered no fear, she did not lose any [more] weight; covered by impurities she shone like a fire covered by smoke. 

(29) With her body subdued in the austerity of yoga she, under the divine protection of being absorbed in thoughts about Vâsudeva, no longer was aware of her hair hanging loose or that her clothes were in disarray. 

(30) Thus following the path as instructed by Kapila, she soon, in the spirit of the Absolute Truth of the supreme soul, achieved the cessation of her material existence and the [abode of the] Supreme Lord.

(31) That most sacred place where she attained perfection, oh brave soul, was known in the three worlds under the name of Siddhapada ['the refuge of perfection'].

 (32) The material elements of her mortal body that was relinquished by the practice of yoga, became a river that is the foremost of all rivers, oh gentle one. For conferring that fulfillment that river is sought by all who desire perfection. 

(33) After Lord Kapila, the great yogi and Supreme Lord, had taken leave of His mother and left the hermitage of His father, He headed in the northeastern direction. 

(34) The ocean honored Him by offering Him a residence where He is extolled by the Siddhas, Cânaras, Gandharvas, munis and Apsaras *. 

(35) There being worshiped by the teachers of example who practice the Sânkhya yoga system, He remains permanently in samâdhi to ensure the deliverance of [all the souls in] the three worlds. 

(36) Dear sinless one, this what I, upon your request, told you about Kapila and His conversation with Devahûti, purifies [the one who listens to it].

 (37) Whoever listens to or expounds on these confidential teachings of Kapila Muni about the union of the soul and thus has fixed his mind on the Fortunate One who carries the banner of Garuda, will attain the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.'

Thus the third Canto of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam ends named: The Status Quo.