Devahūti Moksha: Kapila's Teaching to His Mother

After Kardama Prajāpati went away into sannyāsa (renunciation), his wife Devahūti stayed at Bindu-sara. There she went to her son, Bhagavān Kapila, an avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu, and asked him for the knowledge that frees. His teaching to her fills Chapters 25 to 33 of the 3rd Skanda of the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa.

Bhagavān Kapila taught four kinds of bhakti (loving devotion), the 24 tattvas (the principles of creation), the nature of purusha and prakṛti and the cause of bondage, the eight-limbed yoga, the greatness of kāla (time), the journey after death through naraka (hell), the growth of the jīva (the living being) in the womb, and the two paths of the departing jīva, pitṛyāna and devayāna. At the end of it, Devahūti’s moha (delusion) was lifted. She reached brahma-jñāna (knowledge of Brahman) and became free at Bindu-sara. Her body became a sacred river, and the place was known as Siddhapada.

Devahūti’s question

After Kardama left, Devahūti stayed at Bindu-sara with Bhagavān Kapila, the son who was also Bhagavān Vishṇu himself. She came to him with the respect a student gives a teacher, although she was his mother, and she told him what she longed for:

“I have heard your birth praised by Brahmā himself. I know who you are. But the veil of ahaṃkāra (the sense of ‘I’) still covers my mind. The objects of the senses, sound and the rest (śabda and the others), have ruled me through my long years of life. Please teach me the path by which this bond of saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) can be cut, the path of viveka (discrimination), the highest freedom.”

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 25.

Bhakti as the highest path

Bhagavān Kapila began with bhakti-yoga. He did not call it a first step. He called it the highest path itself. He said:

“These are the qualities of a sādhu, one who walks the path of moksha. He is merciful (kṛpālu), friendly to all beings, free of enmity, patient, truthful, fixed on Bhagavān Vishṇu, pure of heart, without possessiveness and untroubled by desire. In the company of such sādhus (sādhu-saṅga), bhakti to me rises of itself. When bhakti rises through sādhu-saṅga, śraddhā (faith) grows deeper, vairāgya (turning away) from worldly things grows, and jñāna (knowledge) of the Self blossoms. All of this comes together, on its own.”

He described four kinds of bhakti by what the devotee aims at:

Tāmasa bhakti: ārādhanā (worship) done to harm others. It is full of the wish to injure (hiṃsā-buddhi).
Rājasa bhakti: ārādhanā done for personal power, fame, wealth or pleasure of the senses.
Sāttvika bhakti: ārādhanā done to make oneself pure, to remove pāpa (sin), or for the welfare of the world. It is offered to Bhagavān Vishṇu without a selfish aim, but it is still tied to the guṇas (the three qualities of nature).
Nirguṇa bhakti: ārādhanā with no desire at all. It is not for sālokya, sārūpya, sāmīpya, sāyujya or any other phala (reward). It is offered to Bhagavān Vishṇu simply because he is Bhagavān Vishṇu. This alone is the highest.

He said: “The devotee who practises nirguṇa bhakti, who refuses even moksha when it is offered, is the one I call my own. Through this bhakti, my māyā is crossed.”

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapters 25 and 29.

The twenty-five tattvas

Devahūti asked more questions, and Bhagavān Kapila explained the whole Bhāgavata-Sāṃkhya, the list of everything that makes up creation and the self.

The ultimate ground is Purusha. He is pure, unattached, nirguṇa (without qualities), the witness of all, and akartā (a non-doer). Creation begins from the meeting of Purusha with Prakṛti, the first material energy, in which the three guṇas are held in balance.

When the witnessing presence of Purusha disturbs the balance of Prakṛti, Mahat-tattva rises first. This is cosmic intelligence, the antaḥkaraṇa (inner instrument) in its purest form, and it is the śakti (power) of Vāsudeva. From Mahat rises Ahaṃkāra, the sense of “I am this”, which is the śakti of Saṅkarshaṇa. Ahaṃkāra shows itself in three ways:

Sāttvika ahaṃkāra produces the manas (the mind that makes plans and doubts), and the devī-śaktis of the devatās (powers) of the senses. It is linked to Aniruddha.
Rājasa ahaṃkāra produces buddhi (the intelligence that discriminates) and the ten indriyas (organs). There are five jñānendriyas, the organs of knowing: śrotra (ear), tvak (skin), cakshu (eye), rasanā (tongue) and ghrāṇa (nose). There are five karmendriyas, the organs of action: vāk (speech), pāṇi (hand), pāda (foot), pāyu (the organ of release) and upastha (the organ of generation).
Tāmasa ahaṃkāra produces the five tanmātras: śabda (sound), sparśa (touch), rūpa (form), rasa (taste) and gandha (smell). From them come the five mahābhūtas: ākāśa (space), vāyu (air), agni (fire), ap (water) and pṛthivī (earth).

Together these are the 24 tattvas: Mahat, the three forms of Ahaṃkāra, Manas, the five jñānendriyas, the five karmendriyas, the five tanmātras and the five mahābhūtas. Purusha is the 25th and stands apart as the witness.

All 24 tattvas come together, driven by kāla and brought to life by the nearness of Purusha. From this union the Virāṭ-aṇḍa (the cosmic egg) arises, and from the egg comes Virāṭ Purusha. When the kshetrajña (the individual ātmā) enters the egg, the cosmic body wakes up:

From Virāṭ’s mouth come speech and Agni.
From his nostrils come prāṇa (the life breath) and Vāyu.
From his eyes come sight and Sūrya.
From his ears come hearing and the Diśas (directions).
From his skin come the sense of touch and the herbs.
From his heart come manas and Candra.
From his consciousness come buddhi and Brahmā.
From his ahaṃkāra come all creatures.

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 26.

Purusha and Prakṛti: the root of bondage and moksha

After the tattvas, Bhagavān Kapila taught the key point, which is viveka, the ability to tell Purusha from Prakṛti. This is the heart of the knowledge that frees:

“In truth Purusha is nirguṇa: without quality, without action, without change. It is the pure witness. But through its nearness to Prakṛti, through the māyā of Bhagavān Vishṇu, it begins to take the qualities of Prakṛti as its own. This false sense of ‘mine’ is ahaṃkāra, the root of all bondage. The sun reflected in water seems to move when the water moves, though the sun itself does not move. In the same way the ātmā, reflected in the troubled mind, seems to be the doer and the enjoyer of actions. But it is Prakṛti that acts. It is the guṇas that work upon the guṇas.

Through viveka the wise one sees clearly: ‘I am not this body, not this mind, not this ahaṃkāra. I am the witness. I am nirguṇa. I am not born, I do not die, I do not act.’ When viveka is firm, ahaṃkāra loosens. When ahaṃkāra is gone, all bondage goes with it. This is moksha. It is not a going to some other place. It is a return to one’s own true nature.”

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 27.

Ashṭāṅga yoga: the path of dhyāna

Bhagavān Kapila then taught the whole of ashṭāṅga yoga (the yoga of eight limbs). It is the practical way to gain this viveka and to melt the mind into the form of Bhagavān Vishṇu. The eight limbs are yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi. They are the ladder. The heart of the teaching, though, is dhyāna (meditation) on the form of Bhagavān Vishṇu, one limb at a time:

“Begin with the lotus feet of Bhagavān Vishṇu. They carry the marks of the padma (lotus), the vajra (thunderbolt) and the dhvaja (flag). Move up to the knees, always served by Śrī Lakshmī. Then the lotus thighs, which rest upon Garuḍa in flight. Then the nābhi (navel), the lotus from which Brahmā arose. Then the vakshas (chest), which carries the Śrīvatsa mark and the Kaustubha jewel, and the auspicious stotras of Śrī Lakshmī written there. Then the four mighty arms that churned Mount Mandara to churn the amṛta (nectar). Then the Kaumodakī gadā (mace) shining in one hand. Then the vana-mālā (forest garland) on the chest, with bees drunk on its scent. Then the neck that carries the long garland. Then the ūlūkhala-kuṇḍalas, the makara-shaped earrings that catch the light. Then the full lips with a gentle smile. Then the broad, pure nose (pūrṇa-nāsā). Then the nīla-kuñcita-keśa, the dark curling hair. Then the apāṅga-dṛshṭi, the sidelong glance of Bhagavān Vishṇu’s eyes, which gives freedom from fear. Then the hāsa, the smile that shows teeth like budding jasmine flowers.

Fix the mind on each limb in turn. When the mind can rest on the whole form without being pulled away, that is dhyāna. When the difference between dhyātā (the one who meditates) and dhyeya (the one meditated on) melts away, that is samādhi.”

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 28.

The greatness of kāla

Bhagavān Kapila taught the mahimā (greatness) of kāla, which is cosmic time and an expression of Bhagavān Vishṇu himself:

“All the elements tremble before kāla: ākāśa, vāyu, agni, ap and pṛthivī. Everything that comes from Prakṛti is under kāla. Not Brahmā, not Śiva, no created being can escape it. Kāla is not apart from Bhagavān Vishṇu. It is his own form, the instrument that keeps creation, upkeep and dissolution in their set rhythm. The one who understands this does not fear kāla. He knows it as the vibhūti (glory) of Bhagavān Vishṇu, the form of his presence in the order of the universe.”

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapters 11 and 29.

The journey after death: naraka and rebirth

Bhagavān Kapila then taught what waits for the jīva that dies without moksha. It goes down into naraka, where those who lived for themselves suffer torture:

“After death the Yamadūtas arrive. They are terrible, with a rope in hand, and they drag the jīva along the road of ninety-nine thousand yojanas to Yamaloka, without rest. The road runs over burning sand and through thick darkness, with no shelter and no water. At Yamaloka the jīva is brought before Yama, the lord of dharma, and its karma is counted. Those who have done grave adharma are sent to terrible tortures. They are boiled in hot oil, torn apart, and made to embrace iron pillars of fire. The aim of these tortures is not only punishment. They burn away the vāsanā (the impression left by karma), so that the jīva may enter the womb again, cleansed of its coarsest stains.”

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 30.

The womb, month by month

Bhagavān Kapila then described how the jīva grows in the womb, month by month. It is a very close and personal teaching:

“In the first month the speck of life takes shape. By the fifth month the five organs are set. By the seventh month the jīva wakes fully in the womb, and at that moment the memories of all its earlier births rise. The jīva remembers who it was, what it did, and how it died. In that state of strange, trapped clarity it prays to Bhagavān Vishṇu: ‘Please set me free from this womb. I will practise bhakti, I will serve your devotees, I will not forget you.’ But at the time of birth, as it passes through the narrow birth canal, the shock of the passage makes it forget. The jīva comes out forgetting all it promised and all its earlier births, and begins the cycle again.”

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 31.

The two paths after death: pitṛyāna and devayāna

Bhagavān Kapila taught the two great paths that lead the departing jīva:

“Some do karma and upāsanā (devotion) with desire. They worship the pitṛs (ancestors) and the devas for particular rewards. These travel the pitṛyāna, the path of the ancestors. They rise to Candraloka, enjoy the fruits of their karma there, and then come down again into the world of mortals to be born once more. The cycle of saṃsāra goes on.

Others reach brahma-jñāna, or practise pure bhakti. These travel the devayāna, the path of the devas. They rise step by step through the realms until they reach Brahmaloka, the highest created realm. There they live with Hiraṇyagarbha (Brahmā) until that kalpa (age of the world) ends. At the end of the kalpa they reach Parabrahman together with Hiraṇyagarbha, and they do not return.

The highest path is jñāna-mukti: moksha while still in the body, without depending on either pitṛyāna or devayāna. The jñānin (one who knows) goes beyond all paths, because he has already reached what the paths can only point toward.”

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 32.

Devahūti’s stotra and moksha

When the teaching was finished, Devahūti offered a stotra (hymn of praise) to Bhagavān Kapila. She praised him as the avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu who had come down as her son to give her moksha. She honoured him as the first guru (ādya-guru) of the Sāṃkhya śāstra, and as the one who had kept, in the closest way, the promise made to those who truly seek. She called it the highest grace that Bhagavān Vishṇu had let himself be born as her son so that she could receive this teaching.

Bhagavān Kapila received her stotra and told her: “This teaching I have given you is not for you alone. It is given through you for all who will come after, all who want moksha, all who seek to understand the truth of their own nature. You will attain moksha.” Then he left toward the north-east, toward the ocean and the siddha-āśrama, where the siddhas and the perfected ones honour him even now.

Devahūti stayed at Bindu-sara. She practised what she had received with full dedication. She kept āhāra-śuddhi (purity of food), held her senses in check, drew her mind back from outer things, fixed it on the form of Bhagavān Vishṇu, and moved step by step into samādhi. The veil of moha that had covered her mind all her life was lifted completely. She reached brahma-jñāna, direct knowledge of the ātmā, and rested in ātmā-nishṭhā (steadiness in the Self). The Bhāgavatam records that her body remained, moved only by prārabdha-karma (the karma already begun), but she herself was already free. She was a jīvanmukta, one freed while living.

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 33.

Siddhapada, the sacred river

When pūrṇa-mukti (complete moksha) came, the body of Devahūti dissolved and became a sacred river at Bindu-sara. It flowed from the ground where she had reached siddhi (perfection). The Bhāgavatam says that siddha-purushas and great munis from the three worlds came to bathe in this river and to honour the place of her moksha. The place became known in the three worlds as Siddhapada, the place where a sincere and honest human being reached the highest.

This is from the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 33.

What this teaching shows

Devahūti was not a king, not a ṛshi and not an ascetic. She was a woman who had spent many years in the pleasures of home life, and who then asked for moksha with honest self-knowledge. The teaching was given by a son to his mother in the simple āśrama at Bindu-sara. It covers the making of the world, the means of knowing, practice, and moksha in one unbroken line. Her attainment shows that moksha is open to anyone who truly turns toward it, whatever their sex, rank or past. The means are bhakti and jñāna, given freely by Bhagavān Vishṇu to the sincere seeker.

Sources

Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapters 25 to 33
Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 3rd Skanda, Chapter 11 (for the greatness of kāla, with Chapter 29)