Shloka 40
Kapila’s Devotional Sāṅkhya: Sādhu-saṅga, Bhakti-yoga, and Fearlessness in the Supreme Shelter
इमं लोकं तथैवामुमात्मानमुभयायिनम् । आत्मानमनु ये चेह ये राय: पशवो गृहा: ॥ ३९ ॥ विसृज्य सर्वानन्यांश्च मामेवं विश्वतोमुखम् । भजन्त्यनन्यया भक्त्या तान्मृत्योरतिपारये ॥ ४० ॥
imaṁ lokaṁ tathaivāmum ātmānam ubhayāyinam ātmānam anu ye ceha ye rāyaḥ paśavo gṛhāḥ
The devotee who worships Me—the all-pervading Lord of the universe—with unwavering bhakti abandons every aspiration for this world or the next, giving up desires for wealth, children, cattle, home, and all that clings to the body. I carry him beyond birth and death.
Unflinching devotional service, as described in these two verses, means engaging oneself in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or devotional service, accepting the Supreme Lord as all in all. Since the Supreme Lord is all-inclusive, if anyone worships Him with unflinching faith, he has automatically achieved all other opulences and performed all other duties. The Lord promises herein that He takes His devotee to the other side of birth and death. Lord Caitanya therefore recommended that one who aspires to go beyond birth and death should have no material possessions. This means that one should not try to be happy in this world or to be promoted to the heavenly world, nor should he try for material wealth, children, houses or cattle.
FAQs
Kapila explains that wealth, property, animals, and household life remain tied to the soul only as long as one identifies with the body; such identification keeps one within worldly and other-worldly entanglement.
Devahūti sought liberation, and Kapila’s instruction aims to loosen bodily identification and redirect her toward devotional realization rather than dependence on material supports.
Use possessions and family duties responsibly, but avoid defining your identity by them; cultivate spiritual identity through devotion and self-knowledge.