Adhyaya 32

Verse 1

कपिल उवाच अथ यो गृहमेधीयान्धर्मानेवावसन्गृहे । काममर्थं च धर्मान्स्वान्दोग्धि भूय: पिपर्ति तान् ॥ १ ॥

Kapila said: One absorbed in household life, dwelling at home and performing only ritual duties, milks from them the fruits of desire and wealth, and again and again nourishes the same pursuits.

Verse 2

स चापि भगवद्धर्मात्काममूढ: पराङ्‍मुख: । यजते क्रतुभिर्देवान्पितृंश्च श्रद्धयान्वित: ॥ २ ॥

Such a person, deluded by desire, turns away from the Lord’s dharma. Though he faithfully performs sacrifices for the demigods and forefathers, he has no interest in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in devotional service.

Verse 3

तच्छ्रद्धयाक्रान्तमति: पितृदेवव्रत: पुमान् । गत्वा चान्द्रमसं लोकं सोमपा: पुनरेष्यति ॥ ३ ॥

Such a person, his mind carried away by faith and devoted to vows for forefathers and demigods, attains the lunar realm. There he drinks the essence of soma, and then returns again to this planet.

Verse 4

यदा चाहीन्द्रशय्यायां शेतेऽनन्तासनो हरि: । तदा लोका लयं यान्ति त एते गृहमेधिनाम् ॥ ४ ॥

When Hari lies upon the serpent-bed of Ananta Śeṣa, all the worlds of the materialistic householders—even the heavenly realms such as the moon—are swallowed into dissolution (laya).

Verse 5

ये स्वधर्मान्न दुह्यन्ति धीरा: कामार्थहेतवे । नि:सङ्गा न्यस्तकर्माण: प्रशान्ता: शुद्धचेतस: ॥ ५ ॥

The steady and wise do not milk their svadharma for desire and gain; free from attachment, they offer up their work, remain tranquil, and dwell in purified consciousness.

Verse 6

निवृत्तिधर्मनिरता निर्ममा निरहङ्कृता: । स्वधर्माप्तेन सत्त्वेन परिशुद्धेन चेतसा ॥ ६ ॥

Engaged in the dharma of renunciation, free from possessiveness and false ego, and endowed with the pure sattva gained by svadharma and a fully cleansed consciousness, one becomes established in one’s true position and easily enters the kingdom of God.

Verse 7

सूर्यद्वारेण ते यान्ति पुरुषं विश्वतोमुखम् । परावरेशं प्रकृतिमस्योत्पत्त्यन्तभावनम् ॥ ७ ॥

By the gate of the sun, such liberated souls approach the all-faced Puruṣa, Lord of both the spiritual and material worlds, the supreme cause of prakṛti’s manifestation and dissolution.

Verse 8

द्विपरार्धावसाने य: प्रलयो ब्रह्मणस्तु ते । तावदध्यासते लोकं परस्य परचिन्तका: ॥ ८ ॥

Worshipers of the Lord’s Hiraṇyagarbha expansion remain within this material world until the end of two parārdhas, when even Brahmā enters dissolution.

Verse 9

क्ष्माम्भोऽनलानिलवियन्मनइन्द्रियार्थ- भूतादिभि: परिवृतं प्रतिसञ्जिहीर्षु: । अव्याकृतं विशति यर्हि गुणत्रयात्मा कालं पराख्यमनुभूय पर: स्वयम्भू: ॥ ९ ॥

After experiencing the insurmountable time of material nature’s three modes—known as two parārdhas—Lord Brahmā, the supreme Svayambhū, withdraws the universe covered by layers of earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, sense-objects, and the elements; entering the Unmanifest, he returns to the Supreme Abode.

Verse 10

एवं परेत्य भगवन्तमनुप्रविष्टा ये योगिनो जितमरुन्मनसो विरागा: । तेनैव साकममृतं पुरुषं पुराणं ब्रह्म प्रधानमुपयान्त्यगताभिमाना: ॥ १० ॥

Yogīs who, through prāṇāyāma and mastery of the mind, become detached from matter attain the far-off Brahmaloka and enter Lord Brahmā. After giving up their bodies they merge into Brahmā’s body; thus, when Brahmā is liberated and goes to Śrī Bhagavān—the primeval Puruṣa, the Supreme Brahman—those yogīs too, free of ego, enter the Kingdom of God with him.

Verse 11

अथ तं सर्वभूतानां हृत्पद्मेषु कृतालयम् । श्रुतानुभावं शरणं व्रज भावेन भामिनि ॥ ११ ॥

Therefore, My dear mother, with devotional feeling take direct shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who dwells in the lotus of the heart of every being and whose glory is heard in the śruti.

Verse 12

आद्य: स्थिरचराणां यो वेदगर्भ: सहर्षिभि: । योगेश्वरै: कुमाराद्यै: सिद्धैर्योगप्रवर्तकै: ॥ १२ ॥ भेदद‍ृष्टय‍ाभिमानेन नि:सङ्गेनापि कर्मणा । कर्तृत्वात्सगुणं ब्रह्म पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभम् ॥ १३ ॥ स संसृत्य पुन: काले कालेनेश्वरमूर्तिना । जाते गुणव्यतिकरे यथापूर्वं प्रजायते ॥ १४ ॥ ऐश्वर्यं पारमेष्ठ्यं च तेऽपि धर्मविनिर्मितम् । निषेव्य पुनरायान्ति गुणव्यतिकरे सति ॥ १५ ॥

My dear mother, Brahmā, the Vedagarbha—the first among all moving and nonmoving beings—together with the ṛṣis, the yogeśvaras such as Sanat-kumāra, the siddhas, and the founders of the yoga path, worship Bhagavān, the Puruṣa-ṛṣabha, as Brahman with material qualities (saguṇa), due to a vision of difference and the pride of being doers. Though they become unattached through desireless action, when Time—an expansion of the Lord—begins the interaction of the three guṇas, they again revolve in saṁsāra and appear in the very same forms and positions as before. Even the Parameṣṭhya opulence is fashioned by dharma; after enjoying it, when the guṇas again intermingle, they return once more.

Verse 13

आद्य: स्थिरचराणां यो वेदगर्भ: सहर्षिभि: । योगेश्वरै: कुमाराद्यै: सिद्धैर्योगप्रवर्तकै: ॥ १२ ॥ भेदद‍ृष्टय‍ाभिमानेन नि:सङ्गेनापि कर्मणा । कर्तृत्वात्सगुणं ब्रह्म पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभम् ॥ १३ ॥ स संसृत्य पुन: काले कालेनेश्वरमूर्तिना । जाते गुणव्यतिकरे यथापूर्वं प्रजायते ॥ १४ ॥ ऐश्वर्यं पारमेष्ठ्यं च तेऽपि धर्मविनिर्मितम् । निषेव्य पुनरायान्ति गुणव्यतिकरे सति ॥ १५ ॥

My dear mother, Brahmā, the Vedagarbha—the first among all moving and nonmoving beings—together with the ṛṣis, the yogeśvaras such as Sanat-kumāra, the siddhas, and the initiators of yoga, worship Bhagavān, the Puruṣa-ṛṣabha, as Brahman with qualities (saguṇa), due to a vision of difference and the pride of being doers. Though they become unattached through desireless action, when Time—an expansion of the Lord—sets the three guṇas into interaction, they return to saṁsāra and are born again in the same forms and positions; even Parameṣṭhya opulence is fashioned by dharma—after tasting it, when the guṇas intermingle, they come back once more.

Verse 14

आद्य: स्थिरचराणां यो वेदगर्भ: सहर्षिभि: । योगेश्वरै: कुमाराद्यै: सिद्धैर्योगप्रवर्तकै: ॥ १२ ॥ भेदद‍ृष्टय‍ाभिमानेन नि:सङ्गेनापि कर्मणा । कर्तृत्वात्सगुणं ब्रह्म पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभम् ॥ १३ ॥ स संसृत्य पुन: काले कालेनेश्वरमूर्तिना । जाते गुणव्यतिकरे यथापूर्वं प्रजायते ॥ १४ ॥ ऐश्वर्यं पारमेष्ठ्यं च तेऽपि धर्मविनिर्मितम् । निषेव्य पुनरायान्ति गुणव्यतिकरे सति ॥ १५ ॥

My dear mother, even if one worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead with some personal motive, at the time of creation—when the three modes begin to interact—Brahmā, the Vedagarbha, along with sages like Sanat-kumāra and the siddhas who established the path of yoga, returns under the power of Time, appearing again in the same forms and positions as before.

Verse 15

आद्य: स्थिरचराणां यो वेदगर्भ: सहर्षिभि: । योगेश्वरै: कुमाराद्यै: सिद्धैर्योगप्रवर्तकै: ॥ १२ ॥ भेदद‍ृष्टय‍ाभिमानेन नि:सङ्गेनापि कर्मणा । कर्तृत्वात्सगुणं ब्रह्म पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभम् ॥ १३ ॥ स संसृत्य पुन: काले कालेनेश्वरमूर्तिना । जाते गुणव्यतिकरे यथापूर्वं प्रजायते ॥ १४ ॥ ऐश्वर्यं पारमेष्ठ्यं च तेऽपि धर्मविनिर्मितम् । निषेव्य पुनरायान्ति गुणव्यतिकरे सति ॥ १५ ॥

Even the parameṣṭhya rank and great opulence are fashioned by dharma; after enjoying them, when the modes again intermingle, the deva-sages return. At the dawn of creation, by the force of Time, they reappear in their former forms and stations.

Verse 16

ये त्विहासक्तमनस: कर्मसु श्रद्धयान्विता: । कुर्वन्त्यप्रतिषिद्धानि नित्यान्यपि च कृत्स्‍नश: ॥ १६ ॥

Those overly attached to this material world perform their prescribed, nonforbidden daily duties with faith and thoroughness, yet their minds remain bound by attachment to the fruits of action.

Verse 17

रजसा कुण्ठमनस: कामात्मानोऽजितेन्द्रिया: । पितृन् यजन्त्यनुदिनं गृहेष्वभिरताशया: ॥ १७ ॥

Driven by the mode of passion, such people are anxious in mind, ruled by desire, and unable to control their senses. Absorbed in household hopes, they worship the forefathers daily and labor day and night to improve the economic condition of their family, society, or nation.

Verse 18

त्रैवर्गिकास्ते पुरुषा विमुखा हरिमेधस: । कथायां कथनीयोरुविक्रमस्य मधुद्विष: ॥ १८ ॥

They are called trai-vargika because they care only for dharma, artha, and kāma. Averse to Hari, who can relieve the conditioned soul, they feel no taste for the līlā-kathā of Madhudviṣa—pastimes worthy of hearing for His transcendental prowess.

Verse 19

नूनं दैवेन विहता ये चाच्युतकथासुधाम् । हित्वा श‍ृण्वन्त्यसद्गाथा: पुरीषमिव विड्भुज: ॥ १९ ॥

Surely, by divine ordinance, those who abandon the nectar of Acyuta’s sacred narrations and listen to vile tales are condemned; they are likened to hogs that feed on stool.

Verse 20

दक्षिणेन पथार्यम्ण: पितृलोकं व्रजन्ति ते । प्रजामनु प्रजायन्ते श्मशानान्तक्रियाकृत: ॥ २० ॥

Such materialistic persons go to Pitṛloka by the sun’s southern course, along Yama’s path; yet they return again, taking birth in their own families and resuming the same fruitive rites from birth to the funeral end.

Verse 21

ततस्ते क्षीणसुकृता: पुनर्लोकमिमं सति । पतन्ति विवशा देवै: सद्यो विभ्रंशितोदया: ॥ २१ ॥

When the fruits of their piety are exhausted, by higher arrangement they fall helplessly, suddenly stripped of their rise, and return again to this world.

Verse 22

तस्मात्त्वं सर्वभावेन भजस्व परमेष्ठिनम् । तद्गुणाश्रयया भक्त्या भजनीयपदाम्बुजम् ॥ २२ ॥

Therefore, dear mother, worship the Supreme Lord with your whole being; with devotion grounded in His divine qualities, take shelter of His lotus feet, ever worthy of adoration.

Verse 23

वासुदेवे भगवति भक्तियोग: प्रयोजित: । जनयत्याशु वैराग्यं ज्ञानं यद्ब्रह्मदर्शनम् ॥ २३ ॥

Bhakti-yoga offered to Bhagavān Vāsudeva swiftly gives rise to detachment and to knowledge as Brahman-realization—true self-realization.

Verse 24

यदास्य चित्तमर्थेषु समेष्विन्द्रियवृत्तिभि: । न विगृह्णाति वैषम्यं प्रियमप्रियमित्युत ॥ २४ ॥

When the exalted devotee’s mind becomes even amid the senses’ activities, he no longer grasps at the difference of agreeable and disagreeable, and thus abides in transcendental equipoise.

Verse 25

स तदैवात्मनात्मानं नि:सङ्गं समदर्शनम् । हेयोपादेयरहितमारूढं पदमीक्षते ॥ २५ ॥

Then the pure devotee, by transcendental intelligence, beholds himself as unattached and untainted by matter, equal in vision, free from the notions of “to be rejected” and “to be accepted,” and thus raised to the transcendental plane.

Verse 26

ज्ञानमात्रं परं ब्रह्म परमात्मेश्वर: पुमान् । द‍ृश्यादिभि: पृथग्भावैर्भगवानेक ईयते ॥ २६ ॥

Bhagavān alone—the Supreme Personality of Godhead—is complete transcendental knowledge; yet according to different ways of understanding, He is perceived as impersonal Brahman, as the indwelling Paramātmā, or as the personal Supreme Lord and the puruṣa-avatāra.

Verse 27

एतावानेव योगेन समग्रेणेह योगिन: । युज्यतेऽभिमतो ह्यर्थो यदसङ्गस्तु कृत्स्‍नश: ॥ २७ ॥

The highest common conclusion for all yogīs is complete detachment from matter—total nonattachment—which may be attained through various kinds of yoga.

Verse 28

ज्ञानमेकं पराचीनैरिन्द्रियैर्ब्रह्म निर्गुणम् । अवभात्यर्थरूपेण भ्रान्त्या शब्दादिधर्मिणा ॥ २८ ॥

Those averse to the Transcendence approach the attributeless Brahman through speculative sense perception; thus, by mistaken conjecture, everything appears to them as merely relative.

Verse 29

यथा महानहंरूपस्त्रिवृत्पञ्चविध: स्वराट् । एकादशविधस्तस्य वपुरण्डं जगद्यत: ॥ २९ ॥

From the total energy, the mahat-tattva, I manifested false ego; from it arose the three guṇas, the five great elements, the jīva’s consciousness, the eleven senses, and the material body. In the same way, the entire universe has issued forth from Śrī Bhagavān, the Supreme Person.

Verse 30

एतद्वै श्रद्धया भक्त्या योगाभ्यासेन नित्यश: । समाहितात्मा नि:सङ्गो विरक्त्या परिपश्यति ॥ ३० ॥

This perfect knowledge is seen by one who, with faith and bhakti, practices yoga daily, keeps the mind absorbed, remains aloof from material association, and through detachment perceives clearly; he is ever fixed in thought of the Supreme Lord.

Verse 31

इत्येतत्कथितं गुर्वि ज्ञानं तद्ब्रह्म-दर्शनम् । येनानुबुद्ध्यते तत्त्वं प्रकृते: पुरुषस्य च ॥ ३१ ॥

My venerable mother, I have thus spoken to you this knowledge—Brahman-realization—by which one understands the true nature of prakṛti and puruṣa, and the relationship between them.

Verse 32

ज्ञानयोगश्च मन्निष्ठो नैर्गुण्यो भक्तिलक्षण: । द्वयोरप्येक एवार्थो भगवच्छब्दलक्षण: ॥ ३२ ॥

Jñāna-yoga fixed upon Me culminates beyond the modes, taking the very mark of bhakti. Whether by direct devotional service or by philosophical inquiry, the goal is one and the same: Śrī Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Verse 33

यथेन्द्रियै: पृथग्द्वारैरर्थो बहुगुणाश्रय: । एको नानेयते तद्वद्भगवान्शास्त्रवर्त्मभि: ॥ ३३ ॥

Just as one object, possessing many qualities, is appreciated differently through the separate gates of the senses, so the Supreme Lord is one; yet according to varied scriptural injunctions, He appears as though diverse.

Verse 34

क्रियया क्रतुभिर्दानैस्तप:स्वाध्यायमर्शनै: । आत्मेन्द्रियजयेनापि संन्यासेन च कर्मणाम् ॥ ३४ ॥ योगेन विविधाङ्गेन भक्तियोगेन चैव हि । धर्मेणोभयचिह्नेन य: प्रवृत्तिनिवृत्तिमान् ॥ ३५ ॥ आत्मतत्त्वावबोधेन वैराग्येण द‍ृढेन च । ईयते भगवानेभि: सगुणो निर्गुण: स्वद‍ृक् ॥ ३६ ॥

By works and sacrifices, charity, austerity, sacred study and philosophical inquiry; by conquering the mind and subduing the senses; by accepting sannyāsa and fulfilling one’s prescribed varṇāśrama duties; by the many limbs of yoga and, above all, by bhakti-yoga; by a dharma marked with both attachment and detachment; by realizing the truth of the self and by firm renunciation—one who is skilled in these paths of self-realization perceives Bhagavān as He truly is, both as saguṇa within the world and as nirguṇa beyond it.

Verse 35

क्रियया क्रतुभिर्दानैस्तप:स्वाध्यायमर्शनै: । आत्मेन्द्रियजयेनापि संन्यासेन च कर्मणाम् ॥ ३४ ॥ योगेन विविधाङ्गेन भक्तियोगेन चैव हि । धर्मेणोभयचिह्नेन य: प्रवृत्तिनिवृत्तिमान् ॥ ३५ ॥ आत्मतत्त्वावबोधेन वैराग्येण द‍ृढेन च । ईयते भगवानेभि: सगुणो निर्गुण: स्वद‍ृक् ॥ ३६ ॥

By the many limbs of yoga and by bhakti-yoga, and by a dharma bearing the marks of both attachment and detachment, the sādhaka who proceeds thus becomes skilled in the paths of realization and fit to perceive Bhagavān.

Verse 36

क्रियया क्रतुभिर्दानैस्तप:स्वाध्यायमर्शनै: । आत्मेन्द्रियजयेनापि संन्यासेन च कर्मणाम् ॥ ३४ ॥ योगेन विविधाङ्गेन भक्तियोगेन चैव हि । धर्मेणोभयचिह्नेन य: प्रवृत्तिनिवृत्तिमान् ॥ ३५ ॥ आत्मतत्त्वावबोधेन वैराग्येण द‍ृढेन च । ईयते भगवानेभि: सगुणो निर्गुण: स्वद‍ृक् ॥ ३६ ॥

When the truth of the self is understood and firm renunciation is established, the sādhaka experiences the self-effulgent Bhagavān—both as saguṇa and as the transcendent nirguṇa.

Verse 37

प्रावोचं भक्तियोगस्य स्वरूपं ते चतुर्विधम् । कालस्य चाव्यक्तगतेर्योऽन्तर्धावति जन्तुषु ॥ ३७ ॥

My dear mother, I have explained to you the true nature of bhakti-yoga in four forms, and I have also described how eternal Time, though moving imperceptibly, relentlessly pursues the living beings.

Verse 38

जीवस्य संसृतीर्बह्वीरविद्याकर्मनिर्मिता: । यास्वङ्ग प्रविशन्नात्मा न वेद गतिमात्मन: ॥ ३८ ॥

For the jīva there are many conditions of worldly existence, fashioned by karma performed in avidyā. My dear mother, when the self enters that forgetfulness, it cannot know where its wandering will finally end.

Verse 39

नैतत्खलायोपदिशेन्नाविनीताय कर्हिचित् । न स्तब्धाय न भिन्नाय नैव धर्मध्वजाय च ॥ ३९ ॥

Lord Kapila said: This teaching should never be given to the envious, the undisciplined, or those of impure conduct; nor to the proud, the divided in mind, or the hypocrite who merely bears the banner of dharma.

Verse 40

न लोलुपायोपदिशेन्न गृहारूढचेतसे । नाभक्ताय च मे जातु न मद्भक्तद्विषामपि ॥ ४० ॥

Do not teach this to the overly greedy, whose mind is fixed on household life; nor to one who is not devoted to Me, nor to those who hate My devotees and the Supreme Lord.

Verse 41

श्रद्दधानाय भक्ताय विनीतायानसूयवे । भूतेषु कृतमैत्राय शुश्रूषाभिरताय च ॥ ४१ ॥

This instruction should be given to the faithful devotee—humble and respectful to the spiritual master, free from envy, friendly to all living beings, and eager to serve with faith and sincerity.

Verse 42

बहिर्जातविरागाय शान्तचित्ताय दीयताम् । निर्मत्सराय शुचये यस्याहं प्रेयसां प्रिय: ॥ ४२ ॥

This instruction should be given to one whose mind is peaceful and who has grown detached from outward things; to one who is free from envy and purified, and for whom I—the Supreme Lord—am dearer than all that is dear.

Verse 43

य इदं श‍ृणुयादम्ब श्रद्धया पुरुष: सकृत् । यो वाभिधत्ते मच्चित्त: स ह्येति पदवीं च मे ॥ ४३ ॥

O Mother, whoever hears this even once with faith, and whoever, with mind fixed on Me, hears and chants My name and glories, surely attains My supreme abode.