Shloka 22
Kapila’s Devotional Sāṅkhya: Sādhu-saṅga, Bhakti-yoga, and Fearlessness in the Supreme Shelter
मय्यनन्येन भावेन भक्तिं कुर्वन्ति ये दृढाम् । मत्कृते त्यक्तकर्माणस्त्यक्तस्वजनबान्धवा: ॥ २२ ॥
mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām mat-kṛte tyakta-karmāṇas tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ
Un tel sādhu accomplit une bhakti ferme envers le Seigneur, d’un cœur sans partage. Pour le Seigneur, il renonce aux autres liens karmiques et même aux attaches mondaines : famille, proches et relations.
A person in the renounced order of life, a sannyāsī, is also called a sādhu because he renounces everything — his home, his comfort, his friends, his relatives, and his duties to friends and family. He renounces everything for the sake of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A sannyāsī is generally in the renounced order of life, but his renunciation will be successful only when his energy is employed in the service of the Lord with great austerity. It is said here, therefore, bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām. A person who seriously engages in the service of the Lord and is in the renounced order of life is a sādhu. A sādhu is one who has given up all responsibility to society, family, and worldly humanitarianism, simply for the service of the Lord. As soon as he takes his birth in the world, a person has so many responsibilities and obligations — to the public, to the demigods, to the great sages, to the general living beings, to his parents, to the family forefathers and to many others. When he gives up all such obligations for the sake of the service of the Supreme Lord, he is not punished for such renunciation of obligation. But if for sense gratification a person renounces all such obligations, he is punished by the law of nature.
FAQs
This verse highlights firm, exclusive devotion to the Lord (ananya-bhāva), where one prioritizes the Lord’s service above other pursuits and becomes detached from worldly attachments, including excessive dependence on relatives and social ties.
Kapila is instructing His mother Devahūti on bhakti-yoga, defining the intensity and exclusivity of devotion that leads to spiritual perfection—devotion that is steady and not diluted by competing goals.
Make devotion the central priority—regular hearing/chanting, offering work and results to God, and reducing distractions that weaken spiritual focus—while keeping relationships healthy but not allowing them to replace one’s commitment to the Lord.