Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 14
Kapila’s Devotional Sāṅkhya: Sādhu-saṅga, Bhakti-yoga, and Fearlessness in the Supreme Shelter
तमिमं ते प्रवक्ष्यामि यमवोचं पुरानघे । ऋषीणां श्रोतुकामानां योगं सर्वाङ्गनैपुणम् ॥ १४ ॥
tam imaṁ te pravakṣyāmi yam avocaṁ purānaghe ṛṣīṇāṁ śrotu-kāmānāṁ yogaṁ sarvāṅga-naipuṇam
Wahai ibu yang suci, kini akan Kuterangkan kepadamu yoga kuno itu, yang dahulu telah Kuberitakan kepada para resi agung yang ingin mendengarnya. Yoga ini mahir dalam segala bagiannya—berguna dan dapat dipraktikkan dalam setiap cara.
The Lord does not manufacture a new system of yoga. Sometimes it is claimed that someone has become an incarnation of God and is expounding a new theological aspect of the Absolute Truth. But here we find that although Kapila Muni is the Lord Himself and is capable of manufacturing a new doctrine for His mother, He nevertheless says, “I shall just explain the ancient system which I once explained to the great sages because they were also anxious to hear about it.” When we have a superexcellent process already present in Vedic scriptures, there is no need to concoct a new system, to mislead the innocent public. At present it has become a fashion to reject the standard system and present something bogus in the name of a newly invented process of yoga.
FAQs
This verse introduces Kapila’s forthcoming explanation of a complete, all-aspect devotional yoga—sought after by sages—presented as a perfected path leading the listener toward liberation through devotion.
Devahuti approached her son Kapila for clear spiritual guidance; Kapila responds by promising to teach the same profound yoga that even great sages were eager to hear.
Treat bhakti as a whole-life practice: regularly hear and study sacred teachings, chant and remember the Lord, serve with humility, and align daily duties with devotion rather than mere self-interest.