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
ஓ பாவமற்ற தாயே, இப்போது நான் உனக்கு அந்தப் பழமையான யோகத்தை உரைப்பேன்; அதை முன்பு கேட்க விரும்பிய மகரிஷிகளுக்கு நான் கூறினேன். அந்த யோகம் எல்லா அங்கங்களிலும் திறம்பட, எல்லாவிதத்திலும் பயனுள்ளதும் நடைமுறைக்குரியதும் ஆகும்.
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.