Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 1
Bhakti Yoga: The Three Modes of Devotion, Non-Envy, and Time as the Lord
देवहूतिरुवाच लक्षणं महदादीनां प्रकृते: पुरुषस्य च । स्वरूपं लक्ष्यतेऽमीषां येन तत्पारमार्थिकम् ॥ १ ॥ यथा साङ्ख्येषु कथितं यन्मूलं तत्प्रचक्षते । भक्तियोगस्य मे मार्गं ब्रूहि विस्तरश: प्रभो ॥ २ ॥
devahūtir uvāca lakṣaṇaṁ mahad-ādīnāṁ prakṛteḥ puruṣasya ca svarūpaṁ lakṣyate ’mīṣāṁ yena tat-pāramārthikam
提婆胡蒂祈问：亲爱的主啊，依数论之理，您已精确阐明了从大本原（mahat-tattva）起的总体物质自然（prakṛti）之相，以及灵性之我——普鲁沙（puruṣa）的特征与本相。如今恳请您详说奉爱瑜伽（bhakti-yoga）之道，此乃一切哲学体系的至上归宿。
In this Twenty-ninth Chapter, the glories of devotional service are elaborately explained, and the influence of time on the conditioned soul is also described. The purpose of elaborately describing the influence of time is to detach the conditioned soul from his material activities, which are considered to be simply a waste of time. In the previous chapter, material nature, the spirit and the Supreme Lord, or Supersoul, are analytically studied, and in this chapter the principles of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service — the execution of activities in the eternal relationship between the living entities and the Personality of Godhead — are explained.
FAQs
Devahūti asks Kapila to define prakṛti (material nature) and puruṣa (the Supreme Person) so their ultimate, true reality can be understood.
She recognizes Sāṅkhya as a systematic explanation of reality and requests its root and culmination—detailed guidance in bhakti-yoga as the practical spiritual path.
Study the difference between matter and spirit while prioritizing devotional practice—regular hearing, remembrance, and service to God—as the life-transforming essence.