Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Thirty-three
Activities of Kapila
SB3.33.1
TEXT 1
maitreya uvaca
evam nisamya kapilasya vaco janitri
sa kardamasya dayita kila devahutih
visrasta-moha-patala tam abhipranamya
tustava tattva-visayankita-siddhi-bhumim
SYNONYMS
maitreyah uvaca—Maitreya said; evam—thus; nisamya—having heard; kapilasya—of Lord Kapila; vacah—the words; janitri—the mother; sa—she; kardamasya—of Kardama Muni; dayita—the dear wife; kila—namely; devahutih—Devahuti; visrasta—freed from; moha-patala—the covering of illusion; tam—unto Him; abhipranamya—having offered obeisances; tustava—recited prayers; tattva—basic principles; visaya—in the matter of; ankita—the author; siddhi—of liberation; bhumim—the background.
TRANSLATION
Sri Maitreya said: Thus Devahuti, the mother of Lord Kapila and wife of Kardama Muni, became freed from all ignorance concerning devotional service and transcendental knowledge. She offered her obeisances unto the Lord, the author of the basic principles of the Sankhya system of philosophy, which is the background of liberation, and she satisfied Him with the following verses of prayer.
PURPORT
The system of philosophy enunciated by Lord Kapila before His mother is the background for situation on the spiritual platform. The specific significance of this system of philosophy is stated herein as siddhi-bhumim—it is the background of salvation. People who are suffering in this material world because they are conditioned by the material energy can easily get freedom from the clutches of matter by understanding the Sankhya philosophy enunciated by Lord Kapila. By this system of philosophy, one can immediately become free, even though one is situated in this material world. That stage is called jivan-mukti. This means that one is liberated even though one stays with his material body. That happened for Devahuti, the mother of Lord Kapila, and she therefore satisfied the Lord by offering her prayers. Anyone who understands the basic principle of Sankhya philosophy is elevated in devotional service and becomes fully Krsna conscious, or liberated, even within this material world. SB3.33.2 TEXT 2 devahutir uvaca athapy ajo ’ntah-salile sayanam bhutendriyarthatma-mayam vapus te guna-pravaham sad-asesa-bijam dadhyau svayam yaj-jatharabja-jatah SYNONYMS devahutih uvaca—Devahuti said; atha api—moreover; ajah—Lord Brahma; antah-salile—in the water; sayanam—lying; bhuta—the material elements; indriya—the senses; artha—the sense objects; atma—the mind; mayam—pervaded by; vapuh—body; te—Your; guna-pravaham—the source of the stream of the three modes of material nature; sat—manifest; asesa—of all; bijam—the seed; dadhyau—meditated upon; svayam—himself; yat—of whom; jathara—from the abdomen; abja—from the lotus flower; jatah—born. TRANSLATION Devahuti said: Brahma is said to be unborn because he takes birth from the lotus flower which grows from Your abdomen while You lie in the ocean at the bottom of the universe. But even Brahma simply meditated upon You, whose body is the source of unlimited universes. PURPORT Brahma is also named Aja, “he who is unborn.” Whenever we think of someone’s birth, there must be a material father and mother, for thus one is born. But Brahma, being the first living creature within this universe, was born directly from the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is known as Garbhodakasayi Visnu, the Visnu form lying down in the ocean at the bottom of the universe. Devahuti wanted to impress upon the Lord that when Brahma wants to see Him, he has to meditate upon Him. “You are the seed of all creation,” she said. “Although Brahma was directly born from You, he still has to perform many years of meditation, and even then he cannot see You directly, face to face. Your body is lying within the vast water at the bottom of the universe, and thus You are known as Garbhodakasayi Visnu.” The nature of the Lord’s gigantic body is also explained in this verse. That body is transcendental, untouched by matter. Since the material manifestation has come from His body, His body therefore existed before the material creation. The conclusion is that the transcendental body of Visnu is not made of material elements. The body of Visnu is the source of all other living entities, as well as the material nature, which is also supposed to be the energy of that Supreme Personality of Godhead. Devahuti said, “You are the background of the material manifestation and all created energy; therefore Your delivering me from the clutches of maya by explaining the system of Sankhya philosophy is not so astonishing. But Your being born from my abdomen is certainly wonderful because although You are the source of all creation, You have so kindly taken birth as my child. That is most wonderful. Your body is the source of all the universe, and still You put Your body within the abdomen of a common woman like me. To me, that is most astonishing.” SB3.33.3 TEXT 3 sa eva visvasya bhavan vidhatte guna-pravahena vibhakta-viryah sargady aniho ’vitathabhisandhir atmesvaro ’tarkya-sahasra-saktih SYNONYMS sah—that very person; eva—certainly; visvasya—of the universe; bhavan—You; vidhatte—carry on; guna-pravahena—by the interaction of the modes; vibhakta—divided; viryah—Your energies; sarga-adi—the creation and so on; anihah—the nondoer; avitatha—not futile; abhisandhih—Your determination; atma-isvarah—the Lord of all living entities; atarkya—inconceivable; sahasra—thousands; saktih—possessing energies. TRANSLATION My dear Lord, although personally You have nothing to do, You have distributed Your energies in the interactions of the material modes of nature, and for that reason the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic manifestation take place. My dear Lord, You are self-determined and are the Supreme Personality of Godhead for all living entities. For them You created this material manifestation, and although You are one, Your diverse energies can act multifariously. This is inconceivable to us. PURPORT The statement made in this verse by Devahuti that the Absolute Truth has many diverse energies although He personally has nothing to do is confirmed in the Upanisads. There is no one greater than Him or on an equal level with Him, and everything is completely done by His energy, as if by nature. It is understood herein, therefore, that although the modes of material nature are entrusted to different manifestations like Brahma, Visnu and Siva, each of whom is particularly invested with different kinds of power, the Supreme Lord is completely aloof from such activities. Devahuti is saying, “Although You personally are not doing anything, Your determination is absolute. There is no question of Your fulfilling Your will with the help of anyone else besides Yourself. You are, in the end, the Supreme Soul and the supreme controller. Your will, therefore, cannot be checked by anyone else.” The Supreme Lord can check others’ plans. As it is said, “Man proposes and God disposes.” But when the Supreme Personality of Godhead proposes, that desire is under no one else’s control. He is absolute. We are ultimately dependent on Him to fulfill our desires, but we cannot say that God’s desires are also dependent. That is His inconceivable power. That which may be inconceivable for ordinary living entities is easily done by Him. And in spite of His being unlimited, He has subjected Himself to being known from the authoritative scriptures like the Vedic literatures. As it is said, sabda-mulatvat: He can be known through the sabda-brahma, or Vedic literature. Why is the creation made? Since the Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for all living entities, He created this material manifestation for those living entities who want to enjoy or lord it over material nature. As the Supreme Godhead, He arranges to fulfill their various desires. It is confirmed also in the Vedas, eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: the supreme one supplies the necessities of the many living entities. There is no limit to the demands of the different kinds of living entities, and the supreme one, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, alone maintains them and supplies them by His inconceivable energy. SB3.33.4 TEXT 4 sa tvam bhrto me jatharena natha katham nu yasyodara etad asit visvam yugante vata-patra ekah sete sma maya-sisur anghri-panah SYNONYMS sah—that very person; tvam—You; bhrtah—took birth; me jatharena—by my abdomen; natha—O my Lord; katham—how; nu—then; yasya—of whom; udare—in the belly; etat—this; asit—did rest; visvam—universe; yuga-ante—at the end of the millennium; vata-patre—on the leaf of a banyan tree; ekah—alone; sete sma—You lay down; maya—possessing inconceivable powers; sisuh—a baby; anghri—Your toe; panah—licking. TRANSLATION As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You have taken birth from my abdomen. O my Lord, how is that possible for the supreme one, who has in His belly all the cosmic manifestation? The answer is that it is possible, for at the end of the millennium You lie down on a leaf of a banyan tree, and just like a small baby, You lick the toe of Your lotus foot. PURPORT At the time of dissolution the Lord sometimes appears as a small baby lying on a leaf of a banyan tree, floating on the devastating water. Therefore Devahuti suggests, “Your lying down within the abdomen of a common woman like me is not so astonishing. You can lie down on the leaf of a banyan tree and float on the water of devastation as a small baby. It is not very wonderful, therefore, that You can lie down in the abdomen of my body. You teach us that those who are very fond of children within this material world and who therefore enter into marriage to enjoy family life with children can also have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their child, and the most wonderful thing is that the Lord Himself licks His toe.” Since all the great sages and devotees apply all energy and all activities in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there must be some transcendental pleasure in the toes of His lotus feet. The Lord licks His toe to taste the nectar for which the devotees always aspire. Sometimes the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself wonders how much transcendental pleasure is within Himself, and in order to taste His own potency, He sometimes takes the position of tasting Himself. Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself, but He appears as a devotee to taste the sweetness of the transcendental mellow in Himself which is tasted by Srimati Radharani, the greatest of all devotees. SB3.33.5 TEXT 5 tvam deha-tantrah prasamaya papmanam nidesa-bhajam ca vibho vibhutaye yathavataras tava sukaradayas tathayam apy atma-pathopalabdhaye SYNONYMS tvam—You; deha—this body; tantrah—have assumed; prasamaya—for the diminution; papmanam—of sinful activities; nidesa-bhajam—of instructions in devotion; ca—and; vibho—O my Lord; vibhutaye—for the expansion; yatha—as; avatarah—incarnations; tava—Your; sukara-adayah—the boar and other forms; tatha—so; ayam—this incarnation of Kapila; api—surely; atma-patha—the path of self-realization; upalabdhaye—in order to reveal. TRANSLATION My dear Lord, You have assumed this body in order to diminish the sinful activities of the fallen and to enrich their knowledge in devotion and liberation. Since these sinful people are dependent on Your direction, by Your own will You assume incarnations as a boar and as other forms. Similarly, You have appeared in order to distribute transcendental knowledge to Your dependents. PURPORT In the previous verses, the general transcendental qualifications of the Supreme Personality of Godhead were described. Now the specific purpose of the Lord’s appearance is also described. By His different energies He bestows different kinds of bodies upon the living entities, who are conditioned by their propensity to lord it over material nature, but in course of time these living entities become so degraded that they need enlightenment. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that whenever there are discrepancies in the discharge of the real purpose of this material existence, the Lord appears as an incarnation. The Lord’s form as Kapila directs the fallen souls and enriches them with knowledge and devotion so that they may go back to Godhead. There are many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, like those of the boar, the fish, the tortoise and the half-man half-lion. Lord Kapiladeva is also one of the incarnations of Godhead. It is accepted herein that Lord Kapiladeva appeared on the surface of the earth to give transcendental knowledge to the misguided conditioned souls. SB3.33.6 TEXT 6 yan-namadheya-sravananukirtanad yat-prahvanad yat-smaranad api kvacit svado ’pi sadyah savanaya kalpate kutah punas te bhagavan nu darsanat SYNONYMS yat—of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); namadheya—the name; sravana—hearing; anukirtanat—by chanting; yat—to whom; prahvanat—by offering obeisances; yat—whom; smaranat—by remembering; api—even; kvacit—at any time; sva-adah—a dog-eater; api—even; sadyah—immediately; savanaya—for performing Vedic sacrifices; kalpate—becomes eligible; kutah—what to speak of; punah—again; te—You; bhagavan—O Supreme Personality of Godhead; nu—then; darsanat—by seeing face to face. TRANSLATION To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters immediately becomes eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him. PURPORT Herein the spiritual potency of chanting, hearing or remembering the holy name of the Supreme Lord is greatly stressed. Rupa Gosvami has discussed the sequence of sinful activities of the conditioned soul, and he has established, in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, that those who engage in devotional service become freed from the reactions of all sinful activities. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. The Lord says that He takes charge of one who surrenders unto Him, and He makes him immune to all reactions to sinful activities. If by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead one becomes so swiftly cleared of all reactions to sinful activities, then what is to be said of those persons who see Him face to face? Another consideration here is that persons who are purified by the process of chanting and hearing become immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices. Generally, only a person who is born in a family of brahmanas, who has been reformed by the ten kinds of purificatory processes and who is learned in Vedic literature is allowed to perform the Vedic sacrifices. But here the word sadyah, “immediately,” is used, and Sridhara Svami also remarks that one can immediately become eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices. A person born in a family of the low caste which is accustomed to eat dogs is so positioned due to his past sinful activities, but by chanting or hearing once in pureness, or in an offenseless manner, he is immediately relieved of the sinful reaction. Not only is he relieved of the sinful reaction, but he immediately achieves the result of all purificatory processes. Taking birth in the family of a brahmana is certainly due to pious activities in one’s past life. But still a child who is born in a family of a brahmana depends for his further reformation upon initiation into acceptance of a sacred thread and many other reformatory processes. But a person who chants the holy name of the Lord, even if born in a family of candalas, dog-eaters, does not need reformation. Simply by chanting Hare Krsna, he immediately becomes purified and becomes as good as the most learned brahmana. Sridhara Svami especially remarks in this connection, anena pujyatvam laksyate. Some caste brahmanas remark that by chanting Hare Krsna, purification begins. Of course, that depends on the individual process of chanting, but this remark of Sridhara Svami’s is completely applicable if one chants the holy name of the Lord without offense, for he immediately becomes more than a brahmana. As Sridhara Svami says, pujyatvam: he immediately becomes as respectable as a most learned brahmana and can be allowed to perform Vedic sacrifices. If simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord one becomes sanctified instantly, then what can be said of those persons who see the Supreme Lord face to face and who understand the descent of the Lord, as Devahuti understands Kapiladeva. Usually, initiation depends on the bona fide spiritual master, who directs the disciple. If he sees that a disciple has become competent and purified by the process of chanting, he offers the sacred thread to the disciple just so that he will be recognized as one-hundred-percent equal with a brahmana. This is also confirmed in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa by Sri Sanatana Gosvami: “As a base metal like bell metal can be changed into gold by a chemical process, any person can similarly be changed into a brahmana by diksa-vidhana, the initiation process”. It is sometimes remarked that by the chanting process one begins to purify himself and can take birth in his next life in a brahmana family and then be reformed. But at this present moment, even those who are born in the best brahmana families are not reformed, nor is there any certainty that they are actually born of brahmana fathers. Formerly the garbhadhana reformatory system was prevalent, but at the present moment there is no such garbhadhana, or seed-giving ceremony. Under these circumstances, no one knows if a man is factually born of a brahmana father. Whether one has acquired the qualification of a brahmana depends on the judgment of the bona fide spiritual master. He bestows upon the disciple the position of a brahmana by his own judgment. When one is accepted as a brahmana in the sacred thread ceremony under the pancaratrika system, then he is dvija, twice-born. That is confirmed by Sanatana Gosvami: dvijatvam jayate. By the process of initiation by the spiritual master, a person is accepted as a brahmana in his purified state of chanting the holy name of the Lord. He then makes further progress to become a qualified Vaisnava, which means that the brahminical qualification is already acquired. SB3.33.7 TEXT 7 aho bata sva-paco ’to gariyan yaj-jihvagre vartate nama tubhyam tepus tapas te juhuvuh sasnur arya brahmanucur nama grnanti ye te SYNONYMS aho bata—oh, how glorious; sva-pacah—a dog-eater; atah—hence; gariyan—worshipable; yat—of whom; jihva-agre—on the tip of the tongue; vartate—is; nama—the holy name; tubhyam—unto You; tepuh tapah—practiced austerities; te—they; juhuvuh—executed fire sacrifices; sasnuh—took bath in the sacred rivers; aryah—Aryans; brahma anucuh—studied the Vedas; nama—the holy name; grnanti—accept; ye—they who; te—Your. TRANSLATION Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Aryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required. PURPORT As it is stated in the previous verse, a person who has once offenselessly chanted the holy name of God becomes immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices. One should not be astonished by this statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam. One should not disbelieve or think, “How by chanting the holy name of the Lord can one become a holy man to be compared to the most elevated brahmana?” To eradicate such doubts in the minds of unbelievers, this verse affirms that the stage of chanting of the holy name of the Lord is not sudden, but that the chanters have already performed all kinds of Vedic rituals and sacrifices. It is not very astounding, for no one in this life can chant the holy name of the Lord unless he has passed all lower stages, such as performing the Vedic ritualistic sacrifices, studying the Vedas and practicing good behavior like that of the Aryans. All this must first have been done. Just as a student in a law class is to be understood to have already graduated from general education, anyone who is engaged in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—must have already passed all lower stages. It is said that those who simply chant the holy name with the tip of the tongue are glorious. One does not even have to chant the holy name and understand the whole procedure, namely the offensive stage, offenseless stage and pure stage; if the holy name is sounded on the tip of the tongue, that is also sufficient. It is said herein that nama, a singular number, one name, Krsna or Rama, is sufficient. It is not that one has to chant all the holy names of the Lord. The holy names of the Lord are innumerable, and one does not have to chant all the names to prove that he has already undergone all the processes of Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. If one chants once only, it is to be understood that he has already passed all the examinations, not to speak of those who are chanting always, twenty-four hours a day. It is specifically said here, tubhyam: “unto You only.” One must chant God’s name, not, as the Mayavadi philosophers say, any name, such as a demigod’s name or the names of God’s energies. Only the holy name of the Supreme Lord will be effective. Anyone who compares the holy name of the Supreme Lord to the names of the demigods is called pasandi, or an offender. The holy name has to be chanted to please the Supreme Lord, and not for any sense gratification or professional purpose. If this pure mentality is there, then even though a person is born of a low family, such as a dog-eater’s, he is so glorious that not only has he purified himself, but he is quite competent to deliver others. He is competent to speak on the importance of the transcendental name, just as Thakura Haridasa did. He was apparently born in a family of Muhammadans, but because he was chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord offenselessly, Lord Caitanya empowered him to become the authority, or acarya, of spreading the name. It did not matter that he was born in a family which was not following the Vedic rules and regulations. Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Advaita Prabhu accepted him as an authority because he was offenselessly chanting the name of the Lord. Authorities like Advaita Prabhu and Lord Caitanya immediately accepted that he had already performed all kinds of austerities, studied the Vedas and performed all sacrifices. That is automatically understood. There is a hereditary class of brahmanas called the smarta-brahmanas, however, who are of the opinion that even if such persons who are chanting the holy name of the Lord are accepted as purified, they still have to perform the Vedic rites or await their next birth in a family of brahmanas so that they can perform the Vedic rituals. But actually that is not the case. Such a man does not need to wait for the next birth to become purified. He is at once purified. It is understood that he has already performed all sorts of rites. It is the so-called brahmanas who actually have to undergo different kinds of austerities before reaching that point of purification. There are many other Vedic performances which are not described here. All such Vedic rituals have been already performed by the chanters of the holy name. The word juhuvuh means that the chanters of the holy name have already performed all kinds of sacrifices. Sasnuh means that they have already traveled to all the holy places of pilgrimage and taken part in purificatory activities at those places. They are called aryah because they have already finished all these requirements, and therefore they must be among the Aryans or those who have qualified themselves to become Aryans. “Aryan” refers to those who are civilized, whose manners are regulated according to the Vedic rituals. Any devotee who is chanting the holy name of the Lord is the best kind of Aryan. Unless one studies the Vedas, one cannot become an Aryan, but it is automatically understood that the chanters have already studied all the Vedic literature. The specific word used here is anucuh, which means that because they have already completed all those recommended acts, they have become qualified to be spiritual masters. The very word grnanti, which is used in this verse, means to be already established in the perfectional stage of ritualistic performances. If one is seated on the bench of a high court and is giving judgment on cases, it means that he has already passed all legal exams and is better than those who are engaged in the study of law or those expecting to study law in the future. In a similar way, persons who are chanting the holy name are transcendental to those who are factually performing the Vedic rituals and those who expect to be qualified (or, in other words, those who are born in families of brahmanas but have not yet undergone the reformatory processes and who therefore expect to study the Vedic rituals and perform the sacrifices in the future). There are many Vedic statements in different places saying that anyone who chants the holy name of the Lord becomes immediately freed from conditional life and that anyone who hears the holy name of the Lord, even though born of a family of dog-eaters, also becomes liberated from the clutches of material entanglement. SB3.33.8 TEXT 8 tam tvam aham brahma param pumamsam pratyak-srotasy atmani samvibhavyam sva-tejasa dhvasta-guna-pravaham vande visnum kapilam veda-garbham SYNONYMS tam—unto Him; tvam—You; aham—I; brahma—Brahman; param—supreme; pumamsam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pratyak-srotasi—turned inwards; atmani—in the mind; samvibhavyam—meditated upon, perceived; sva-tejasa—by Your own potency; dhvasta—vanished; guna-pravaham—the influence of the modes of material nature; vande—I offer obeisances; visnum—unto Lord Visnu; kapilam—named Kapila; veda-garbham—the repository of the Vedas. TRANSLATION I believe, my Lord, that You are Lord Visnu Himself under the name of Kapila, and You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Brahman! The saints and sages, being freed from all the disturbances of the senses and mind, meditate upon You, for by Your mercy only can one become free from the clutches of the three modes of material nature. At the time of dissolution, all the Vedas are sustained in You only. PURPORT Devahuti, the mother of Kapila, instead of prolonging her prayers, summarized that Lord Kapila was none other than Visnu and that since she was a woman it was not possible for her to worship Him properly simply by prayer. It was her intention that the Lord be satisfied. The word pratyak is significant. In yogic practice, the eight divisions are yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. pratyahara means to wind up the activities of the senses. The level of realization of the Supreme Lord evidenced by Devahuti is possible when one is able to withdraw the senses from material activities. When one is engaged in devotional service, there is no scope for his senses to be engaged otherwise. In such full Krsna consciousness, one can understand the Supreme Lord as He is. SB3.33.9 TEXT 9 maitreya uvaca idito bhagavan evam kapilakhyah parah puman vacaviklavayety aha mataram matr-vatsalah SYNONYMS maitreyah uvaca—Maitreya said; iditah—praised; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; evam—thus; kapila-akhyah—named Kapila; parah—supreme; puman—person; vaca—with words; aviklavaya—grave; iti—thus; aha—replied; mataram—to His mother; matr-vatsalah—very affectionate to His mother. TRANSLATION Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kapila, satisfied by the words of His mother, towards whom He was very affectionate, replied with gravity. PURPORT Since the Lord is all-perfect, His exhibition of affection for His mother was also complete. After hearing the words of His mother, He most respectfully, with due gravity and good manners, replied. SB3.33.10 TEXT 10 kapila uvaca margenanena matas te susevyenoditena me asthitena param kastham acirad avarotsyasi SYNONYMS kapilah uvaca—Lord Kapila said; margena—by the path; anena—this; matah—My dear mother; te—for you; su-sevyena—very easy to execute; uditena—instructed; me—by Me; asthitena—being performed; param—supreme; kastham—goal; acirat—very soon; avarotsyasi—you will attain. TRANSLATION The Personality of Godhead said: My dear mother, the path of self-realization which I have already instructed to you is very easy. You can execute this system without difficulty, and by following it you shall very soon be liberated, even within your present body. PURPORT Devotional service is so perfect that simply by following the rules and regulations and executing them under the direction of the spiritual master, one is liberated, as it is said herein, from the clutches of maya, even in this body. In other yogic processes, or in empiric philosophical speculation, one is never certain whether or not he is at the perfectional stage. But in the discharge of devotional service, if one has unflinching faith in the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master and follows the rules and regulations, he is sure to be liberated, even within this present body. Srila Rupa Gosvami, in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, has also confirmed this. Iha yasya harer dasye: regardless of where he is situated, anyone whose only aim is to serve the Supreme Lord under the direction of the spiritual master is called jivan-mukta, or one who is liberated even with his material body. Sometimes doubts arise in the minds of neophytes about whether or not the spiritual master is liberated, and sometimes neophytes are doubtful about the bodily affairs of the spiritual master. The point of liberation, however, is not to see the bodily symptoms of the spiritual master. One has to see the spiritual symptoms of the spiritual master. Jivan-mukta means that even though one is in the material body (there are still some material necessities, since the body is material), because one is fully situated in the service of the Lord, he should be understood to be liberated. Liberation entails being situated in one’s own position. That is the definition in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: muktir. .. svarupena vyavasthitih. The svarupa, or actual identity of the living entity, is described by Lord Caitanya. Jivera ‘svarupa’ haya—krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’: [Cc. Madhya 20.108] the real identity of the living entity is that he is eternally a servitor of the Supreme Lord. If someone is one-hundred-percent engaged in the service of the Lord, he is to be understood as liberated. One must understand whether or not he is liberated by his activities in devotional service, not by other symptoms. SB3.33.11 TEXT 11 sraddhatsvaitan matam mahyam justam yad brahma-vadibhih yena mam abhayam yaya mrtyum rcchanty atad-vidah SYNONYMS sraddhatsva—you may rest assured; etat—about this; matam—instruction; mahyam—My; justam—followed; yat—which; brahma-vadibhih—by transcendentalists; yena—by which; mam—unto Me; abhayam—without fear; yayah—you shall reach; mrtyum—death; rcchanti—attain; a-tat-vidah—persons who are not conversant with this. TRANSLATION My dear mother, those who are actually transcendentalists certainly follow My instructions, as I have given them to you. You may rest assured that if you traverse this path of self-realization perfectly, surely you shall be freed from fearful material contamination and shall ultimately reach Me. Mother, persons who are not conversant with this method of devotional service certainly cannot get out of the cycle of birth and death. PURPORT Material existence is full of anxiety, and therefore it is fearful. One who gets out of this material existence automatically becomes free from all anxieties and fear. One who follows the path of devotional service enunciated by Lord Kapila is very easily liberated. SB3.33.12 TEXT 12 maitreya uvaca iti pradarsya bhagavan satim tam atmano gatim sva-matra brahma-vadinya kapilo ’numato yayau SYNONYMS maitreyah uvaca—Maitreya said; iti—thus; pradarsya—after instructing; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; satim—venerable; tam—that; atmanah—of self-realization; gatim—path; sva-matra—from His mother; brahma-vadinya—self-realized; kapilah—Lord Kapila; anumatah—took permission; yayau—left. TRANSLATION Sri Maitreya said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead Kapila, after instructing His beloved mother, took permission from her and left His home, His mission having been fulfilled. PURPORT The mission of the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Kapila was to distribute the transcendental knowledge of Sankhya philosophy, which is full of devotional service. Having imparted that knowledge to His mother—and, through His mother, to the world—Kapiladeva had no more need to stay at home, so He took permission from His mother and left. Apparently He left home for spiritual realization, although He had nothing to realize spiritually because He Himself is the person to be spiritually realized. Therefore this is an example set by the Supreme Personality of Godhead while acting like an ordinary human being so that others might learn from Him. He could, of course, have stayed with His mother, but He indicated that there was no need to stay with the family. It is best to remain alone as a brahmacari, sannyasi or vanaprastha and cultivate Krsna consciousness throughout one’s whole life. Those who are unable to remain alone are given license to live in household life with wife and children, not for sense gratification but for cultivation of Krsna consciousness.