Kapila-Devahuti Samvada
Kapila-Devahuti Samvada Synopsis
Kapila-Devahuti Samvada is the basis of Sankya Philosophy for which Kapila is well known. Kapila, who was the tenth child of sage Kardama and Devahuti, was known to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. He was a very well known scholar and a saint. Kapila-Devahuti Samvada, which roughly translates to - The Discussions between Kapila and Devahuti, touches upon topics on how to control oneself effectively and truly become the master of oneself. This philosophy is still used by many psychiatrists and professional motivators to help those in need.
Introduction
Kapila Devahuti Samvada is a text where Devahuti approaches Kapil with a dilemma. She mentions that she is fed up with satisfying her five senses. Eyes always want to see beautiful things, the tongue always wants to taste delicious things, the skin always wants to feel comfortable, the nose always wants to smell fragrance, and the ears always want to hear melody. All her life she has been giving in to these senses, but they are never satisfied. She felt like a passenger on a carriage being pulled by five horses in different directions. If a human keeps giving into these, the human will meet their doom very soon. It is very easy to give in and extremely difficult to say no. So she asked Kapila, the wise saint and an 'avatar' of Lord Vishnu himself, how to control the senses. So Kapila explains to her the Samkhya philosophy to set her mind at ease and give her inner peace. This discussion is in the form of questions and answers and sets the tone of the discussion between Kapila and Devahuti. This has been mentioned in detail in the third canto of Shrimad Bhagavata Purana.
More popular questions posed by Devbhuti and their replies by Kapila
Devahuti's Question: I was born as a king's daughter, married to Atri, a very well known and established saint, enjoyed all worldly pleasures, had great children, but still my senses are not satisfied. Why is that? Kapila's Reply: This has to do with the mind. When we allow our mind to be a slave of our senses, we keep enjoying but are never satisfied. But when we train our mind to want nothing but God, when we stay satisfied and away from worldly desires.
Devahuti's Question: There is no limit to what the senses need. How can I reign them in? Kapila's Reply: There is a big difference between what we need (to survive) and what we want. The needs are limited, but there is no limit to what we want. The desires, if not reigned in, run wild. We need to isolate want from need, and only then would we know what it is that we really need and what it is that we want. The mind is very colourful by nature and keeps asking for more. The mind does not stay in one place. It is like a bee which travels from one flower to another till it gets trapped in the flower by evening. But the only way to get over the interest in worldly desires is to move the mind from the world to the lord's feet.
Devahuti's Question: The mind does not naturally let go and focus on the lord's feet. How is it possible to get this done? Kapila's Reply: One's own mind can be controlled by practice. It may seem difficult at first, but with practice it will get easier. Another way is to be in close proximity with someone who is better at it than oneself. The company would enable a person to get better at it faster.
Description of the Solutions Provided by Kapila
Kapila informs his mother that the five senses are in fact five servants that God has provided us. They are here to do our bidding. When they do our bidding, it gives us some or other pleasure. But it is important to remember that they, in fact, are our servants and not the other way around. The chariot which she mentioned as being pulled by the five senses is controlled by the charioteer, which is our mind. So our job is to control our mind, and the chariot will always be in our control. The only way to control the mind is to deprive it of the things it continuously asks for. Going by the previously mentioned example of a chariot (our body) being pulled by five horses (our senses) in different directions, we did not realise that it is not us who have to reign in the horses, it is our mind who is the charioteer, and we have to reign in the mind. If the mind is in our control, we keep all our senses in control.
Earning a means to a comfortable life is difficult, but what is more difficult is maintaining it. Soon the mind wants more, and the more the mind desires, the more we act as its slave and try to attain more means. This is a never-ending cycle. Maintenance is a bigger pain, and when it is time to give it up (because everything comes with an expiry date), it becomes a nightmare. The only way to escape it is to train the mind, which comes with knowledge and practice.
Kapila went on describing the eight methods of yoga, or Ashtanga Yoga, which can be used to train our minds: 1. Yamas: Knowing the Don'ts. 2. Niyamas: It means virtuous habits and observances. 3. Āsana: It is a posture that one can hold for a period of time. 4. Prānāyāma: It is the control of the breath. 5. Pratyāhāra: It is drawing within one's awareness. 6. Dhāraṇā: Concentrating or focusing, or one-pointedness of mind. 7. Dhyāna: Performing abstract meditation. 8. Samādhi: Achieving a harmonious state of trance while meditating.
There is a detailed discussion which helps his mother gain divine peace.
References
- ↑ Shrimad Bhagwatam.[1] Canto Three, Chapter 25. Retrieved on 18 January 2022.
- ↑ Teachings of Lord Kapila: The Son of Devahuti.[2] Chapters 1 to 5. Retrieved on 20 January 2022.
- ↑ Kapila on Self Knowledge.[3].Retrieved on 20 January 2022.
- ↑ Devahuti attains Vaikuntha [4] Retrieved on 23 March 2022.
- ↑ Shrimad Bhagwatam - Canto 3 - The status Quo- Chapter 28 [5]. Retrieved on 24th March 2022.
This article "Kapila-Devahuti Samvada" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Kapila-Devahuti Samvada. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
