"The Glories of Devotional Service ":

 

 

 

 

 

Skandham-3.2

Chapter-25.

Slokam-1 to 44.

 The Glories of Devotional Service :
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(1) S'rî S'aunaka said: "Although unborn Himself, did the Supreme Lord, personally by His own potency take birth as Lord Kapila, the analyst of the ultimate truth, in order to disseminate transcendental knowledge for the human race. (2) Indeed hearing about Him, the greater of whom cannot be found among men, the foremost of all yogîs and the godhead of the Vedas, are my senses sated. (3) Please describe me faithfully whatever the praiseworthy is that the Supreme Lord so full of the delight of the soul by His internal potency does."

 

(4) Sûta said: ''Being a friend of Vyâsadeva did the worshipful Maitreya then spoke as follows to Vidura, as he was pleased being asked about the transcendental knowledge. (5) Maitreya said: ' When the father had left for the forest, stayed Lord Kapila behind at lake Bindu-sarovar with the desire to please His mother indeed. (6) To Him, her son, seated at ease, who was capable of showing her the path to the goal of the ultimate reality, spoke Devahûti remembering the words of Brahmâ.

 

(7) Devahûti said: 'O my Lord, I am very disgusted by the prevalence of untruth of the agitated senses, which made me fall into the abyss of ignorance. (8) At the end of many births, by your mercy I attained to the transcendental eye of You so that I can now overcome the darkness of ignorance which is so difficult to defeat. (9) He who is the origin, de Supreme Lord of all beings and in fact the Master of the Universe has, with You, alike the sun, risen to the eye that was blinded by the darkness of ignorance. (10) Now, my Lord, feel pleased to dispel the delusion, the misconception of I and mine in this, with which You, as You know, have kept me busy. (11) With the desire to know about the material and the personal aspect, I offer You, who are the greatest of the seers of the true nature, my obeisances having taken to the shelter of You, as You are that person worth it; for the ones depending on You, You are the ax that cuts the tree of material existence.'

 

(12) Maitreya said: 'Thus hearing from His mother about the uncontaminated wish of man to gain in selfrealization on the path of liberation, He with a grateful mind, slightly smiling with His beautiful face, explained about the way of the transcendentalists. (13) The Supreme Lord said: 'The discipline of yoga of men of relating to the soul carries My approval for the sake of the ultimate detachment from whatever pleasure and distress. (14) I will now explain the very same to you as I explained formerly, o pious mother, to the sages who were eager to hear about all ins and outs of the yoga-system. (15) It is so that the consciousness of him, who in bondage is after the freedom of the self, is under the spell of the modes of material nature, but when one is moved in attraction of being conditioned to what is the mother of virtue, is one of liberation. (16) From the impurities of lust and greed and such, resulting from the misconception of I and mine, is one freed, when the mind is pure in being equipoised, without distress and pleasure. (17) Then does the person, pure and transcendent to the material world see himself as the non-different and self-effulgent unbounded that is not fragmented. (18) Of spiritual knowledge and renunciation and connected in devotion one regards the material of existence indifferently, finding it reduced in strength. (19) Apart from performing in devotional service towards the Supreme Lord there is, to the complete of the Soul, no other yogîc path as auspicious for the perfection of the spirit. (20) Learned men know that strong attachment is the entanglement of the soul, but that that same attachment managed by devotees opens the door to liberation. (21) Tolerant, compassionate, friendly to all living beings and inimical to no one, peaceful and abiding by the scriptures is the sâdhu [the man of virtue, holiness, a seer] adorned with sublime qualities. (22) Unto Me unwavering in performing their devotional service do those staunch for My sake, renounce to act in desire, giving up on their own family and friends. (23) In delight of hearing stories about Me they chant and fix their thoughts on Me not causing anyone trouble in their various penances. (24) Unto those very devotees, o virtuous mother, who are freed from all attachments, you must seek to be attached, as verily they are the ones who counter the harmful effects of material entanglement. (25) Through association with the ones of truth, in the discussing of My heroism, become the stories cultivated a joy to the ear and heart and will quickly follow the devotion in due order after the firm faith and attraction on the path of liberation. (26) By devotional service having developed a distaste for the sensual of what is seen and heard, constantly thinking about My doings with the mind engaged in the control of the connectedness of yoga, one will find ease on the path of one's endeavor to unite the consciousness. (27) Not serving one's impersonation to the modes of nature, through spiritual knowledge, with renunciation developed in yoga, fixed on Me and devoted to Me, does one in this very life attain to the Absolute of the soul.'

 

(28) Devahûti said: 'What is unto You the proper concept of devotion fit for me of which I, without delay, will find liberation at Your feet? (29) What is, aiming at the One Supreme, o embodiment of heaven, the nature of that yoga You explained about; in how many divisions is the reality understood by it? (30) Please explain that very same thing to Me whose intelligence is but slow, o my Lord, so that I by Your grace may easily comprehend what for a woman is so difficult to understand.'

 

(31) Maitreya said: 'Kapila understanding what His mother was after found, being born from her body, compassion for her and described the truths of the analytic of yoga the way they were handed down and in fact reach to the devotional of a united consciousness. (32) The sweet Lord said: 'The divine of relating to the material qualities works according the scriptures; and so is the oneness of mind in fact but naturally inclined to a goodness of undivided devotional service towards the Supreme One, which exceeds the single mastery. (33) It dissolves quickly the subtle internal dealings like food is consumed by the fire of digestion. (34) The pure devotees who, engaged in the service of My lotusfeet endeavor to attain Me, never desire anyway to be one with Me; they assemble to glorify with one another My personal activities. (35) O mother, they see My smiling face and eyes as beautiful as the morning sun and speak with Me in favorable terms of the benevolence of the transcendental forms. (36) By those forms charming in all their limbs, exalted pastimes, smiling glances and the pleasing of their delightful words are their minds and senses captivated and is in their devotion over their resentment the subtle secured of My abode. (37) Then they do not desire My opulence or the eightfold mastery of lording over the illusion [the siddhi's, see 3.15:45] or follow for the splendor of the Supreme Divinity; blissful of Me as the Supreme One, those devotees enjoy but their simple lives. (38) O mother, never, by no time nor weapon destroying, will My devotees lose Me, who was chosen to be their dearest self, son, friend, preceptor, benefactor and deity. (39-40) Accordingly roaming in both this world and that world of the subtle body, do those who relating to the embodiment have given up in this world on wealth, cattle, houses and everything else worship Me, the all-pervading Lord of liberation in unflinching devotion, as I take them to the other side of birth and death. (41) By no other than Me, the Supreme Lord and ruler as the original person, the Soul of all souls, can the terrible fear [of birth and death] be forsaken. (42) Fearing Me does the wind blow and does the sun shine; out of fear for Me showers Indra the rain and burns the fire and afraid of Me goes death around. (43) Connected by the knowledge and renunciation, do yogîs through bhakti-yoga without fear take shelter of My feet for the benefit of the eternal. (44) Only insofar as one's mind is fixed in an intensive practice of devotion to Me, will men in this world going for the perfection of life, be steady.'