Keshavāya namah
Maharishi Kapila continues,
“In water, reflection of the Sun is seen. Reflection of this Sun in the water falls upon the wall of the house. At that time there are two reflections. The Sun seen on the wall is the reflection of the Sun in the waters which in turn is the reflection of the Sun located in the sky.
In the similar manner, Pure Consciousness (śuddha chaitanya) first gets reflected upon the ego (ahamkāra) made up of the trigunas. Then it reflects upon the 5 gross elements, the senses and inner mind (antahkarana).
In other words, the illumination of Pure Consciousness that exists within this gross body, the senses and mind can be experienced. Nevertheless it should be understood that this illumination is nothing but the reflection of the ego’s illumination.
In deep sleep, subtle elements, senses, mind, intellect, etc. dissolve completely into that subtle Nature wherein limitations of name and form do not exist. Even at such time the Self’s consciousness (atma chaitanya) does not dissolve. It remains as an eternal witness, devoid of ego (sense of I-ness).
During waking state, this Self illumines as the dṛṣṭa (the Seer). It should be understood the Seer (drśta) himself is the Self! During deep sleep the individual believes that he has been destroyed and thus grieves. He becomes anxious like a person who has lost his wealth.
Body, senses, mind, intellect and ego (sense of I-ness) seek refuge purely in the Self’s consciousness and illumine only within it. The intelligent person, with his discriminatory knowledge thoroughly scrutinizes them and understands the real essence of the Self (atma tattva)”.
Hearing this Devahuti enquired, “O Lord! Nature and Self (Prakriti- Puruśa), take refuge in one another due to which their relationship is eternal. Under no circumstances does Prakriti detach itself from Puruśa. It is impossible to separate smell from earth, isn’t it? They are one and the same. Likewise, water and taste do not have a separate existence.
Similarly Nature (Prakriti) and Self (Puruśa) can never be separated. Inherently the Self does not get involved in action. But due to attaining oneness with the traits of Nature, the Self gets entangled in these karmic bondages.
Now these 3 attributes of Nature have an eternal existence. This being the case, how can the Self ever get liberated from these karmic bondages? Due to Self-realization, perchance even if the fear of samsara is dispelled in the yogi, the 3 attributes of Nature which are its roots cannot be destroyed, isn’t it? Since their existence is eternal, there is a scope for worldly bondages to re-emerge, isn’t it?”
Kapila Bhagawān replied, “O Mother! The yoga practitioner should, with a pure mind and with a selfless attitude, adhere to his own dharma (swadharma). He should at all times listen to My divine glories and have intense devotion towards Me”.
We notice that this theme repeats. Irrespective of all the knowledge and the science behind the creation which is being passed to us through this Bhāgawatam, the emphasis is on devotion towards Srihari! If a person is truly desirous of cutting through this veil of illusion, he has to mandatorily listen to the stories pertaining to the Lord. The mind should be permanently fixed upon Him.
“He should strive to increase his devotion. He should try to know the real form of Nature and Self. He should not consider them to be separate. He should possess unflinching detachment and should relentlessly practice disciplines, contemplation and Self-study. Ultimate concentration of mind is a must!
Just as the spark contained with the log of wood reduces to ashes the entire log, the practitioner who diligently abides by these disciplines will in this birth itself dissolve his spiritual ignorance (avidya) gradually.
The intelligent person should realize that Nature is the sole cause for all sorrows. Only when this fact is deeply digested, he will stop himself from attaining oneness with Nature. He will distance himself.
Nature does not have the capacity to create bondages in a person who is totally immersed in his inner bliss. During dream, the person encounters various problems and suffers immensely. However upon waking up, the dream ceases to have any impact upon him. He forgets the dream.
Evaṁ vidita-tattvasya prakṛtir mayi mānasam
Yuñjato nāpakuruta ātmārāmasya karhicit
Nature will never cause infatuation in the yoga practitioner who, through the understanding of the principle of Nature-Self, has fixed the mind solely upon Me and who enjoys his own inner bliss! It will never harm him.
In this way when a sage spends many, many lifetimes established in the Self, he will obtain total detachment towards every form of comfort. He will then attain the abode of Brahma (brahma loka). Only with My supreme blessings the intelligent person obtains Supreme Knowledge. Through knowledge of his Self, he will dispel all his doubts.
He will obtain in this birth My abode i.e. the form of the Self. It is well known as ‘liberation’ or as unlimited supreme bliss! In other words, he will obtain liberation while living (jeevanmukti). After the destruction of this subtle body, that Jnani will no longer have re-births.
O Mother! All the Yogic powers are made powerful by the energy of such accomplished beings. The various supernatural accomplishments, which are illusory, arise purely through Yoga. There is no way other than this. However when the accomplished yogi shows dispassion even towards such supernatural powers, he will then attain the ultimate liberation and will merge totally into Me. He will then be free from death as it will be permanently destroyed”.
With this the twenty seventh chapter comes to an end.
Narayanāya namah
