Full Course: Sankhya philosophy of Lord Kapila
The teachings of Lord Kapila are essential to understand the material world, or eternal nature, our relationship with Krsna and why did we fall here. All existential questions we have are answered.
Often we come to the end of Srimad Bhagavatam with lots of questions in mind:
From where did the soul come?
If I’m part and parcel of Krsna, how did I fall into this material world?
Have I been here since the beginning?
Do I have an eternal relationship with Krsna, or being “eternally conditioned” I’m just a product of this material world without ever having been with Him?
If it’s said devotional service is eternally established, why do I don’t have it now?
Is it the “me” who lives now in the material world, the same “me” that exists in the spiritual sky?
Even if I go back to Godhead, what is the guarantee I will not fall back into this material world?
One of the reasons we often come to the end with such questions is that we often don’t study the eight chapters with the teachings of Lord Kapila, which is precisely the place where these questions are answered. Because these chapters contain very dense philosophy, we often just skip through them, and we lose a lot by doing so.
This is possibly the first course available that offers a deep study of these teachings. It may help you find answers to your questions. Just as in the other courses, you have access to both the lessons and the corresponding texts.
» The Sankhya Philosophy of Lord Kapila (#01)
Lord Kapila offers an incredibly detailed explanation about the universe, the goal of life, and the process of devotional service, the very means to achieve this goal.
What makes Sankhya philosophy special is that it describes both the workings of this material world, including the creation of the material universe, the structure of the material elements, how the soul becomes entrapped in matter, etc., and the process of devotional service that helps us to become free of it. This makes Sankhya a very fascinating study for all inquisitive minds because it answers our questions on both aspects.
» Understanding the Vedic Universe (#02)
In this second part of the course on the teachings of Lord Kapila, we will study the nature of this material world and our relationship with it. The soul is transcendental, just like the Lord is, but because the soul is very small, it can fall under the control of material energy, while the Lord never falls into illusion. Even though it may be dificult to understand how the transcendental soul falls into illusion, and how the spiritual soul can become related to matter, it is still a fact that we are here. By understanding the nature of this world, we can see the light behind the illusion and find our way back.
» Conclusion of the descriptions of creation (#03)
The previous chapters in the second and third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam include several descriptions of the creation of the universe. Each of these descriptions brings new details, helping us to progressively grow our understanding. These different explanations may seem at first disconnected from each other, but they just offer the same description from different angles, just like a description of the same story from the viewpoint of different characters helps us to understand the whole plot. Now, in chapter 26, Lord Kapila offers a description that puts all the previous explanations together and helps us to understand the full plot behind the creation of this material world and our imprisoning inside of it.
» Becoming free from the material illusion (#04)
Mayavadis see this material world as false, and in this way they reject it. As Vaishnavas we don't accept this material world as false, nor do we reject it. The material world is the energy of the Lord and is a place for His pastimes. What we reject is the illusory concept of seeing this world as separate from Krishna. This illusory concept is what is called Maya, and that's what keeps us bound in material existence. Many pure devotees live in this material world, such as Arjuna and Narada Muni. Although they technically live here, they are not bound by Maya.
» How the material universes are created (#05)
Up to here, we had a description of the creation of the material elements, which is part of the primary creation performed by the Lord. Up to this point, there are no material universes, just the mass of material elements in the form of the mahat-tattva. The elements are now manifest, but still not assembled in the form of the universes. It's important to emphasize that in the definition given in the Vedas, the material elements are different from matter. The elements created at this stage manifest later (during the creation of Brahma) as different grades of matter. The elements we studied up to here are still subtle manifestations. We can think of them more like energy, and not as something we can physically touch.
» How the soul falls into the material world without leaving the spiritual sky (#06)
A central point in Prabhupada's teachings is the idea that the soul is an eternal servant of Krishna. The original consciousness of the soul is Krishna Consciousness, and being eternal, this original consciousness can't be lost, although it may be temporarily covered. Due to free will, the soul comes to the material world, where due to the identification with the false ego, the soul gradually becomes covered by the intelligence, mind, senses, and eventually, a gross body, forgetting his original spiritual nature. As he explains, the soul doesn't really fall into the material world, remaining in his eternal position, just like someone sleeping.
» Returning to our original position (#07)
In this part, the "fall" of the soul in the material world continues to be discussed. What binds us to this temporary world, and how can we finally become free? What exactly is our position here and how can the pure soul become so covered by illusion to the point of becoming a dog or a horse? A very important point to be understood in this connection is the role of the false ego and how it twists our intelligence, making us see the impermanent as eternal and reality as ephemeral.
» Seeing the Spiritual Form of the Lord (#08)
In the previous two chapters, Lord Kapila described the constitution of the universe, the nature of the soul, and the entanglement in the illusory material world. He then concluded that devotional service is the supreme process to become free from this conditioning. Now, Lord Kapila will explain the process of devotional service in more detail. The first step in order to become fixed in devotional service is to fix the mind. Once the mind is fixed, we can meditate in the personal form of the Lord. This meditation is the essence of the process of devotional service. Without meditating in the form of the Lord, we become stuck in a quasi-impersonal platform, where we may accept intellectually the idea of devotional service, but we are not really capable of seeing Him as a person.
» Developing Pure Love (#09)
In this part, Lord Kapila describes the practical process of meditation on the form of the Lord. This same process applies to the yogi seeing the Lord inside the heart and to the devotee seeing the Lord in the temple. Understanding how these two processes come together is essential for relating the teachings of Lord Kapila to our spiritual practice. Without this understanding, we tend to think that Kapila describes a process that is not applicable to us, and fail to realize the purpose of His instructions.
» Different categories of devotional service (#10)
In the previous chapters, Lord Kapila already described the creation and structure of the material world and how the soul becomes entrapped in it, as well as the process of devotional service by which the soul can become free. Just as material life starts when the soul's consciousness becomes focused on the material world, liberation comes when our consciousness is transferred back to Krishna. This original, transcendental consciousness of the soul is what Srila Prabhupada defines as Krishna Consciousness. That's what we have to regain somehow or another.
» Developing pure devotional service (#11)
For a Vaishnava, the process is not so much about stopping material activities, but in developing activities in Krishna Consciousness. Once one becomes absorbed in transcendental activities, one automatically stops with all unwanted engagements. As Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-Gita, everyone acquires a certain nature according to the influence of the material modes, and is very difficult to go against it. One can suppress his nature for some time, but it doesn't work very well in the long run. A more productive process is to just use these natural propensities to work in Krishna Consciousness. That's the main message from the Bhagavad-Gita, and we can see that Lord Kapila also recommends it.
» The ultimate goal (#12)
Although Lord Kapila describes the practice of mystic yoga, the ultimate goal is pure devotional service, therefore the process He describes is not different from what we practice apart from a few details. We meditate on the deity instead of meditating in Paramatma inside the heart, but the process of meditation on the form of the Lord is the same. Similarly, we chant the Maha Mantra instead of the Omkara, but the process of reciting and fixing our attention on the transcendental sound vibration is the same. When the processes of Karma, Jñāna, or Yoga are practiced with some other purpose, they are considered separate processes, but when they are practiced with the goal of achieving devotional service, they are considered part of the Bhakti process.
» Life and death of a materialistic person –a description of hell (#13)
The problem with material activities connected with sense gratification is that they are almost always sinful and thus result in quite painful results in the long run. We receive the human form of life as an opportunity to realize our eternal position as servants of Krishna. It is a great blessing, but it also entails great responsibility. The danger starts when we become enamored by the opportunities of material sense gratification offered by our current body and forget about the goal of life. Studying the adverse results of our actions is part of the process of development of knowledge that can free us from this material world.
» The suffering of new birth (#14)
In chapter 31, Lord Kapila gives a quite negative description of the life of a baby in the womb and after birth. Lord Kapila describes, for example, that "Bitten again and again all over the body by the hungry worms in the abdomen itself, the child suffers terrible agony because of his tenderness. He thus becomes unconscious moment after moment because of the terrible condition." And that, "Laid down on a foul bed infested with sweat and germs, the poor child is incapable of scratching his body to get relief from his itching sensation to say nothing of sitting up, standing or even moving." This gives us a quite dark description. After reading it, one may decide to never have a child, since why should we want to put someone in such a situation? However, there are a few points to examine.
» Our eternal nature beyond death (#15)
Although we are eternal servants of Krsna, when we come in contact with the false ego, followed by the mind, intelligence, etc. a new material identity is formed. This identity is different from the real identity of the soul, but because we firmly identify with it, for practical purposes, this material identity becomes "us". In this way, we become entrapped in the material dreamland. Although the eternal nature of the soul is still existing and is never lost, we forget it.
» A summary of Kapila's teachings (#16)
The result of performing material activities is that one becomes more attached to matter. Activities performed in devotional service however have the opposite effect, they make us gradually detached from all material activities. This happens because devotional service results in spiritual realization, real spiritual knowledge that gradually destroys our bond to this material world. The process of becoming attached to the Supreme and detached from matter happens simultaneously. As Prabhupada explains: "A hungry man feels strength and satisfaction from eating, and at the same time he gradually becomes detached from eating anymore. Similarly, with the execution of devotional service, real knowledge develops, and one becomes detached from all material activities. In no other activity but devotional service is there such detachment from matter and attachment for the Supreme."
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