Chapter 33: The Renunciation of Devahûti

(1) Maitreya said: 'After the dear wife of Kardama, the mother named Devahûti, thus had listened to the words of Lord Kapila, she, being freed from the veil of ignorance and having offered Him her obeisances, recited prayers to the author in the matter of the fundamental [Sânkhya-yoga] truths that constitute the foundation of liberation. (2) Devahûti said: 'One says that the Unborn One [Brahmâ] who was born from the lotus flower [sprouting] from Your abdomen, meditated upon Your body lying in the water that is the source of the stream of the modes of nature and the seed pervading all that is manifest of the material elements, the senses, the sense-objects and the mind. (3) As that single person of the universe who through the interaction of the modes divided the creation and all of that, You stand firm on the basis of Your heroism. You thereto with distinguishing Yourself as the infallible non-doer make the difference as the Lord of all living beings whose thousands of energies are inconceivable. (4) How can it be that You as that same person took birth from my abdomen oh my Lord, You whose powers are inconceivable and in whose belly this universe has its place, oh You who as a baby licking Your toe all alone lay Yourself down on the leaf of a banyan tree at the end of the millennium? (5) You have assumed this body to counter sinful activities oh my Lord and provide instructions for devotional service. Just as with Your incarnations as the boar incarnation and others, You are there also as this one in order to reveal the path of self-realization. (6) With You even someone of the lowest birth is at any moment with hearing the chanting of Your name, offering obeisances to You or even by simply remembering You, immediately enabled to perform the Vedic rituals, and how would it be if they would see You face to face oh Fortunate One! (7) Oh how blessed and hence worshipable is he who has Your holy name on his tongue, even when he's but cooking for himself alone. For Your sake the ones of spiritual education [the Aryans] who studied the Vedas and have accepted Your holy name, perform austerities, execute fire sacrifices and take a bath in the sacred rivers. (8) I offer You my obeisances, You the Highest Spirit, the Supreme Personality, Lord Vishnu carrying the name of Kapila, He who is the source of the Vedas, to whom I turned inwards to listen, whom I perceived in my mind, meditated upon and by whose potency the influence of the modes vanished.'

(9) Maitreya said: 'The Supreme Lord carrying the name of Kapila thus being praised full of love for His mother replied with words of gravity. (10) Lord Kapila said: 'By following this easy to execute path I instructed to you My dear mother, you very soon will attain the supreme goal. (11) You may rest assured that with this instruction of Mine that is followed by the transcendentalists, you shall reach Me free from fear, while [the cycle of birth and] death is what is attained by the ones not conversant with this.'

(12) Maitreya said: 'After this instruction the venerable Supreme Lord of the path of self-realization, Kapila, the teacher of the Absolute Truth took permission from His mother and left. (13) The way her son had told her in His instruction on yoga, she in that abode [Kardama's palace], that with its wealth of flowers was the jewel of the Sarasvatî river, fixed her attention to be connected in the science of uniting consciousness. (14) As she bathed regularly, her curly matted hair turned gray and her body, clad in old garments, got thin because of the severe austerities. (15) By the austerity of his yoga Kardama Muni, the progenitor of mankind, had developed his unequaled home with all its paraphernalia, which was even envied by the denizens of heaven. (16) The ivory beds white as the foam of milk had gold filigree covers and the chairs and benches were made of gold and had cushions soft to the touch. (17) The walls were of pure marble inlaid with valuable emeralds and lamps shone with the same jewels the women decorated themselves with. (18) The garden of the house was beautiful with its flowers and fruits, many trees with pairs of singing birds and the humming of intoxicated bees. (19) When she entered the pond fragrant with lotuses, the heavenly associates sang to her about the great care of Kardama.

(20) [But] leaving that most desirable garden that was even envied by the wives of Indra, she had a sorry look on her face because she was afflicted by her being separated from her son. (21) With her husband having left for the forest and her son separated from her she, despite of the truth she knew, became as sad as a caring cow that lost her calf. (22) Meditating upon Him, her divine son Lord Kapiladeva, she very soon oh dear Vidura, became detached from her fine home. (23) Meditating upon the form of the Supreme Lord the way He instructed it, she kept as her object of meditation the complete and the parts of the smiling face of her son in mind. (24-25) By performing her duties the proper way on the basis of the knowledge of the Absolute Truth, she was continuously engaged in devotional service and very strong in renunciation. Spiritually purified in meditation upon the Great Soul whose face is seen everywhere, she then saw how in her self-realization the symptoms of the modes of nature disappeared. (26) With her mind situated in Brahman and engaged in serving the Supreme Lord who resides in all living beings, the material pangs of the unfortunate condition of her soul disappeared and she attained transcendental bliss. (27) Situated in the eternal state of absorption she, being freed from the modes, no longer was reminded of her material body, just as someone who awakened forgets what he saw in a dream. (28) Her body was maintained by others [by her heavenly maidens] but because she suffered no fears she didn't lose weight; with the impurities [of her luxury] she shone just like a fire covered by smoke. (29) With her body engaged in the austerity of yoga she under divine protection being absorbed in thoughts about Vâsudeva, lost the awareness of her hair hanging loose or her clothes being in disarray. (30) She thus following the path as instructed by Kapila, soon without fail in the spirit of the Absolute Truth of the Supreme Soul achieved the cessation of her material existence and the [abode of the] Supreme Lord.

(31) That most sacred place where she attained perfection oh brave one, was known in the three worlds under the name of Siddhapada [the refuge of perfection]. (32) The material elements of her mortal body that was relinquished by the practice of yoga became a river that is the foremost of all rivers oh gentle one, sought by all who desire perfection for conferring that fulfillment. (33) When Lord Kapila, the great yogi and Supreme Lord, after taking leave of His mother left the hermitage of His father, He headed in the northeastern direction. (34) He was extolled by the Siddhas, the Cânaras, the Gandharvas, munis and Apsaras, and the ocean offered Him oblations and a place to stay *. (35) There being worshiped by the teachers of example who practice the Sânkhya yoga system, He remains permanently in samâdhi to ensure the deliverance of [all the souls in] the three worlds. (36) Dear sinless one, this what I upon your request told you about Kapila and His conversation with Devahûti, purifies [the one who hears about it]. (37) Whoever listens to or expounds on these confidential teachings of Kapila Muni about the union of the soul and thus has set his mind to the Fortunate One who carries the banner of Garuda, will attain the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.'

 Thus the third Canto of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam ends named: The Status Quo.