Capila

Kapila ( Skt. कपिल ) is a Vedic sage who is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Puranas and is considered to be the author of the basic principles of the Hindu philosophical system of sankhya , set forth in the classical philosophical text Sankhya-karika, consisting of 70 sutras . ^{[1] The} annexes and comments of the Sankhya-kariki occupy 6 volumes; they have been compiled over many centuries. One of the main comments on Sankhya-karika is Kapila-sankhya-pravana-sutra-vritti, by Aniruddha. ^[2]

In the Mahabharata , Kapila is described as one of the seven sons of Brahma ; the other six sons are Aniruddha, Shana, Sanatsujata, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatana. ^[3] In Vishnu Purana and Srimad-Bhagavatam , however, he is described as an avatar of Vishnu , ^[4] who taught bhakti yoga .

His descendants still live in North India , especially in the Punjab area. They bear the name Kapil.

The life story of Kapila is found in Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata-Purana), Canto 3, Chapter 33: Acts of Kapila ^[5] which states that his parents were Kardama Muni and Devahuti. After Kapila's father left the house and accepted the renounced order of life, Kapila gave instructions to Devahuti in the philosophy of Sankhya Yoga and Vishnu - bhakti , as a result of which she achieved moksha and pure love for God. ^[6]

Kapila acts as one of the main figures in the history of the Ganga's descent from the spiritual world to the earth, which is associated with the Hindu festival Makara Sansranti and the Vedic king Sagara of the Ikshvaku dynasty , ^[7] who was from Ayodhya and was the ancestor of Rama . King Sagara performed ashwamedha (“horse sacrifice ”) ninety-nine times. When, in accordance with the rules of sacrifice, Sagara sent a horse around the earth for the umpteenth time, the king of the virgins Indra, full of envy, abducted the horse and hid it in the monastery of Kapila.

Sagara had 60,000 sons who discovered the horse, and mistaking Kapila for the kidnapper, attacked him. With the help of his mystical power, Kapila turned them into ashes in an instant. Anshuman, the grandson of Tsar Sagara, came to Kapila and began to beg him to save their souls. To which Kapila replied that they would be saved only if the Ganges descended from heaven and washed their ashes with their waters. ^[eight]

In the Bhagavad-gita , Krishna states that among perfect living entities, he is Kapila:

Of the trees, I am the banyan tree , and of the sages among the demigods , I am Narada . Of the Gandharvas, I am Chitraratha, and among the perfect living entities, I am the sage Kapila. [9]

The teachings of Kapila are cited in various sacred texts of Hinduism :

I came to this world in order to open people the philosophy of Sankhya , which, according to those who seek to get rid of unnecessary material desires, plays a very important role in the process of spiritual self-awareness. This difficult path of self-realization over time has been forgotten by people. Know that I incarnated as Kapila, to once again expound this philosophy and explain it to people. [ten]

When a person completely gets rid of lust and greed, which are the products of a false identification of oneself with the body ("I") and that which belongs to the body ("mine"), his mind is purified. Having established himself in a pure state of consciousness, he rises above material happiness and grief. [eleven]

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Soul without beginning. The Lord is transcendental to the modes of material nature and is beyond the material world. The whole universe rests on the radiant radiance emanating from Him, and this radiance makes it possible to feel His presence everywhere. [12]

The unfading glories of the Lord are chanted everywhere, for they increase the glories of His devotees. Therefore, the yogi should meditate on the Supreme Lord and His devotees. He should focus his mind on the eternal image of the Lord and meditate on Him until his mind becomes stable. [13]