Kapila | |
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Watercolour painting on paper of Kapila, a sage | |
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| Religion | Hinduism |
| Parents | Devahuti (mother), Maharishi Kardama (father) |
| Philosophy | Samkhya |
| Religious career | |
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Kapila (Sanskrit: कपिल), a Rishi (sage), was the 10th child of sage Kardama and Devahuti. As per Vedas, Kardama was provided a boon by Lord Narayana that he would himself be born as his son, attaining which Kardama had decided to leave for the forest for penance and research on Vedic studies. Kardama had nine daughters who were very learned and went ahead to marry great sages. Kapila was then born into great knowledge and wisdom. When he came of age, he was most well known as the founder of the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.[1][2] Kapila of Samkhya fame is considered a Vedic sage,[2][3] estimated to have lived in the 6th-century BCE,[4] or the 7th-century BCE.[5] His influence on Buddha and Buddhism have long been the subject of scholarly studies.[6][7] He is one of the most revered scholars from ancient India.
And Kapila Maharishi built powerful Devi Idol in mudukuthore near by Mysore district Karnataka, India. Shree Bramaramba devi(parvathi) one of the great God in Hindhuism.
Many historic personalities in Hinduism and Jainism, mythical figures, pilgrimage sites in Indian religion, as well as an ancient variety of cow go by the name Kapila.[5][8][9]
The name Kapila appears in many texts, and it is likely that these names refer to different people.[10][11] The most famous reference is to the sage Kapila with his student Āsuri, who in the Indian tradition, are considered as the first masters of Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy. While he pre-dates Buddha, it is unclear which century he lived in, with some suggesting 6th-century BCE.[4] Others place him in the 7th century BCE.[10][12] This places him in the late Vedic period (1500 BCE to 500 BCE), and he has been called a Vedic sage.[2][3]
Kapila is credited with authoring an influential sutra, called Samkhya-sutra (also called Kapila-sutra), which aphoristically presents the dualistic philosophy of Samkhya.[13][14] These sutras were explained in another well studied text of Hinduism called the Samkhyakarika.[10] Beyond the Samkhya theories, he appears in many dialogues of Hindu texts, such as in explaining and defending the principle of Ahimsa (non-violence) in the Mahabharata.[1]
Kapila was the tenth child of sage Kardama and Devahūti. Kardama was provided a boon by Lord Narayana that he would himself be born as his son. After attaining that Kardama wished to leave for the forest for penance and research and Vedic study. Kardama had nine daughters who were very learned and went ahead to marry great sages in ancient Indian history. E.g. Kala married Marichi. Anusuya married Atri. Arundhati married Vashishtha. Havirbhoo married Pulastya. Shanti(or chitti) married Atharvan.
Kapila was then born into great knowledge and wisdom. When he came of age, he was responsible for the great Sankhya philosophy. Kapila#Kapila Devahuti Samvada (discussion between Kapila and Devahuti) is a very important conversation based on this philosophy which helps in freeing the mind of worldly tension and anxiety. This also finds mention in Shrimad Bhagavatam.
The Rigveda X.27.16 mentions Kapila (daśānām ekam kapilam) which the 14th-century Vedic commentator Sayana thought refers to a sage; a view which Chakravarti in 1951 and Larson in 1987 consider unreliable, with Chakravarti suggesting that the word refers to one of the Maruts,[15] while Larson and Bhattacharya state kapilam in that verse means "tawny" or "reddish-brown";[16] as was also translated by Griffith.[note 1]
The Śata-piṭaka Series on the Śākhās of the Yajurveda – estimated to have been composed between 1200 and 1000 BCE[19] – mention of a Kapila Śākhā situated in the Āryāvarta, which implies a Yajurveda school was named after Kapila.[16] The term Kapileya, meaning "clans of Kapila", occurs in the Aitareya Brahmana VII.17 but provides no information on the original Kapila.[note 2] The pariśiṣṭa (addenda) of the Atharvaveda (at XI.III.3.4)[note 3] mentions Kapila, Āsuri and Pañcaśikha in connection with a libation ritual for whom tarpana is to be offered.[16] In verse 5.2 of Shvetashvatara Upanishad, states Larson, both the terms Samkhya and Kapila appear, with Kapila meaning colour as well as a "seer" (Rishi) with the phrase "ṛṣiṃ prasūtaṃ kapilam ... tam agre.."; which when compared to other verses of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad Kapila likely construes to Rudra and Hiranyagarbha.[16] However, Max Muller is of view that Hiranyagarbha, namely Kapila in this context, varies with the tenor of the Upanishad, was distinct and was later used to link Kapila and assign the authorship of Sankya system to Hiranyagarbha in reverence for the philosophical system.[22]
Kapila, states George Williams, lived long before the composition of the Epics and the Puranas, and his name was coopted in various later composed mythologies.[23]
Non-violence
Fearlessness to all living beings from my side,
Svāhā!
—Kapila, Baudhayana Grihya Sutra, 4.16.4[35]
Translators: Jan E. M. Houben, Karel Rijk van Kooij
Kapila's imagery is depicted with a beard, seated in padmāsana with closed eyes indicating dhyāna, with a jaṭā-maṇḍala around the head, showing high shoulders indicating he was greatly adept in controlling breath, draped in deer skin, wearing the yagñopavīta, with a kamaṇḍalu near him, with one hand placed in front of the crossed legs, and feet marked with lines resembling outline of a lotus. This Kapila is identified with Kapila the founder of Sāṅkhya system;[40] while the Vaikhānasasāgama gives somewhat varying description. The Vaikhānasasāgama places Kapila as an āvaraņadēvāta and allocates the south-east corner of the first āvaraņa.[40] As the embodiment of the Vedas his image is seated facing east with eight arms; of which four on the right should be in abhaya mudra, the other three should carry the Chakra, Khaḍga, Hala; one left hand is to rest on the hip in the kațyavarlambita pose and other three should carry the Ṡaṅkha, Pāśa and Daṇḍa.[40]
Kapila-Devahuti Samvada is the basis of Sankya Philosophy for which Kapila is well known. Kapila-Devahuti Samvada which roughly translates to - The Discussions between Kapila and Devahuti, touches topics on how to control oneself effectively and truly become the master of oneself. This philosophy is still used by many psychiatarists and professional motivators to help those in need.
Kapila Devahuti Samvada is a text where Devahuti approaches Kapil with a dilemma. She mentions that she is fed up of satisfying her 5 senses. Eyes always want to see beautiful things, the tongue always wants to taste delicious things, the skin always wants to feel comfortable, the nose always wants to smell fragrance and the ears always want to hear melody. All her life she has been giving in to these senses but they are never satisfied. She felt like a passenger on a carriage being pulled by five horses in different directions. If a human keeps giving into these, the human will meet his doom very soon. It is very easy to give in and extremely difficult to say no. So she asked Kapila, the wise saint and an 'avatar' of Lord Vishnu himself, how to control the senses. So Kapila explains her the Samkhya philosophy to set her mind at ease and give her inner peace. This discussion is in the form of question and answers and sets the tone of the discussion between Kapila and Devahuti. This has been mentioned in detail in the third canto of Shrimad Bhagavata Purana.
Devahuti's Question: I was born as a king's daughter, married to Kardama, a very well known and established saint, enjoyed all wordly pleasures, had great children but still my senses are not satisfied. Why is that ? Kapila's Reply: This has to do with the mind. When we allow our mind to be a slave of our senses, we keep enjoying but are never satisfied. But when we train our mind to want nothing but God, when we stay satisfied and away from worldly desires.
Devahuti's Question: There is no limit to what the senses need. How can I reign them in ? Kapila's Reply: There is a big difference between what we need (to survive) and what we want. The needs are limited, but there is no limit to what we want. The desires if not reigned in run wild. We need to isolate want from need and only them we would know what is it that we really need and what is it that we want. The mind is very colourful by nature and keeps asking for more. The mind does not stay on one place. It is like a bee which travels from one flower to another till it gets trapped in the flower by evening. But the only way to get over the interest in wordly desires is the have move the mind from the world to the lord's feet.
Devahuti's Question: The mind does not naturally let go and focus on the lord's feet. How is it possible to get this done ? Kapila's Reply: One's own mind can be controlled by practise. It may seem difficult at first but with practise it will get easier. Another way is to be in close proximity with someone who is better at it than oneself. The company would enable a person to get better at it faster.
Kapila informs his mother that the five senses are in fact five servants that god has provided us. They are here to do our bidding. When they do our bidding it gives us some or the other pleasure. But it is important to remember that they in fact are our servants and not the other way around. The chariot which she mentioned as being pulled by the five senses is controlled by the charioteer which is our mind. So our job is to control our mind and the chariot will always be in our control. The only way to control the mind is to deprive it of the things it continuously asks for. Going by the previously mentioned example of a chariot (our body) being pulled by 5 horses (our senses) in different directions, we did not realise that it is not us who have to reign in the horses, it is our mind who is the charoteer and we have to reign in the mind. If the mind is in our control we keep all our senses in control.
Earning means to a comfortable life is difficult but what is more difficult is maintaining it. Soon the mind wants more and the more the mind desires, the more we act as its slave and try to attain more means. This is a never ending cycle. Maintenance is a bigger pain and when it is time to give it up (because everything comes with an expiry date) it becomes a nightmare. The only way to escape it is to train the mind which comes with knowledge and practise.
Kapila went on describing the 8 limbs of yoga or Ashtanga Yoga which can be used to train our minds : 1. Yamas : Knowing the Don'ts. 2. Niyamas : It means virtuous habits and observances. 3. Āsana : It is a posture that one can hold for a period of time 4. Prānāyāma : It is the control of the breath. 5. Pratyāhāra : It is drawing within one's awareness. 6. Dhāraṇā : Concentrating or focusing or one-pointedness of mind. 7. Dhyāna : Performing abstract meditation. 8. Samādhi : Achieving a harmonious state of trance while meditating.
There is a detailed discussion which helps his mother gain divine peace.
Kapila is mentioned in chapter VIII of the Uttaradhyayana-sutra, states Larson and Bhattacharya, where a discourse of poetical verses is titled as Kaviliyam, or "Kapila's verses".[16]
The name Kapila appears in Jaina texts. For example, in the 12th century Hemacandra's epic poem on Jain elders, Kapila appears as a Brahmin who converted to Jainism during the Nanda Empire era.[9]
According to Jnatadharmakatha, Kapila was a contemporary of Krishna and the Vasudeva of Dhatakikhanda. The text further mentions that both of them blew their shankha (conch shell) together.[48]
Buddhists literature, such as the Jataka tales, state the Buddha was Kapila in one of his previous lives.[49][50][51]
Scholars have long compared and associated the teachings of Kapila and Buddha. For example, Max Muller wrote (abridged),
There are no doubt certain notions which Buddha shares in common, not only with Kapila, but with every Hindu philosopher. (...) It has been said that Buddha and Kapila were both atheists, and that Buddha borrowed his atheism from Kapila. But atheism is an indefinite term, and may mean very different things. In one sense, every Indian philosopher was an atheist, for they all perceived that the gods of the populace could not claim the attributes that belong to a Supreme Being (Absolute, the source of all that exists or seems to exist, Brahman). (...) Kapila, when accused of atheism, is not accused of denying the existence of an Absolute Being. He is accused of denying the existence of an Ishvara.
— Max Muller et al., Studies in Buddhism[6]
Max Muller states the link between the more ancient Kapila's teachings on Buddha can be overstated.[6] This confusion is easy, states Muller, because Kapila's first sutra in his classic Samkhya-sutra, "the complete cessation of pain, which is of three kinds, is the highest aim of man", sounds like the natural inspiration for Buddha.[6] However, adds Muller, the teachings on how to achieve this, by Kapila and by Buddha, are very different.[6]
As Buddhist art often depicts Vedic deities, one can find art of both Narayana and Kapila as kings within a Buddhist temple, along with statues of Buddhist figures such as Amitabha, Maitreya, and Vairocana.[52]
In Chinese Buddhism, the Buddha directed the Yaksha Kapila and fifteen daughters of Devas to become the patrons of China.[53]
The following works were authored by Kapila, some of which are lost, and known because they are mentioned in other works; while few others are unpublished manuscripts available in libraries stated:[citation needed]
Ayurveda books mentioning Kapila's works are:
Kapila's Samkhya is taught in various Hindu texts:
Kapila, the founder of Samkhya, has been a highly revered sage in various schools of Hindu philosophy. Gaudapada (~500 CE), an Advaita Vedanta scholar, in his Bhasya called Kapila as one of the seven great sages along with Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana, Asuri, Vodhu and Pancasikha.[54] Vyasa, the Yoga scholar, in his Yogasutra-bhasya wrote Kapila to be the "primal wise man, or knower".[54] The Buddhist sources mention that the city of Kapilavastu was built in the honor of Kapila. It was in Kapilavastu that the Buddha was born; and, it was here he spent the first twenty-nine years of his life.[55]
