Teachings of Lord Kapila

TEACHINGS OF

lORD l(t;PilA WHEREAS philosophy in the West germinates, most often, in the soil of intellectual curiosity and is highly theoretical, being concerned with "knowledge for its own sake," philosophy in the ancient Vedic tradition of India is very pointedly directed toward the avowedly practical goal of human liberation. The conviction that human life is specifically meant for discovering and ap­ plying the proper means for the liberation of the self from matter is .the sine qua non of India's traditional spiritual thought and culture. This book is based on a unique series of lectures on the teachings of K.apila Muni (K.apiladeva), presented in Bombay, India, in the spring of 197 4, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Kapila Muni, a renowned sage of antiquity, is the author of the Sankhya philosophical system. Sankhya, which forms an important part of India's ancient philosophi­ cal heritage, is both a system of metaphysics and a system of spiritual knowledge culminating in libera­ tion. K.apila, however, is not an ordinary philosopher or sage. According to Vedic tradition, He is an avatara (incarnation) of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Lord Srl Kn�a. Lord K.apila descended as the son of K.ardama Muni and his wife, Devahiiti, both of whom were great yogis and saints. After K.ardama Muni renounced the world and went to the forest to attain spiritual perfec­ tion, Devahiiti, aware of the divinity of her son, ap­ proached K.apila and implored Him to endow her with spiritual enlightenment. Pleased by His mother's sin­ cere desire for transcendental knowledge, Kapila spoke Sankhya philosophy, the philosophy which leads one to discriminate between matter and spirit and which culminates in the ultimate liberation called bhakti, divine love. In this book, the author gives a brilliant exposition on the basic teachings of K.apila and thus illuminates a major element in traditional Indian spirituality. Topics discussed include the significance of the guru, the psy­ chology of consciousness, the characteristics of a self­ realized person, the science of meditation, the nature of transcendental knowledge, and the process of ulti­ mate liberation. Through his voluminous writings, which con­ stitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture, Srlla Prabhupada has dis­ tinguished himself as the greatest contemporary teacher of Vedic philosophy and religion. This volume represents another valuable contribution by Srlla Prabhupada to our increasing understanding of the profound and universal principles of Vedic wisdom.

TEACHINGS OF

lORD I