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Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.33.2–8 — Devahūti's prayers to her son, Lord Kapila

devahūtir uvāca athāpy ajo 'ntaḥ-salile śayānaṁ bhūtendriyārthātma-mayaṁ vapus te guṇa-pravāhaṁ sad-aśeṣa-bījaṁ dadhyau svayaṁ yaj-jaṭharābja-jātaḥ
Word for word
devahūtiḥ uvāca Devahūti said; atha api moreover; ajaḥ Lord Brahmā; antaḥ-salile in the water; śayānam lying; bhūta the material elements; indriya the senses; artha the sense objects; ātma the mind; mayam pervaded by; vapuḥ body; te Your; guṇa-pravāham the source of the stream of the three modes of material nature; sat manifest; aśeṣa of all; bījam the seed; dadhyau meditated upon; svayam himself; yat of whom; jaṭhara from the abdomen; abja from the lotus flower; jātaḥ born
Translation

Devahūti said: Brahmā is said to be unborn because he takes birth from the lotus flower which grows from Your abdomen while You lie in the ocean at the bottom of the universe. But even Brahmā simply meditated upon You, whose body is the source of unlimited universes.

sa eva viśvasya bhavān vidhatte guṇa-pravāheṇa vibhakta-vīryaḥ sargādy anīho 'vitathābhisandhir ātmeśvaro 'tarkya-sahasra-śaktiḥ
Word for word
saḥ that very person; eva certainly; viśvasya of the universe; bhavān You; vidhatte carry on; guṇa-pravāheṇa by the interaction of the modes; vibhakta divided; vīryaḥ Your energies; sarga-ādi the creation and so on; anīhaḥ the nondoer; avitatha not futile; abhisandhiḥ Your determination; ātma-īśvaraḥ the Lord of all living entities; atarkya inconceivable; sahasra thousands; śaktiḥ possessing energies
Translation

My dear Lord, although personally You have nothing to do, You have distributed Your energies in the interactions of the material modes of nature, and for that reason the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic manifestation take place. My dear Lord, You are self-determined and are the Supreme Personality of Godhead for all living entities. For them You created this material manifestation, and although You are one, Your diverse energies can act multifariously. This is inconceivable to us.

sa tvaṁ bhṛto me jaṭhareṇa nātha kathaṁ nu yasyodara etad āsīt viśvaṁ yugānte vaṭa-patra ekaḥ śete sma māyā-śiśur aṅghri-pānaḥ
Word for word
saḥ that very person; tvam You; bhṛtaḥ took birth; me jaṭhareṇa by my abdomen; nātha O my Lord; katham how; nu then; yasya of whom; udare in the belly; etat this; āsīt did rest; viśvam universe; yuga-ante at the end of the millennium; vaṭa-patre on the leaf of a banyan tree; ekaḥ alone; śete sma You lay down; māyā possessing inconceivable powers; śiśuḥ a baby; aṅghri Your toe; pānaḥ licking
Translation

As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You have taken birth from my abdomen. O my Lord, how is that possible for the supreme one, who has in His belly all the cosmic manifestation? The answer is that it is possible, for at the end of the millennium You lie down on a leaf of a banyan tree, and just like a small baby, You lick the toe of Your lotus foot.

tvaṁ deha-tantraḥ praśamāya pāpmanāṁ nideśa-bhājāṁ ca vibho vibhūtaye yathāvatārās tava sūkarādayas tathāyam apy ātma-pathopalabdhaye
Word for word
tvam You; deha this body; tantraḥ have assumed; praśamāya for the diminution; pāpmanām of sinful activities; nideśa-bhājām of instructions in devotion; ca and; vibho O my Lord; vibhūtaye for the expansion; yathā as; avatārāḥ incarnations; tava Your; sūkara-ādayaḥ the boar and other forms; tathā so; ayam this incarnation of Kapila; api surely; ātma-patha the path of self-realization; upalabdhaye in order to reveal
Translation

My dear Lord, You have assumed this body in order to diminish the sinful activities of the fallen and to enrich their knowledge in devotion and liberation. Since these sinful people are dependent on Your direction, by Your own will You assume incarnations as a boar and as other forms. Similarly, You have appeared in order to distribute transcendental knowledge to Your dependents.

yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit śvādo 'pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt
Word for word
yat of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); nāmadheya the name; śravaṇa hearing; anukīrtanāt by chanting; yat to whom; prahvaṇāt by offering obeisances; yat whom; smaraṇāt by remembering; api even; kvacit at any time; śva-adaḥ a dog-eater; api even; sadyaḥ immediately; savanāya for performing Vedic sacrifices; kalpate becomes eligible; kutaḥ what to speak of; punaḥ again; te You; bhagavan O Supreme Personality of Godhead; nu then; darśanāt by seeing face to face
Translation

To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters immediately becomes eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him.

aho bata śva-paco 'to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te
Word for word
aho bata oh, how glorious; śva-pacaḥ a dog-eater; ataḥ hence; garīyān worshipable; yat of whom; jihvā-agre on the tip of the tongue; vartate is; nāma the holy name; tubhyam unto You; tepuḥ tapaḥ practiced austerities; te they; juhuvuḥ executed fire sacrifices; sasnuḥ took bath in the sacred rivers; āryāḥ Āryans; brahma anūcuḥ studied the Vedas; nāma the holy name; gṛṇanti accept; ye they who; te Your
Translation

Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Āryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required.

taṁ tvām ahaṁ brahma paraṁ pumāṁsaṁ pratyak-srotasy ātmani saṁvibhāvyam sva-tejasā dhvasta-guṇa-pravāhaṁ vande viṣṇuṁ kapilaṁ veda-garbham
Word for word
tam unto Him; tvām You; aham I; brahma Brahman; param supreme; pumāṁsam the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pratyak-srotasi turned inwards; ātmani in the mind; saṁvibhāvyam meditated upon, perceived; sva-tejasā by Your own potency; dhvasta vanished; guṇa-pravāham the influence of the modes of material nature; vande I offer obeisances; viṣṇum unto Lord Viṣṇu; kapilam named Kapila; veda-garbham the repository of the Vedas
Translation

I believe, my Lord, that You are Lord Viṣṇu Himself under the name of Kapila, and You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Brahman! The saints and sages, being freed from all the disturbances of the senses and mind, meditate upon You, for by Your mercy only can one become free from the clutches of the three modes of material nature. At the time of dissolution, all the Vedas are sustained in You only.

About Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila

Devahūti offers these seven verses to her own son after hearing His teaching on sāṅkhya and devotion. She marvels that the Lord who keeps the whole universe within His abdomen, and lies as a baby on a banyan leaf at the end of the millennium, could be carried in hers. Verse 7, aho bata śva-paco 'to garīyān, is quoted widely in Gauḍīya writing: even one born among dog-eaters is worshipable if the Lord's holy name is on his tongue.

Verses
7

Frequently asked

Who wrote Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila?

Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila was composed by Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa. It appears in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Prayers.

What is the meaning of Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila?

Devahūti said: Brahmā is said to be unborn because he takes birth from the lotus flower which grows from Your abdomen while You lie in the ocean at the bottom of the universe. But even Brahmā simply meditated upon You, whose body is the source of unlimited universes.

How many verses does Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila have?

Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila has 7 verses.

Can I download Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila as a PPT or PDF?

Yes. A ready-to-display slide deck for Devahūti's Prayers to Lord Kapila — verse and translation on each slide — is available to download in both PowerPoint (.pptx) and PDF formats from this page, for use in kirtan or temple programs.