History of Matrugaya
After Sage Kardam left Bindu Sarovar to become an ascetic, Kapila took charge of the ashram. One day his mother Devahuti recalled that Vishnu’s purpose in incarnating as Kapila was to once again spread the message of Sankhya Yoga, which is a combination of devotional service and mystical realization. This message was to be spread through the discourses that Kapila gave him. So he addressed his son as Lord Almighty and informed him that he was ready and eager to learn from him. He said that he was disturbed by his involvement with his material senses and sought salvation matrugaya.
Kapila then explained the wisdom of Sankhya Yoga. He told Devahuti that the human soul in its manifest state is Purusha, another word for Param Atma or Supreme God. Purusha is eternal and omnipresent. There is nothing in the world that is not embedded in Purusha. Purusha is without any attributes. The manifest energy of Purusha is known as Prakriti. As part of his ‘Leela’, the Purusha makes Prakriti influence it matrugaya.
Under the influence of Prakriti, Purusha begins to take on characteristics and this form is known as Jiva Atma. The mind perceives Jiva Atma as different from Param Atma and gets delusional. The feeling of “I” and “me” enters the mind. The mind also starts to get involved with feelings of love and hate, anger and desire, and various human relationships. As a result, the person feels happy and sad matrugaya.
Devahuti then asked Kapila how humans could overcome this illusion. Kapila explained that the mind should not be attached to material and emotional things to which it has become attached. However, it is very difficult if not impossible for the human mind to exist in a state of non-attachment because sooner or later Prakriti will exert its influence. The solution is to attach the mind to the Supreme God so that it cannot become attached to anything else.
Just as a glass that is already full of water cannot be filled with anything else.
Devahuti again questioned Kapila. The mind depends on many things. How can one suddenly clear these attachments and connect to God. Kapila replied that there are many ways but none like the magic wand. The easiest and fastest way is through devotion or ‘bhakti’. The way to inculcate devotion is through the company of holy men matrugaya.
Listening to them narrate the stories of God’s incarnation and singing hymns with them helps to keep the mind away from undesirable things. A devotee should live in a secluded and peaceful place and eat the minimum that is necessary for survival. He should observe celibacy and look at all people without enmity and intimacy. Little by little, the mind will be freed from all material and emotional attachments and will only focus on God.
At that time the veil of disillusionment will be removed and the mind will realize that the Jive Atma and the Param Atma are one. At that time the devotee is freed from all desires, including the desire for eternal salvation. But because he is attached to the Supreme God, the devotee is freed from the cycle of birth and death without wanting to matrugaya.
After imparting this knowledge to Devahuti and other residents of the ashram, Kapila left Bindu Sarwar like his father. Wherever he went, sages and scholars begged him to convey his wisdom. Finally, he settled on an island in the sea, which is now at the mouth of the river Ganga, and gave speeches to all. In fact it was Kapila who was indirectly responsible for bringing Ganga to earth matrugaya.
In the Hindu month of Magh, thousands of devotees come to that island to pay homage to the great sage Kapila. Devahuti began to follow the exact instructions given by him and in due course, he was able to remove all the defects from his mind. Realizing the Supreme God within him, he left his body, which became the holy river Gyanavapi, in which even gods and sages bathed to purify themselves. This place became a major pilgrimage center known as Saidpur.
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