Kapila

This article is about the Hindu sage Kapila. For other uses, see Kapila (disambiguation).

See also: Kapil Ashram

Kapila
Watercolour painting on paper of Kapila, a sage
Personal
Religion	Hinduism
Spouse	Dhriti <ref>"Brahma Vaivarta Purana - English Translation - All Four Kandas". January 2003.</ref>
Parents	Devahuti (mother), Kardama (father)
Philosophy	Samkhya
Religious career
Influenced Buddha, Vyasa, Samkhya and Yoga philosophers

Kapila () (7th<ref name="Lochtefeld2002p350">James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 350. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.</ref>-6th-century BCE<ref name=encyclobritannicakapila/>), also referred to as Cakradhanus,<ref name="www.wisdomlib.org">www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Kapila". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 8 August 2022.</ref> is a Vedic sage in Hindu tradition,<ref name= britannicakapila/><ref name=kapilavedic2/> regarded the founder of the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.<ref name="Dhand2009p41">Arti Dhand (2009). Woman as Fire, Woman as Sage. State University of New York Press. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-0-7914-7988-9. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref><ref name= britannicakapila>Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (1998). The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. p. 731. ISBN 978-0-85229-633-2. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2016., Quote:"Kapila (fl. 550 BC), Vedic sage and founder of the system of Samkhya, one of the six schools of Vedic philosophy."</ref>

His influence on Buddha and Buddhism has long been the subject of scholarly studies. There have been accusations by orthodox Buddhists that Sarvastivadins are heavily influenced by Samkhya school of philosophy.<ref name="maxmuller9" /><ref>W. Woodhill Rockhill (2000 Reprint), The Life of the Buddha and the Early History of His Order, Routledge, ISBN 978-1-136-37937-6, pages 11–19</ref>

According to the Brahmanda Purana, Kapila is described as an incarnation of Vishnu: "Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa will protect us all. The Lord of the universe has now been born in the world as Kapilācārya."<ref name="www.wisdomlib.org"/>

Many historic personalities in Hinduism and Jainism, mythical figures, pilgrimage sites in Indian religion, as well as an ancient variety of cow, are named after Kapila, or share his name.<ref name="Lochtefeld2002p350" /><ref>Knut A. Jacobsen (2013). Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition: Salvific Space. Routledge. pp. 114–115. ISBN 978-0-415-59038-9. Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref><ref name="fynes144">Hemacandra (1998). The Lives of the Jain Elders. Translated by Fynes, R. C. C. Oxford University Press. pp. 144–146, Canto Seven, verses 1–19. ISBN 978-0-19-283227-6. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref>

Statue of Kapila Maharshi, Nashik

Memorial Statue of the sage Kapila at the entrance gate of the Uchchaith Bhagawati Mandir complex near Benipatti town in the Mithila region of Bihar

Biography

The name Kapila appears in many texts, and it is likely that these names refer to different people.<ref name=rajusdit304/><ref>Burley, M. (2009). "Kapila: Founder of Samkhya and Avatara of Visnu (with a Translation of Kapilasurisamvada). By Knut A. Jacobsen". The Journal of Hindu Studies. 2 (2). Oxford University Press: 244–246. doi:10.1093/jhs/hip013.</ref> 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.<ref name=encyclobritannicakapila>Kapila Archived 16 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Encyclopædia Britannica (2014)</ref> Others place him in the 7th century BCE.<ref name=rajusdit304>PT Raju (1985), Structural Depths of Indian Thought, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0-88706-139-4, page 304</ref><ref>A. L. Herman (1983). An Introduction to Buddhist Thought: A Philosophic History of Indian Buddhism. University Press of America. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-8191-3595-7. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref> This places him in the late Vedic period (1500 BCE to 500 BCE), and he has been called a Vedic sage.<ref name= britannicakapila/><ref name=kapilavedic2>Guida Myrl Jackson-Laufer (1994). Traditional Epics: A Literary Companion. Oxford University Press. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-19-510276-5. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016., Quote: "Kapila was a Vedic sage (ca. 550 B.C.) and founder of the Samkhya school of Vedic philosophy.";<br>John Haldane; Krishna Dronamraju (2009). What I Require From Life. Oxford University Press. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-19-923770-8. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref>

Kapila is credited with authoring an influential sutra, called Samkhya-sutra (also called Kapila-sutra), which aphoristically presents the dualistic philosophy of Samkhya.<ref name=ballantyne156>Kapila (James Robert Ballantyne, Translator, 1865), The Sāmkhya aphorisms of Kapila at Google Books, pages 156–157</ref><ref>Max Muller et al. (1999 Reprint), Studies in Buddhism, Asian Educational Services, ISBN 81-206-1226-4, page 10 with footnote</ref> These sutras were explained in another well studied text of Hinduism called the Samkhyakarika.<ref name=rajusdit304/> Beyond his Samkhya philosophy, he appears in many dialogues of Hindu texts, such as in explaining and defending the principle of ahimsa (non-violence) in the Mahabharata.<ref name="Dhand2009p41"/>

Hinduism

Kapila is the tenth child of the sage Kardama and Devahūti. Kardama is provided a boon by Narayana that he would himself be born as his son. After attaining this, 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 mentioned in ancient Indian history^ .

Vedic texts

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,<ref name="chakravarthi">Chakravarti, Pulinbihari (1951). Origin and Development of the Sāṃkhya System of Thought (PDF). Oriental Books Reprint Corporation: exclusively distributed by Munshinam Manoharlal Publishers. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)</ref> while Larson and Bhattacharya state kapilam in that verse means "tawny" or "reddish-brown";<ref name="larson">Larson, Gerald James; Potter, Karl H.; Bhattacharya, Ram Shankar (1987). The Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies: Sāṃkhya, Volume 4 of The Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Princeton University Press, (Reprint: Motilal Banarsidass). p. 109. ISBN 978-0-691-60441-1.</ref> as is also translated by Griffith.

The Śata-piṭaka Series on the Śākhās of the Yajurveda – estimated to have been composed between 1200 and 1000 BCE<ref name="mwitzel68">Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism (Editor: Gavin Flood), Blackwell, ISBN 0-631-21535-2, pages 68–70</ref> – mention of a Kapila Śākhā situated in the Āryāvarta, which implies a Yajurveda school is named after Kapila.<ref name="larson" /> The term Kapileya, meaning "clans of Kapila", occurs in the Aitareya Brahmana VII.17 but provides no information on the original Kapila. The pariśiṣṭa (addenda) of the Atharvaveda (at XI.III.3.4) mentions Kapila, Āsuri and Pañcaśikha in connection with a libation ritual for whom tarpana is to be offered.<ref name="larson" /> 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&nbsp;... tam agre.."; which when compared to other verses of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad Kapila likely construes to Rudra and Hiranyagarbha.<ref name="larson" /> However, Max Muller is of view that Hiranyagarbha, namely Kapila in this context, varies with the tenor of the Upanishad, is distinct and is later used to link Kapila and assign the authorship of Samkya system to Hiranyagarbha in reverence for the philosophical system.<ref name="muller">Müller, F.Max (2012). The Upanishads, Part 2. Courier Corporation. p. xxxviii-xli. ISBN 978-0-486-15711-5.</ref>

Puranas

Kapila, states George Williams, lived long before the composition of the Epics and the Puranas, and his name is coopted in various later composed mythologies.<ref>George M. Williams (2008). Handbook of Hindu Mythology. Oxford University Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-19-533261-2.</ref>

• As an ascetic and as sleeping Vishnu: In the Brahma Purana, when the evil king Vena abandoned the Vedas, declared that he is the only creator of dharma, and broke all limits of righteousness. It is also believed that Kapila is the 5th incarnation of lord vishnu who was born in a village Mahangupur near the banks of river Saryu in Gonda district of Uttarpradesh<ref>Söhnen-Thieme, Renate; Söhnen, Renate; Schreiner, Peter (1989). Brahmapurāṇa, Volume 2 of Purāṇa research publications, Tübingen. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 9–10. ISBN 3-447-02960-9. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2016.</ref> and is killed, Kapila advises hermits to churn Vena's thigh from which emerged Nishadas, and his right hand from which Prthu originated who made earth productive again. Kapila and hermits then went to Kapilasangama, a holy place where rivers meet.<ref name="sohnen234">Söhnen-Thieme, Renate; Söhnen, Renate; Schreiner, Peter (1989). Brahmapurāṇa, Volume 2 of Purāṇa research publications, Tübingen. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 234–235. ISBN 3-447-02960-9. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2016.</ref> The Brahma Purana also mentions Kapila in the context of Sagara's 60,000 sons who looking for their Ashvamedha horse, disturbed Vishnu who is sleeping in the shape of Kapila. He woke up, the brilliance in his eyes burnt all but four of Sagara's sons to ashes, leaving few survivors carrying on the family lineage.<ref>Söhnen-Thieme, Renate; Söhnen, Renate; Schreiner, Peter (1989). Brahmapurāṇa, Volume 2 of Purāṇa research publications, Tübingen. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 22, 141–142. ISBN 3-447-02960-9. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2016.</ref> Sagara's son is King Dilipa and his grandson is Bhagiratha. On the advice of his guru Trithala, Bhagiratha did penance for a thousand years (according to god timeline) to please Ganga, to gain the release his 60,000 great-uncles from the curse of saint Kapila.
• As Vishnu's incarnation: The Narada Purana enumerates two Kapilas, one as the incarnation of Brahma and another as the incarnation of Vishnu. The Puranas Bhagavata, Brahmanda, Vishnu, Padma, Skanda, Narada Purana; and the Valmiki Ramayana mentions Kapila is an incarnation of Vishnu. The Padma Purana and Skanda Purana conclusively call him Vishnu himself who descended on earth to disseminate true knowledge. Bhagavata Purana calls him Vedagarbha Vishnu. The Vishnusahasranama mentions Kapila as a name of Vishnu. In his commentary on the Samkhyasutra, Vijnanabhikshu mentions Kapila, the founder of Samkhya system, is Vishnu. Jacobsen suggests Kapila of the Veda, Śramaṇa tradition and the Mahabharata is the same person as Kapila the founder of Samkhya; and this individual is considered as an incarnation of Vishnu in the Hindu texts.<ref name="jacobsen">Jacobsen, Knut A. (2008). Kapila, Founder of Sāṃkhya and Avatāra of Viṣṇu: With a Translation of Kapilāsurisaṃvāda. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal. pp. 9–25. ISBN 978-81-215-1194-0.</ref>
• As son of Kardama muni: The Book 3 of the Bhagavata Purana,<ref name="Sheridan" /><ref>Sen, Gunada Charan (1986). Srimadbhagavatam: A Concise Narrative. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. pp. 26–28. ISBN 81-215-0036-2.</ref> states Kapila is the son of Kardama Prajapati and his wife Devahuti. Kardama is born from Chaya, the reflection of Brahma. Brahma asks Kardama to procreate upon which Kardama goes to the banks of Sarasvati river, practices penance, visualizes Vishnu and is told by Vishnu that Manu, the son of Brahma will arrive there with his wife Shatarupa in search of a groom for their daughter Devahuti. Vishnu advises Kardama to marry Devahuti, and blesses Kardama that he himself will be born as his son. Besides Kapila as their only son, Kardama and Devahuti had nine daughters, namely Kala, Anusuya, Sraddha, Havirbhu, Gati, Kriya, Khyati, Arundhati and Shanti who were married to Marici, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrigu, Vashistha, and Atharvan respectively. H.H.Wilson notes the Bhagavatha adds a third daughter Devahuti to introduce the long legend of Kardama, and of their son Kapila, an account not found elsewhere.<ref>Wilson, H.H (1961). The Vishnu Purana. Рипол Классик. p. 108. ISBN 5-87618-744-5.</ref> Kapila is described, states Daniel Sheridan, by the redactor of the Purana, as an incarnation of the supreme being Vishnu, in order to reinforce the Purana teaching by linking it to the traditional respect to Kapila's Samkhya in Hinduism.<ref name="Sheridan" /> In the Bhagavata Purana, Kapila presents to his mother Devahuti, the philosophy of yoga and theistic dualism.<ref name="Sheridan" /> Kapila's Samkhya is also described through Krishna to Uddhava in Book 11 of the Bhagavata Purana, a passage also known as the "Uddhava Gita".<ref name="Sheridan">Sheridan, Daniel (1986). The Advaitic Theism of the Bhagavata Purana. Columbia, Mo: South Asia Books. pp. 42–43. ISBN 81-208-0179-2. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref>
• As son of Kashyapa: The Matsya Purana mentions Kapila as the son of Kashyapa from his wife Danu, daughter of Daksha Prajapati. Kapila is one among Danu's 100 sons, and her other sons (Kapila's brothers) mentioned in the Vishnu Purana include Dvimurddha, Shankara, Ayomukha, Shankhushiras, Samvara, Ekachakra, Taraka, Vrishaparvan, Svarbhanu, Puloman, Viprachitti and other Danavas.<ref>Dalal, Roshen (2014). Hinduism--An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin, UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.</ref>
• As son of Vitatha or Bharadwaja: In the Brahma Purana<ref name="vp112">"The Vishnu Purana: Book IV: Chapter XIX". Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.</ref> and in the Harivamsa<ref name="alan">Daniélou, Alan (1991). The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 183. ISBN 0-89281-354-7.</ref> Kapila is the son of Vitatha. Daniélou translates Vitatha to inaccuracy;<ref name="alan" /> and Wilson notes Bharadwaja is also named Vitatha (unprofitable);<ref name="vp112" /> while he is given in adoption to Bharata. Vishnu Purana notes Bhavanmanyu is the son of Vitatha but Brahma Purana and Harivamsa omit this and make Suhotra, Anuhotra, Gaya, Garga, and Kapila the sons of Vitatha.<ref name="vp112" /> The Brahma Purana differs from other puranas in saying Vitatha is the son of Bharadwaja; and upon the death of Bharata, Bharadwaja installed Vitatha as the king, before leaving for the forest.<ref>Sarmah, Taneswar (1991). Bharadvājas in Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 61. ISBN 81-208-0639-5.</ref>

Dharmasutras and other texts

Non-violence

<poem> Fearlessness to all living beings from my side, Svāhā!

</poem>

—Kapila, Baudhayana Grihya Sutra, 4.16.4<ref name="HoubenKooij1999p131"/><br>Translators: Jan E. M. Houben, Karel Rijk van Kooij

As son of Prahlada: The Baudhayana Dharmasutra mentions the Asura Kapila is the son of Prahlada in the chapter laying rules for the Vaikhanasas. The section IV.16 of Baudhāyana Gṛhyasūtra mentions Kapila as the one who set up rules for ascetic life.<ref name="larson" /> Kapila is credited, in the Baudhayana Dharmasutra, with creating the four Ashrama orders: Brahmachārya, Grihastha, Vānaprastha and Sanyāsa, and suggesting that renouncer should never injure any living being in word, thought or deed.<ref name="HoubenKooij1999p131" /> He is said to have made rules for renouncement of the sacrifices and rituals in the Vedas, and an ascetic's attachment instead to the Brahman / ब्रह्मन् (not to be confused with Brāhmin).<ref name="buhlerbaudh">Georg Bühler (1898). "The sacred laws of the Aryas : as taught in the schools of Apastamba, Gautama, Vasishtha and Baudhayana". Internet Archive. The Christian Literature Company. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.</ref> In other Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata, Kapila is again the sage who argues against sacrifices, and for non-violence and an end to cruelty to animals, with the argument that if sacrifices benefited the animal, then logically the family who sacrifices would benefit by a similar death.<ref name="Dhand2009p41" /> According to Chaturvedi, in a study of inscriptions of Khajuraho temples, the early Samkhya philosophers were possibly disciples of female teachers.

Imagery in the Agamas

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 is 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;<ref name="rao">T.A.Gopinatha, Rao (1993). Elements of Hindu iconography. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 247–248. ISBN 81-208-0878-9.</ref> while the Vaikhānasasāgama gives somewhat varying description. The Vaikhānasasāgama places Kapila as an āvaraņadēvāta and allocates the south-east corner of the first āvaraņa.<ref name="rao"/> 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.<ref name="rao"/>

Other descriptions

• The name Kapila is sometimes used as an epithet for Vasudeva with Vasudeva having incarnated in the place named Kapila.<ref>Ānandavardhana; Ingalls, Daniel Henry Holmes (1990). Locana: Volume 49 of The Dhvanyāloka of Ānandavardhana with the Locana of Abhinavagupta. Harvard University Press. p. 694. ISBN 0-674-20278-3.</ref>
• Pradyumna assumed the form of Kapila when he became free from desire of worldly influences.<ref name="rao"/>
• Kapila is as one of the seven Dikpalas with the other six being Dharma, Kala, Vasu, Vasuki, Ananta.
• The Jayakhya Samhita of 5th century AD alludes to the Chaturmukha Vishnu of Kashmir and mentions Vishnu with Varaha, Nrsimha and Kapila defeated the asuras who appeared before them in zoomorphic forms with Nrsimha and Varaha posited to be incarnations of Vishnu and Kapila respectively.<ref>Malla, Bansi Lal (1996). Vaiṣṇava Art and Iconography of Kashmir. Abhinav Publications. p. 20. ISBN 81-7017-305-1.</ref>

• 

  Sketch of Kapil Muni at Kapil Sankhya Ashram, Varanasi

  In the Vamana Purana, the Yakshas were sired by Kapila with his consort Kesini who is from the Khasa class; though the epics attribute the origin of Yakshas to a cosmic egg or to the sage Pulastya; while other puranas posit Kashyapa as the progenitor of Yakshas with his consort Vishva or Khasha.<ref name=misra>Misra, Ram Nath (1981). Yaksha cult and iconography. Munshiram Manoharlal. pp. 6, 22.</ref>
• In some puranas, Kapila is also mentioned as a female, a daughter of Khaśā and a Rākșasī, after whom came the name Kāpileya gaņa.<ref>Dikshitar, V.R.Ramachandra (1995). The Purana Index: Volume I (from A to N). Motilal Banarsidass. p. 314.</ref> In the Mahabharat, Kapila is a daughter of Daksha and having married Kashyapa gave birth to the Brahmanas, Kine, Gandharvas and Apsaras.<ref name="sacred-texts.com">"The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXV". Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.</ref>
• Kapila being a great teacher also had gardening as a hobby focusing his time around the babool (Acacia) tree everywhere he lived.

Kapila Devahuti Samvada

The Kapila-Devahuti Samvada, detailed in the Third Canto of the Bhagavat Purana, serves as a foundational dialogue for the theological presentation of Samkhya philosophy. Shri Krishna also mentioned this concept briefly to Arjun amidst their conversation during the Mahabharata war, which has been mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, called Samkhya Yog.<ref>Easy Bhagavada Gita [1] Chapter Two. Retrieved on 18 January 2024.</ref>

The narrative begins with Devahuti approaching her son Kapila, identified as the Supreme Lord, and expressing distress over a life spent in sense enjoyment, which she regards as wasted. She seeks fearlessness and liberation from suffering.<ref>Gupta, Ravi M.; Valpey, Kenneth R. (2013). Gupta, Ravi M.; Valpey, Kenneth R. (eds.). The Bhāgavata Purāṇa: Sacred Text and Living Tradition. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-231-14998-3.</ref> She attributes her condition to bodily identification, articulated as aham mama iti ("I and mine"), and asks Kapila to remove her attachment to the physical body and its sense of ownership. Kapila responds by teaching Samkhya, described as a system of discriminative knowledge. By analyzing the constituents of material reality (tattvas), he distinguishes matter (prakriti) from spirit (purusa).

The dialogical analysis aims to dispel identification with the body and mind, reduce attachment to material existence, and ground yoga, meditation on God, devotion, and intellectual stability in systematic knowledge of nature.

Jainism

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".<ref name=larson/>

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.<ref name=fynes144/>

According to Jnatadharmakatha, Kapila is a contemporary of Krishna and the Vasudeva of Dhatakikhanda. The text further mentions that both of them blew their shankha (conch shell) together.

Buddhism

Buddhists literature, such as the Jataka tales, state the Buddha is Kapila in one of his previous lives.<ref>Āryaśūra (2009). Garland of the Buddha's Past Lives. Translated by Meiland, Justin. New York University Press. pp. 172, 354. ISBN 978-0-8147-9581-1. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref><ref>Aiyangar Narayan. Essays On Indo-Aryan Mythology. Asian Educational Services. p. 472. ISBN 978-81-206-0140-6. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref><ref>JF Fleet (1906). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press. p. 164. Archived from the original on 5 November 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2016.</ref>

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 / ब्रह्मन्). (...) 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.

Max Muller states the link between the more ancient Kapila's teachings on Buddha can be overstated.<ref name=maxmuller9/> 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.<ref name=maxmuller9/> However, adds Muller, the teachings on how to achieve this, by Kapila and by Buddha, are very different.<ref name=maxmuller9/>

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.<ref>P. 269 Introduction to Buddhist art By Chikyō Yamamoto</ref>

In Chinese Buddhism, the Buddha directed the Yaksha Kapila and fifteen daughters of Devas to become the patrons of China.<ref>Edkins, Joseph (2013). Chinese Buddhism: A Volume of Sketches, Historical, Descriptive and Critical. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-136-37881-2. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.</ref>

Works

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:

• Manvadi Shrāddha - mentioned by Rudradeva in Pakayajna Prakasa.
• Dṛṣṭantara Yoga - also named Siddhāntasāra available at Madras Oriental Manuscripts Library.
• Kapilanyayabhasa - mentioned by Alberuni in his works.
• Kapila Purana - referred to by Sutasamhita and Kavindracharya. Available at Sarasvati Bhavana Library, Varanasi.
• Kapila Samhita - there are 2 works by the same name. One is the samhita quoted in the Bhagavatatatparyanirnaya and by Viramitrodaya in Samskaras. Another is the Samhita detailing pilgrim centers of Orissa.
• Kapilasutra - Two books, namely the Samkya Pravacana Sutra and the Tattvasamasasutra, are jointly known as Kapilasutra. Bhaskararaya refers to them in his work Saubhagya-bhaskara.
• Kapila Stotra - Chapters 25 to 33 of the third khanda of the Bhagavata Mahapurana are called Kapila Stotra.
• Kapila Smriti - Available in the work Smriti-Sandarbha, a collection of Smritis, from Gurumandal Publications.
• Kapilopanishad - Mentioned in the Anandasrama list at 4067 (Anandasrama 4067).
• Kapila Gita - also known as Dṛṣṭantasara or Siddhāntasāra.
• Kapila Pancharatra - also known as Maha Kapila Pancharatra. Quoted by Raghunandana in Saṃskāra Mayukha.

Ayurveda books mentioning Kapila's works are:

1. Vagbhatta mentions Kapila's views in Sutrasthana.
2. Nischalakara mentions Kapila's views in his commentary on Chikitsa Sangraha.
3. Kapila's views are quoted in Ayurvedadipika.
4. The Kavindracharya list at 987 mentions a book named Kapila Siddhanta Rasayana.
5. Hemadri quotes Kapila's views in Ashtangahradaya (16th verse) of the commentary Ayurveda Rasayana.
6. Sarvadarsanasamgraha (Sarva-darśana-saṃgraha) mentions Kapila's views on Raseśvara school of philosophy.

Significance

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.<ref name="larson108" /> Patanjali, the Yoga scholar, in his Yogasutra-bhasya wrote Kapila to be the "primal wise man, or knower".<ref name="larson108">Larson, Gerald James; Potter, Karl H.; Bhattacharya, Ram Shankar (1987). The Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies: Sāṃkhya, Volume 4 of The Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Princeton University Press, (Reprint: Motilal Banarsidass). p. 108. ISBN 978-0-691-60441-1.</ref> The Buddhist sources mention that the city of Kapilavastu is built in the honor of Kapila. It is in Kapilavastu that the Buddha is born; and, it is here he spent the first twenty-nine years of his life.<ref>"K Definitions". Eastern Spirituality. Retrieved 16 June 2021.</ref>

See also

• Prahlada
• Narada
• Vyasa
• Bhakti yoga
• Samkhya
• Ancient Mithila University
• Kapila Theertham
• Kapileshwar Temple, Bihar
• Kaul Village
• Kalayat

Sources

• Flood, Gavin D. (1996), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press
• von Glasenapp, Helmuth (1999), Jainism: An Indian Religion of Salvation [Der Jainismus: Eine Indische Erlosungsreligion], Shridhar B. Shrotri (trans.), Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-1376-6
• Jacobsen, Knut A. (2008). Kapila, Founder of Sāṃkhya and Avatāra of Viṣṇu: With a Translation of Kapilāsurisaṃvāda. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 978-81-215-1194-0.
• Template:Cite FTP

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• The Sánkhya Aphorisms of Kapila, 1885 translation by James R. Ballantyne, edited by Fitzedward Hall.