Drik Panchang
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Drik Panchang
Just as Lord Vishnu incarnates in various Avataras to annihilate evil forces, He also appears on Earth to impart deep philosophical knowledge to people through His various divine incarnations. One such incarnation of Lord Vishnu is Kapila Muni Avatara. Sage Kapila is also referred to as Maharishi Kapila, Kapila Avatara and Kapiladeva. Sage Kapila is the fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In His Kapila Avatara, Lord Vishnu bestowed the knowledge of Samkhya Darshan upon humankind. Samkhya Darshan is a dualistic philosophy based on Tattva Jnana, or the knowledge of fundamental principles in Hinduism. Sage Kapila was the first to propound the Samkhya Theory of Evolution and is considered the founder of Samkhya school of philosophy. He authored a treatise called Kapilasmriti. Sage Kapila also expounded the principles of Jnana Marga, the path of knowledge.
According to Sage Kapila - "Happiness and sorrow are attributed to Prakriti, and Purusha is bound with the fetters of Ajnana, or ignorance. When Ajnana is dispelled, Purusha and Prakriti achieve their true essence." Vedanta, Yoga Darshana and Puranic philosophers have unequivocally acknowledged the principles of three Guna and the concept of evolution presented in Samkhya Darshan. Thus, all subsequent schools of Hindu philosophy are influenced by Samkhya Darshan propounded by the Sage Kapila.
According to descriptions found in Mahabharata and various Puranas, Sage Kapila incarnates at the beginning of each Kalpa and is endowed with all Siddhis from birth. Therefore, he is also referred to as Adisiddha and Adividwana. As stated in Srimad Bhagavatam, Sage Kapila was born to Sage Kardama and his wife Devahuti.
According to Puranic tales, once Lord Brahma instructed his son Sage Kardama, to procreate and expand life on Earth. With Lord Brahma's permission, Sage Kardama began performing intense penance near Lake Bindu located at sacred Bindusara Tirtha. As described in religious texts, in ancient times, people would fulfill their desires through sincere penance.
The intense penance performed by Sage Kardama pleased Lord Vishnu, who appeared before him and said - "O noble Sage! The daughter of Swayambhuva Manu, Devahuti will be an ideal consort for you. She will assist you in fulfilling the task of creation, as instructed by Lord Brahma. When Swayambhuva Manu arrives at your hermitage with his daughter Devahuti to propose marriage, it is my command that you accept it." Lord Vishnu continues - "O great Sage! In the due course of time, Devahuti will bear a son, who will be my incarnation. During my incarnation as your son, I will impart the knowledge of Samkhya Darshan and Bhakti Yoga to the world."
As decreed by Lord Narayana, one day Swayambhuva Manu arrived at the hermitage of Sage Kardama along with his daughter, and proposed their marriage, which Maharishi Kardama accepted. They were soon married. After marriage, Sage Kardama resumed his intense penance. His wife Devahuti devoted herself in the service of the sage and his hermitage. Renouncing the life of a princess, she donned clothes made of tree bark and embraced the life of an ascetic.
Pleased with Devahuti's devotion, dedication and service, Sage Kardama said to her - "O noble one! You have served me with devotion and selflessness. Tell me what does your heart desire that I shall fulfill?" Devahuti expressed her desire to have children. Maharishi Kardama blessed Devahuti that her wish would be granted. In the course of time, Devahuti gave birth to nine daughters.
After a period of time, Maharishi Kardama felt a profound sense of renunciation in his heart, and he resolved to practice intense penance alone in the seclusion of forest. Upon learning of his decision, an anxious Devahuti addressed him thus - "O Lord! Although I am ignorant about the understanding of senses. I remained unaware of your wisdom. However, the companionship of a great sage like you should lead me to my own welfare. O Lord! Please guide me to the path to liberation." Upon hearing such words from his wife, the sage said - "O auspicious one! You must not worry. A supreme being will soon incarnate from your womb. He will impart to you the profound wisdom of Tattva Jnana, the knowledge of truth. I will leave for forest only after getting his Darshana." When the right time comes, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Sage Kapila from the womb of Devahuti. Soon after the divine incarnation, Sage Kardama left to perform intense penance in the forest.
Lord Kapila, while imparting the profound wisdom of Tattva Jnana to his mother, said - "This mind alone is the reason of attachment as well as liberation. A human being should pull their mind from all distractions and fix it upon the divine form of God." Thus, having bestowed his mother with the knowledge of Bhakti Yoga and Samkhya Darshan, Lord Kapila arrived at the seashore. As per the legend, the Samudra, i.e., sea offered Kapila Deva a place in its depths. After receiving the profound wisdom from her son, Devahuti attained liberation by meditating upon the divine form of God.
The objective of Samkhya Darshan, as propounded by Sage Kapila, is the attainment of Moksha through Tattva Jnana. In Brahman texts, it is described that a person can attain Moksha through Yajna Karma. In Samkhya Darshan, Gjanakanda is considered superior to Karmakanda. In Upanishads, Gjana is valued higher than Karma.
In this way, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Sage Kapila and imparted the knowledge of Samkhya Darshan to the world.
Sage Kapila's father was Sage Kardama and his mother was Devahuti. According to the Vamana Purana, Sage Kapila was married to a woman named Keshini and Yakshas was born to them.
Maharishi Kapila is depicted as an aged sage with matted locks, holding a Kamandalu, a rosary and a divine staff called Brahmadanda in His hands. He is shown seated in Padmasana posture, clad in saffron-colored clothes.
Mula Mantra -
ॐ श्रीगुरुकपिलेभ्यो नमः।
Om Shrigurukapilebhyo Namah।
The given Shri Vishnu Dashavatara Stotram is a very melodious and effective Stotram dedicated to the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
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The list of the ten major incarnations of Lord Vishnu and the dates of their birth anniversaries are given on this page. From this page you can also get interesting information about all the incarnations.
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A complete list of Ekadashi dates is given here. Go through the Ekadashi fasting dates list here so that you never miss fasting on Ekadashi. Ekadashi fast is observed with great enthusiasm by the devotees of Lord Vishnu.
ISKCON devotees can get the complete list of ISKCON Ekadashi fasting dates here. This list will prove highly informative and useful to those who observe the fast of Ekadashi as per the ISKCON.
The list of Mantras used in the worship and chanting of Lord Vishnu is available on this page. Some of these Mantras are legendary and some are Vedic. Along with this, the powerful Yantra of Lord Vishnu can also be seen from this page.
