Kardama

At the beginning of the Kṛtayuga, the earth once again became devoid of progeny. There were very few beings, and the world was vast but empty. Though all natural resources were present, there were no people to experience or enjoy them. Many beings who were born in previous cycles through tapas had perished, and no new progeny had come forth.

Brahmā Deva requested Kardama to once again initiate the process of progeny. Brahmā said, “This earth must become crowded with beings. There must be prosperity through human existence.”

Kardama replied, “I have already begotten progeny before. I have seen it all. Yet, Brahmā Deva is asking me again to enter into worldly life. Very well,” he thought, and went into deep tapas. He performed tapas for a very long time.

After completing his tapas, Kardama emerged and meditated on Hari. Tapas does not have to be done solely with a specific deity in mind. By performing intense and nirguṇa tapas, even without seeking a particular result, once one emerges from samādhi, simply remembering a deity will make that deity appear immediately. Tapas has this extraordinary power. The strength of meditation can bring any form of the divine into vision. When one remembers Rudra, Rudra appears; when one remembers Hari, Hari appears.

Kardama, after completing his long tapas, remembered Hari once. Hari immediately appeared before him. In the Purāṇas, such episodes are mentioned frequently, but they always contain a deep significance.

When tapas is performed for the realization of nirguṇa tejas, that luminous energy, being the sarvāntaryāmin (the indwelling consciousness), takes on any form desired and becomes manifest. If one desires to see Rudra, Rudra emerges from that tejas. When Kardama remembered Hari, Hari manifested.

Kardama praised Hari: “You are the one who moves the wheel of time. This entire world of movable and immovable beings is born and dissolved by Your māyā.”

Hari said to him, “What desire brought you to meditate upon Me? Let that desire be fulfilled even without your explicitly asking Me! Brahmā asked you to create progeny, and you performed tapas without expressing this desire. Let his wish be fulfilled through you.”

Hari continued, “Brahmaputra, the emperor Svāyambhuva Manu is ruling over Brahmāvarta deśa. (Brahmāvarta is now called Burma. The name Burma is said to have evolved from the name Brahmā, according to Vedic Geography.) Svāyambhuva Manu will come to you and give his daughter in marriage to you. After marrying her, you will beget nine daughters.”

In ancient times, Brahmāvarta was possibly a much larger landmass than what is currently known as Burma. It is not to be assumed that the mass of land described in Purāṇas is the same as present-day geography. The land was significantly larger, perhaps extending far to the south, encompassing countless islands, some of which are now submerged and fragmented, with the sea covering large portions. Some even believe that the landmass extended as far as present-day Australia.

Another Purāṇic reference describes Brahmāvarta as the land between the rivers Sarasvatī and Dṛṣadvatī. There is also the reference to the Sapta Dvīpā Vasundharā—the earth consisting of seven great islands or continents, within which Bhāratavarṣa is located. Perhaps this Brahmāvarta is part of that Bhāratavarṣa.

Hari further instructed Kardama, “The king of Brahmāvarta will come to you. Accept his daughter in marriage. You will beget nine daughters. After marrying them off, your daughters will give birth to sages, yogis, and tapasvins as grandsons. Do not consider this a bondage. This saṁsāra happens by the order of Brahmā and according to My will. Continue this karma. All this karma is happening through Me. Perform all these actions with the spirit of surrender to Me. Do not grieve thinking this is a binding action. When you perform karma, bondage may arise, but by offering it to Me, you will not incur duḥkha. Afterwards, I Myself will be born to you as your son.”

According to Hari’s command, Kardama agreed. Svāyambhuva Manu, along with his wife Śatarūpā and daughter Devahūti, came to Kardama and said, “My daughter Devahūti has heard of your greatness and has vowed that she will marry no one else but you. Surely, there is a divine reason behind this. Please accept her as your wife.”

Kardama, however, had no personal desire for marriage. He was merely following the divine command. He told Svāyambhuva Manu, “Very well, I will marry your daughter. But after progeny is born, I will renounce and leave. Ask your daughter if she agrees to this condition. Only if she consents will I marry her.” They all agreed.

Kardama married Devahūti. Śatarūpā instructed her daughter in dharma, and the couple set forth into married life.

Devahūti’s Tapasya and the Test of Patience

In marital life, Kardama tested Devahūti. He maintained an attitude of detachment and dispassion, neither fully accepting nor rejecting her. Devahūti continued to serve him with devotion. Eventually, she became emaciated, neglecting her own nourishment, dedicating herself entirely to his service. Even with her frail body, she engaged in serving him with utmost strength and devotion.

After this period of intense service, Kardama acknowledged her efforts. He said to her, “You have served me as though you were performing tapas. You will receive the fruits of this. Ask for any boon or desires. You shall obtain all pleasures and comforts.”

During this time of service, neither of them ate properly nor slept. Both had become weak and emaciated. By his grace, later she received immense wealth, health, strength, and youth. Kardama created a divine vimāna (celestial flying palace) and numerous divine mansions. After creating all these, he told her, “All this is yours.” However, she could not perceive any of this.

This is to be understood as the result of her tapas—she had transcended the gross material perception of jada-padaartha bhāva. She saw all of this as mere māyā.

Kardama then realized how profound her tapas had been. Since she could not see what he had manifested, he sent her to the nearby Bindu-sarovara to bathe. After her bath, when she emerged, she saw countless maidservants ready to serve her and perceived all the wealth and prosperity that Kardama had created for her.

Together, they ascended the celestial vimāna and traveled through all the worlds, enjoying this blissful life for a hundred years. After this period, as per the instructions of Śrīhari, nine daughters were born to them.

The Birth of Kapila and Final Renunciation

According to his earlier condition, Kardama had promised that after progeny, he would renounce worldly life. Devahūti asked, “If you leave now, who will arrange the marriages of these daughters, Swami?” Kardama paused his renunciation for the time being.

After some time, Devahūti again conceived, this time giving birth to a son—Kapila, an incarnation of Śrīhari Himself. He was born as per the promise of Brahmā.

Kardama then married off his nine daughters. He gave Kalā to Maharṣi Marīci, Anasūyā to Atri, Śraddhā to Aṅgiras, Havirbhū to Pulastya, Gati to Pulaha, Kriyā to Kratu, Khyāti to Bhṛgu, Arundhatī to Vasiṣṭha, and Śānti to Atharvan.

Kardama’s Renunciation and Mokṣa

After some time, Kardama reflected, “If I remain like this as a chiranjīvi, Brahmā may again ask me to create progeny repeatedly.” With the desire for mokṣa, he decided to detach from all worldly engagements. As a Prajāpati, he had performed great tapas. Yet Brahmā only instructed him in the path of creation, never in the way of liberation. Realizing this, he approached Viṣṇu, who had now manifested as his own son Kapila.

One day, Kardama went to Kapila in solitude, bowed down and said, “You are Viṣṇu Himself. Teach me the path of mokṣa. By Your birth as my son, I am now free from worldly obligations.”

Kapila taught him the supreme tattvas. Since Kardama was already a great tapasvī and had long since controlled his senses, Kapila instructed him in Sāṅkhya and Yoga. He said, “I am teaching you this path of liberation. By following it, you will see Me not merely as a form, but as the supreme light—paraṁ jyotiḥ. This path is the most exalted. It will not lead to bondage through visions of forms or attachments. You will perceive the ultimate.”

For as long as one perceives forms, the visions received are only reflections of one’s inner saṁskāras and desires. The external vision is the projection of internal tendencies. The tapas is done by oneself, the vision is also from within, and the desires are also one’s own. The experience of those desires is also by oneself. The para-tattva remains untouched. It is not the cause of any of these visions or experiences.

After receiving these teachings from Kapila, Kardama performed pradakṣiṇa and did a full prostration to his son, recognizing him as Bhagavān Hari Himself.

Kardama then saw the entire world as Vāsudeva-maya and paraṁ jyotiḥ. Finally, he merged into mokṣa. It is said that he left this world not like other sages who attain higher lokas, but in complete absorption into liberation, beyond all worldly existence.