Kapil Muni shares how the world is created

Maitreya was asked by Vidura to narrate the story of the world's creation and how it became populated. According to the tale, Svayambhuvamanu had a daughter named Devahuti, whom he gave in marriage to the sage Kardama. The Lord had instructed Kardama to end his long period of celibacy and marry Devahuti, assuring him that he would be born as a partial avatar to them. After many years of intense austerities, Kardama and Devahuti were blessed with a son, Kapila Muni, who later became the expounder of the Samkhya philosophy. Kardama realized that their son was a manifestation of Vishnu, and considered their marriage to have been successful. When Kapila came of age, Kardama decided to leave the world and practice spiritual disciplines and austerities, entrusting Devahuti to his son's care after receiving his blessings and offering him praise.

After his father's departure, Kapila Muni resided with his mother at Lake Bindu. One day, Devahuti requested Kapila, "My son, my senses have left me confused and deluded. Please help me overcome this attachment and delusion. You are the Lord himself, born in this world to eradicate delusion." Kapila replied, "O Mother, the mind is the sole source of both bondage and liberation. It is attached to the three gunas - sattva, rajas, and tamas - the principles of purity and balance, activity and attachment, and darkness and illusion, which bind us. However, if we can relinquish the egoistic sense of "I" and "mine," the mind will attain purity and concentrate on the Supreme Spirit. The simplest way to achieve this is by devotion to the Lord."

‘When a person focuses all his sense-organs on the Lord through

love, his impurities become burned up, just as fire burns up things that

are put in it. This is true bhakti, or devotion. And though such

devotees do not care for mukti, liberation, their devotion for the Lord

leads them easily to that state which is beyond birth and death.

Devotion alone takes one to the highest.’

After elaborating the various aspects of bhakti, the path of devotion, Kapila proceeded to teach his mother about the nature of Reality, as per the Samkhya philosophy. During his discussion, he explained the concept of Purusha, the soul, Prakriti, the primal nature that ensnares the soul, and the twenty-four cosmic principles. He went on to elucidate the eightfold path of meditation, known as ashtanga yoga or Raja Yoga. Devahuti was elated by all of this and felt her ignorance dissipating. She offered hymns in praise of her son, exclaiming, "How marvelous it is that even a chandala who takes your name repeatedly is worthy of reverence. The virtuous individuals who recite your name with faith must have performed good deeds in their previous births to enable them to do so in this life."

After receiving guidance from her son, Devahuti started practicing meditation and other spiritual practices. Eventually, she became deeply absorbed in samadhi and achieved the highest state of realizing the supreme Self.

After teaching his mother, Kapila proceeded towards the northern direction, towards the sea. The lord of the seas worshipped the sage with great honor and provided him with shelter. According to legend, Kapila is still in a state of yoga-samadhi, the ultimate meditation, for the well-being of the three worlds.