An ascetic who wept with devotion by the Bindu-sarovara lake, married Devahuti at Brahma's command, and fathered the avatar Kapila.
Appears in
Kardama's penance and Devahuti's service — Skandha 3, adhyayas 21-24 — A princess marries a forest ascetic, serves him until she is worn thin, and gives birth to nine daughters and the sage Kapila.
Embodies
Detachment — Kings who walk away from thrones, and one royal sage who renounces everything except a fawn and pays for it with two births.
Devotion as the highest dharma — The Bhagavatam's own thesis (1.2.6): the highest dharma is devotion with no motive, which nothing can interrupt.
Questions to explore
How did Bindu-sarovara receive its name during Kardama's penance?
On what condition did Kardama agree to marry Princess Devahuti?
Why did Kardama leave for the forest as soon as Kapila was born and grown?
