988
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[ Canto 3, Ch. 24 ]
pravartayitum —to introduce again;  deham —body;  imam —this;  viddhi —please know;  mayā —by Me;  bhṛtam —assumed.
TRANSLATION
This path of self-realization, which is difficult to understand, has now been lost in the course of time. Please know that I have assumed this body of Kapila to introduce and explain this philosophy to human society again.
PURPORT
It is not true that  sāṅkhya  philosophy is a new system of philosophy introduced by Kapila as material philosophers introduce new kinds of mental speculative thought to supersede that of another philosopher. On the material platform everyone, especially the mental speculator, tries to be more prominent than others. The field of activity of the speculators is the mind; there is no limit to the different ways in which one can agitate the mind. The mind can be unlimitedly agitated, and thus one can put forward an unlimited number of theories.  Sāṅkhya  philosophy is not like that; it is not mental speculation. It is factual, but at the time of Kapila it was lost.
In due course of time, a particular type of knowledge may be lost or may be covered for the time being; that is the nature of this material world. A similar statement was made by Lord Kṛṣṇa in  Bhagavad-gītā .  Sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ : “In course of time the  yoga  system as stated in  Bhagavad-gītā  was lost.” It was coming in  paramparā , in disciplinary succession, but due to the passage of time it was lost. The time factor is so pressing that in the course of time everything within this material world is spoiled or lost. The  yoga  system of  Bhagavad-gītā  was lost before the meeting of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Therefore Kṛṣṇa again enunciated the same ancient  yoga  system to Arjuna, who could actually understand  Bhagavad-gītā . Similarly, Kapila also said that the system of  sāṅkhya  philosophy was not exactly being introduced by Him; it was already current, but in course of time it was mysteriously lost, and therefore He appeared to reintroduce it. That is the purpose of the incarnation of Godhead.  Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata .  Dharma  means the real occupation of the living entity. When there is a discrepancy in the eternal occupation of the living entity, the Lord comes and introduces the real occupation of life. Any so-called religious system that is not in the line of devotional service is called  adharma-saṁsthāpana . When people forget their eternal relationship with God and engage in something other than devotional service, that is called