Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 6
Ṛṣabhadeva’s Indifference to Siddhis, Vigilance Toward the Mind, and the Kali-yuga Rise of Anti-Vedic धर्म
अथैवमखिललोकपालललामोऽपि विलक्षणैर्जडवदवधूतवेषभाषाचरितैरविलक्षितभगवत्प्रभावो योगिनां साम्परायविधिमनुशिक्षयन् स्वकलेवरं जिहासुरात्मन्यात्मानमसंव्यवहितमनर्थान्तरभावेनान्वीक्षमाण उपरतानुवृत्तिरुपरराम ॥ ६ ॥
athaivam akhila-loka-pāla-lalāmo ’pi vilakṣaṇair jaḍavad avadhūta-veṣa-bhāṣā-caritair avilakṣita-bhagavat-prabhāvo yogināṁ sāmparāya-vidhim anuśikṣayan sva-kalevaraṁ jihāsur ātmany ātmānam asaṁvyavahitam anarthāntara-bhāvenānvīkṣamāṇa uparatānuvṛttir upararāma.
Lord Ṛṣabhadeva was the head of all kings and emperors within this universe, but assuming the dress and language of an avadhūta, He acted as if dull and materially bound. Consequently no one could observe His divine opulence. He adopted this behavior just to teach yogīs how to give up the body. Nonetheless, He maintained His original position as a plenary expansion of Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Remaining always in that state, He gave up His pastimes as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva within the material world. If, following in the footsteps of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, one can give up his subtle body, there is no chance that one will accept a material body again.
As Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) :
FAQs
He deliberately concealed His divine status by adopting avadhūta-like speech, dress, and conduct, so that people would not recognize His Bhagavān potency and so He could teach renunciation and the path to the supreme destination by example.
It emphasizes unwavering contemplation of the Self within the self—without perceiving anything separate—and complete cessation of external worldly engagement as one becomes fixed in self-realization.
Practice steady inner remembrance of the soul and reduce unnecessary external distractions—cultivating detachment, simplicity, and sincere spiritual focus rather than chasing social validation.