Shloka 12
Ṛṣabhadeva’s Indifference to Siddhis, Vigilance Toward the Mind, and the Kali-yuga Rise of Anti-Vedic धर्म
अयमवतारो रजसोपप्लुतकैवल्योपशिक्षणार्थ: ॥ १२ ॥
ayam avatāro rajasopapluta-kaivalyopaśikṣaṇārthaḥ.
This incarnation appears to teach the truth of kaivalya (liberation) to those overwhelmed by rajas, the mode of passion.
The symptoms of Kali-yuga are predicted in the Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. It is predicted how fallen souls will behave. They will keep their hair long and consider themselves very beautiful, or they will pluck out their hair as the Jains do. They will keep themselves unclean and will not wash their mouths. Jains refer to Lord Ṛṣabhadeva as their original preceptor. If such people are serious followers of Ṛṣabhadeva, they must also take His instructions. In the Fifth Chapter of this canto, Ṛṣabhadeva gave His one hundred sons instructions whereby they could become free from the clutches of māyā. If one actually follows Ṛṣabhadeva, he will certainly be delivered from the clutches of māyā and return home, back to Godhead. If one strictly follows the instructions of Ṛṣabhadeva given in the Fifth Chapter, he will certainly be liberated. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva incarnated specifically to deliver these fallen souls.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord’s incarnation teaches kaivalya—true liberation—especially to people whose minds are overpowered by rajas (passion).
In the narrative of Canto 5, Śukadeva presents Ṛṣabhadeva as an exemplary divine king and renunciant whose life and instructions are meant to guide conditioned souls toward freedom from material modes.
Recognize how passion-driven life clouds clarity, and intentionally adopt spiritual discipline and self-control—learning from Ṛṣabhadeva’s example—to move toward inner freedom.