Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 35
Ṛṣabhadeva Instructs His Sons: Tapasya, Mahātmā-Sevā, and Cutting the Heart-Knot
इति नानायोगचर्याचरणो भगवान् कैवल्यपतिऋर्षभोऽविरतपरममहानन्दानुभव आत्मनि सर्वेषां भूतानामात्मभूते भगवति वासुदेव आत्मनोऽव्यवधानानन्तरोदरभावेन सिद्धसमस्तार्थपरिपूर्णो योगैश्वर्याणि वैहायसमनोजवान्तर्धानपरकायप्रवेशदूरग्रहणादीनि यदृच्छयोपगतानि नाञ्जसा नृप हृदयेनाभ्यनन्दत् ॥ ३५ ॥
iti nānā-yoga-caryācaraṇo bhagavān kaivalya-patir ṛṣabho ’virata-parama-mahānandānubhava ātmani sarveṣāṁ bhūtānām ātma-bhūte bhagavati vāsudeva ātmano ’vyavadhānānanta-rodara-bhāvena siddha-samastārtha-paripūrṇo yogaiśvaryāṇi vaihāyasa-mano-javāntardhāna-parakāya-praveśa-dūra-grahaṇādīni yadṛcchayopagatāni nāñjasā nṛpa hṛdayenābhyanandat.
Ô roi Parīkṣit, afin d’indiquer aux yogīs la voie mystique, le Seigneur Ṛṣabhadeva pratiqua diverses disciplines de yoga et accomplit des actes merveilleux. Il était en vérité le maître de la délivrance et demeurait sans cesse absorbé dans la béatitude transcendante suprême. Unifié sans intervalle, dans le bhāva d’amour, au Bhagavān Vāsudeva — l’Ātman de tous les êtres —, il était pleinement accompli. Les puissances yogiques vinrent d’elles-mêmes à lui : voyager dans l’espace à la vitesse de la pensée, apparaître et disparaître, entrer dans le corps d’autrui, voir au loin; pourtant, il ne prit pas plaisir à les exercer.
In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Madhya 19.149) it is said:
FAQs
This verse says that even when siddhis like flying, invisibility, entering another’s body, and distant perception arise naturally, a fully God-realized devotee like Ṛṣabhadeva does not value them, being already complete in devotion to Vāsudeva.
Śukadeva highlights that Ṛṣabhadeva’s fulfillment came from uninterrupted absorption in Vāsudeva, the Self of all beings; therefore, secondary attainments like siddhis could not attract his heart.
Prioritize inner devotion and steady God-remembrance over the pursuit of extraordinary experiences, recognition, or “spiritual achievements,” treating such by-products as distractions from the real goal—pure absorption in the Lord.