Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 13
Ṛṣabhadeva’s Enthronement, Exemplary Household Life, and the Birth of Bharata and the Nine Yogendras
यवीयांस एकाशीतिर्जायन्तेया: पितुरादेशकरा महाशालीना महाश्रोत्रिया यज्ञशीला: कर्मविशुद्धा ब्राह्मणा बभूवु: ॥ १३ ॥
yavīyāṁsa ekāśītir jāyanteyāḥ pitur ādeśakarā mahā-śālīnā mahā-śrotriyā yajña-śīlāḥ karma-viśuddhā brāhmaṇā babhūvuḥ.
Selain putra-putra yang disebutkan di atas, dari Ṛṣabhadeva dan Jayantī lahir delapan puluh satu putra yang lebih muda. Menurut perintah ayah mereka, mereka menjadi berbudaya luhur, berperilaku baik, sangat murni dalam perbuatan, mahir dalam pengetahuan Weda dan pelaksanaan yajña; demikianlah mereka semua menjadi brāhmaṇa yang sepenuhnya layak.
From this verse we have good information of how the castes are qualified according to quality and work. Ṛṣabhadeva, a king, was certainly a kṣatriya. He had a hundred sons, and out of these, ten were engaged as kṣatriyas and ruled the planet. Nine sons became good preachers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ( mahā-bhāgavatas ), and this indicates that they were above the position of brāhmaṇas. The other eighty-one sons became highly qualified brāhmaṇas. These are some practical examples of how one can become fit for a certain type of activity by qualification, not by birth. All the sons of Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva were kṣatriyas by birth, but by quality some of them became kṣatriyas, and some became brāhmaṇas. Nine became preachers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ( bhāgavata-dharma-darśanāḥ ), which means that they were above the categories of kṣatriya and brāhmaṇa.
FAQs
This verse highlights obedience to righteous instruction, Vedic learning (mahāśrotriya), devotion to yajña, dignified living, and purity of conduct (karma-viśuddha) as key brāhmaṇa qualities.
Shukadeva Gosvami speaks to King Parīkṣit, describing the descendants of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva—specifically the eighty-one younger sons who became exemplary brāhmaṇas.
By performing one’s duties honestly, with discipline and purity, and aligning actions with dharma—offering the results to the Lord rather than acting for selfish gain.