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.
Ó rei Parīkṣit, para mostrar aos yogīs o processo místico, o Senhor Ṛṣabhadeva praticou diversas condutas de yoga e realizou feitos maravilhosos. Ele era, de fato, o senhor da libertação e permanecia incessantemente absorto na suprema bem-aventurança transcendental. Unido sem interrupção, em bhāva de amor, ao Bhagavān Vāsudeva — o Ātman de todos os seres —, era pleno em toda realização. As opulências yóguicas vieram espontaneamente a ele: viajar pelo céu à velocidade da mente, aparecer e desaparecer, entrar no corpo de outrem e perceber o distante; ainda assim, ele não se deleitou em exercê-las.
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.