King Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī: My dear Lord, for those who are completely pure in heart, knowledge is attained by the practice of bhakti-yoga, and attachment for fru itive activity is completely burned to ashes. For such people, the powers of mystic yoga auto matically arise. They do not cause distress. Why, then, did Ṛṣabhadeva neglect them?(1) Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied: My dear King, you have spoken correctly. However, af ter capturing animals, a cunning hunter does not put faith in them, for they might run away. Similarly, those who are advanced in spiritual life do not put faith in the mind. Indeed, they always remain vigilant and watch the mind’s action.(2)
All the learned scholars have given their opinion. The mind is by nature very restless, and one should not make friends with it. If we place full confidence in the mind, it may cheat us at any moment. Even Lord Śiva became ag itated upon seeing the Mohinī form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Saubhari Muni also fell down from the mature stage of yogic perfection.(3) An un chaste woman is very easily carried away by paramours, and it sometimes happens that her husband is violently killed by her paramours. If the yogī gives his mind a chance and does not restrain it, his mind will give facility to enemies like lust, anger and greed, and they will doubt lessly kill the yogī.(4) The mind is the root cause of lust, anger, pride, greed, lamentation, illusion and fear. Combined, these constitute bondage to fruitive activity. What learned man would put faith in the mind?(5)
Lord Ṛṣabhadeva was the head of all kings and emperors within this universe, but assum ing the dress and language of an avadhūta, He acted as if dull and materially bound. Conse quently no one could observe His divine opu lence. 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. Remain ing always in that state, He gave up His pas times 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 mate rial body again. (6)
Actually Lord Ṛṣabhadeva had no material body, but due to yoga-māyā He considered His body material, and therefore, because He played like an ordinary human be ing, He gave up the mentality of identifying with it. Following this principle, He began to wander all over the world. While traveling, He came to the province of Karṇāṭa in South India and passed through Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka. He had no plan to travel this way, but He ar rived near Kuṭakācala and entered a forest there. He placed stones within His mouth and began to wander through the forest, naked and with His hair disheveled like a madman.(7) While He was wandering about, a wild forest fire began. This fire was caused by the friction of bamboos, which were being blown by the wind. In that fire, the entire forest near Kuṭakācala and the body of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva were burnt to ashes.(8)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: My dear King, the King of Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka whose name was Arhat, heard of the activities of Ṛṣabhadeva and, imitating Ṛṣabhadeva’s principles, intro duced a new system of religion. Taking ad vantage of Kali-yuga, the age of sinful activity, King Arhat, being bewildered, gave up the Ve dic principles, which are free from risk, and concocted a new system of religion opposed to the Vedas. That was the beginning of the Jain dharma. Many other so-called religions fol lowed this atheistic system.(9) People who are lowest among men and bewildered by the illu sory energy of the Supreme Lord will give up the original varṇāśrama-dharma and its rules and regulations. They will abandon bathing three times daily and worshiping the Lord. Abandoning cleanliness and neglecting the Su preme Lord, they will accept nonsensical prin ciples. Not regularly bathing or washing their mouths regularly, they will always remain un clean, and they will pluck out their hair. Fol lowing a concocted religion, they will flourish. During this Age of Kali, people are more in clined to irreligious systems. Consequently these people will naturally deride Vedic author ity, the followers of Vedic authority, the brāhmaṇas, the Supreme Personality of God head and the devotees.(10)
Low-class people, due to their gross ignorance, introduce a system of religion that deviates from the Vedic princi ples. Following their own mental concoctions, they automatically fall down into the darkest regions of existence.(11) In this Age of Kali, people are overwhelmed by the modes of passion and ignorance. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva incarnated Himself to deliver them from the clutches of māyā.(12) Learned schol ars chant about the transcendental qualities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva in this way: “Oh, this earthly planet contains seven seas and many islands and lands, of which Bhārata-varṣa is considered the most pious. People of Bhārata-varṣa are ac customed to glorifying the activities of the Su preme Personality of Godhead in His incarna tions as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva and others. All these activities are very auspicious for the welfare of humanity.(13)
“Oh, what shall I say of the dyn asty of Priyavrata, which is pure and very much celebrated. In that dynasty, the Supreme Per son, the original Personality of Godhead, de scended as an incarnation and executed reli gious principles that could free one from the re sults of fruitive activity.(14) “Who is that mys tic yogī who can follow the examples of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva even with his mind? Lord Ṛṣabhadeva rejected all kinds of yogic perfec tion, which other yogīs hanker to attain. Who is that yogī who can compare to Lord Ṛṣabhadeva?”(15) Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Lord Ṛṣabhadeva is the master of all Vedic knowledge, human beings, demigods, cows and brāhmaṇas. I have already explained His pure, transcendental activities, which will van quish the sinful activities of all living entities. This narration of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s pastimes is the reservoir of all auspicious things. Who ever attentively hears or speaks of them, fol lowing in the footsteps of the ācāryas, will cer tainly attain unalloyed devotional service at the lotus feet of Lord Vāsudeva, the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead.(16)
Devotees always bathe themselves in devotional service in order to be relieved from the various tribulations of material existence. By doing this, the devotees enjoy supreme bliss, and liberation personified comes to serve them. Nonetheless, they do not accept that service, even if it is offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. For the devotees, liberation [mukti] is very unim portant because, having attained the Lord’s transcendental loving service, they have at tained everything desirable and have trans cended all material desires.(17) Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, the Supreme Person, Mukunda, is actu ally the maintainer of all the members of the Pāṇḍava and Yadu dynasties. He is your spir itual master, worshipable Deity, friend, and the director of your activities. To say nothing of this, He sometimes serves your family as a messenger or servant. This means He worked just as ordinary servants do. Those engaged in getting the Lord’s favor attain liberation from the Lord very easily, but He does not very eas ily give the opportunity to render direct service unto Him.
(18) The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, was fully aware of His true iden tity; therefore He was self-sufficient, and He did not desire external gratification. There was no need for Him to aspire for success, since He was complete in Himself. Those who unneces sarily engage in bodily conceptions and create an atmosphere of materialism are always igno rant of their real self-interest. Out of His cause less mercy, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva taught the self’s real identity and the goal of life. We therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who appeared as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva.(19)
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