The mood of a spiritual teacher (The Fifth Canto #06)
The continuation of the teachings of Ṛṣabhadeva to His sons, containing some of his most iconic instructions.
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The mood of a spiritual teacher
“As I have advised you, My dear sons, you should act accordingly. Be very careful. By these means you will be freed from the ignorance of the desire for fruitive activity, and the knot of bondage in the heart will be completely severed. For further advancement, you should also give up the means. That is, you should not become attached to the process of liberation itself.” (SB 5.5.14)
In the Gītā (18.54), Krsna explains that “One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state, he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” This makes it clear that pure devotional service can only be attained when one is free from material contamination. First, we need to shed the material contamination by practicing the regulated process, and from this platform of purity, we can gradually come to a platform of pure devotional service. That’s why the artificial process used by sahajiyās doesn’t work: they try to reach the goal without using the stair that leads to it.
There are different processes that can be used to become purified of material contamination and gradually ascend to a platform of pure devotional service. Because they are connected with devotional service, they are also considered part of the process. We can see that in the Bhagavad-gītā, Prabhupāda often translates words such as karma-yoga, jñana-yoga, buddhi-yoga, and dhyāna-yoga as “devotional service” or “Krsna Consciousness”. Karma-yoga, for example, means to apply the tendency to perform material activities in Krsna’s service, and similarly, jñana-yoga means to apply one’s tendency for mental speculation in performing philosophical research to understand Krsna. However, once one comes to a platform of Krsna Consciousness, one is supposed to drop the tendency for material activity or philosophical speculation and focus on the spiritual aspects. This is what Ṛṣabhadeva indicates by telling us not to become attached to the process of liberation itself
This delicate balance is also emphasized by Prabhupāda in his purport. We should not become sahajiyās by rejecting the process, but also not become overly attached to the means, forgetting the goal.
“The process of liberation is brahma jijñāsā, the search for the Absolute Truth. Generally brahma jijñāsā is called neti neti, the process by which one analyzes existence to search out the Absolute Truth. This method continues as long as one is not situated in his spiritual life.”
“The idea is to enter into the parā bhakti, the transcendental devotional service of the Supreme Lord. To attain this, one must analyze ones existence, but when one is actually engaged in devotional service he should not bother seeking out knowledge. By simply engaging in devotional service undeviatingly, one will always remain in the liberated condition.”
“Even those who are liberated (ātmārāma) must always engage in devotional service. One may give up the practice of yoga when one is self-realized, but at no stage can one give up devotional service. All other activities for self-realization, including yoga and philosophical speculation, may be given up, but devotional service must be retained at all times.”
What is our duty after learning the spiritual science?
“If one is serious about going back home, back to Godhead, he must consider the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead the summum bonum and chief aim of life. If he is a father instructing his sons, a spiritual master instructing his disciples, or a king instructing his citizens, he must instruct them as I have advised. Without being angry, he should continue giving instructions, even if his disciple, son or citizen is sometimes unable to follow his order. Ignorant people who engage in pious and impious activities should be engaged in devotional service by all means. They should always avoid fruitive activity. If one puts into the bondage of karmic activity his disciple, son or citizen who is bereft of transcendental vision, how will one profit? It is like leading a blind man to a dark well and causing him to fall in.” (SB 5.5.15)
The basic principle of the spiritual process is to learn the spiritual science from the spiritual master. The debt to the spiritual master is impossible to be repaid, but the way to show appreciation is to try to assist him in his mission of transmitting Krsna Consciousness to others. If one becomes a father or mother, one should teach his children; if one becomes a king, or any kind of authority or role model, one should teach his followers, and if one later becomes a spiritual master, one should instruct his disciples.
The most important qualification of any kind of spiritual teacher is to teach the spiritual science as it is. Just as we learned from the spiritual master, so we should teach, without change in the essence.
The next point emphasized by Ṛṣabhadeva is the mood of this teaching. One should teach with compassion, without becoming angry or frustrated with the limitations of the students. Just as we were not able to immediately follow everything at first when we were being taught, others will also have difficulties. We should continue to patiently try to teach them, even when they have difficulties.
The next point is that we should engage people in devotional service by all means. People are already engaged in material activities, and that’s precisely the source of their problems. If we instruct them to be engaged in more material activities, even if pious activities, what will be the gain? This will surely not make them free from material contamination. As Ṛṣabhadeva puts it, “If one puts into the bondage of karmic activity his disciple, son or citizen who is bereft of transcendental vision, how will one profit? It is like leading a blind man to a dark well and causing him to fall in.”
We should always understand that devotional service is the goal of life and learn the art of connecting all activities with our service to the Lord. As we master it, we can also teach others to do the same.
This point about not further entangling others in material existence under the excuse of teaching spiritual knowledge is further emphasized in the next two verses:
“Due to ignorance, the materialistic person does not know anything about his real self-interest, the auspicious path in life. He is simply bound to material enjoyment by lusty desires, and all his plans are made for this purpose. For temporary sense gratification, such a person creates a society of envy, and due to this mentality, he plunges into the ocean of suffering. Such a foolish person does not even know about this.
If someone is ignorant and addicted to the path of saṁsāra, how can one who is actually learned, merciful and advanced in spiritual knowledge engage him in fruitive activity and thus further entangle him in material existence? If a blind man is walking down the wrong path, how can a gentleman allow him to continue on his way to danger? How can he approve this method? No wise or kind man can allow this.” (SB 5.5.16-17)
Krsna creates the material world as a place with sufficient resources, where everyone can live peacefully and cultivate self-realization. Under the influence of the mode of passion, however, people envy and compete with each other, and act in ways that create the conditions for future suffering. Because they can’t understand this process, Ṛṣabhadeva describes materialists as naṣṭa-dṛṣṭiḥ, people who can’t see beyond the present.
Materialists are often compared to animals, because animals have no intelligence or even desire to understand and escape their misery. The only escape is to be helped by someone who has a higher vision, and thus, everyone who understands the goal of life has this responsibility. As Ṛṣabhadeva puts it, “If a blind man is walking down the wrong path, how can a gentleman allow him to continue on his way to danger? How can he approve this method? No wise or kind man can allow this.”
The most iconic verse in Ṛṣabhadeva’s teachings
“One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.” (SB 5.5.18)
In his purport, Prabhupāda gives us the mood to understand this instruction:
“Ordinarily, the spiritual master, husband, father, mother or superior relative accepts worship from an inferior relative, but here Ṛṣabhadeva forbids this. First the father, spiritual master or husband must be able to release the dependent from repeated birth and death. If he cannot do this, he plunges himself into the ocean of reproachment for his unlawful activities. Everyone should be very responsible and take charge of his dependents just as a spiritual master takes charge of his disciple or a father takes charge of his son. All these responsibilities cannot be discharged honestly unless one can save the dependent from repeated birth and death.”
Often, we are concerned about our rights, but not with our duties. A husband expects a wife who will be very submissive and do everything for him, while a wife expects a husband who will satisfy all her desires. In this mood, we often exploit others, taking service from them, without fulfilling our obligations. Expectedly, they often refuse to be exploited in this way, which leads to all kinds of quarrels and enmity inside the family and community.
Ṛṣabhadeva, however, sets the proper mood. We are not masters; we are not meant to demand service from others, but rather to serve. The best and most urgent service is to enlighten others and elevate them to the platform of Krsna Consciousness. This is thus the most basic and essential duty of anyone who accepts dependents, be they children, a wife, or disciples. We should seriously follow the spiritual process and sincerely try to teach others as a link in the disciplic succession.
No proper Vaiṣnava will claim to personally have the power of releasing others from birth and death. However, we should have faith that this is possible through the chain of disciplic succession. A spiritual master has faith in the potency of his own spiritual master, and thus accepts disciples acting as a link in the chain that goes all the way to Krsna. The power is not in our personal potency, but in being faithful to our own spiritual master and acting as a bona fide link in the chain. If we can’t act as honest representatives of our spiritual master, then we should first reform ourselves before accepting anyone as a dependent; otherwise, we become cheaters.
Prabhupāda gives four examples that illustrate this point:
a) Although a brāhmana, Śukrācārya failed to understand the purpose of the scriptures and objected when Bali Mahārāja promised to give everything to Lord Viṣṇu. He was thus correctly rejected as a guru.
b) The wives of the sacrificial brāhmanas left their husbands when they refused to give the offerings to Krsna, and came personally to see Krsna in the forest and bring Him the eatables He asked for. They thus rejected their husbands, understanding they were blinded by ritualistic performances and incapable of delivering them from birth and death.
c) Hiraṇyakaśipu broke all religious principles and acted as an enemy of the Lord and His devotees, and thus Prahlāda Maharaja rejected him as a father.
d) Bharata rejected his mother Kaikeyī because she became envious of Lord Rāma and created an intrigue to banish Him to the forest.
We should thus all be serious in our spiritual practice and devoted to our spiritual master and to the whole chain of disciplic succession, accepting our service to them in enlightening our dependents in a sober and humble spirit. With this, our fatherhood, motherhood, or husbandhood will be part of our service to Krsna.
This verse should be understood in the context of text 15. Apart from other qualities, we should also be patient and compassionate while teaching, keeping in view the benefit of our dependents.
Krsna is not served directly, but through His devotees
“My transcendental body [sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha] looks exactly like a human form, but it is not a material human body. It is inconceivable. I am not forced by nature to accept a particular type of body; I take on a body by My own sweet will. My heart is also spiritual, and I always think of the welfare of My devotees. Therefore within My heart can be found the process of devotional service, which is meant for the devotees. Far from My heart have I abandoned irreligion [adharma] and nondevotional activities. They do not appeal to Me. Due to all these transcendental qualities, people generally pray to Me as Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the best of all living entities.” (SB 5.5.19)
In the previous verses, Ṛṣabhadeva established the necessity of accepting a self-realized soul as a spiritual master, the importance of avoiding sense gratification, and being serious in following the disciplinary process and cultivation of knowledge to become free from material contamination. He also spoke on the importance of accepting austerities and the role of any authority in teaching one’s dependents. He now reveals knowledge about Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Lord has a human form, but His body is spiritual and free from all material limitations and imperfections. He is also not forced to appear in this material world or to accept a certain form; He comes and goes as He likes, with total freedom. His heart is spiritual, and thus completely pure, free from any vestige of anger, lust, irreligion, or any other form of material contamination. Because of this, all His activities are always pure and transcendental, and He is always absorbed in thinking about the welfare of His devotees. His heart is also the abode of the process of devotional service, which is meant for His devotees. This makes the point that to fully accept the devotional process, we first need to make our hearts clean by following the regulated process.
All of this is preliminary knowledge that we need to understand to be able to enter into the Lord’s confidential pastimes, described later in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. We can’t understand Krsna’s pastimes without first understanding that Krsna is completely pure, and His activities are free from any vestige of negative or positive material qualities. More than that, we need to clean our own hearts, taking away all the garbage of lust and greed accumulated over so many births. Sahajiyās often fail to understand this and project their own lust into Krsna’s pastimes, describing His pastimes with the gopis in licentious ways that attract other similarly inclined people. Through his teachings, Ṛṣabhadeva coaches us in the proper process.
As an incarnation, Ṛṣabhadeva is non-different from Krsna. As Prabhupada explains, “Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is the foremost living entity. The word ṛṣabha means “the chief,” or “the supreme,” and indicates the Supreme Being, or God Himself.”
Service to Krsna, however, is not performed directly. The best way to serve Krsna is to serve His devotee. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, therefore, urges his sons to serve Bharata, the foremost amongst them, who is a pure devotee:
“My dear boys, you are all born of My heart, which is the seat of all spiritual qualities. Therefore you should not be like materialistic and envious men. You should accept your eldest brother, Bharata, who is exalted in devotional service. If you engage yourselves in Bharata’s service, your service to him will include My service, and you will rule the citizens automatically.” (SB 5.5.20)
This same instruction applies to us. We should serve the Lord’s pure devotees without envy or duplicity and cooperate with them in their mission. This is the best way to serve the Lord. Materialistic people are always full of envy, but we should not be like them.
Another meaning is that the Lord chose Bharata as the King because he was a pure Vaiṣnava and would thus properly guide the citizens, just as He chose Yudhiṣṭhira to rule after the battle of Kurukṣetra. When the ruler is a pure devotee, the whole population can automatically advance by serving and cooperating with him (be it spontaneously, or by force, through the rule of law). As Prabhupāda explains:
“At the present moment, the world is inclined toward the democratic process, but the people in general are all contaminated by the modes of passion and ignorance. Consequently they cannot select the right person to head the government. The president is selected by the votes of ignorant śūdras; therefore another śūdra is elected, and immediately the entire government becomes polluted. If people strictly followed the principles of Bhagavad-gītā, they would elect a person who is the Lord’s devotee. Then automatically there would be good government. Ṛṣabhadeva therefore recommended Bharata Mahārāja as the emperor of this planet. Serving a devotee means serving the Supreme Lord, for a devotee always represents the Lord. When a devotee is in charge, the government is always congenial and beneficial for everyone.”
The culmination of the universal hierarchy
In this way, all the brothers and citizens should serve Bharata, but who should Bharata serve? Should he simply act as the enjoyer? To clarify this point, Ṛṣabhadeva describes the hierarchy of everything that exists in the universe in texts 21 and 22, going from inanimate matter to He Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Who is meant to be served by everyone. He Himself, however, serves the Brāhmanas; therefore, Brāhmanas and Vaiṣnavas should be served by everyone.
“Of the two energies manifest [spirit and dull matter], beings possessing living force [vegetables, grass, trees and plants] are superior to dull matter [stone, earth, etc.]. Superior to nonmoving plants and vegetables are worms and snakes, which can move. Superior to worms and snakes are animals that have developed intelligence. Superior to animals are human beings, and superior to human beings are ghosts because they have no material bodies. Superior to ghosts are the Gandharvas, and superior to them are the Siddhas. Superior to the Siddhas are the Kinnaras, and superior to them are the asuras. Superior to the asuras are the demigods, and of the demigods, Indra, the King of heaven, is supreme. Superior to Indra are the direct sons of Lord Brahmā, sons like King Dakṣa, and supreme among Brahmā’s sons is Lord Śiva. Since Lord Śiva is the son of Lord Brahmā, Brahmā is considered superior, but Brahmā is also subordinate to Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because I am inclined to the brāhmaṇas, the brāhmaṇas are best of all.
O respectful brāhmaṇas, as far as I am concerned, no one is equal or superior to the brāhmaṇas in this world. I do not find anyone comparable to them. When people know My motive, after performing rituals according to the Vedic principles they offer food to Me with faith and love through the mouth of a brāhmaṇa. When food is thus offered unto Me, I eat it with full satisfaction. Indeed, I derive more pleasure from food offered in that way than from the food offered in the sacrificial fire.” (SB 5.6.21-23)
Brāhmanas and Vaiṣnavas are meant to be served by all classes because they are the ones who understand the goal of life, and by serving them and listening to their instructions, everyone else is guided in this direction, including great saintly kings like Bharata Maharaja. Even the greatest kings are not meant to rule alone: they should always rule listening to the council of saintly Brāhmanas and Vaiṣnavas. In this way, they are sure to always remain on the right path.
Another meaning, described by Prabhupāda in his purport, is that these verses reveal the process of spiritual evolution all living beings are meant to go through. One may go from plants and trees all the way to the position of a human being or demigod, but the ultimate goal is to become a pure devotee of the Lord.
What are the qualifications of a bona fide Brāhmana? This is indicated in text 24:
“The Vedas are My eternal transcendental sound incarnation. Therefore the Vedas are śabda-brahma. In this world, the brāhmaṇas thoroughly study all the Vedas, and because they assimilate the Vedic conclusions, they are also to be considered the Vedas personified. The brāhmaṇas are situated in the supreme transcendental mode of nature — sattva-guṇa. Because of this, they are fixed in mind control [śama], sense control [dama], and truthfulness [satya]. They describe the Vedas in their original sense, and out of mercy [anugraha] they preach the purpose of the Vedas to all conditioned souls. They practice penance [tapasya] and tolerance [titikṣā], and they realize the position of the living entity and the Supreme Lord [anubhava]. These are the eight qualifications of the brāhmaṇas. Therefore among all living entities, no one is superior to the brāhmaṇas.” (SB 5.6.24)
The first is that he should be very well learned in the Vedas, not just in the sense of mundane erudition, but in the sense of understanding the real conclusions of the scriptures. The second is that one should be fixed in the mode of goodness, and thus be fixed in śama, dama, and satya (mind control, sense control, and truthfulness). He should also practice penance (tapasya), tolerance (titikṣā), and realize the position of the living entity and the Supreme Lord (anubhava). Apart from these six personal qualities, one should preach the purpose of the Vedas to the conditioned souls, describing the scriptures in their original sense, without personally motivated changes.
Since it was already established that everyone should gradually progress up to the stage of a Brāhmana and then transcend it, attaining the level of a pure Vaiṣnava, these are qualities we are all meant to develop. Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals more details in his purport:
“This is a true description of a brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa is one who has assimilated the Vedic conclusions by practicing mind and sense control. He speaks the true version of all the Vedas. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15): vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. By studying all the Vedas, one should come to understand the transcendental position of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One who actually assimilated the essence of the Vedas can preach the truth. He is compassionate to conditioned souls who are suffering the threefold miseries of this conditional world due to their not being Kṛṣṇa conscious. A brāhmaṇa should take pity on the people and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in order to elevate them. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, personally descends into this universe from the spiritual kingdom to teach conditioned souls about the values of spiritual life. He tries to induce them to surrender unto Him. Similarly, the brāhmaṇas do the same thing. After assimilating the Vedic instructions, they assist the Supreme Lord in His endeavor to deliver conditioned souls. The brāhmaṇas are very dear to the Supreme Lord due to their high sattva-guṇa qualities, and they also engage in welfare activities for all conditioned souls in the material world.”
Because pure devotees are always busy in the transcendental service of the Lord, they are not interested in material acquisitions, even though the Lord is ready to give them anything they may ask for. Since they are not willing to ask anything from the Lord, there is also no need to ask anyone else. It is thus established that pure devotional service is the Supreme goal and the essence of godly life.
“I am fully opulent, almighty and superior to Lord Brahmā and Indra, the King of the heavenly planets. I am also the bestower of all happiness obtained in the heavenly kingdom and by liberation. Nonetheless, the brāhmaṇas do not seek material comforts from Me. They are very pure and do not want to possess anything. They simply engage in My devotional service. What is the need of their asking for material benefits from anyone else?” (SB 5.5.25)
Ṛṣabhadeva then adds another instruction that is one of the secrets for saintly life: to offer respects to everyone and give up envy, understand that Krsna is present inside the heart of everyone as paramātmā:
“My dear sons, you should not envy any living entity — be he moving or nonmoving. Knowing that I am situated in them, you should offer respect to all of them at every moment. In this way, you offer respect to Me.” (SB 5.5.26)
There is a philosophy called pantheism that concludes that everything is God and God is everything, and there is no separate God or soul apart from the cosmos itself. Māyāvādis are a little more refined, understanding that Brahman is the underlying spiritual principle behind everything, but they still fail to distinguish the Lord and the living entity. Only the devotee understands the difference between the body, the soul, and the Supersoul appropriately.
The devotee thus offers respect to everyone, seeing that the Lord is seated in everyone’s heart. He respects everyone as a temple of the Lord and gives up any envy towards others, not making a distinction between people of different social classes, the rich and the poor, etc. Seeing everything in connection with the Lord, a devotee sees matter itself as the energy of the Lord, and that inside of every body there is a transcendental soul who is dear to Him.
This is also made clear in the teachings of Krsna to Uddhava when He was about to leave the planet: “O brilliant Uddhava, one who thus views all living entities with the idea that I am present within each of them, and who by taking shelter of this divine knowledge offers due respect to everyone, is considered actually wise. Such a man sees equally the brāhmaṇa and the outcaste, the thief and the charitable promoter of brahminical culture, the sun and the tiny sparks of fire, the gentle and the cruel.”
The conclusion of Ṛṣabhadeva’s instructions
After establishing devotional service as the ultimate goal of life, Ṛṣabhadeva concludes His instructions by emphasizing that this is not just a theoretical concept. We should practically engage all our senses in the service of the Lord, being engaged in Krsna-conscious activities to be able to get out of the entanglement of matter.
“The true activity of the sense organs — mind, sight, words and all the knowledge-gathering and working senses — is to engage fully in My service. Unless his senses are thus engaged, a living entity cannot think of getting out of the great entanglement of material existence, which is exactly like Yamarāja’s stringent rope.” (SB 5.5.27)
Prabhupāda concludes: “This is the conclusion of bhakti. All the time, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva has been stressing devotional service, and now He is concluding by saying that all the senses should be engaged in the Lord’s service. There are five senses by which we gather knowledge and five senses with which we work. These ten senses and the mind should be fully engaged in the Lord’s service. Without engaging them in this way, one cannot get out of the clutches of māyā.”
After this verse, the narration returns to Śukadeva Goswami, who summarizes His teachings and describes His renunciation after instructing His sons:
“Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus the great well-wisher of everyone, the Supreme Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, instructed His own sons. Although they were perfectly educated and cultured, He instructed them just to set an example of how a father should instruct his sons before retiring from family life. Sannyāsīs, who are no longer bound by fruitive activity and who have taken to devotional service after all their material desires have been vanquished, also learn by these instructions. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva instructed His one hundred sons, of whom the eldest, Bharata, was a very advanced devotee and a follower of Vaiṣṇavas. In order to rule the whole world, the Lord enthroned His eldest son on the royal seat. Thereafter, although still at home, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva lived like a madman, naked and with disheveled hair. Then the Lord took the sacrificial fire within Himself, and He left Brahmāvarta to tour the whole world.” (SB 5.5.28)
Prabhupāda explains that Lord Ṛṣabhadeva gave these instructions not exactly to His sons, because they were already educated and highly advanced in knowledge. Rather, these instructions were meant for sannyāsīs who intend to become advanced devotees.
One type of sannyāsi is one who has entered the renounced order and abandoned everything to dedicate himself to the service of Krsna. Without a doubt, these instructions are applicable to them.
There is, however, another type of sannyāsi: a devotee who abandons his or her sense of possession and uses everything for Krsna, without any perspective of personal profit. Prabhupāda makes this point in his purport to Bg 18.11:
“It is said in Bhagavad-gītā that one can never give up work at any time. Therefore he who works for Kṛṣṇa and does not enjoy the fruitive results, who offers everything to Kṛṣṇa, is actually a renouncer. There are many members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness who work very hard in their office or in the factory or some other place, and whatever they earn they give to the Society. Such highly elevated souls are actually sannyāsīs and are situated in the renounced order of life. It is clearly outlined here how to renounce the fruits of work and for what purpose fruits should be renounced.”
These instructions of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva can help us to gradually come to this platform, even while inside family life, and from there attain freedom from material entanglement and pure love for Krsna. Therefore, they are for all serious devotees who desire to advance in Krsna Consciousness.
The process of renunciation practiced by Ṛṣabhadeva after leaving the throne
After playing the role of a perfect king, Ṛṣabhadeva played the role of a perfect renunciant, showing a process of renunciation that was not practiced before, playing the role of an avadhūta, completely aloof to all social conventions. By this process, he taught us to remain tolerant and fixed in our devotional practice, even while being criticized and faced with opposing elements. These activities are also meant to serve as the perfect example of detachment to yogīs who are practicing the process of mystic yoga. In Kali-yuga, however, no one can follow such a process; we can only hear about it and take it as inspiration to become determined in our own practices. Later, we hear about the example of King Arhat, who unsuccessfully tried to imitate the austerities of Ṛṣabhadeva, creating a concocted system of religion.
“After accepting the feature of avadhūta, a great saintly person without material cares, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva passed through human society like a blind, deaf and dumb man, an idle stone, a ghost or a madman. Although people called Him such names, He remained silent and did not speak to anyone.” (SB 5.5.29)
Soon after installing Bharata on the throne, Ṛṣabhadeva gave up his connection with mundane society and started living as an avadhūta, naked and with disheveled hair. It is described that he took the sacrificial fire within Himself. This means he stopped the execution of Vedic sacrifices as a householder, and instead carried the sacrificial fire internally, as the inner fire of devotion to the Lord. From that point on, His practice became exclusively internal, opposed to the external practices and rituals executed by a householder.
Soon, He left the palace and started traveling, completely aloof from the general people. As Prabhupāda explains, “one who has surpassed the rules and regulations of varṇāśrama-dharma is called avadhūta. Such a person has already surpassed the clutches of māyā, and he lives completely separate and independent.”
Ordinarily, one has to follow the rules of Varnāśrama dharma, or ordinary social conventions, while living in society, but someone like Ṛṣabhadeva, who is completely free from material contamination, sometimes plays the role of a madman to remain aloof from society. They are thus rejected by others and remain free to conduct their internal devotional practice.
“Ṛṣabhadeva began to tour through cities, villages, mines, countrysides, valleys, gardens, military camps, cow pens, the homes of cowherd men, transient hotels, hills, forests and hermitages. Wherever He traveled, all bad elements surrounded Him, just as flies surround the body of an elephant coming from a forest. He was always being threatened, beaten, urinated upon and spat upon. Sometimes people threw stones, stool and dust at Him, and sometimes people passed foul air before Him. Thus people called Him many bad names and gave Him a great deal of trouble, but He did not care about this, for He understood that the body is simply meant for such an end. He was situated on the spiritual platform, and, being in His spiritual glory, He did not care for all these material insults. In other words, He completely understood that matter and spirit are separate, and He had no bodily conception. Thus, without being angry at anyone, He walked through the whole world alone.” (SB 5.5.30)
It is difficult to understand how people could have come to treat their previously dear king in such a way. Since Rṣabadeva is the Supreme Lord, we can only conclude that it was the working of His internal potency.
There are many lessons to be learned from this pastime. In this material world, there are always envious people, and they become especially active when we don’t act like them. By His example, Ṛṣabhadeva teaches us to remain composed in these situations, using difficulties as an opportunity to develop tolerance, training ourselves to remain aloof from physical and material disturbances. Understanding we are not the body, nor the mind, we can choose not to be affected by temporary situations, and thus remain fixed in our meditation on the Lord.
We often think that peace is an external situation, where we become free from any inconvenience, but such a situation does not exist in this material world. Peace is an internal disposition. Just as one may face difficulties in the city, another may face mosquitoes, cold, heat, humidity, and diseases in the forest. In any case, it is not possible to get rid of all external inconveniences. We must learn to disengage ourselves from the external situation. Only then can we find the internal peace to remain constantly absorbed in chanting and remembering Krsna.
As for Lord Ṛṣabhadeva Himself, His body is transcendental, and therefore He didn’t experience any pain or inconvenience from these aggressions. This is also an example to us. Just as the Lord is transcendental, we as souls are also transcendental to body and mind. It is merely a question of identification. When we can finally identify with our original spiritual identity, we become as transcendental as the Lord. Both the Lord and the soul are eternal, blissful, and transcendental to matter. The only difference is that He is the predominator and we are subordinate to Him. In quality, however, we are the same.
Despite not taking care of His body and being apparently dirty, with disheveled hair, etc. Ṛṣabhadeva was very attractive, catching the attention of even married women. Because He was so enchanting, but at the same time exhibited apparently obnoxious material qualities, people would conclude he was haunted by a ghost and fear him. This leads us to text 32:
“When Lord Ṛṣabhadeva saw that the general populace was very antagonistic to His execution of mystic yoga, He accepted the behavior of a python in order to counteract their opposition. Thus He stayed in one place and lay down. While lying down, He ate and drank, and He passed stool and urine and rolled in it. Indeed, He smeared His whole body with His own stool and urine so that opposing elements might not come and disturb Him.” (SB 5.5.32)
When we are preachers, we may travel all over the world spreading the message of Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. As Prabhupāda explains in numerous passages, this is the preferred position for us. However, sometimes a pure devotee decides to just stay in one place and focus on one’s internal practice. What should we do for our personal maintenance in this case?
Prabhupāda explains in his purport: “According to one’s destiny, one enjoys allotted happiness and distress, even though one keeps himself in one place. This is the injunction of the śāstras. When one is spiritually situated, he may stay in one place, and all his necessities will be supplied by the arrangement of the supreme controller. Unless one is a preacher, there is no need to travel all over the world. A person can stay in one place and execute devotional service suitably according to time and circumstance.”
To be a preacher, one has to conform to the social norms and at least partially fit into people’s stereotypes, so they may hear him. However, because Ṛṣabhadeva was beyond this platform and was acting as an avadhūta, people were just giving Him trouble. He decided then to stop His travelings and instead just sit in one place. He, however, did this in the most extreme way, literally just lying in the same place, just like a python. He was thus not making any effort to find food, water, or shelter, just eating what would automatically come to His mouth. He this showed by His practical example that if someone dedicates himself to the service of the Lord, remaining always fixed in meditation, the Lord will maintain him, even if he doesn’t work or beg.
“Because Lord Ṛṣabhadeva remained in that condition, the public did not disturb Him, but no bad aroma emanated from His stool and urine. Quite the contrary, His stool and urine were so aromatic that they filled eighty miles of the countryside with a pleasant fragrance.” (SB 5.5.33)
Krsna used to pass urine on the houses of the elderly gopis as a mischief. Similarly, Ṛṣabhadeva would also pass stool and urine. This shows that the Lord is complete and can do anything He wants. However, when He decides to pass stool, it is a pleasing substance that perfumes and purifies the environment for miles and makes the entire atmosphere very pleasing. A mundane example of how it is possible is cow dung. Although cow dung is the stool of an animal, it is not unpleasant and, in fact, contains many antiseptic properties. One can keep heaps of cow dung in a place, and it will not disturb anyone. This shows how pure things can have very different properties from the mundane analogues. The same principle applies to everything else, like prasāda compared to mundane food, obnoxious material work compared to devotional service, mundane thoughts compared to meditation in Krsna, and illicit sex life compared to one begetting children inside of marriage according to religious principles.
“O King Parīkṣit, just to show all the yogīs the mystic process, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, the plenary expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, performed wonderful activities. Actually He was the master of liberation and was fully absorbed in transcendental bliss, which increased a thousandfold. Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva, is the original source of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva. There is no difference in Their constitution, and consequently Lord Ṛṣabhadeva awakened the loving symptoms of crying, laughing and shivering. He was always absorbed in transcendental love. Due to this, all mystic powers automatically approached Him, such as the ability to travel in outer space at the speed of mind, to appear and disappear, to enter the bodies of others, and to see things far, far away. Although He could do all this, He did not exercise these powers.” (SB 5.5.34-35)
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