Text 13]
Krṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations
151
TRANSLATION
The eighth incarnation was King Rṣabha, son of King Nābhi and his wife Merudevī. In this incarnation the Lord showed the path of perfection, which is followed by those who have fully controlled their senses and who are honored by all orders of life.
PURPORT
The society of human beings is naturally divided into eight by orders and statuses of life, the four divisions of occupation and four divisions of cultural advancement. The intelligent class, the administrative class, the productive class and the laborer class are the four divisions of occupation. And the student life, the householder's life, retired life and renounced life are the four statuses of cultural advancement towards the path of spiritual realization. Out of these, the renounced order of life, or the order of  sannyāsa , is considered the highest of all, and a  sannyāsī  is constitutionally the spiritual master for all the orders and divisions. In the  sannyāsa  order also there are four stages of upliftment toward perfection. Such stages are called the  kuṭīcaka ,  bahūdaka ,  parivrājakācārya , and the  paramahaṁsa . The  paramahaṁsa  stage of life is the highest stage of perfection. This order of life is respected by all others. Mahārāja Rṣabha, the son of King Nābhi and Merudevī, was an incarnation of the Lord, and He instructed His sons to follow the path of perfection by  tapasya  which sanctifies one's existence and enables one to attain the stage of spiritual happiness which is eternal and ever increasing. Every living being is searching after happiness, but no one knows where eternal and unlimited happiness is obtainable. Foolish men seek after material sense pleasure as a substitute for real happiness, but such foolish men forget that temporary so-called happiness derived from sense pleasures is also enjoyed by the dogs and hogs. No animal, bird or beast is bereft of this sense pleasure. In every species of life, including the human form of life, such happiness is immensely obtainable. The human form of life is, however, not meant for such cheap happiness. The human life is meant for attaining eternal and unlimited happiness by spiritual realization. This spiritual realization is obtained by  tapasya  or undergoing voluntarily the path of penance and abstinence from material pleasures. Those who have been trained for abstinence in material pleasures are called  dhīra , or men undisturbed by the senses. These  dhīras  can accept the orders of  sannyāsa , and they can gradually rise up to the status of the  paramahaṁsa , which is adored by all