150
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 5, Ch. 4]
householder life in an examplary way, carrying out ritualistic activities ordained by the śruti and smṛti śāstra.
PURPORT
Being an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Rṣabhadeva had nothing to do with material affairs. As stated in  Bhagavad-gītā ,  paritrāṇāya sādhūnām vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām : the purpose of an incarnation is to liberate His devotees and to stop the demoniac activities of nondevotees. These are the two functions of the Supreme Lord when He incarnates. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that in order to preach, one must live a practical life and show people how to do things.  Āpani ācari' bhakti śikhāimu sabāre . One cannot teach others unless he behaves the same way himself. Rṣabhadeva was an ideal king, and He took His education in the  gurukula , although He was already educated because the Supreme Lord is omniscient. Although Rṣabhadeva had nothing to learn from  gurukula , He went there just to teach the people in general how to take an education from the right source, from Vedic teachers. He then entered householder life and lived according to the principles of Vedic knowledge— śruti  and  smṛti . In his  Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu  (1.2.10) Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, quoting the  Skanda Purāṇa , states:
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi- pañcarātra-vidhim vinā aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate
Human society must follow the instructions received from  śruti  and  smṛti , Vedic literature. Practically applied in life this is worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the  pāñcarātrika-vidhi . Every human being must advance his spiritual life and at the end return home, back to Godhead. Mahārāja Rṣabhadeva strictly followed all these principles. He remained an ideal  gṛhastha  and taught His sons how to become perfect in spiritual life. These are some examples of how He ruled the earth and completed His mission as an incarnation.