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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 5, Ch. 5]
semen takes the form of a body. Therefore according to the Vedic system, when one begets a child his heart should be purified through the ritualistic ceremony known as  garbhādhāna . Rṣabhadeva's heart was always uncontaminated and spiritual. Consequently all the sons born from the heart of Rṣabhadeva were spiritually inclined. Nonetheless, Rṣabhadeva suggested that His eldest son was superior, and He advised the others to serve him. All the brothers of Bharata Mahārāja were advised by Rṣabhadeva to adhere to Bharata's service. The question may be asked why one should be attached to family members, for in the beginning it was advised that one should not be attached to home and family. However, it is also advised,  mahīyasām pāda-rajo-'bhiṣeka —one has to serve the  mahīyān , one who is very spiritually advanced.  Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ : by serving the  mahat , the exalted devotee, one's path for liberation is open. The family of Rṣabhadeva should not be compared to an ordinary materialistic family. Bharata Mahārāja, Rṣabhadeva's eldest son, was specifically very exalted. For this reason the other sons were advised to serve him for his pleasure. That was to be their duty.
The Supreme Lord was advising Bharata Mahārāja to be the chief ruler of the planet. This is the real plan of the Supreme Lord. In the Battle of Kurukṣetra, we find that Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to be the supreme emperor of this planet. He never wanted Duryodhana to take the post. As stated in the previous verse, Lord Rṣabhadeva's heart is  hṛdayaṁ yatra dharmaḥ . The characteristic  dharma  is also explained in  Bhagavad-gītā : surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To protect  dharma  ( paritrāṇāya sādhūnām ), the Lord always wants the ruler of the earth to be a devotee. Then everything goes on nicely for the benefit of everyone. As soon as a demon rules the earth, everything becomes chaotic. 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. Rṣabhadeva therefore recommended Bharata Mahārāja as the em-