Text 13] Krsna Is the Source of All Incarnations 151]
TRANSLATION
The eighth incarnation was King Rsabha, son of King Nabhi and his
wife Merudevi. 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 sannyasa, is considered the highest of all, and a sannydsi is constitution-
ally the spiritual master for all the orders and divisions. In the sannydsa
order also there are four stages of upliftment toward perfection. Such
stages are called the kuticaka, bahidaka, parivrajakdcarya, and the parama-
hamsa. The paramahamsa stage of life is the highest stage of perfection.
This order of life is respected by all others. Maharaja Rsabha, the son of
King Nabhi and Merudevi, was an incarnation of the Lord, and He in-
structed 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 search-
ing after happiness, but no one knows where eternal and unlimited happi-
ness 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 dhira, or men undisturbed by
the senses. These dhiras can accept the orders of sannydsa, and they can
gradually rise up to the status of the paramaharsa, which is adored by all
