Text 5] The Characteristics of Rsabhadeva 145

brahmana must perform the duty of a brahmana without cheating the
public. It is not that one attains the name of a brahmana without the
qualifications. It is the king's duty to see that everyone engages in his oc-
cupational duty according to Vedic principles. In addition, retirement at
the end of life is compulsory. Maharaja Nabhi, although still a king.
retired from family life and went with his wife to a place called
Badarikasrama in the Himalayas. where the Deity Nara-Narayana is
worshiped. The words prasanna-nipunena tapas indicate that the King
accepted all kinds of austerity very expertly and jubilantly. He did not at
all mind leaving his comfortable life at home, although he was the em-
peror. Despite undergoing severe austerities and penances, he felt very
pleased at Badarikasrama, and he did everything there expertly. In this
way, being fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness (samadhi-yoga). al-
ways thinking of Krsna, Vasudeva, Maharaja Nabhi attained success at
the end of his life and was promoted to the spiritual world,
Vaikunthaloka.

This is the way of Vedic life. One must stop the process of repeated
birth and death and return home, back to Godhead. The words tan-
mahimanam avapa are significant in this regard. Srila Sridhara Svami
says that mahima means liberation in this life. We should act in such a
way in this life that after giving up this body, we will become liberated
from the bondage of repeated birth and death. This is called jrvan-mukti.
Srila Viraraghava Acarya states that in the Chandogya Upanisad there
are eight symptoms of a jivan-mukta, a person who is already liberated
even when living in this body. The first symptom of one so liberated is
that he is freed from all sinful activity (apahata-papa). As long as one is
under the clutches of maya in the material energy. one has to engage in
sinful activity. Bhagavad-gita describes such people as duskrtinah,
which indicates that they are always engaged in sinful activity. One who
is liberated in this life does not commit any sinful activities. Sinful ac-
tivity involves illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling.
Another symptom of a liberated person is vara, which indicates that he
is not subjected to the miseries of old age. Another symptom is vimrtyu.
A liberated person prepares himself in such a way that he does not take
on any more material bodies. which are destined to die. In other words.
he does not fall down again to repeat birth and death. Another symptom
is visoka, which indicates that he is callous to material distress and
