Text 19
nityānubhūta-nija-lābha-nivṛtta-tṛṣṇaḥ
śreyasy atad-racanayā cira-supta-buddheḥ
lokasya yaḥ karuṇayābhayam ātma-lokam
ākhyān namo bhagavate ṛṣabhāya tasmai
nitya-anubhūta — due to being always conscious of His real identity; nija-lābha-nivṛtta-tṛṣṇaḥ — who was complete in Himself and had no other desire to fulfill; śreyasi — in life’s genuine welfare; a-tat-racanayā — by expanding activities in the material field, mistaking the body for the self; cira — for a long time; supta — sleeping; buddheḥ — whose intelligence; lokasya — of men; yaḥ — who (Lord Ṛṣabhadeva); karuṇayā — by His causeless mercy; abhayam — fearlessness; ātma-lokam — the real identity of the self; ākhyāt — instructed; namaḥ — respectful obeisances; bhagavate — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ṛṣabhāya — unto Lord Ṛṣabhadeva; tasmai — unto Him.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, was fully aware of His true identity; therefore He was self-sufficient, and He did not desire external gratification. There was no need for Him to aspire for success, since He was complete in Himself. Those who unnecessarily engage in bodily conceptions and create an atmosphere of materialism are always ignorant of their real self-interest. Out of His causeless mercy, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva taught the self’s real identity and the goal of life. We therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who appeared as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva.
This is the summary of this chapter, in which the activities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva are described. Being the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva is complete in Himself. We living entities, as parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, should follow the instructions of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva and become self-sufficient. We should not create unnecessary demands due to the bodily conception. When one is self-realized, he is sufficiently satisfied due to being situated in his original spiritual position. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.54): brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati. This is the goal of all living entities. Even though one may be situated within this material world, he can become fully satisfied and devoid of hankering and lamentation simply by following the instructions of the Lord as set forth in Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Satisfaction through self-realization is called svarūpānanda. The conditioned soul, eternally sleeping in darkness, does not understand his self-interest. He simply tries to become happy by making material adjustments, but this is impossible. It is therefore said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: due to gross ignorance, the conditioned soul does not know that his real self-interest is to take shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. To try to become happy by adjusting the material atmosphere is a useless endeavor. Indeed, it is impossible. By His personal behavior and instructions, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva enlightened the conditioned soul and showed him how to become self-sufficient in his spiritual identity.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Sixth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Activities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva.”