The Decision and The Renunciation
At the appropriate time, Lord Rsabhadeva approached his aging father King Nabhi and announced his decision to renounce all material attachments and dedicate himself exclusively to spiritual realization and the establishment of spiritual truth. King Nabhi, though deeply attached to his extraordinary son, recognized the appropriateness of this decision and gave his blessing. With tears of both sorrow and joy, Nabhi acknowledged that his son belonged not to the family or the kingdom, but to all beings who could benefit from his teachings and example.
Rsabhadeva's renunciation was not a dramatic departure or an angry rejection of family and society. Rather, it was a calm, deliberate transition in which he consciously released all material identifications and dedicated his consciousness completely to the Supreme Lord. He gave away his royal possessions, released his claims to the throne, and departed from the palace with nothing but the clothes on his body. His departure was witnessed by thousands who had come to honor the extraordinary being who had been their king's son.
Rather than withdrawing to a distant cave or mountain to practice in isolation, Rsabhadeva adopted a unique approach to his spiritual life that demonstrated his profound understanding of the relationship between the material world and spiritual realization. He traveled throughout the kingdoms and forests, appearing to external observers as though he had become mad or incoherent. He would sometimes behave in ways that seemed strange or irrational, sometimes engaging in activities that appeared to be indulgence in material pleasures, sometimes adopting the appearance and behavior of those society considered degraded or fallen.
This apparent madness was actually a profound teaching strategy—by appearing to abandon all conventional standards of respectability, Rsabhadeva demonstrated that genuine spiritual consciousness is independent of external circumstances, material status, or social approval. He showed that one can maintain perfect awareness of the Supreme Lord while appearing to the material world as a complete failure or fool. He demonstrated that attachment to reputation, to social status, to the approval of others, represents a subtle form of bondage that must be transcended to achieve genuine spiritual freedom.
Through his renunciation and his subsequent travels, Rsabhadeva communicated a comprehensive spiritual message to all beings, from the most spiritually advanced sages to the most materially absorbed householders. For the sages and advanced practitioners, his example demonstrated the ultimate goal toward which all spiritual practice should be directed—the complete transcendence of all material identifications and the perfect absorption in consciousness of the Supreme. For ordinary people, his example showed that spiritual realization does not require external perfection or universal approval, but only sincere dedication to truth and willingness to release attachments to worldly standards of success.
This chapter teaches that genuine spiritual liberation consists not merely in changing external circumstances but in fundamental transformation of consciousness and complete reorientation of all attachments and identifications. Rsabhadeva's renunciation and the strange way he conducted his life after leaving the kingdom demonstrate that the spiritual path sometimes requires releasing conventional forms of respectability and enduring the judgment of those who do not understand. However, those who are genuinely seeking truth will recognize that Rsabhadeva's path, though unconventional by material standards, represents the highest and most direct route to spiritual realization and eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord.