Devanagari
अयमवतारो रजसोपप्लुतकैवल्योपशिक्षणार्थ: ॥ १२ ॥
Verse text
ayam avatāro rajasopapluta-kaivalyopaśikṣaṇārthaḥ.
Synonyms
ayam avatāraḥ
—
this incarnation (Lord Ṛṣabhadeva)
;
rajasā
—
by the mode of passion
;
upapluta
—
overwhelmed
;
kaivalya
—
upaśikṣaṇa — arthaḥ — to teach people the path of liberation .
Translation
In this Age of Kali, people are overwhelmed by the modes of passion and ignorance. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva incarnated Himself to deliver them from the clutches of māyā.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Ṛṣabhadeva appeared in this world to teach liberation which had become lost due to the influence of time.
When Ṛṣabhadeva appeared, the jṣānīs of that time were supposed to follow his example. He came to teach jṣāna-yoga which had been lost due to the influence of time (rajosopapluta). Or he came to teach the path of liberation to those overcome by rajoguṇa. People of Satya, Treta and Dvāparā yugas could follow his teachings, but the people of Kali-yuga should only hear about him.
Purport
The symptoms of Kali-yuga are predicted in the Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter, of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam.
It is predicted how fallen souls will behave. They will keep their hair long and consider themselves very beautiful, or they will pluck out their hair as the Jains do. They will keep themselves unclean and will not wash their mouths. Jains refer to Lord Ṛṣabhadeva as their original preceptor. If such people are serious followers of Ṛṣabhadeva, they must also take His instructions. In the Fifth Chapter of this canto, Ṛṣabhadeva gave His one hundred sons instructions whereby they could become free from the clutches of
māyā.
If one actually follows Ṛṣabhadeva, he will certainly be delivered from the clutches of
māyā
and return home, back to Godhead. If one strictly follows the instructions of Ṛṣabhadeva given in the Fifth Chapter, he will certainly be liberated. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva incarnated specifically to deliver these fallen souls.