SB 5.6.9 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यस्य किलानुचरितमुपाकर्ण्य कोङ्कवेङ्ककुटकानां राजार्हन्नामोपशिक्ष्य कलावधर्म उत्कृष्यमाणे भवितव्येन विमोहित: स्वधर्मपथमकुतोभयमपहाय कुपथपाखण्डमसमञ्जसं निजमनीषया मन्द: सम्प्रवर्तयिष्यते ॥ ९ ॥

Verse text

yasya kilānucaritam upākarṇya koṅka-veṅka-kuṭakānāṁ rājārhan-nāmopaśikṣya kalāv adharma utkṛṣyamāṇe bhavitavyena vimohitaḥ sva-dharma-patham akuto-bhayam apahāya kupatha-pākhaṇḍam asamaṣjasaṁ nija-manīṣayā mandaḥ sampravartayiṣyate.

Synonyms

yasya — of whom (Lord Ṛṣabhadeva) ; kila anucaritam — pastimes as a paramahaṁsa, above all regulative varṇāśrama principles ; upākarṇya — hearing ; koṅka — veṅka — kuṭakānām — of Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka ; rājā — the King ; arhat — nāma — whose name was Arhat (now known as the Jain) ; upaśikṣya — imitating the activities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva in His paramahaṁsa feature ; kalau — in this Age of Kali ; adharme utkṛṣyamāṇe — because of increasing irreligious life ; bhavitavyena — by that which was about to happen ; vimohitaḥ — bewildered ; sva — dharma — patham — the path of religion ; akutaḥ — bhayam — which is free from all kinds of fearful danger ; apahāya — giving up (such practices as cleanliness, truthfulness, control of the senses and mind, simplicity, the principles of religion, and practical application of knowledge) ; ku — patha — pākhaṇḍam — the wrong path of atheism ; asamaṣjasam — improper or against the Vedic literature ; nija — manīṣayā — by his own fertile brain ; mandaḥ — most foolish ; sampravartayiṣyate — will introduce .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: My dear King, the King of Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka whose name was Arhat, heard of the activities of Ṛṣabhadeva and, imitating Ṛṣabhadeva’s principles, introduced a new system of religion. Taking advantage of Kali-yuga, the age of sinful activity, King Arhat, being bewildered, gave up the Vedic principles, which are free from risk, and concocted a new system of religion opposed to the Vedas. That was the beginning of the Jain dharma. Many other so-called religions followed this atheistic system.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

King Arhat of Koṇka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka regions, hearing about the activities of Ṛṣabhadeva, would become bewildered when adharma increased in Kali-yuga by the results of bad karma. Foolishly giving up his path of dharma which destroys all dangers, by his own mind he propagated a deviant path which rejected the scriptures. The jīvas of Kali-yuga, looking in the external world, will get benefit by hearing and chanting the pastimes of Ṛṣabhadeva, but not by imitating his behavior. Because the jīvas in Kali-yuga are incapable of looking inward, they become fallen by becoming fixed in Ṛṣabhadeva’s external conduct alone. The person called Arhat will be born in the future. Hearing of Ṛṣabhadeva through local scriptures, he thought he would also become similar by imitating Ṛṣabhadeva’s activities. He learned about his activities in detail (upaśīkṣya). When adharma would increase in Kali-yuga because of what would inevitably happen as a result of bad karma (bhāvitavyena), Arhat became bewildered.

Purport

When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, a person named Pauṇḍraka imitated the four-handed Nārāyaṇa and declared himself the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He desired to compete with Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, during the time of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, the King of Koṅka and Veṅka acted like a paramahaṁsa and imitated Lord Ṛṣabhadeva. He introduced a system of religion and took advantage of the fallen condition of the people in this Age of Kali. It is said in Vedic literatures that people in this age will be more inclined to accept anyone as the Supreme Lord and accept any religious system opposed to Vedic principles. The people in this age are described as mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. Generally they have no spiritual culture, and therefore they are very fallen. Due to this, they will accept any religious system. Due to their misfortune. they forget the Vedic principles. Following non-Vedic principles in this age, they think themselves the Supreme Lord and thus spread the cult of atheism all over the world.