Nābhi
Nābhi was the son of Āgnīdhra and the apsarā (heavenly dancer) Pūrvacitti. He ruled Bhārata-varsha, the southernmost region of Jambū-dvīpa. He is known as the father of Ṛshabhadeva, the avatāra (descent) of Bhagavān Vishṇu. Bhagavān Vishṇu took this birth because of the righteous yajña (fire ritual) that Nābhi performed. Nābhi’s queen was Merudevī. In the end Nābhi gave up the world and reached moksha (liberation) at Badarikāśrama.
Lineage
Nābhi was the eldest of the nine sons of Āgnīdhra. Āgnīdhra was the eldest son of Priyavrata. The line runs like this:
- Priyavrata
- Āgnīdhra, ruler of Jambū-dvīpa
- Nābhi, ruler of Bhārata-varsha
Āgnīdhra shared the nine varshas (regions) of Jambū-dvīpa among his nine sons. Nābhi received Bhārata-varsha. This is the southernmost varsha, and in it karma (action and its fruit) works in full. So it is the land of tapas (austerity), yajña, and the active search for dharma and moksha.
Nābhi’s queen was Merudevī, the daughter of Meru, the lord of mountains. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 5th Skanda, Chapter 2)
The great yajña and the coming of Bhagavān Vishṇu
Nābhi and Merudevī wanted a son who would be Bhagavān Vishṇu himself. For this Nābhi held a great yajña. It was complete in every part. All seven things needed for a perfect sacrifice were there without fault: the priest’s eligibility, the right ground, the right time, the right tools, the right materials, the right ritual acts, and qualified ṛtvij (officiating priests).
The ṛtvij made a heartfelt stotra (hymn of praise) to Bhagavān Vishṇu. They prayed that the supreme Purusha himself would be born as the son of Nābhi and Merudevī. Then Nābhi’s wish for a son in the likeness of the divine would be fully met.
Bhagavān Vishṇu was moved by this pure devotion and appeared before the gathering. The ṛtvij saw him face to face. He had the Śrīvatsa mark on his chest and four arms, holding conch, disc, club and lotus. He wore the Vaijayantī garland and divine ornaments, and he shone like lightning. They praised him with a long stotra. They said that Bhagavān Vishṇu comes down to restore dharma, and that his nature is beyond all cause and condition.
Bhagavān Vishṇu answered them warmly. He accepted Nābhi’s devotion and the perfection of his yajña. He said there is no one equal to him or above him who could give a better son. So, out of his own endless grace, he himself would be born as the son of Nābhi and Merudevī. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 5th Skanda, Chapters 3–4)
The birth of Ṛshabhadeva
Bhagavān Vishṇu kept his word and was born as Ṛshabhadeva from the womb of Merudevī. The child had all the divine marks and good qualities. He had the Śrīvatsa mark on his chest, lotus-shaped palms, and all the lucky signs listed in the Lakshaṇa-śāstra. His divine qualities grew day by day. Even as a young prince he showed great power, kindness and spiritual light. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 5th Skanda, Chapter 4)
Giving up the throne
Nābhi crowned Ṛshabhadeva as ruler of Bhārata-varsha. He had done his duty as a householder king, and then he gave up the world. He went with Merudevī to Badarikāśrama in the Himālaya, the holy āśrama of Nara and Nārāyaṇa. There he practised tapas and meditated on the Paramātmā within himself. At the end of his life he reached moksha.
The Bhāgavatam shows Nābhi as a model king. Through right rule and a life of devotion he fulfilled all four purushārthas (aims of life): dharma, artha, kāma and finally moksha. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 5th Skanda, Chapter 4)
Why his yajña is remembered
The Purāṇas remember Nābhi’s yajña as one of the rare times when Bhagavān Vishṇu promised to take birth himself in answer to a devotee’s yajña. The pure aim, the complete ritual and the devotion of the ṛtvij together made the way for the avatāra of Ṛshabhadeva. Nābhi is the father through whom Bhagavān Vishṇu came into the line of Jambū-dvīpa.
Sources
- Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 5th Skanda, Chapters 2–4