Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.15
ప్రియవ్రతో నామ సుతో మనో: స్వాయమ్భువస్య య: ।
తస్యాగ్నీధ్రస్తతో నాభిఋర్షభస్తత్సుత: స్మృత: ॥ ౧౫ ॥
priyavrato nāma suto
[priyavrato naama suto]
manoḥ svāyambhuvasya yaḥ
[manoh svaayambhuvasya yah]
tasyāgnīdhras tato nābhir
[tasyaagneedhras tato naabhir]
ṛṣabhas tat-sutaḥ smṛtaḥ
[rishabhas tat-sutah smritah]
Word-for-word
priyavrataḥ
—
Mahārāja Priyavrata
nāma
—
by name
sutaḥ
—
the son
manoḥ svāyambhuvasya
—
of Svāyambhuva Manu
yaḥ
—
who
tasya
—
his
āgnīdhraḥ
—
(son was) Āgnīdhra
tataḥ
—
from him (Āgnīdhra)
nābhiḥ
—
King Nābhi
ṛṣabhaḥ
—
Lord Ṛṣabhadeva
tat-sutaḥ
—
his son
smṛtaḥ
—
is so remembered.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
priyavrato nāma suto
priyavrataḥ
Mahārāja Priyavrata
nāma
by name
sutaḥ
the son
manoḥ svāyambhuvasya yaḥ
manoḥ svāyambhuvasya
of Svāyambhuva Manu
yaḥ
who
tasyāgnīdhras tato nābhir
tasya
his
āgnīdhraḥ
(son was) Āgnīdhra
tataḥ
from him (Āgnīdhra)
nābhiḥ
King Nābhi
ṛṣabhas tat-sutaḥ smṛtaḥ
ṛṣabhaḥ
Lord Ṛṣabhadeva
tat-sutaḥ
his son
smṛtaḥ
is so remembered.
Svāyambhuva Manu had a son named Mahārāja Priyavrata, and among Priyavrata’s sons was Āgnīdhra. From Āgnīdhra was born Nābhi, whose son was known as Ṛṣabhadeva.
Purport
The genealogical background of the sons of Ṛṣabhadeva is given in this verse.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Svāyambhuva Manu had a son named Mahārāja Priyavrata, and among Priyavrata's sons was Āgnīdhra. From Āgnīdhra was born Nābhi, whose son was known as Ṛṣabhadeva.
The sons of Ṛṣabha were mentioned in the previous verse. Who was Ṛṣabha? This is now explained.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Ṛṣabhadeva descends in a real human lineage — Kṛṣṇa's avatāras enter history through specific fathers and sons, not myth.
Practical Applications
- Honor the specific human lineage you stand in today — speak to a parent or elder and acknowledge what you have received through them.
- Refuse the modern habit of treating scripture's genealogies as decorative — read SB 11.2.15 as historical record of how the Lord enters the world.
- Name one disciplic or family line you belong to and offer one concrete act of service to it today.
Reflection Questions
- Which lineage — spiritual or familial — have I been treating as background scenery rather than as the channel through which grace has reached me?
- If Kṛṣṇa Himself chose to descend through a named father and son, what does that ask of me in honoring my own place in a line?
For Each Age Group
youth
- Call or message a grandparent or older relative this week and ask them one question about your family line you have never asked.
- Notice when you dismiss your parents' or teachers' guidance as outdated — pause and ask what they actually received from their own elders.
- Pick one teacher or mentor whose line of training shaped you, and write down what you received from them before posting anything else today.
householder
- Tell your children tonight the names of at least three ancestors and one thing each contributed, so the line is not lost in your home.
- Refuse to let career mobility sever ties — schedule a recurring call with the elders of your family and your guru's line.
- When making a major family decision this month, consult someone senior in your spiritual lineage rather than relying only on peers or the internet.
senior
- Sit down this week and write the genealogy — spiritual and familial — that you want your grandchildren to inherit, with names and dates while you still remember them.
- Identify one younger person in your disciplic or family line and commit to a regular conversation in which you transmit what you received.
- Release any quiet bitterness toward elders in your line by naming, before Kṛṣṇa, three specific gifts you received through them.
Common Pitfalls
- Skimming genealogical verses as if they were filler, missing that the Bhāgavatam is anchoring the avatāra in real history.
- Romanticizing 'lineage' in the abstract while neglecting the actual elders and teachers in front of you.
- Confusing pride in ancestry with genuine respect — boasting about a line one is not actually serving.
Discussion Prompts
- Why does the Bhāgavatam name Priyavrata, Āgnīdhra, and Nābhi before telling us about Ṛṣabhadeva — what would be lost if it just said 'long ago a great soul appeared'?
- Share one elder in your spiritual or family line whose specific contribution you can name — and one whose name you realize you have forgotten.
- Where in your own life are you tempted to start fresh and reject the line you came through, and where is that healthy versus where is it ahaṅkāra?
Role Play
Two students pair up: one plays a younger seeker who says, 'I don't care about all these names of fathers and sons — just give me the philosophy.' The other plays a senior devotee who must respond from SB 11.2.15, explaining why the lineage from Svāyambhuva Manu down to Ṛṣabhadeva is itself part of the teaching.
Objections & Responses
- These genealogies are just ancient record-keeping — irrelevant to my spiritual life today.
The Bhāgavatam preserves them because Ṛṣabhadeva is an avatāra of Kṛṣṇa, and the line he descends through grounds the descent in history, not myth. Honoring the line is honoring the Lord's chosen way of entering the world. - Why elevate one family line? Isn't every soul equal before Kṛṣṇa?
Every soul is indeed equal in its essential relationship with Kṛṣṇa, but He chooses specific lineages — both biological and disciplic — as channels for His descent and teaching. Honoring the channel is not inequality; it is recognizing how grace actually flows.
My note
Source: vedabase.io