bhagavÄn ṛṣabha-saá¹jña Ätma-tantraḥ svayaá¹ nitya-nivá¹›ttÄnartha-paramparaḥ kevalÄnandÄnubhava Ä«Å›vara eva viparÄ«tavat karmÄṇy ÄrabhamÄṇaḥ kÄlenÄnugataá¹ dharmam ÄcaraṇenopaÅ›iká¹£ayann atad-vidÄá¹ sama upaÅ›Änto maitraḥ kÄruṇiko dharmÄrtha-yaÅ›aḥ-prajÄnandÄmá¹›tÄvarodhena gá¹›heá¹£u lokaá¹ niyamayat
bhagavÄn - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ṛṣabha - Ṛṣabha; saá¹jñaḥ - named; Ätma-tantraḥ - fully independent; svayam - personally; nitya - eternally; nivá¹›tta - free from; anartha - of things not wanted (birth, old age, disease and death); paramparaḥ - the continual succession, one after another; kevala - only; Änanda-anubhavaḥ - full of transcendental bliss; Ä«Å›varaḥ - the Supreme Lord, the controller; eva - indeed; viparÄ«ta-vat - just like the opposite; karmÄṇi - material activities; ÄrabhamÄṇaḥ - performing; kÄlena - in course of time; anugatam - neglected; dharmam - the varṇÄÅ›rama-dharma; Äcaraṇena - by executing; upaÅ›iká¹£ayan - teaching; a-tat-vidÄm - persons who are in ignorance; samaḥ - equipoised; upaÅ›Äntaḥ - undisturbed by the material senses; maitraḥ - very friendly to everyone; kÄruṇikaḥ - very merciful to all; dharma - religious principles; artha - economic development; yaÅ›aḥ - reputation; prajÄ - sons and daughters; Änanda - material pleasure; amá¹›ta - eternal life; avarodhena - for achieving; gá¹›heá¹£u - in household life; lokam - the people in general; niyamayat - He regulated.
The varṇÄÅ›rama-dharma is meant for imperfect, conditioned souls. It trains them to become spiritually advanced in order to return home, back to Godhead. A civilization that does not know the highest aim of life is no better than an animal society. As stated in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam: na te viduḥ svÄrtha-gatiá¹ hi viṣṇum. A human society is meant for elevation to spiritual knowledge so that all of the people can be freed from the clutches of birth, death, old age and disease. The varṇÄÅ›rama-dharma enables human society to become perfectly fit for getting out of the clutches of mÄyÄ, and by following the regulative principles of varṇÄÅ›rama-dharma one can become successful. In this regard, see Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ 3.21-24.