Rishabha is described as a partial avatara of Vishnu, with an extended account of his life spanning four chapters of the fifth book of the Bhagavata Purana (5.3–5.6), detailing his divine birth, kingship, ascetic renunciation, and final departure from the world.
Divine birth and incarnation The Bhagavata Purana presents five lists of Vishnu's avataras, and Rishabha is included in four of them, with only the shortest omitting his name. Notably, he expresses strong praise for brahmanas, portraying them as embodiments of the Vedas and declaring that food offered to them pleases him more than sacrificial offerings. This praise has been interpreted as part of the text’s effort to contrast Rishabha’s orthodoxy with the anti-Brahmanical views traditionally associated with Jainism. After delivering his teachings, Rishabha is portrayed as exemplifying his own principles by crowning his son Bharata and renouncing the throne to pursue a life of complete detachment. He adopted the path of an
avadhuta - wandering naked, with unbound hair, and maintaining a
vow of silence, appearing to others as if mad or senseless. ==Comparison with Jain Tradition==