Canto & Chapters
The Status Quo (33 Chapters)
Chapter 130v
Chapter 1
Chapter 230v
Chapter 2
Chapter 330v
Chapter 3
Chapter 430v
Chapter 4
Chapter 530v
Chapter 5
Chapter 630v
Chapter 6
Chapter 730v
Chapter 7
Chapter 830v
Chapter 8
Chapter 930v
Chapter 9
Chapter 1030v
Chapter 10
Chapter 1130v
Chapter 11
Chapter 1230v
Chapter 12
Chapter 1330v
Chapter 13
Chapter 1430v
Chapter 14
Chapter 1530v
Chapter 15
Chapter 1630v
Chapter 16
Chapter 1730v
Chapter 17
Chapter 1830v
Chapter 18
Chapter 1930v
Chapter 19
Chapter 2030v
Chapter 20
Chapter 2130v
Chapter 21
Chapter 2230v
Chapter 22
Chapter 2330v
Chapter 23
Chapter 2430v
Chapter 24
Chapter 2530v
Chapter 25
Chapter 2630v
Chapter 26
Chapter 2730v
Chapter 27
Chapter 2830v
Chapter 28
Chapter 2930v
Chapter 29
Chapter 3030v
Chapter 30
Chapter 3130v
Chapter 31
Chapter 3230v
Chapter 32
Chapter 3330v
Chapter 33
Canto 3, Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Verse 4 (SB 3.12.4)
SB 3.12.4 • मूल श्लोक
सनकं च सनन्दं च सनातनमथात्मभू: । सनत्कुमारं च मुनीन्निष्क्रियानूर्ध्वरेतस: ॥ ४ ॥
Transliteration
sanakaṁ ca sanandaṁ ca sanātanam athātmabhūḥ sanat-kumāraṁ ca munīn niṣkriyān ūrdhva-retasaḥ
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
sanakam — Sanaka; ca — also; sanandam — Sananda; ca — and; sanātanam — Sanātana; atha — thereafter; ātma-bhūḥ — Brahmā, who is self-born; sanat-kumāram — Sanat-kumāra; ca — also; munīn — the great sages; niṣkriyān — free from all fruitive action; ūrdhva-retasaḥ — those whose semen flows upwards.
Translation
“In the beginning, Brahmā created four great sages named Sanaka, Sananda, Sanātana and Sanat-kumāra. All of them were unwilling to adopt materialistic activities because they were highly elevated due to their semen’s flowing upwards.”
Bhaktivedanta Purport
By Śrīla PrabhupādaAlthough Brahmā created the principles of nescience as a matter of necessity for those living entities who were destined to ignorance by the will of the Lord, he was not satisfied in performing such a thankless task. He therefore created four principles of knowledge: sāṅkhya, or empirical philosophy for the analytical study of material conditions; yoga, or mysticism for liberation of the pure soul from material bondage; vairāgya, the acceptance of complete detachment from material enjoyment in life to elevate oneself to the highest spiritual understanding; and tapas, or the various kinds of voluntary austerities performed for spiritual perfection. Brahmā created the four great sages Sanaka, Sananda, Sanātana and Sanat to entrust them with these four principles of spiritual advancement, and they inaugurated their own spiritual party, or sampradāya, known as the Kumāra sampradāya, or later on as the Nimbārka sampradāya, for the advancement of bhakti. All of these great sages became great devotees, for without devotional service to the Personality of Godhead one cannot achieve success in any activity of spiritual value.