Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.3.42

evam praśnam rishīn pūrvam

apriccham pitur antike

nābruvan brahmanah putrās

tatra kāranam ucyatām

SYNONYMS

evam — similar; praśnam — a question; rishīn — to the sages; pūrvam — previously; apriccham — I asked; pituh — of my father (Ikshvāku Mahārāja); antike — in front; na abruvan — they did not speak; brahmanah — of Lord Brahmā; putrāh — the sons; tatra — of that; kāranam — the reason; ucyatām — please say.

TRANSLATION

Once in the past, in the presence of my father, Mahārāja Ikshvāku, I placed a similar question before four great sages who were sons of Lord Brahmā. But they did not answer my question. Please explain the reason for this.

PURPORT

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī the words brahmanah putrāh, "the sons of Brahmā," refer to the four Kumāras headed by Sanaka Rishi. Śrīla Madhvācārya has quoted a verse from the Tantra-bhāgavata stating that the reason the four sons of Lord Brahmā, although mahājanas and experts in the science of devotional service, declined to answer King Nimi was that they wanted to demonstrate clearly that even those who are expert in the cultivation of speculative knowledge cannot understand the actual science of pure devotional service. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has further commented that the sages avoided answering the question from the King because at that time King Nimi was a young boy and therefore not mature enough to understand the answer fully.

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