Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.15.12-15

kumāro nārada ribhur

ańgirā devalo 'sitah

apāntaratamā vyāso

mārkandeyo 'tha gautamah

vasishtho bhagavān rāmah

kapilo bādarāyanih

durvāsā yājñavalkyaś ca

jātukarnas tathārunih

romaśaś cyavano datta

āsurih sapatañjalih

rishir veda-śirā dhaumyo

munih pañcaśikhas tathā

hiranyanābhah kauśalyah

śrutadeva ritadhvajah

ete pare ca siddheśāś

caranti jñāna-hetavah

SYNONYMS

kumārah — Sanat-kumāra; nāradah — Nārada Muni; ribhuh — Ribhu; ańgirāh — Ańgirā; devalah — Devala; asitah — Asita; apāntaratamāh — Vyāsa's previous name, Apāntaratamā; vyāsah — Vyāsa; mārkandeyah — Mārkandeya; atha — and; gautamah — Gautama; vasishthah — Vasishtha; bhagavān rāmah — Lord Paraśurāma; kapilah — Kapila; bādarāyanih — Śukadeva Gosvāmī; durvāsāh — Durvāsā; yājñavalkyah — Yājñavalkya; ca — also; jātukarnah — Jātukarna; tathā — as well as; arunih — Aruni; romaśah — Romaśa; cyavanah — Cyavana; dattah — Dattātreya; āsurih — Āsuri; sa-patañjalih — with Patañjali Rishi; rishih — the sage; veda-śirāh — the head of the Vedas; dhaumyah — Dhaumya; munih — the sage; pañcaśikhah — Pañcaśikha; tathā — so also; hiranyanābhah — Hiranyanābha; kauśalyah — Kauśalya; śrutadevah — Śrutadeva; ritadhvajah — Ritadhvaja; ete — all of these; pare — others; ca — and; siddha-īśāh — the masters of mystic power; caranti — wander; jñāna-hetavah — very learned persons who preach all over the world.

TRANSLATION

O great souls, I have heard that among the great and perfect persons wandering the surface of the earth to instruct knowledge to people covered by ignorance are Sanat-kumāra, Nārada, Ribhu, Ańgirā, Devala, Asita, Apāntaratamā [Vyāsadeva], Mārkandeya, Gautama, Vasishtha, Bhagavān Paraśurāma, Kapila, Śukadeva, Durvāsā, Yājñavalkya, Jātukarna and Aruni. Others are Romaśa, Cyavana, Dattātreya, Āsuri, Patañjali, the great sage Dhaumya who is like the head of the Vedas, the sage Pañcaśikha, Hiranyanābha, Kauśalya, Śrutadeva and Ritadhvaja. You must certainly be among them.

PURPORT

The word jñāna-hetavah is very significant because great personalities like those listed in these verses wander on the surface of the globe not to mislead the populace, but to distribute real knowledge. Without this knowledge, human life is wasted. The human form of life is meant for realization of one's relationship with Krishna, or God. One who lacks this knowledge is categorized among the animals. The Lord Himself says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15):

na mām dushkritino mūdhāh

prapadyante narādhamāh

māyayāpahrita-jñānā

āsuram bhāvam āśritāh

"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me."

Ignorance is the bodily conception of life (yasyātma-buddhih kunape tri-dhātuke. ...sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]). Practically everyone throughout the universe, especially on this planet, Bhūrloka, thinks that there is no separate existence of the body and soul and therefore no need of self-realization. But that is not a fact. Therefore all the brāhmanas listed here, being devotees, travel all over the world to awaken Krishna consciousness in the hearts of such foolish materialists.

The ācāryas mentioned in these verses are described in the Mahābhārata. The word pañcaśikha is also important. One who is liberated from the conceptions of annamaya, prānamaya, manomaya, vijñānamaya and ānandamaya and who is perfectly aware of the subtle coverings of the soul is called pañcaśikha. According to the statements of the Mahābhārata (Sānti-parva, Chapters 218-219), an ācārya named Pañcaśikha took birth in the family of Mahārāja Janaka, the ruler of Mithila. The Sāńkhya philosophers accept Pañcaśikhācārya as one of them. Real knowledge pertains to the living entity dwelling within the body. Unfortunately, because of ignorance, the living entity identifies himself with the body and therefore feels pleasure and pain.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness