Sanatkumara
Encyclopedia
Sage Sanatkumara was one of the Four Kumaras
, the four Manasputras (mind-born-sons) or spiritual sons of Brahma
according to Puranic texts of Hinduism
, including the Bhagavata Purana
, whose other sons were Sanaka, Sanatana
, and Sanandana . Sanatkumara in Sanskrit
means "eternal youth".. Though in Mahabharata
, total seven sons are mentioned, namely: Aniruddha, Sana, Sanatsujata, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara, Kapila, and Sanatana
and further mentions that,"Knowledge comes to these seven rishis, of itself (without being dependent on study or exertion). These seven are wedded to the religion of Nivritti (inward contemplation) . They are the foremost of all persons conversant with Yoga. They are possessed also of deep knowledge of the Sankhya philosophy. They are preceptors of the scriptures on duty and it is they that introduce the duties of the religion of Nivritti (inward contemplation), and cause them to flow in the worlds" .
He is also the author of the Sanatkumara Samhita
, which is part of the Shiva Purana
, and has 59 chapters. It is also taken as a part of the Pañcaratra
, Vaishnavite devotional texts.
The Chandogya Upanishad
, Chapter seven, is about Sanatkumara's Instructions on Bhuma-Vidya to celestial sage Narada
, Sanatkumara finds mention across Mahabharta, as a great sage, who dispels doubts and the preceptor in all matters affecting Yoga
Also mentioned is the Tirtha
of Kanakhala
near Gangadwara
or Haridwar
, where through extensive tapas
, he attained great ascetic powers .
states that Sage Sanatkumara appeared as Lord Subrahmanya, also known as Lord Muruga in south, due to the request of Lord Shiva
and Goddess Parvati
. Lord Muruga is one of six main Deities of Hindu
.
mentions the story of the Four Kumaras
, visiting Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu
, where his gate keepers, Jaya and Vijaya, stop them, taking them to be children, as due to their 'tapas', the Four Kumaras
, looked like children or eternally young; upon which the four Kumaras cursed them to take birth on earth, as human beings.
As the legend continues, Vishnu intervened and offered them the option of taking three births as his enemy, whereupon they would be restore to their former position.
Subsequently, in Satya Yuga
, they were born as Hiranyakashipu
and Hiranyaksha
, to Diti
(daughter of Daksha
) and Kasyapa. Lord Vishnu undertook the Varaha
Avatar
to kill Hiranyaksha
, and the Narasimha
avatar to kill Hiranyakasipu.
In the second life, during the Treta Yuga
, they were born as Ravana
and Kumbhakarna
and defeated by Rama
avatar as mentioned in the epic Ramayana
. Finally, in their third and final life in Dwapara Yuga, they were born as Sishupala and Dantavakra
during the time of Krishna
avatar, also mentioned in epic Mahabharatha.
Four Kumaras
The Four Kumāras or Catursana are the four sons of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism named Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara....
, the four Manasputras (mind-born-sons) or spiritual sons of Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
according to Puranic texts of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, including the Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
, whose other sons were Sanaka, Sanatana
Sanatana
Sanatana was one of the Four Kumaras or Catursana, the manasputras of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, like the Bhagavata Purana others being Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanatkumara....
, and Sanandana . Sanatkumara in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
means "eternal youth".. Though in Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, total seven sons are mentioned, namely: Aniruddha, Sana, Sanatsujata, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara, Kapila, and Sanatana
Sanatana
Sanatana was one of the Four Kumaras or Catursana, the manasputras of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, like the Bhagavata Purana others being Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanatkumara....
and further mentions that,"Knowledge comes to these seven rishis, of itself (without being dependent on study or exertion). These seven are wedded to the religion of Nivritti (inward contemplation) . They are the foremost of all persons conversant with Yoga. They are possessed also of deep knowledge of the Sankhya philosophy. They are preceptors of the scriptures on duty and it is they that introduce the duties of the religion of Nivritti (inward contemplation), and cause them to flow in the worlds" .
He is also the author of the Sanatkumara Samhita
Samhita
Samhita may refer to"*the basic metrical text of each of the Vedas**specifically, these texts with sandhi applied *post-Vedic texts known as Samhitas:** Ashtavakra Gita...
, which is part of the Shiva Purana
Shiva Purana
The Shiva Purana is one of the s, a genre of Hindu religious texts dedicated to Shiva. According to a tradition which is stated in the of this text, the original text was known as the ....
, and has 59 chapters. It is also taken as a part of the Pañcaratra
Pañcaratra
Pāñcarātra are the Vaishnava Sanskrit texts dedicated to worship of Narayana and form part of the Agamas.Unlike Vaikhanasa tradition, the Pancaratric tradition of Agamas prescribe image worship in the place of rituals like Yajnas, mentioned in the Vedas...
, Vaishnavite devotional texts.
The Chandogya Upanishad
Chandogya Upanishad
The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the "primary" Upanishads. Together with the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it ranks among the oldest Upanishads, dating to the Vedic Brahmana period....
, Chapter seven, is about Sanatkumara's Instructions on Bhuma-Vidya to celestial sage Narada
Narada
Narada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana...
, Sanatkumara finds mention across Mahabharta, as a great sage, who dispels doubts and the preceptor in all matters affecting Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
Also mentioned is the Tirtha
Tirtha
In Jainism, a tīrtha |ford]], a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed") is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the sangha...
of Kanakhala
Kankhal
Kankhal is a small colony in Haridwar in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand state in India.Mentioned in the Vayu Purana and the Mahabharata as Kanakhala , Kankhal is one of 'Panch Tirth' within Haridwar, with other spots being Gangadwara , Kushwart , Bilwa Teerth and Neel Parvat...
near Gangadwara
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
or Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
, where through extensive tapas
Tapas (Sanskrit)
Tapasya in Sanskrit means "heat". In Vedic religion and Hinduism, it is used figuratively, denoting spiritual suffering, mortification or austerity, and also the spiritual ecstasy of a yogin or tāpasá . In the Rigveda, the word is connected with the Soma cult...
, he attained great ascetic powers .
Sanatkumara as Lord Karthikeya
Boudhayana Kalpa Sutra and Taittiriya UpanishadTaittiriya Upanishad
The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. It is associated with the Taittiriya school of the Yajurveda...
states that Sage Sanatkumara appeared as Lord Subrahmanya, also known as Lord Muruga in south, due to the request of Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Goddess Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
. Lord Muruga is one of six main Deities of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
.
Legend of Jaya and Vijaya
Bhagavata PuranaBhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
mentions the story of the Four Kumaras
Four Kumaras
The Four Kumāras or Catursana are the four sons of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism named Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara....
, visiting Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, where his gate keepers, Jaya and Vijaya, stop them, taking them to be children, as due to their 'tapas', the Four Kumaras
Four Kumaras
The Four Kumāras or Catursana are the four sons of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism named Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara....
, looked like children or eternally young; upon which the four Kumaras cursed them to take birth on earth, as human beings.
As the legend continues, Vishnu intervened and offered them the option of taking three births as his enemy, whereupon they would be restore to their former position.
Subsequently, in Satya Yuga
Satya Yuga
The Satya Yuga , also called Sat Yuga, Krta Yuga and Krita Yuga in Hinduism, is the "Yuga of Truth", when mankind is governed by gods, and every manifestation or work is close to the purest ideal and mankind will allow intrinsic goodness to rule supreme...
, they were born as Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu [golden-haired] is an Asura from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism. The Puranas describe Hiranyakashipu as an Asura. His younger brother, Hiranyaksha was slain by Varaha, one of the Avatars of Vishnu and angered by this, Hiranyakashipu decided to gain magical powers by performing...
and Hiranyaksha
Hiranyaksha
In Hinduism, Hiranyaksha [golden-eyed] was an Asura of pre-ancient India and the son of Diti and Kashyapa. He was slain by the god Vishnu after he took the Earth to the bottom of what has been described as the "Cosmic Ocean". His name in Sanskrit literally means "Goldeneye"...
, to Diti
Diti
In Hinduism, Diti is an earth goddess and mother of the Maruts with Rudra. She is also the mother of the Daityas with the sage Kashyapa. She wanted to have a son who would be more powerful than Indra and so she practiced magic and kept herself pregnant for one year. Indra used a thunderbolt to...
(daughter of Daksha
Daksha
In Hinduism, Daksha, "the skilled one", is an ancient creator god, one of the Prajapatis, the Rishis and the Adityas. Daksha is said to be the son of Aditi and Brahma...
) and Kasyapa. Lord Vishnu undertook the Varaha
Varaha
Varaha is the third Avatar of the Hindu Godhead Vishnu, in the form of a Boar. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to...
Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
to kill Hiranyaksha
Hiranyaksha
In Hinduism, Hiranyaksha [golden-eyed] was an Asura of pre-ancient India and the son of Diti and Kashyapa. He was slain by the god Vishnu after he took the Earth to the bottom of what has been described as the "Cosmic Ocean". His name in Sanskrit literally means "Goldeneye"...
, and the Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
avatar to kill Hiranyakasipu.
In the second life, during the Treta Yuga
Treta Yuga
Treta Yuga is the second out of four yugas, or ages of mankind, in the religion of Hinduism, and follows the Satya Yuga of perfect morality and precedes the Dvapara Yuga. The most famous events in this yuga were Lord Vishnu's fifth, sixth and seventh incarnations as Vamana, Parashurama and...
, they were born as Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
and Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna , is a rakshasa and brother of Ravana in the Indian Ramayana epic...
and defeated by Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
avatar as mentioned in the epic Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. Finally, in their third and final life in Dwapara Yuga, they were born as Sishupala and Dantavakra
Dantavakra
Dantavakra , was the king of Karusha according to the Mahabharata and the Puranas. According to the Padma Purana , he was of Chaidya lineage. According to the Vishnu Purana , he was son of Vriddhasharman and Shrutadeva. He was an ally of Jarasandha, a friend of Shishupala and an enemy of Vasudeva...
during the time of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
avatar, also mentioned in epic Mahabharatha.