Shloka 42
Nimi Questions the Yogendras: Māyā, Cosmic Dissolution, Guru-Śaraṇāgati, Bhakti, and Deity Worship
एवं प्रश्नमृषीन् पूर्वमपृच्छं पितुरन्तिके । नाब्रुवन् ब्रह्मण: पुत्रास्तत्र कारणमुच्यताम् ॥ ४२ ॥
evaṁ praśnam ṛṣīn pūrvam apṛcchaṁ pitur antike nābruvan brahmaṇaḥ putrās tatra kāraṇam ucyatām
Einst, in Gegenwart meines Vaters, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku, stellte ich eine ähnliche Frage vier großen Weisen, den Söhnen Brahmās. Doch sie beantworteten sie nicht. Bitte erklärt den Grund: Warum schwiegen sie?
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī the words brahmaṇaḥ putrāḥ, “the sons of Brahmā,” refer to the four Kumāras headed by Sanaka Ṛṣi. 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.
FAQs
This verse records Nimi’s observation that the Kumāras remained silent; the narrative context presents their silence as purposeful—reflecting the gravity and subtlety of the spiritual topic and setting the stage for a proper, authoritative explanation to be given.
King Nimi is speaking—recalling how he previously questioned sages in the presence of his father and asking why the Kumāras did not respond.
It teaches humility and perseverance in spiritual inquiry: when an advanced teacher is silent, a seeker should not become cynical but should seek the deeper reason and continue approaching authentic sources with sincerity.