Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 26
Priyavrata Accepts Kingship by Brahmā’s Instruction; Sapta-dvīpa Formation and Renunciation
एतेषां कविर्महावीर: सवन इति त्रय आसन्नूर्ध्वरेतसस्त आत्मविद्यायामर्भभावादारभ्य कृतपरिचया: पारमहंस्यमेवाश्रममभजन् ॥ २६ ॥
eteṣāṁ kavir mahāvīraḥ savana iti traya āsann ūrdhva-retasas ta ātma-vidyāyām arbha-bhāvād ārabhya kṛta-paricayāḥ pāramahaṁsyam evāśramam abhajan.
Parmi les dix, Kavi, Mahāvīra et Savana—ces trois-là étaient ūrdhva-retas, c’est-à-dire parfaitement célibataires. Formés à la vie de brahmacārī dès l’enfance, ils devinrent versés dans la connaissance du Soi et adoptèrent l’āśrama des paramahaṁsas.
The word ūrdhva-retasaḥ in this verse is very significant. Ūrdhva-retaḥ refers to one who can control sex life and who instead of wasting semen by discharging it can use this most important substance accumulated in the body to enrich the brain. One who can completely control sex life is able to work wonderfully with his brain, especially in remembering. Thus students who simply hear Vedic instructions once from their teacher could remember them verbatim without needing to read books, which therefore did not exist in former times.
FAQs
This verse says that Kavi, Mahāvīra, and Savana, trained in ātma-vidyā from childhood, embraced the pāramahaṁsya āśrama—the highest renounced stage focused on pure spiritual realization.
The verse explains they were dedicated to self-knowledge from early life and therefore chose lifelong celibacy to remain fully absorbed in spiritual realization, adopting the paramahaṁsa path.
Cultivate steady spiritual practice early and consistently—through discipline, sense control, and study of ātma-vidyā—so that life decisions increasingly support inner realization rather than distraction.