Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 5
Bhagavān’s Avatāras, Their Protections (Poṣaṇa), and the Limits of Knowing Him
तप्तं तपो विविधलोकसिसृक्षया मे आदौ सनात् स्वतपस: स चतु:सनोऽभूत् । प्राक्कल्पसम्प्लवविनष्टमिहात्मतत्त्वं सम्यग् जगाद मुनयो यदचक्षतात्मन् ॥ ५ ॥
taptaṁ tapo vividha-loka-sisṛkṣayā me ādau sanāt sva-tapasaḥ sa catuḥ-sano ’bhūt prāk-kalpa-samplava-vinaṣṭam ihātma-tattvaṁ samyag jagāda munayo yad acakṣatātman
为创造诸多星界体系，我曾修行严峻苦行；主因此欢喜，最初化现为四位萨那——萨那迦、萨那特库玛拉、萨难达那与萨那坦那。前一劫的洪劫使灵性真理几近湮没，而他们阐释得圆满无碍，使诸圣者当下清晰证见真谛。
The Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma prayers mention the Lord’s name as sanāt and sanātana-tama. The Lord and the living entities are both qualitatively sanātana, or eternal, but the Lord is sanātana-tama or the eternal in the superlative degree. The living entities are positively sanātana, but not superlatively, because the living entities are apt to fall to the atmosphere of noneternity. Therefore, the living entities are quantitatively different from the superlative sanātana, the Lord.
FAQs
This verse states that Brahmā first performed intense austerities with the intention to create the various worlds, and through that tapasya divine spiritual instruction manifested.
Because the essential knowledge of the Self had been lost after the devastation (pralaya) of the previous kalpa, Sanat-kumāra re-established that realized wisdom for Brahmā so creation could proceed with proper spiritual understanding.
The verse highlights disciplined practice (tapasya) and learning from realized teachers; in daily life this means cultivating self-control, study, and guidance that restores clarity about the soul beyond temporary circumstances.