Text-42-44
SB 4.29.42-44
prajapati-patih saksad
bhagavan giriso manuh
daksadayah prajadhyaksa
naisthikah sanakadayah
maricir atry-angirasau
pulastyah pulahah kratuh
bhrgur vasistha ity ete
mad-anta brahma-vadinah
adyapi vacas-patayas
tapo-vidya-samadhibhih
pasyanto ’pi na pasyanti
pasyantam paramesvaram
Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
The most powerful Lord Brahma, the father of all progenitors; Lord Siva; Manu, Daksa and the other rulers of humankind; the four saintly first-class brahmacaris headed by Sanaka and Sanatana; the great sages Marici, Atri, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrgu and Vasistha; and my humble self [Narada] are all stalwart brahmanas who can speak authoritatively on Vedic literature. We are very powerful because of austerities, meditation and education. Nonetheless, even after inquiring about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom we always see, we do not know perfectly about Him.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
According to the foolish Darwinian theory of the anthropologists, it is said that forty thousand years ago Homo sapiens had not appeared on this planet because the process of evolution had not reached that point. However, the Vedic histories — the Puranas and Mahabharata — relate human histories that extend millions and millions of years into the past. In the beginning of creation there was a very intelligent personality, Lord Brahma, and from him emanated all the Manus, and the brahmacaris like Sanaka and Sanatana, as well as Lord Siva, the great sages and Narada. All these personalities underwent great austerities and penances and thus became authorities in Vedic knowledge. Perfect knowledge for human beings, as well as all living entities, is contained in the Vedas. All the above-mentioned great personalities are not only powerful — being cognizant of past, present and future — but are also devotees. Still, in spite of their great education in knowledge, and despite their meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, they cannot actually understand the perfection of the living entity’s relationship with Lord Visnu. This means that these personalities are still limited as far as their knowledge of the unlimited is concerned. The conclusion is that simply by advancing one’s knowledge, one cannot be accepted as an expert in understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead can be understood not by advanced knowledge but by pure devotional service, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (18.55). Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah: unless one takes to pure, transcendental devotional service, he cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead in truth. Everyone has some imperfect ideas about the Lord. So-called scientists and philosophical speculators are unable to understand the Supreme Lord by virtue of their knowledge. Knowledge is not perfect unless one comes to the platform of devotional service. This is confirmed by the Vedic version:
athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-
prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi
janati tattvam bhagavan mahimno
na canya eko ’pi ciram vicinvan
(Bhag. 10.14.29)
The speculators, the jñanis, go on speculating about the Supreme Personality of Godhead for many, many hundreds of thousands of years, but unless one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot understand His supreme glories. All the great sages mentioned in this verse have their planets near Brahmaloka, the planet where Lord Brahma resides along with four great sages — Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara. These sages reside in different stars known as the southern stars, which circle the polestar. The polestar, called Dhruvaloka, is the pivot of this universe, and all planets move around this polestar. All the stars are planets, as far as we can see, within this one universe. According to Western theory, all the stars are different suns, but according to Vedic information, there is only one sun within this universe. All the so-called stars are but different planets. Besides this universe, there are many millions of other universes, and each of them contains similar innumerable stars and planets.