Introduction
Sanatkumara is one of the four Kumaras, mind-born sons of Brahma, together with Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanatkumara (the group of four, of which he is one), who remain eternally youthful sages devoted to contemplation.
Family
- Father: Brahma
- Siblings: Daksha, Marichi, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Vasistha, Narada, Atri, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana
In the story
Sanatkumara shares fully in the story told of his brother Sanaka: their creation as Brahma's mind-born sons, their choice of perpetual celibacy and meditation over worldly creation, and the shared episode at the gate of Vaikuntha, where they cursed Jaya and Vijaya for refusing them entry, setting off the gatekeepers' three earthly incarnations. See the article on Sanaka for the full account.
Sanatkumara's teaching
Sanatkumara in particular is also known independently as a teacher: in the Chandogya Upanishad, he instructs the sage Narada on the nature of the infinite (bhuman) and the limits of ordinary knowledge, one of the notable philosophical dialogues of the early Upanishads.