SB 7.1.37 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

पञ्चषड्ढायनार्भाभा: पूर्वेषामपि पूर्वजा: । दिग्वासस: शिशून् मत्वा द्वा:स्थौ तान् प्रत्यषेधताम् ॥ ३७ ॥

Verse text

paṣca-ṣaḍḍhāyanārbhābhāḥ pūrveṣām api pūrvajāḥ dig-vāsasaḥ śiśūn matvā dvāḥ-sthau tān pratyaṣedhatām

Synonyms

paṣca-ṣaṭ-dhā — five or six years ; āyana — approaching ; arbha-ābhāḥ — like boys ; pūrveṣām — the ancients of the universe (Marīci and the rest) ; api — even though ; pūrva-jāḥ — born before ; dik-vāsasaḥ — being naked ; śiśūn — children ; matvā — thinking ; dvāḥ-sthau — the two gate guards, Jaya and Vijaya ; tān — them ; pratyaṣedhatām — forbade.

Translation

Although these four great sages were older than Brahmā’s other sons like Marīci, they appeared like small naked children only five or six years old. When Jaya and Vijaya saw them trying to enter Vaikuṇṭhaloka, these two gatekeepers, thinking them ordinary children, forbade them to enter.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Although these four great sages were older than Brahmā's other sons like Marīci, they appeared like small naked children, only five or six years old. The two gatekeepers, thinking them ordinary children, forbad them to enter. The Kumāras had the beauty (ābhāh) of five or six year old children, but were older than Marīci and others (pūrveṣām). The gate keepers considered them naked babies.

Purport

In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya says in his Tantra-sāra: dvāḥ-sthāv ity anenādhikāra-sthatvam uktam adhikāra-sthitāś caiva vimuktāś ca dvidhā janāḥ viṣṇu-loka-sthitās teṣāṁ vara-śāpādi-yoginaḥ adhikāra-sthitāṁ muktiṁ niyataṁ prāpnuvanti ca vimukty-anantaraṁ teṣāṁ vara-śāpādayo nanu dehendriyāsu-yuktaś ca pūrvaṁ paścān na tair yutāḥ apy abhimānibhis teṣāṁ devaiḥ svātmottamair yutāḥ The purport is that the personal associates of Lord Viṣṇu in Vaikuṇṭhaloka are always liberated souls. Even if sometimes cursed or blessed, they are always liberated and never contaminated by the material modes of nature. Before their liberation to Vaikuṇṭhaloka they possessed material bodies, but once they come to Vaikuṇṭha they no longer have them. Therefore even if the associates of Lord Viṣṇu sometimes descend as if cursed, they are always liberated.