Text 12
brahmovāca
mānasā me sutā yuṣmat-
pūrvajāḥ sanakādayaḥ
cerur vihāyasā lokāl
lokeṣu vigata-spṛhāḥ
brahmā uvāca — Lord Brahmā said; mānasāḥ — born from the mind; me — my; sutāḥ — sons; yuṣmat — than you; pūrva-jāḥ — born previously; sanaka-ādayaḥ — headed by Sanaka; ceruḥ — traveled; vihāyasā — by traveling in outer space or flying in the sky; lokān — to the material and spiritual worlds; lokeṣu — among the people; vigata-spṛhāḥ — without any desire.
Lord Brahmā said: My four sons Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumāra, who were born from my mind, are your predecessors. Sometimes they travel throughout the material and spiritual skies without any definite desire.
When we speak of desire we refer to desire for material sense gratification. Saintly persons like Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumāra have no material desire, but sometimes they travel all over the universe, out of their own accord, to preach devotional service.