Protectors of the four directions…
When the Lotus-born Brahmadev came into existence, he was the only one he could see in the places where ever the sight of his eight eyes reached. In the whole universe there was nothing but only water and in the midst of water he was the only one with his four faces facing towards the four directions. He kept on looking amazed in all the four directions for finding something that could become his accomplice. But, He could find nothing. Spending time lonely thus, he got perturbed for the purposelessness of his existence and with concern and uneasiness he thought about the all-powerful Supreme-being, the Almighty who is considered the single embodiment of the three main characteristics –satva, rajas and tamas – and when the Almighty appeared before him, Brahma asked the Supreme-being to reveal the actual reason for his coming into existence. The Almighty replied to Brahma that he was none other than the embodiment of the characteristic of ‘rajas’ and so his job was to start creating the many different worlds in the universe and populate them, so that the universe would start functioning with different living and non-living things created by the Brahmadev.
Having his work clearly emphasized by the Supreme-being, Brahmadev first created from his thinking mind four sons – Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatkumara, Sanassujata and asked them to immediately bring into existence their own progeny.
However, all the four sons of Brahmadev got disheartened by their father’s wish towards them and confronted him with the question that how could he suggest them to follow the worldly ways of having family and progeny, leaving the desirable path of practicing brahmacharya for life, attain the final salvation and enter the realm of the Almighty at the end. They denied to do as their father Brahmadev wished and said that they would instead gain salvation by following the dejection path after invoking the pious feeling of detachment from within themselves. In the words of ‘dantulūri bāpakavi‘, in his poetic work ‘mūrthitrayōpākhyānamu‘ the reply of the four sons of Brahmadev was as under:
sāravidūraMbagu saM
sāramu mēmolla mātmasaMjanita mahā
vairāgyamucē mukti
dvāramu jēreda maTaMcu vāralu palukan.
(mūrtitrayōpākhyānamu, 2nd canto)
క. సారవిదూరంబగు సం
సారము మే మొల్ల మాత్మసంజనిత మహా
వైరాగ్యముచే ముక్తి
ద్వారముఁ జేరెద మటంచు వారలు పలుకన్.
(ద్వితీయాశ్వాసము, 63)
We do not wish to be part of the world that is devoid
of meaning worthwhile; we consciously grow instead
and nurture the feeling of detachment that is good
to find the gate of salvation at God’s abode, they said.
His sons’ reply angered Brahmadev to such an extent that great waves of fire emanated from his four faces and surrounded them with such ferocity that all the four were terrified, became enlightened and submitted themselves to Brahmadev’s order. He then despatched them with great force to the ends of the four directions and made them the protectors and reigning deities of the four directions, holding the pellet-drum Damaruka in one hand and the Trident in the other.
TELUGU LITERATURE 
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