12 Mahājanas
The 12 Mahājanas are the twelve great authorities on devotional service and spiritual truth, recognized throughout the Vedic scriptures as perfect examples of pure devotion and realized knowledge. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that these exalted personalities—Brahmā, Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Kapiladeva, Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Bhīṣmadeva, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Yamarāja—teach the eternal principles of religion by both their instructions and personal example.
This collection organizes his teachings about the lives, teachings, qualities, and contributions of each of the twelve mahājanas, encouraging readers to follow their path of pure devotional service, for mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ—"the path to follow is that traversed by the great authorities."
- Bali
- Bhismadeva
- Brahma
- Janaka
- Kapiladeva
- Narada Muni
- Prahlada
- Sanat-kumara
- Siva
- Sukadeva Gosvami
- Svayambhuva Manu
- Yamaraja
- According to SB, there are twelve authorities, & they are all famous because they were all great devotees of the Lord...
- Bhismadeva is one of the twelve mahajanas who know the principles of transcendental knowledge. His confirmation of Lord Sri Krsna's being the original Personality of Godhead is also corroborated by the impersonalist Sankara
- Bhismadeva, although one of them (great devotees of Krsna), has mentioned only three important names of the twelve who know the glories of the Lord (Krsna)
- Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah: (CC Madhya 17.186) our duty is to follow the instructions of the mahajanas. There are twelve mahajanas, and Sukadeva Gosvami is one of them
- The twelve authorities are Brahma, Narada, Lord Siva, Manu, Kapila, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Sukadeva Gosvami, Bali, Yamaraja and the Kumaras...
- There are twelve particular agents of the Lord who know the purpose of religion, and all of them render transcendental service unto Him...