Word meanings
- mahā-ṛṣayaḥ
- the great Sages
- sapta
- seven
- pūrve
- before
- catvāraḥ
- four
- manavaḥ
- Manus
- tathā
- also
- mat bhāvāḥ
- are born from me
- mānasāḥ
- mind
- jātāḥ
- born
- yeṣām
- from them
- loke
- in the world
- imāḥ
- all these
- prajāḥ
- people
Translations
The seven great sages, the ancient four, and the Manus, possessing powers like Mine (due to their minds being fixed on Me), were born from My mind; from them, these creatures have been born in this world.
The seven Great Seers, the progenitors of mankind, the Ancient Four, and the Lawgivers were born of My will and come forth directly from Me. The race of mankind has sprung from them. (Mareechi, Atri, Angira, Pulah, Kratu, Pulastya, Vahishta; the Masters: Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan, Sanatkumar.)
The seven great sages, as well as the four Manus of ancient days, from whom all these creatures in the world have descended, had their thoughts fixed on Me, and they were born from My mind.
सात महर्षि और उनसे भी पूर्वमें होनेवाले चार सनकादि तथा चौदह मनु -- ये सब-के-सब मेरे मनसे पैदा हुए हैं और मेरेमें भाव (श्रद्धाभक्ति) रखनेवाले हैं, जिनकी संसारमें यह सम्पूर्ण प्रजा है।Commentary
In the beginning I was alone and from Me came the mind and from the mind were produced the seven sages (such as Bhrigu? Vasishtha and others), the ancient four Kumaras (Sanaka? Sanandana? Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata), as well as the four Manus of the past ages known as Savarnis, all of whom directed their thoughts to Me exclusively and were therefore endowed with divine powers and supreme wisdom. The four Kumaras (chaste, ascetic youths) declined to marry and create offspring.
They preferred to remain perpetual celibates and to practise Brahma-Vichara or profound meditation on Brahman or the Absolute. They were all created by Me, by mind alone. They were all mindborn sons of Brahma. They were not born from the womb like ordinary mortals. Manavah, men, the present inhabitants of this world, are the sons of Manu. The Manus are the mindborn sons of God. These creatures which consist of the moving and the unmoving beings are born of the seven great sages and the four Manus.
The great sages were original teaches of Brahma-Vidya or the ancient wisdom of the Upanishads. The Manus were the rulers of men. They framed the code or rules of conduct or the laws of Dharma for the guidance and uplift of humanity. The seven great sages represent the seven planes also. In the macrocosm? Mahat or cosmic Buddhi? Ahamkara or the cosmic egoism and the five Tanmatras or the five rootelements of which the five great elements, viz., earth, water, fire, air and ether are the gross forms, represent the seven great sages.
This gross universe with the moving and the unmoving beings and the subtle inner world have come out of the above seven principles. In mythology or the Puranic terminology these seven principles have been symbolised and give human names. Bhrigu? Marichi? Atri? Pulastya? Pulaha? Kratu and Vasishtha are the seven great sages. In the microcosm? Manas (mind)? Buddhi (intellect)? Chitta (subconsciousness) and Ahamkara (egoism) have been symbolised as the four Manus and given human names.
The first group forms the base of the macrocosm. The second group forms the base of the microcosm (individuals). These two groups constitute this vast universe of sentient life. Madbhava with their being in Me, of My nature.