महर्षयः सप्त पूर्वे चत्वारो मनवस्तथा | मद्भावा मानसा जाता येषां लोक इमाः प्रजाः ||१०-६||
maharṣayaḥ sapta pūrve catvāro manavastathā . madbhāvā mānasā jātā yeṣāṃ loka imāḥ prajāḥ ||10-6||
Chapter 10 · Verse 6
Vibhuti Yoga
विभूतियोग
In plain words
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.
Translation
10.6 The seven great seers of yore and similarly the four Manus, all possessing My mental disposition, were born of My mind. All these creatures of the world are descended from them.
Meaning
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 BrahmaVichara 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 BrahmaVidya 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.
Word by word
महर्षयः the great Rishis सप्त seven पूर्वे ancient चत्वारः four मनवः Manus तथा also मद्भावाः possessed of powers like Me मानसाः from mind जाताः born येषाम् from whom लोके in world इमाः these प्रजाः creatures.