Shloka
महर्षयः सप्त पूर्वे चत्वारो मनवस्तथा |
मद्भावा मानसा जाता येषां लोक इमाः प्रजाः ||१०-६||Transliteration
maharṣayaḥ sapta pūrve catvāro manavastathā .
madbhāvā mānasā jātā yeṣāṃ loka imāḥ prajāḥ ||10-6||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
10.6. The ancient Seven Great-Seers and also the Four Manus, of whom these creatures in this world are offsprings-they have been born as My mental dispositions.
Shri Purohit Swami
10.6 The seven Great Seers,* the Progenitors of mankind, the Ancient Four,** and the Lawgivers were born of My Will and come forth direct from Me. The race of mankind has sprung from them. [* Mareechi, Atri, Angira, Pulah, Kratu, Pulastya, Vahishta. ** The Masters: Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan, Sanatkumar.]
Sri Abhinav Gupta
10.6 See Comment under 10.11
Sri Ramanuja
10.6 ‘The seven great Rsis of yore’, namely, those seven great Rsis like Bhrgu etc., were from the mind of Brahma in the cycle of the past Manu to perpetuate the creation permanently; and the four Manas called the sons of Savarna existed for the work of eternal sustentation. All creatures in the world are their progeny. So they are the generators of this progeny as also their sustainers till the time of Pralaya. These Bhrgu etc., and the Manus, derive their mental condition from Me. Their disposition is My disposition - they subsist on My disposition. The meaning is they follow My will.
Sri Shankaracharya
10.6 Sapta, the seven; maharsayah, great sages-Bhrgu and others; tatha, as also; catvarah, the four; manavah, Manus [Savarni, Dharma-savarini, Daksa-savarni, and Savarna.-Tr.]- well known as Savarnas; purve, of ancient days; yesam, of whom, of which Manus and the great sages; imah, these; prajah, creatures, moving and non-moving; loke in the world, are the creation; madbhavah, had their thoughts fixed on Me-they had their minds fixed on Me, (and hence) they were endowed with the power of Visnu; and they jatah, were born; manasa; from My mind-they were created by Me through My mind itself.
Swami Adidevananda
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.
Swami Gambirananda
10.6 The seven great sages as also the four Manus of anceint days, of whom are these creatures in the world, had their thoughts fixed on Me, and they were born from My mind.
Swami Sivananda
10.6 The seven great sages, the ancient four and also the Manus, possessed of powers like Me (on account of their minds being fixed on Me), were born of (My) mind; from them are these creatures born in this world.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
10.6 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. 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 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.