Chapter 10, Verse 6
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||
Meaning
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.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna traces the very lineage of creation back to Himself. The seven great sages (saptarṣis), the four ancient ones (the Kumaras or the original sages), and the Manus — the progenitors of humankind — are all mānasāḥ jātāḥ, 'born of His mind,' and mad-bhāvāḥ, sharing in His divine nature.
From these mind-born beings the whole population of the world descends. The point is not merely cosmological genealogy; it is that the entire order of creation, including its noblest founders, springs from the Divine consciousness. Everything we revere as ancient, wise, and foundational is itself rooted in the one Source. To honour the great sages and forefathers is, ultimately, to honour the Lord from whom they came.
💡 Key Takeaway
Even the great sages and founders of humanity spring from the one Divine mind that underlies all creation.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | भूय एव महाबाहो शृणु मे परमं वचः | यत्तेऽहं प्रीयमाणाय वक्ष्यामि हितकाम्यया ||१०-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . bhūya eva mahābāho śṛṇu me paramaṃ vacaḥ . yatte.ahaṃ prīyamāṇāya vakṣyāmi hitakāmyayā ||10-1||
10.1 The Blessed Lord said Again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen to my supreme word which I will declare to thee who who art beloved, for thy welfare.
न मे विदुः सुरगणाः प्रभवं न महर्षयः | अहमादिर्हि देवानां महर्षीणां च सर्वशः ||१०-२||
na me viduḥ suragaṇāḥ prabhavaṃ na maharṣayaḥ . ahamādirhi devānāṃ maharṣīṇāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ ||10-2||
10.2 Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great sages know My origin; for in every way I am the source of all the gods and the great sages.
बुद्धिर्ज्ञानमसम्मोहः क्षमा सत्यं दमः शमः | सुखं दुःखं भवोऽभावो भयं चाभयमेव च ||१०-४||
buddhirjñānamasammohaḥ kṣamā satyaṃ damaḥ śamaḥ . sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ bhavo.abhāvo bhayaṃ cābhayameva ca ||10-4||
10.4 Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, calmness, happiness, pain, existence or birth, non-existence or death, fear and also fearlessness.