Chapter 10 Shloka 6

महर्षय: सप्त पूर्वे चत्वारो मनवस्तथा।

मद्भावा मानसा जाता येषां लोक इमा: प्रजा:।।६।।

The seven great sages and

before them, the four Manus,

emanated from My mind

as My thought processes.

This entire universe exists in their domain.

Chapter 10 Shloka 6

महर्षय: सप्त पूर्वे चत्वारो मनवस्तथा।

मद्भावा मानसा जाता येषां लोक इमा: प्रजा:।।६।।

Bhagwan now speaks of those who created and sustained the universe and constitute the mainstay of all that transpires in this creation.

The seven great sages and before them, the four Manus, emanated from My mind as My thought processes. This entire universe exists in their domain.

Understand the term Sapt Maharishi (सप्त महर्षि) – the seven great sages, from the universal point of view.

Various scriptures mention the Sapt Rishis and Manu in different ways. In brief, the names of the seven Rishis are: Marichi, Angira, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kritu and Vashisht.

Other scriptures mention them as Kashyap, Atri, Bhardwaj, Vishwamitra, Gautam, Jamadagni and Vashisht.

Little one, these Rishis were sages of an extremely high stature and were immensely learned Mahayogis. They possessed great internal luminosity and were rich with divine attributes. However, it is difficult to acknowledge them as the creators of the entire universe. These seven Maharishis must have been the controllers and sustainers of the Lord’s creation.

From this point of view, the Sapt Rishis can be understood as:

a) Consciousness Itself, the five basic elements and the threefold energy.

b) The seven heavenly bodies that rule one’s destiny; i.e. the Moon, the Sun, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Venus, and Mars. Rahu and Ketu are an integral part of these.

These heavenly bodies are the lords that rule over all beings. They endow birth and death and control the individual’s entire existence. They also sustain the individual’s gross existence, his mind and his intellect. This entire universe can be called their ‘subjects’.

Seen from the individual angle, Sapt Rishi connotes:

1. The five sense organs, the mind and the intellect.

2. Two ears, two eyes, two nostrils and the tongue.

When these faculties are devoid of ego, they adopt the noble stature of Rishis possessed of divine prowess.

The four Manus described from the universal angle

Little one, now understand the term ‘Manu’. Manu denotes the mental status of the universe. Manu is considered to be the mainstay of the four Yugas or time periods; Manu is therefore the universal Mind spanning these four Yugas – Satyuga, Tretayuga, Dwaaparyuga and Kaliyuga.

Each Yuga inheres all the attributes; however, the predominance of one particular attribute in any given era, establishes the ethos of that particular Yuga. If seen objectively, all these Yugas are based on the temper of the universal mind of that era.

Dwellers of

The point of view of one who believes in destiny

Little one, in the present day, even the so called sadhus are predominantly imbued with the attribute of tamas. The attribute of sattva predominates only in one in a million.

The holy Gita gives us a true description of sattvic life where the Lord describes His manifest attributes. One who dwells in Brahm’s nature, or the Atmavaan, imbues in spirit and practice, all those attributes which the Lord ascribes to Himself in His manifest form. The manifest attributes of such a one echo his internal essence.

Little one, if you believe in astrology, it will be comparatively easy for you to understand this. All beings of the universe are controlled by the nine planets. These planets rule all Creation. All that you receive is given to you by destiny which is directed by the planets.

However, you must remember that those who truly believe in destiny are not cowards. They leave their body in the hand of destiny and engage themselves in the service of all. They seek nothing for self protection. They give their all for whosoever seeks their refuge. Now understand the attitude of one who believes in destiny. Such a one says:

1. “Let me do what I can for you – I shall receive whatever I am destined to receive.

2. Whether I shall be wealthy or not depends on destiny – let me give you the money you require.

3. Whether I shall be the recipient of love or not depends on destiny – let me give you my love.

4. Whether my work will be done or not is destined; let me do my best to accomplish your tasks.

5. Acquisition of fame or the lack of it is predestined; let me ensure the establishment of your reputation.

6. My happiness or sorrow is predestined – let me do all I can to bring happiness to you.

7. The protection of my honour or the lack of it, is a matter of destiny – let me do what I can to protect your honour.

8. Whatever becomes of me I shall leave to destiny – let me do what I can to ensure your future.”

The one who believes in destiny not only thinks in this manner, his entire life flows in the trend of this attitude. His life is a perpetual proof of this belief.

The universal law as well as the destinies of individuals are both dependent on these ‘seven Maharishis’, the heavenly bodies that rule all beings.

Moha – the outcome of the birth of ‘I’.

Little one, the Lord has explained fully the cycle of the creation of this universe. The individual unfortunately mingles the individualising ‘I’ thought with the hitherto untouched divine creation. This is the cause of joy and sorrow. If the individual had continued to consider the Lord to be the origin of this entire creation as well as of the body, mind and intellect, his ordinary life would have imbued the spirit of yagya, tapas and daan – selfless offering of deeds, forbearance and charity. He would then have perceived all as an integral part of his Self.

This means, all are one in the purview of the Atma, but the differentiation of attributes causes differences on the practical plane. The union of the individualising ‘I’ with the body gives rise to moha, the feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’.

If one places an idol of clay before one’s eyes, how can one see what is ahead? Similarly the individual is unable to witness the Truth that lies before him when, blinded by the body self, he desires everything in creation. Consider! If the individual ties a bandage over his eyes and becomes attached to that bandage, will he not always remain blind? When he begins to hold that bandage as most dear to him, he will begin to live only for the protection of that bandage! This is exactly how the individual reacts.

1. The body which was indeed a divine gift of the Lord, was limited and individualised because of the constricted vision of the ‘I’.

2. The intellect, which was the Lord’s divine energy, was intended to perform only yagya, but it was made subservient to only one body.

3. The mind, which should have become the epitome of love, was filled instead with attachments and aversions. Attachment to the body, mind and intellect created the triad which superimposed the unity – the Supreme Brahm.

Thereafter, mental knots occurred and the individual became more limited instead of progressing towards the Limitless. The greatest superimposition arose when one used the appellation of ‘I’ for one’s body. The ‘I’ was born of ignorance and ignorance in turn increased because of the ‘I’.

Little one, your body gained predominance over the Atma because of the ‘I’. If you believed this entire creation along with the body, mind and intellect to be generated from Prakriti, the idea of individuality and of individual existence would be annihilated. However, when the ‘I’ aligns itself with the body, it:

a) continually makes efforts for body establishment;

b) endeavours to procure bodily comforts and happiness;

c) makes all efforts for bodily protection.

Moha pertains to one’s own body-self. Later, possessiveness, the thought of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, arises.

All the atrocities being perpetrated in the world arise from this identification with the body self. The moment this identification is terminated, the individual immediately assumes the divine powers of the Supreme. Once identification with the Atma is attained, the entire world becomes part of one’s Self. Then the individual automatically begins to savour the Truth. The veils of attachment to body and mind are removed from his eyes and the moha that sprang from bodily attachment is destroyed. Such a one spontaneously identifies with whosoever comes before him.

Atmavaan

a) The Atmavaan cannot be recognised through his speech.

b) His knowledge in fact lies latent in his silence.

c) The Atmavaan’s life is proof of his inherent Essence.

d) He can be recognised if one scrutinises the basic sap and substance of his daily life in its entirety.

e) The Atmavaan is Divinity Itself – He is the Lord Himself.

The Lord says, “These are all images that have sprung from My mind and they constitute the entire universe with all its peoples.” In the two previous shlokas the Lord has also claimed all the thought processes that arise in the individual’s mind as His.

Understand carefully little one, all these proclamations are not made by a mortal being who is attached to his body.

1. These statements are being made by the Eternal, Unmanifest, Supreme Essence.

2. They are proclamations of the Atma Itself.

3. They are the words of the Indestructible, Indivisible Unity – the Limitless Lord Himself.

4. These words are being spoken by One Who is the Indestructible, the Atma in essence – the Immortal One.

5. These proclamations are made by the Eternal Dweller in non-duality – Who constitutes all manifest forms and is yet Unmanifest.

6. These words are spoken by the Eternal One Who is the epitome of all knowledge and its practice.

7. The Omnipresent One Who is the support of all creation – that Supreme Lord of all is Himself voicing these words.

8. That One Who is complete within the Whole, is expressing these thoughts, having embraced all as part of Himself.

Little one, first understand the point of view of That Supreme One and then you will understand everything else.

For the Atmavaan, the entire universe constitutes an indivisible unity within the one Atma. From this point of view, all are the Atma and it is He who dwells in all. All apparent differences of attributes etc. are meaningless for the Atmavaan. He remains ever untouched by these differentiations.

The Lord has repeated several times that the thought processes of the individual also originate in the presence of the Truth and with its support. All these thought processes also reside in the completeness of that Whole. They arise from that Whole and merge back into that Whole. The Indestructible Atma, identifying with all of creation, claims all these thought processes as His own.

Little one, the Lord first claimed the thought processes of mortals like us as His own. Now He claims the creative energy of this entire universe. Thus That One, who is silence itself, is Himself the eternal Atma in essence and all manifest forms; He is the universal mind and intellect and the tendencies latent in these.

a) Either all bodies of the world belong to the Supreme, or not even one belongs to Him.

b) Either all forms are His, or not even one belongs to Him.

c) Either all actions are His, or not even a single deed is His.

d) Either all names are His, or He has not even a single name.

e) Either not even one mind is His, or all minds are His.

f) Either He does not possess even a single intellect, or all intellects are His.

From this point of view, the Lord has claimed everything as His own. Remember, the Lord is imparting the supreme, mysterious knowledge to his dear friend who has sought refuge in Him. He is bestowing upon him an understanding of His manifest form as well as His Essential Being. He therefore says, “I am all.” Through these words He is granting Arjuna an insight into the Supreme Atma.