tena proktÄ sva-putrÄya
manave pÅ«rva-jÄya sÄ
tato bhá¹›gv-Ädayo 'gá¹›hṇan
sapta brahma-maharṣayaḥ

 tena - by BrahmÄ; proktÄ - spoken; sva-putrÄya - to his son; manave - to Manu; pÅ«rva-jÄya - the oldest;  - that Vedic knowledge; tataḥ - from Manu; bhá¹›gu-Ädayaḥ - those headed by Bhá¹›gu Muni; agá¹›hṇan - accepted; sapta - seven; brahma - in Vedic literature; mahÄ-ṛṣayaḥ - most learned sages.


Text

Lord BrahmÄ spoke this Vedic knowledge to his eldest son, Manu, and the seven great sages headed by Bhá¹›gu Muni then accepted the same knowledge from Manu.

Purport

Everyone engages in a certain way of life based on one’s own nature and propensities. Bhakti-yoga is the natural activity of one whose nature is completely purified by association with the Supreme Lord. Other processes are meant for those whose nature is still affected by the material modes, and thus such processes, along with their results, are themselves also materially contaminated. Devotional service to the Lord, however, is a pure spiritual process, and by executing it with a pure consciousness one comes directly in touch with the Personality of Godhead, who describes Himself in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (9.2) as pavitram idam uttamam, the supreme pure. The system of paramparÄ, or disciplic succession, is illustrated in this and the previous verse. The spiritual masters in Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s movement are part of such a disciplic succession, and through them the same Vedic knowledge spoken by BrahmÄ to Manu is still available.