Adhyaya 73 — The Uttama Manvantara: Classes of Devas, Indra Sushanti, and the Royal Lineage
स्वतेजसा हि तपसो वरिष्ठस्य महात्मनः ।
तनयाश्चान्तरे तस्मिन् सप्त सप्तर्षयोऽभवन् ॥
svatejasā hi tapaso variṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ | tanayāś cāntare tasmin sapta saptarṣayo 'bhavan ||
तस्य महात्मनः तपःश्रेष्ठस्य स्वतेजसा तस्मिन्नन्तरे सप्त पुत्रा बभूवुः, ये सप्तर्षयः समभवन्।
Spiritual authority is rooted in tapas: the sages who guide an age are portrayed as emanations of disciplined inner power rather than political force.
Manvantara: each Manu-era has its own Saptarishis; this is a standard enumerative element.
‘Seven’ functions as a completeness number (cosmic ordering principle); the Saptarishis symbolize the stabilization of dharma through sevenfold channels of insight/tradition.