The sātvata-saṁhitā, we have already discussed yesterday morning. Vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). This is Vaiṣṇava. Vidvān. Vaiṣṇava is always vidvān. Vid means knowledge, and vān means one who has knowledge. That is called vidvān. Vidvān. So Vyāsadeva, he's known as Veda-vyāsa. He's the giver of Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is not given by him. The Vedic knowledge is given by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, He gave the knowledge to Lord Brahmā. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye, ādi-kavi, the original learned person. Just like this modern nonsense theory that there was in the beginning no life. But that is nonsense. In the beginning there was Brahmā, the most learned person.
So this theory, modern scientists, that there was no human being or there was no man, they are all rascal speculation. It has no value. Here we get the knowledge that originally the Vedic knowledge was given to Lord Brahmā, and from Lord Brahmā, Nārada received the knowledge, and from Nārada Vyāsadeva received the knowledge. And from Vyāsadeva, by paramparā disciplic succession, we have received this knowledge. The knowledge is the same. There is no alteration. Because it is coming through the paramparā system there is no breakage. Just like from a very top height, if you give something, but if it is given hand to hand it does not break. But if you drop anything from very high place, it will be spoiled. Therefore it comes through the paramparā. Take for example one fruit, ripened fruit. This Bhāgavatam is accepted as the ripened fruit of the Vedic desire tree. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3). It is the ripened fruit of all Vedic knowledge. Because Vedic knowledge means to understand God. That is Vedic knowledge. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That is Vedic knowledge. To understand the Supreme Lord, the original person, that is the end of Vedic knowledge. So that Vedic knowledge is presented in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and therefore in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Vyāsadeva offers his respectful obeisances, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Vāsudeva is the origin. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). One who has known that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti, "Vāsudeva is everything," sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. He's not only ordinary mahātmā, he is su-durlabhaḥ. Durlabhaḥ means "very rare," and when you add this word su, it is "very, very difficult." Su-durlabhaḥ. That kind of mahātmā . . . (aside:) You sit down properly. Who is that man? You sit down properly. So vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19).
So how one can understand Vāsudeva? Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān (BG 7.19): after many, many births. Because we are—all living entities in this material world—we are all rascals. We must know it. All rascals. Abodha-jataḥ. Everyone who is born in this material world, either he may be . . . Even Lord Brahmā, and down to the small insect, anyone who has come to this material world . . . Because we are not material. We are spiritual identity. Na jāyate na mriyate vā: never takes birth, never dies. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is the identification given by Lord Kṛṣṇa. But we are so foolish and rascals we never question that "My position is na jāyate na mriyate vā. I never take birth, never I die. Then why I am afraid of death and why I am actually undergoing birth and death? I am born. Everyone knows, I come out from my mother. Therefore jāyate. So, why I have taken birth? And again everyone knows, 'As sure as death,' mriyate vā. So why this discrepancy?" This is human being. The cats and dog, they cannot question these things.
So this question is called brahma-jijñāsā, that "I am spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So 'ham. I am the same quality as the Supreme Lord. So why I am put into this condition?" This is beginning of human life. This is the beginning of human life. And if one does not inquire this, then he is animal. Plain thing. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī. He was minister, but he could understand that "What to speak of becoming a minister—minister can become any rascal—I am the fool number one." Therefore he came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the first question was, ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya (CC Madhya 20.102). He was never proud, that "I am minister, I am so learned scholar. Why shall I go to Caitanya Mahāprabhu and ask Him who am I?" This is humbleness, and this is the qualification of becoming a disciple. When one becomes humble, when actually one understands that he is fool number one, he has to go to guru to understand the value of his life, then he is intelligent. And so long he keeps himself with the darkness, that "I know everything. Who is richer than me? Who is learned than me? Who is powerful than me? I am this, I am that," that means he is rascal. Abodha-jataḥ. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jataḥ (SB 5.5.5). So long we keep ourself in this misunderstanding that "I know everything. I am very great person," then whatever he is doing, it is his defeat. Abodha-jataḥ. Parābhavaḥ. That is going on. The so-called leaders, they do not know what is their spiritual identification, and becoming unnecessarily proud, they are doing anything and everything. Abodha-jataḥ. They do not know they'll have to be, have to suffer for this ignorance. We have repeatedly said that if you keep yourself in the ignorance and if you do . . . Because wrong thing is done by rascals and ignorant. No intelligent man will do any wrong thing. That's a fact. Violation of the law is done, either a criminal willfully doing or a person, one who does not know the law, he commits. But you know or not know, if you have violated the law, then you have to be punished.