SB 1.4.24

त एव वेदा दुर्मेधैर्धार्यन्ते पुरुषैर्यथा ।
एवं चकार भगवान्व्यासः कृपणवत्सलः ॥२४॥

ta eva vedā durmedhair
dhāryante puruṣair yathā
evaṁ cakāra bhagavān
vyāsaḥ kṛpaṇa-vatsalaḥ

teplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigte

all; all of them (the demigods and demons); all of them (the demigods and the demons); all of them; all of those; all the gopas; all the asuric ministers; all the demigods; all the demigods and demons; all the demons; all the great sages; all the Pracetās; all the sons; all the sons of Jamadagni; all the watchmen; all those; all those persons who arrived; also from you; as desired by you; by him; by them; by You; for you; for your; from you; in your possession; Lord Paraśurāma's mother and brothers; of the two divisions; of them; of you (mother Ganges); of You (O dear Lord); of you; of Your good self; of Your Lordship; of yourself; speaking to you; such; such as you; such austerity and knowledge; such household life; such persons; such pure devotees are fully satisfied; that; that is; the gopīs and gopas; the hotā, brahmā and other priests; the cowherd men and ladies; the demigods; the demons (Yakṣas and Rākṣasas); the demons; the Gandharvas; the great sages (the Kumāras); the husbands; the men of Kārtavīryārjuna; the Pracetās; the Pāṇḍavas; the sages; the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna; the Yakṣas; their; therefore; these; these sons (the Savalāśvas); they; they are; to you; unto you; with you; You; your; Your Lordship; your request; Your service; yours; yourself.—that; evaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigeva

alone; also; also the word eva; although; as; as it is; as it were; as much as; as they are; at all; at that time; certainly; certainly,; certainty; completely; definitely; even; ever; exactly; exactly like; factually; Himself; immediately; in fact; in this way; indeed; it is all like that; just; just so; like; like that; like this; of course; on the very; only; quite; simply; so; surely; the word eva; they are; thus; truly; undoubtedly; very; without doubt.—certainly; vedāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvedah

book of transcendental knowledge; the Vedas, books of knowledge; the Vedas; the original source of knowledge.—the book of knowledge; durmedhaiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdurmedhaiḥ

by the less intellectual.—by the less intellectual; dhāryanteplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdhāryante

can assimilate.—can assimilate; puruṣaiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpuruṣaiḥ

by his lieutenants; by persons; by the man; by the men; by the people.—by the man; yathāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyathā

according to; accordingly as; and as; anywhere; as (He likes); as; as advised by his father; as also; as far as possible; as far as; as follows; as has; as He desires; as if; as if it were; as is; as it; as it is; as it is now; as it should have been; as it was; as it was done; as it were; as many; as much; as much as (deserved); as much as; as requested; as they are; as they told it; as they were; as well as; as you; by which; development of austerity and penance; duly; even as; exactly as; exactly like; fittingly; for the forefathers and the Supreme Personality of Godhead; how; in any manner; in order that; in the matter of; in what way; in which manner; in which way; in whichever manner; inasmuch as; just as; just as if; just like; like; like Him; or just as; properly; since; so; so that; so you inform me; the manner in which; where; wherever; without deviation.—as much as; evamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigevam

also; as; as exhibited by him; as I have done; as mentioned above; certainly; in that way; in the same way; in this manner; in this way (as described previously); in this way (some sons having been cursed and some blessed); in this way (while they were enjoying their lunch); in this way; it is so; just in the same way; like this; only; similarly (as earthly wealth and possessions are impermanent); similarly; so; so living; such; that; therefore; this; thus (as above mentioned); thus (living a devotional life); thus; thus being always engaged; thus prescribed; thus, as aforementioned; yes, this is right.—thus; cakāraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigcakara

accepted; compiled; created; did; edited; engaged; executed; gave; he did; he experienced that there is danger everywhere; made; performed.—edited; bhagavānplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhagavan

my dear Lord; my lord; O exalted sage; O godly personality; O great brāhmaṇa; O great sage (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); O great sage; O great saint; O great soul; O Lord; O Lord, Supreme Personality of Godhead; O most powerful; O most powerful devotee; O most powerful sage; O my Lord; O my lord, O great one; O Personality of Godhead; O possessor of all opulences; O powerful one; O Supreme; O Supreme Lord; O Supreme Lord, O Personality of Godhead; O Supreme Personality of Godhead; O supremely powerful one; O worshipful sage; O Your Lordship; the Personality of Godhead.—the powerful; vyāsaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvyāsaḥ

the great sage of Vyāsa; Vyāsa; Vyāsa, the compiler of all Vedic literature; Vyāsadeva.—the great sage of Vyāsa; kṛpaṇaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrpana

from a miserly person; those who are not brāhmaṇas.-vatsalaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvatsalah

affectionate.—very kind to the ignorant mass. ¶

Thus the great sage Vyāsadeva, who is very kind to the ignorant masses, edited the Vedas so they might be assimilated by less intellectual men. ¶

The Veda is one, and the reasons for its divisions in many parts are explained herewith. The seed of all knowledge, or the Veda, is not a subject matter which can easily be understood by any ordinary man. There is a stricture that no one should try to learn the Vedas who is not a qualified brāhmaṇa. This stricture has been wrongly interpreted in so many ways. A class of men, who claim brahminical qualification simply by their birthright in the family of a brāhmaṇa, claim that the study of the Vedas is a monopoly of the brāhmaṇa caste only. Another section of the people take this as an injustice to members of other castes, who do not happen to take birth in a brāhmaṇa family. But both of them are misguided. The Vedas are subjects which had to be explained even to Brahmājī by the Supreme Lord. Therefore the subject matter is understood by persons with exceptional qualities of goodness. Persons who are in the modes of passion and ignorance are unable to understand the subject matter of the Vedas. The ultimate goal of Vedic knowledge is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. This Personality is very rarely understood by those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance. In the Satya-yuga everyone was situated in the mode of goodness. Gradually the mode of goodness declined during the Tretā and Dvāpara-yugas, and the general mass of people became corrupt. In the present age the mode of goodness is almost nil, and so for the general mass of people, the kindhearted, powerful sage Śrīla Vyāsadeva divided the Vedas in various ways so that they may be practically followed by less intelligent persons in the modes of passion and ignorance. It is explained in the next śloka as follows. ¶