Tattva means the tattva-vastu, the Absolute Truth, is manifested in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. They are actually the same thing, but different realization.
I have given several times this example—just like the sunshine, the sun globe and the sun-god, Nārāyaṇa, within the sun globe, that is one thing. One thing means that Nārāyaṇa within the sun globe, his bodily effulgence is so glowing and bright. This is called sun's blazing effulgence. So the sunshine is also expansion of that glowing effulgence. So they are one thing. Just like fire. Fire, direct fire, temperature, and just outside the fire, temperature, and the heat of the fire outside—although they are one, but the temperature different. Similarly, the sun-god and the sun globe and the sunshine, they are one, but different temperature. So one who knows this . . . That means one who knows that the Brahman effulgence is just like the sunshine outside, and the Paramātmā feature is the expansion of the Supreme Lord everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu. He is everywhere, even within the atom. That is Paramātmā feature. And ultimately it is coming from Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ. So one has to understand. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Budha. Budha means one who knows. So such person we have to . . . tattva-darśī, one who knows what is tattva, what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā, what is Bhagavān—we have to approach such person. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12).
So in this way, as Draupadī . . . yes, Devahūti . . . Devahūti is the mother of Kapiladeva, but she is taken instruction from his (her) son. His (her) son is . . . Kapiladeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it doesn't matter whether God appears as my son or guru or father. God is there always. So we have to take knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge. Because He is the origin of everything. Govindam ādi-puruṣam. Ādi-puru . . . the original person. So if we take lessons from the original person, that is perfect knowledge. Otherwise, it is imperfect knowledge. So that . . . somebody was asking about the paramparā. So that paramparā is very necessary, to know the knowledge by the paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Paramparā is very important thing. Therefore, unless we take to the paramparā system, which is, in another word, it is called sampradāya . . . sampradāya.
So to understand the Absolute Truth, there are four recognized sampradāyas, the Brahma-sampradāya, the Rudra-sampradāya, the Kumāra-sampradāya and the Śrī-sampradāya. Śrī-sampradāya mean one sampradāya is coming from directly from the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī. That is called Śrī-sampradāya. And one sampradāya is coming from Lord Brahmā. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. The ādi-kavi is Lord Brahmā. He learned from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Tene brahma hṛdā. The Supreme Personality of Godhead instructed Lord Brahmā from within the heart: tene brahma hṛdā. Hṛdā means within the heart. So in this way, instruction is received from Lord Brahmā, from Lord Śiva, from Lakṣmījī the goddess of fortune, and the Kumāras, Sanat-kumāra, Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanat-kumāra. They have got a sampradāya. So we have to approach the sampradāya. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Abhigacchet: "must approach the sampradāya," either of the sampradāya. Sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ: "If you don't take your instruction, mantra, from the sampradāya, then it is useless." It has no meaning, because they do not know. Therefore we have to take sampradāya, accept sampradāya.
So there are four sampradāyas of the Vaiṣṇavas. At the present moment they are known as Madhva-sampradāya, or Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya, or Rāmānuja-sampradāya, or Viṣṇu Svāmī–sampradāya, and Nimbārka-sampradāya. Here in Bombay, Vallabha-sampradāya, they belong to the Viṣṇu Svāmī–sampradāya. So we have to approach the sampradāya. Without sampradāya, whatever we learn, that is not perfect. Sampradāya-vihīnās ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ. Just like we have got very nice example that in political field there are parties—"This is Congress party," "This is Communist party," "This is . . ." So these parties are recognized. Unless you belong to some party, you cannot stand for election. As it is there in the political field, sampradāya-vihīnā ye, they cannot stand, similarly, if one person who desires to advance in spiritual life, he must take initiation from the sampradāya.
So we belong to the Gauḍīya-sampradāya. Gauḍīya means . . . Gauḍīya . . . Gauḍa-deśa is called Bengal. There are pañca-gauḍa. Punjab is also called Gauḍa-deśa. There are five gauḍa and five draviḍa. In southern India, they are called draviḍa, and in the north India, they are called gauḍa-deśa. So Gauḍa, Bengal is also Gauḍa, and the Vaiṣṇavas belonging to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult, they are called Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava, Bengali Vaiṣṇava. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu happened to be a Bengali, but He belonged to the Madhva-sampradāya. His guru was Īśvara Purī, and his guru, Īśvara Purī's guru, was Mādhavendra Purī. And Mādhavendra Purī belonged to Madhvācārya-sampradāya. The Gopāla, the Nāthadvāra Gopāla, that belonged to . . . originally it was owned by Mādhavendra Purī. Then it was delivered, the Deity was delivered, to the Viṣṇu Svāmī–sampradāya.
So anyway, if we require knowledge, factual knowledge, we must receive it directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge. Therefore Devahūti is receiving knowledge. Although Kapiladeva is his (her) son, but because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he (she) is taking knowledge from Him. And if we take knowledge from Him also—everything is there in the book—then that is perfect knowledge. Therefore it is said, bhagavān uvāca. As Bhagavān is complete, pūrṇa, pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśo Invocation)—He is pūrṇa, sampūrṇa, complete—so that knowledge is perfect.
So Kapiladeva is giving knowledge, beginning how the creation, the material creation, is begun. He is beginning from that point of view. Pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ sad-asat and yat tat tri-guṇātmakam. This material world is tri-guṇamayī. Tri-guṇātmakam, or tri-guṇamayī, the same thing. As Kṛṣṇa said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī, guṇamayī (BG 7.14). Guṇa. This material world, this prakṛti, is guṇamayī; there are three modes of material nature. So we are controlled by these tri-guṇamayī, and we have to become guṇātītam. As Kṛṣṇa advises to Arjuna, traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna: "You just try to become above the three guṇas." That is human life. Human life is not meant for remaining within the category of these three guṇas and struggle for existence. That is not human life. That is animal life.