1416
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 29]
prajāpati-patiḥ —Brahmā, the father of all progenitors;  sākṣāt —directly;  bhagavān —the most powerful;  giriśaḥ —Lord Śiva;  manuḥ —Manu;  dakṣa-ādayaḥ —headed by King Dakṣa;  prajā-adhyakṣāḥ —the rulers of humankind;  naiṣṭhikāḥ —the strong  brahmacārīs ;  sanaka-ādayaḥ —headed by Sanaka;  marīciḥ —Marīci;  atri-aṅgirasau —Atri and Aṅgirā;  pulastyaḥ —Pulastya;  pulahaḥ —Pulaha;  kratuḥ —Kratu;  bhṛguḥ —Bhṛgu;  vasiṣṭhaḥ —Vasiṣṭha;  iti-thus ;  ete —all of them;  mat-antāḥ —ending with me;  brahma-vādinaḥ — brāhmaṇas , speakers on Vedic literature;  adya api —up to date;  vācaḥ-patayaḥ —masters of speaking;  tapaḥ —austerities;  vidyā —knowledge;  samādhibhiḥ —and by meditation;  paśyantaḥ —observing;  api —although;  na paśyanti —do not observe;  paśyantam —the one who sees;  parama-īśvaram —the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The most powerful Lord Brahmā, the father of all progenitors; Lord Śiva, Manu, Dakṣa and the other rulers of humankind; the four saintly first-class  brahmacārīs  headed by Sanaka and Sanātana; the great sages Marīci, Atri, Aṅgirā, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhṛgu and Vasiṣṭha; and my humble self [Nārada] are all stalwart  brāhmaṇas  who can speak authoritatively on Vedic literature. We are very powerful because of austerities, meditation and education. Nonetheless, even after inquiring about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom we always see, we do not know perfectly about Him.
PURPORT
According to the foolish Darwinian theory of the anthropologists, it is said that 40,000 years ago Homo sapiens had not appeared on this planet because the process of evolution had not reached that point. However, the Vedic histories—the  Purāṇas  and  Mahābhārata —relate human histories that extend millions and millions of years into the past. In the beginning of creation, there was a very intelligent personality, Lord Brahmā, and from him emanated all the Manus, the  brahmacārīs  like Sanaka and Sanātana, as well as Lord Śiva, the great sages and Nārada. All these personalities underwent great austerities and penances and thus became authorities in Vedic knowledge. Perfect knowledge for human beings, as well as all living entities, is contained in the  Vedas . All the above-mentioned great personalities are not only powerful—being cognizant of past, present and future—but are also devotees. Still, in spite of their great education in knowledge, and despite their meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, they cannot actually understand the perfection of the living