“The great sages offered the speaker of the Bhagavatam an elevated seat of respect called the vyasasana, or the seat of Shri Vyasadeva. Shri Vyasadeva is the original spiritual preceptor for all men. And all other preceptors are considered to be his representatives. A representative is one who can exactly present the viewpoint of Shri Vyasadeva.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.5 Purport)