SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM CANTO 1 CHAPTER 2 TEXT Vishnu thatva, the only deliverer from material world

TEXT 22 ato vai kavayo nitya ṁ bhakti ṁ paramayā mudā vāsudeve bhagavati kurvanty ātma-prasādanīm Certainly, therefore, since time immemorial, all transcendentalists have been rendering devotional service to Lord K ṛṣṇ a, the Personality of Godhead, with great delight, because such devotional service is enlivening to the self.

Goal of Transcendentalists Lord K ṛṣṇ a is the svaya ṁ -rūpa Personality of Godhead, and all other thousands of manifestations, beginning from Śrī Baladeva, and extending to the puru ṣ a-avatāras, gu ṇ a-avatāras, līlā- avatāras, yuga-avatāras and etc…are Lord Śrī K ṛṣṇ a's plenary portions and integrated parts. He is the last word in the Transcendence. Thus He is more attractive to the higher transcendentalists who participate in the eternal pastimes of the Lord. In other forms other than Krishna and Baladeva, there is no facility for intimate personal contact as in the transcendental pastimes of the Lord at Vrajabhūmi. His pastimes are eternal and are manifested in due course once in a day of Brahmājī.

TEXT 23 sattva ṁ rajas tama iti prak ṛ ter gu ṇ ās tair yukta ḥ para ḥ puru ṣ a eka ihāsya dhatte sthity-ādaye hari-viriñci-hareti sa ṁ jñā ḥ śreyā ṁ si tatra khalu sattva-tanor n ṛṇ ā ṁ syu ḥ The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature, namely passion, goodness and ignorance, and just for the material world's creation, maintenance and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahmā, Vi ṣṇ u and Śiva. Of these three, all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Vi ṣṇ u, the form of the quality of goodness.

Deities and their duties Vi ṣṇ u or the Deity of the quality of goodness in the material world is the puru ṣ a-avatāra known as K ṣ īrodakaśāyī Vi ṣṇ u or Paramātmā. Brahmā is the deity of rajas (passion), and Śiva of ignorance. The creation is made possible by Brahma's quality of passion and his endeavor, it is maintained by the goodness of Vi ṣṇ u, and when it requires to be destroyed, Lord Śiva does it by the tā ṇḍ ava-n ṛ tya. Integrated forms of Vishnu are called Godhead, and the separated forms are called the living entities or the jīvas. Both the jīvas and Godhead have their original spiritual forms.

The prison house of the material world Jīvas are sometimes subjected to the control of material energy, but the Vi ṣṇ u forms are always controllers of this energy. Vi ṣṇ u appears in the material world to deliver the conditioned living beings who are under the material energy. Prison house of the material world is created by Brahmā under instruction of the Personality of Godhead, and at the conclusion of a kalpa the whole thing is destroyed by Śiva. Anyone who wishes to get out of this prison house, which is full of miseries like repetition of birth, death, disease and old age, must please Lord Vi ṣṇ u for such liberation. Lord Vi ṣṇ u is worshiped by devotional service only. Demigod’s worship gives only temporary relief.

TEXT 24 pārthivād dāru ṇ o dhūmas tasmād agnis trayīmaya ḥ tamasas tu rajas tasmāt sattva ṁ yad brahma-darśanam Firewood is a transformation of earth, but smoke is better than the raw wood. And fire is still better, for by fire we can derive the benefits of superior knowledge [through Vedic sacrifices]. Similarly, passion [rajas] is better than ignorance [tamas], but goodness [sattva] is best because by goodness one can come to realize the Absolute Truth.

Satva Guna helps to realize the Absolute Truth One has to rise to the platform of the mode of goodness (sattva) so that one can be eligible for the devotional service of the Lord. Even from the platform of tamas, can gradually rise to the sattva platform by the expert direction of the spiritual master. To consider that worship of any quality or any form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is equally beneficial is mistake Except Vi ṣṇ u, all forms are separated, being manifested under the conditions of material energy, cannot help anyone rise to the platform of sattva.