SB 1.2.23

That Lord Sri Krsna, by His plenary parts, should be rendered devotional service as explained above, is confirmed by this statement. Lord Sri Krsna and all His plenary parts are Visnu-tattva, or the Lordship of Godhead. From Sri Krsna, the next manifestation is Baladeva. From Baladeva is Saṅkarsana, from Saṅkarsana is Narayana, from Narayana there is the second Saṅkarsana, and from this Saṅkarsana the Visnu purusa-avataras. The Visnu or the Deity of the quality of goodness in the material world is the purusa-avatara known as Ksirodakasayi Visnu or Paramatma. Brahma is the deity of rajas (passion), and Siva of ignorance. They are the three departmental heads of the three qualities of this material world. Creation is made possible by the goodness of Visnu, and when it is required to be destroyed, Lord Siva does it by tandava-nrtya. The materialists and the foolish human beings worship Brahma and Siva respectively. But the pure transcendentalists worship the form of goodness, Visnu, in His various integrated forms and separated forms. The integrated forms are called Godhead, and the separated forms are called the living entities or the jivas. Both the jivas and Godhead have their original spiritual forms. Jivas are sometimes subjected to the control of material energy, but the Visnu forms are always controllers of energy. When Visnu, the Personality of Godhead, appears in the material world, He comes to deliver the conditioned living beings who are under the material energy. Such living beings appear in the material world with intentions of being lords, and thus they become entrapped by the three modes of nature. As such, the living entities have to change the material coverings for undergoing different terms of imprisonment. The prison house of the material world is created by Brahma under instruction of the Personality of Godhead, and at the conclusion of a kalpa the whole thing is destroyed by Siva. But as far as maintenance of the prison house is concerned, it is done by Visnu, as much as the state prison house is maintained by the state. Anyone, therefore, who wishes to get out of this prison house of material existence, which is full of miseries like repetition of birth, death, disease and old age, must please Lord Visnu for such liberation. Lord Visnu is worshiped by devotional service only, and if anyone has to continue prison life in the material world, he may ask for relative facilities from the different demigods like Siva, Brahma, Indra, Varuna, etc., for temporary relief. No demigod can, however, release the imprisoned living being from the conditioned life of material existence except Visnu. Therefore, the ultimate benefit may be derived from Visnu, the Personality of Godhead.