Krishna's various incarnations manage the universe's creation, maintenance, and dissolution through divine expansion and delegated power.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Prabhupāda: [taps on microphone] matsya, kūrma, raghunātha, nṛsiṃha, vāmana varāhādi-lekhā yāìra nā yāya gaṇana [Cc Madhya 20.298] [Some of the pastime incarnations are the fish incarnation, the tortoise incarnation, Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Nṛsiṃha, Lord Vāmana and Lord Varāha. There is no end to them.] Now Lord Caitanya is describing about līlāvatāra. So they are some of the names of the līlāvatāra. There are innumerable līlāvatāra, but these are some of the names: Matsya, Kūrma, Raghunātha, Nṛsiṃha, Vāmana, Varāhādi.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a verse in which some of the names of the līlāvatāra is mentioned: matsyāśva-kacchapa-nṛsiṃha-varāha-haṃsarājanya-vipra-vibudheṣu kṛtāvatāraḥ tvaṃ pāsi nas tribhuvanaṃ ca tathādhuneśa bhāraṃ bhuvo hara yadūttama vandanaṃ te [Cc Madhya 20.299] [O Lord of the universe, best of the Yadu dynasty, we are offering our prayers unto You mainly to diminish the heavy burden of the universe. Indeed, You diminished this burden formerly by incarnating in the form of a fish, a horse [Hayagrīva], a tortoise, a lion [Lord Nṛsiṃha], a boar [Lord Varāha] and a swan. You also incarnated as Lord Rāmacandra, Paraśurāma and Vāmana, the dwarf. You have always protected us demigods and the universe in this way. Now please continue.] So all these incarnations, especially this līlāvatāra, līlā incarnation, they come, they descend on this material world, to settle up some disturbances by the demons. There are two classes of men in this world, the deva and the asura. Deva means those who are devotees, those who are conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are called deva, gods, demigods. And demigod does not mean that something extraordinary. They are also living entities like us, but they are completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, and therefore they have got unlimited power, and they are entrusted with some of the management of this material world.
They are called deva. And the asuras, demons, atheists, they are not entrusted. They are simply meant for creating disturbances. So when the atheist class, the number of atheist class, increases, at that time it becomes intolerable for the devas and the gods to remain here, because the asuras can create much disturbances. So at that time, indrāri-vyākulaṃ lokaṃ mṛòayanti yuge yuge [SB 1.3.28]. [All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.] Indrāri. Indra means the demigods, head of the demigods. When his enemies are increased and create disturbance, these līlāvatāra, they come.
As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg 4.8]: [In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.] "Just to deliver the faithful and to annihilate the unfaithful," yuge yuge sambhavāmi, "I come in every millenniums." līlāvatārera kailuì dig-daraśana guṇāvatārera ebe śuna vivaraṇa [Cc Madhya 20.300] [I have given a few examples of pastime incarnations. Now I will describe the guṇa-avatāras, the incarnations of the material qualities. Please listen.] Now Lord Caitanya says, "I have mentioned some of the līlāvatāra. Now, Sanātana, you just hear from Me about guṇāvatāra." Guṇāvatāra means the incarnation of the material qualities.
There are three qualities in the material world: goodness, passion and ignorance. So each quality is controlled by the Supreme Lord Himself by His expansion of different incarnation. Brahmā, viṣṇu, śiva—tina guṇa avatāra [Cc Madhya 20.301]. [There are three functions within this material world. Everything here is created, everything is maintained for some time, and everything is finally dissolved. The Lord therefore incarnates Himself as the controllers of the three qualities—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa [goodness, passion and ignorance]. Thus the transactions of the material world take place.] Now on these three qualities, material modes of nature, the heads are Brahmā—Brahmā, the first living creature, Brahmā—and Viṣṇu—Viṣṇu, God Himself—and Śiva, Lord Śiva. Śiva's position is between Brahmā and Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is God, and Brahmā is living entity. Gradation. Living entity, they are also parts and parcel of God. Śiva is also part and parcel of God.
Viṣṇu is also part and parcel of God. But there are degrees of power. That we have already discussed. Kṛṣṇa is cent percent, Viṣṇu is ninety-four percent, Śiva is eighty-four percent, and we living entities, we are seventy-eight percent. So tri-guṇa aìgīkari' kare sṛṣṭy-ādi-vyavahāra [Cc Madhya 20.301].
They have nothing to do with these material modes of nature. Just like a person in charge of the criminal department or jail department, but we should not think that he is also one of the prisoners because he is in charge of the jail department. No. Similarly, Śiva, Lord Śiva, he is in charge of the modes of ignorance, but he is not ignorant.