Ultimate benefit comes through devotion to Vishnu, not through satisfying one's own material desires.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.23 — August 26, 1972, Los Angeles 720826SB-LOS ANGELES [41:07 Minutes] SB-01.02.23_720826SB-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: [sings Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava] [prema-dhvani] Thank you very much. Devotees: All glories to Śrī Guru and Gauranga. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [devotees offer obeisances] [break] Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Canto number one, Chapter Two, text 23. [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] sattvaṁ rajas tama iti prakṛter guṇās tair yuktaḥ paraḥ puruṣa eka ihāsya dhatte sthity-ādaye hari-viriñci-hareti saṁjñāḥ śreyāṁsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nṛṇāṁ syuḥ [SB 1.2.23] [Prabhupāda corrects some pronunciation]
Prabhupāda: Ladies. Ladies. [interrupting as Svarūpa Dāmodara begins chanting] Ācchā. Go on, go on.
No, you can go on. [Svarūpa Dāmodara chants] Now ladies. Ladies. [lady chants] That's all.
Now word meaning. Pradyumna: [leads chanting of synonyms] sattvam—goodness; rajaḥ—passion; tamaḥ—darkness of ignorance; iti—thus; prakṛteḥ—of the material nature; guṇāḥ—qualities; taiḥ—by them; yuktaḥ—associated by; paraḥ—transcendental; puruṣaḥ—the personality; ekaḥ—one; iha asya—of this material world; dhatte—accepts; sthiti-ādaye—for the matter of creation, maintenance and destruction, etc.; hari—Viṣṇu, the Personality of Godhead; viriñci—Brahmā; hara—Lord Śiva; iti—thus; saṁjñāḥ—different features; śreyāṁsi—ultimate benefit; tatra—therein; khalu—of course; sattva—goodness; tanoḥ—form; nṛṇām—of the human being; syuḥ—derived. [15:35] Translation: "The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature, namely goodness, passion, ignorance, and just for the material world's creation, maintenance and destruction, He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and the Maheśvara trio. Out of them, the form of the quality of goodness, Viṣṇu, is just suitable for deriving the ultimate benefit for all human beings." Prabhupāda: So the material world means the three qualities. Material world is going on under three energetic... energies: sattva, raja, tama.
We have explained several times, we see varieties of living entities, varieties of trees, varieties of everything. Anywhere you go, you simply find varieties. Some of them you like, some of them you do not like. So these varieties are due to these three material modes of nature, sattva, raja, tama. So when creation has taken place, the things should be managed properly.
So Kṛṣṇa Himself, He expands into three forms for management. One form is Lord Viṣṇu, one form is Lord Śiva and the other form is Lord Brahmā. Brahmā creates, Lord Viṣṇu maintains and Lord Śiva destroys. Because in the material nature, you cannot have anything permanent.