116
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 2]
स्थित्यादये हरिविरिश्चिहरेति संज्ञाः  
 श्रेयांसि तत्र खलु सच्चतनोर्नृणां स्युः ।२३।
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti prakṛter guṇās tair 
    yuktaḥ puraḥ puruṣa eka ihāsya dhatte 
    sthity-ādaye hari-viriñci-hareti saṁjñāḥ 
    śreyāṁsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nṛṇāṁ syuḥ
sattvaṁ —goodness;  rajaḥ —passion;  tamaḥ —darkness of ignorance;  iti —thus;  prakṛteḥ —of the material nature;  guṇāḥ —qualities;  taiḥ —by them;  yuktaḥ —associated with;  paraḥ —transcendental;  puruṣaḥ —the personality;  ekaḥ —one;  ihāsya —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;  nṛṇāṁ —of the human being;  syuḥ —derived.
TRANSLATION
The transcendental Lord 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, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Of these three, all living beings can derive ultimate benefit from Viṣṇu, the form of the quality of goodness.
PURPORT
That Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, by His plenary parts, should be rendered devotional service as explained above, is confirmed by this statement. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and all His plenary parts are  Viṣṇu-tattva , or the Lordship of Godhead. From Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the next manifestation is Baladeva. From Baladeva is Saṅkarṣaṇa, from Saṅkarṣaṇa is Nārāyaṇa, from Nārāyaṇa there is the second Saṅkarṣaṇa, and from this Saṅkarṣaṇa the Viṣṇu  puruṣa-avatāras . The Viṣṇu or the Deity of the quality of goodness in the material world is the  puruṣa-avatāra  known as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu or Paramātmā. Brahmā is the deity of  rajas  (passion), and Śiva of ignorance. They are the three departmental heads of the three qualities of this material world. Creation is made possible by the goodness of Viṣṇu, and when it is required to be