278
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 5, Ch. 20]
“Brahmā, Śambhu, Sūrya and Indra are all merely products of the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is also true of the many other demigods whose names are not mentioned here. When the cosmic manifestation is annihilated, these different expansions of Nārāyaṇa’s potencies will merge into Nārāyaṇa. In other words, all these demigods will die. Their living force will be withdrawn, and they will merge into Nārāyaṇa.”
Therefore it should be concluded that Lord Viṣṇu, not Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As a government officer is sometimes accepted as the entire government although he is actually but a departmental manager, so the demigods, having achieved power of attorney from Viṣṇu, act on His behalf, although they are not as powerful as He. All the demigods must work under the orders of Viṣṇu. Therefore it is said,  ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya . The only master is Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Lord Viṣṇu, and all others are His obedient servants, who act exactly according to His orders. The distinction between Lord Viṣṇu and the demigods is also expressed in  Bhagavad-gītā  (9.25).  Yānti deva-vratā devān. . . yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām:  those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, whereas the worshipers of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Viṣṇu go to the planets in Vaikuṇṭha. These are the statements of the  smṛti . Therefore the idea that Lord Viṣṇu is on the same level as the demigods is in contradiction to the  śāstras . The demigods are not supreme. The supremacy of the demigods is dependent on the mercy of Lord Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa).
TEXT 5
प्रत्नस्य विष्णो रूपं यत्सत्यस्यर्तस्य ब्रह्मणः ।
अमृतस्य च मृत्योश्च क्षर्यमात्मानमीमहीति ॥ ५ ॥
pratnasya viṣṇo rūpaṁ yat satyasyartasya brahmaṇah amṛtasya ca mṛtyoś ca sūryam ātmānam īmahīti
pratnasya —of the oldest person;  viṣṇoh —Lord Viṣṇu;  rūpam —the form;  yat —which;  satyasya —of the Absolute Truth;  ṛtasya —of