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The Demigods Appeal to the Lord
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Lord manifests Himself in three features—as Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara—to control these three qualities. He personally takes charge of  sattva-guṇa  as Lord Viṣṇu, and He entrusts the charge of  rajo-guṇa  and  tamo-guṇa  to Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. Ultimately, however, He is the controller of all three  guṇas . Lord Brahmā, expressing his appreciation, said that because Lord Viṣṇu had now taken charge of the activities of goodness, there was every hope that the demigods would be successful in fulfilling their desires. The demigods were harassed by the demons, who were infested with  tamo-guṇa . However, as Lord Brahmā has previously described, since the time of  sattva-guṇa  had now arrived, the demigods could naturally expect to fulfill their desires. The demigods are supposedly well advanced in knowledge, yet they could not understand the knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the Lord is addressed here as  anantāya . Although Lord Brahmā knows past, present and future, he is unable to understand the unlimited knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Eighth Canto, Fifth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Demigods Appeal to the Lord for Protection.”