Text 24] Divinity and Divine Service 117
destroyed, Lord Siva does it by tandava-nytya. The materialists and the
foolish human beings worship Brahma and Siva respectively. But the pure
transcendentalists worship the form of goodness, Visnu, in His various
integrated forms and separated forms. The integrated forms are called
Godhead, and the separated forms are called the living entities or the
jivas. Both the jivas and Godhead have their original spiritual forms. Jivas
are sometimes subjected to the control of material energy, but the Visnu
forms are always controllers of energy. When Visnu, the Personality of
Godhead, appears in the material world, He comes to deliver the condi-
tioned living beings who are under the material energy. Such living beings
appear in the material world with intentions of being lords, and thus they
become entrapped by the three modes of nature. As such, the living
entities have to change the material coverings for undergoing different
terms of imprisonment. The prison house of the material world is created
by Brahma under instruction of the Personality of Godhead, and at the
conclusion of a kalpa the whole thing is destroyed by Siva. But as far as
maintenance of the prison house is concerned, it is done by Visnu, as much
as the state prison house is maintained by the state. Anyone, therefore,
who wishes to get out of this prison house of material existence, which is
full of miseries like repetition of birth, death, disease and old age, must
please Lord Visnu for such liberation. Lord Visnu is worshiped by
devotional service only, and if anyone has to continue prison life in the
material world, he may ask for relative facilities from the different demi-
gods like Siva, Brahma, Indra, Varuna, etc., for temporary relief. No
demigod can, however, release the imprisoned living being from the con-
ditioned life of material existence except Visnu. Therefore, the ultimate
benefit may be derived from Visnu, the Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 24
Tare  yraarahrattaa: |
TA MTA | TATA RII
parthivad daruno dhimas
tasmdd agnis trayimayah
tamasas tu rajas tasmat
sattvam yad brahma-darsanam

parthivat—from earth; darunah—firewood; dhiimah—smoke; tasmat—

from that; agnih—fire; trayi— Vedic sacrifices; mayah—made of; tamasah—
