126 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 2
Lord Sri Krsna agreed to become the son of Vasudeva and Devaki upon
being pleased with their severe austerities. Therefore if any austerities have
to be done, they must be done to achieve the end of knowledge, Vasudeva.

Vasudeva is the original Personality of Godhead Lord Sa Krsna. As
explained before, the original Personality of Godhead expands Himself by
innumerable forms. Such expansion of forms is made possible by His
various energies. His energies are also multifarious, and His internal ener-
gies are superior and external energies are inferior in quality. They are
explained in the Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 7.4-6) as the para and apara prokrtis.
So His expansions of various forms which take place via the internal
energies are superior forms, whereas the expansions which take place via
the external energies are inferior forms. The living entities are also His
expansions. The living entities who are expanded by His internal potency
are eternally liberated persons, whereas those who are expanded by the
material energies are eternally conditioned souls. Therefore, all culture of
knowledge, austerities, sacrifice and activities should be aimed at changing
the quality of the influence that is acting upon us. For the present, we are
all being controlled by the external energy of the Lord, and just to change
the quality of the influence, we must endeavor to cultivate spiritual
energy. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that those who are mahdatmas, or
those whose minds have been so broadened as to be engaged in the service
of Lord Krsna, are under the influence of the internal potency, and the
effect is that such broad-minded living beings are constantly engaged in the
service of the Lord without deviation. That should be the aim of life. And
that is the verdict of all the Vedic literatures. No one should bother him-
self with fruitive activities or dry speculation about transcendental knowl-
edge. Everyone should at once engage himself in the transcendental
loving service of the Lord. Nor should one worship different demigods who
work as different hands of the Lord for creation, maintenance or destruc-
tion of the material world. There are innumerable powerful demigods who
look over the external management of the material world. They are all
different assisting hands of Lord Vasudeva. Even Lord Siva and Lord
Brahma are included within the list of demigods, but Lord Visnu or
Vasudeva is always transcendentally situated. Even though He accepts the
quality of goodness of the material world, He is still transcendental to all
the material modes. The following example will clear that matter more
explicitly. In the prison house there are the prisoners and the managers of
the prison house. Both the managers and the prisoners are bound up by
the laws of the king. But even though the king sometimes comes in the
