Text 21] Fundamental Principles of Material Nature 1087
yat tat sattva-gunam svaccham
Santa bhagavatah padam
yad ahur vasudevakh yam
cittam tan mahad-adtmakam

yat—which; tat—that; sattva-gunam—the mode of goodness; svaccham—
clear; santam—sober; bhagavatah—of the Personality of Godhead; padam—
the status of understanding; yat—which; Ghuh—is called; vasudeva-ikh yam
—by the name vasudeva; cittam—consciousness; tat—that; mahat-dtmakam
—manifest in the mahat-tattva.

TRANSLATION

The mode of goodness, which is the clear, sober status of understanding
the Personality of Godhead and which is generally called vasudeva, or
consciousness, becomes manifest in the mahat-tattva.

PURPORT

The vasudeva manifestation or the status of understanding the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is called pure goodness or suddha-sattva. In the
suddha-sattva status there is no infringement of the other qualities, namely
passion and ignorance. In the Vedic literature there is mention of the
Lord’s expansion as the four Personalities of Godhead—Vasudeva,
Sankargana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Here in the reappearance of the
mahat-tattva the four expansions of Godhead occur. He who is seated
within as Supersoul expands first as Vasudeva.

The vasudeva stage is free from infringement by material desires and is
the status in which one can understand the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, or the objective which is described in the Bhagavad-gita as
adbhuta. This is another feature of the mahat-tattva. The vasudeva
expansion is also called Krsna consciousness, for it is free from all tinges
of material passion and ignorance. This clear state of understanding helps
one to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The vasudeva status is
also explained in Bhagavad-gita as ksetra-jfia, which means the knower of
the field of activities as well as the Superknower. The living being who has
occupied a particular type of body knows that body, but the Superknower,
Vasudeva, knows not only a particular type of body but also the field of
activities in all the different varieties of bodies. In order to be situated in
clear consciousness or Krsna consciousness, one must worship Vasudeva.
