Text 24] The Activities of the Pracetas 1517
yas tu ndrayanam devam
brahma-rudradi-daivataih
samatvenaiva vikseta
sa pdsandi bhaved dhruvam
One who considers Lord Visnu to be in the same category with devas like
Lord Brahma or Lord Siva or who thinks Lord Brahma and Siva to be
equal to Lord Visnu is to be considered as pdsandi (a faithless nonbeliever).
Therefore in this verse Lord Visnu is distinguished in the words namo
viguddha-sattvdya. Although a living entity like us, Lord Brahma is exalted
due to his pious activities; therefore he is given the high post of Brahma.
Lord Siva is not actually like a living entity, but he is not the Surpeme
Personality of Godhead. His position is somewhere between Visnu, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Brahmi, the living entity. Lord Siva
is therefore explained in Brahma-samhitd in this way:
ksiram yatha dadhi vikdra-visesa-yogat
safijayate na hi tatah prthag asti hetoh
yah Sambhutdm api tatha samupaiti karyad
govindam ddi-purusam tam aham bhajami
Lord Siva is considered to be like yogurt (dadhi). Yogurt is nothing but
transformed milk; nonetheless yogurt cannot be accepted as milk.
Similarly, Lord Siva holds almost all the powers of Lord Visnu, and he is
also above the qualities of the living entity, but he is not exactly like
Visnu, just as yogurt, although transformed milk, is not exactly like milk.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is also described herein as
vasudevaya krsndya. Krsna is the original Supreme Personality of God-
head, and all Visnu expansions are His plenary portions or portions of
His plenary portions (known as svdméa and kala). The svdmsa, or direct
expansion, is also called améa. All visnu-tattvas are svaméa, direct parts
and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Krsna is known
as Vasudeva because He appeared in this material world as the son of
Vasudeva. Similarly, He is known as Devaki-nandana, Y agoda-nandana,
Nanda-nandana, and so on.

Again and again the Lord is very much interested in increasing the
influence of His devotees. Therefore He is described herein as prabhave
sarva-sdtvatam. The sdtvata community is acommunity of Vaisnavas, pure
devotees of the Lord. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has unlimited
powers, and He wants to see that His devotees are also entrusted with
unlimited powers. A devotee of the Lord is always, therefore, distinguished
from all other living entities.
