Text 50] The Demigods Appeal to the Lord 201

Lord manifests Himself in three features—as Brahma, Visnu and
Mahesvara—to control these three qualities. He personally takes charge
of sattva-guna as Lord Visnu, and He entrusts the charge of rajo-guna
and tamo-guna to Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. Ultimately, however, He
is the controller of all three gunas. Lord Brahma, expressing his ap-
preciation, said that because Lord Visnu had now taken charge of the ac-
tivities 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-guna. However, as Lord Brahma
has previously described, since the time of sattva-guna had now arrived,
the demigods could naturally expect to fulfill their desires. The demigods
are supposedly well advanced in knowledge, yet they could not under-
stand the knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore
the Lord is addressed here as anantdaya. Although Lord Brahma 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Demigods Appeal to
the Lord for Protection.”
