The difference between material world and spiritual world is that here in this material world these three qualities are acting. Therefore we find so many different varieties of men. There are three qualities: the quality of goodness, the quality of passion and the quality of ignorance—sattva, rajas, tamas. Now, these qualities, again mixed up, they create several varieties of . . . just like three multiplied by three becomes nine. Nine multiplied by nine becomes eighty-one. Eighty-one multiplied by eighty-one, it becomes . . .
So many varieties. Expert color men, they take three colors—that blue, red and yellow—and mixes the color, and varieties of color is manufactured. Similarly, these three guṇas, originally they are coming from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that the three qualities are also emanated, or generated, from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the three qualities are represented by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. The quality of goodness is represented by Viṣṇu, the quality of passion is represented by Brahmā, and the quality of darkness is represented by Lord Śiva. By the quality of goodness this whole material world is maintained, and by the quality of passion the whole material world is created, and by the quality of ignorance the whole material world is again annihilated. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).