Mālatī: Swamijī, I don't understand when you say that you worship Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. I don't understand if Kṛṣṇa is Viṣṇu or Viṣṇu is Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa... There are several categories of living entities. Kṛṣṇa is also living entity. Viṣṇu is also living entity. You are also living entity. Lord Śiva is also living entity. Every one of us. But there are categories. Just like in your Montreal city, there are hundreds of millions of people. But someone's status is higher than the others. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the original living entity. Govindam ādi-puruṣam. Ādi-puruṣam means original. And from Him everything has expanded. Eko bahu śyāma. He has expanded Himself in many. So some of them are in the Viṣṇu category. The Viṣṇu category means they are almost equal to Kṛṣṇa. It is estimated the Viṣṇu categories, They have ninety-four percent opulence of Kṛṣṇa. And the next category is Śiva category. The Śiva category has eighty-four percent of all the opulence of Kṛṣṇa. And the next category is Brahmā category, Brahmā. Brahmā category means living entities, when they are perfect, they can obtain seventy-eight percent of the opulence of Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is cent percent, Viṣṇu or Nārāyaṇa is ninety-four percent, Lord Śiva is eighty-four percent, and we, in our perfection, we are seventy-eight percent. Is that clear?
Mālatī: Well, I don't understand then why you'd worship Viṣṇu and not Kṛṣṇa. I don't understand that why then you'd go to Viṣṇu and not to Kṛṣṇa if Kṛṣṇa is higher?
Prabhupāda: Why do you take care of your child? Why not other child? They are also children. Why don't you take care? Answer this?
Mālatī: Because this child was given to me.
Prabhupāda: You love him. That's all. Similarly, if you love Kṛṣṇa, that's all right. If you love Viṣṇu, that is also all right. But you cannot derive the same result by loving Kṛṣṇa and by Viṣṇu. Therefore it is your selection, whom should you love. Kṛṣṇa is cent percent and Viṣṇu is ninety-four percent. So if you want to worship or love ninety-four percent, that is also almost Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is cent percent, pūrṇam. Mattaḥ parataraṁ kiñcid asti dhanañjaya. In Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that He is the supreme.
- ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ
- mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
- iti matvā bhajante māṁ
- budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
- (BG 10.8)
"I am the origin of everything, including Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Śiva, living entities, everything." Iti matvā. So intelligent persons, if I have to love, why not love the greatest personality, Kṛṣṇa, who is cent percent perfect? That is your selection. If you select ninety-four percent, there is no harm, but best thing is why not cent percent. Is that all right? Not yet clear?