5.104

visnu-rupa hana kare jagat palane

gunatita-visnu sparsa nahi maya-gune

SYNONYMS

visnu-rupa—the form of Lord Visnu; hana—becoming; kare—does; jagat palane—maintenance of the material world; guna-atita—beyond the material qualities; visnu—Lord Visnu; sparsa—touch; nahi—not; maya-gune—in the material qualities.

And as Lord Visnu He maintains the entire world.

Lord Visnu, being beyond all material attributes, has no touch with the material qualities.

PURPORT

Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana says that although Visnu is the predominating Deity of the quality of goodness in the material world, He is never affected by the quality of goodness, for He directs that quality simply by His supreme will.

It is said that all living entities can derive all good fortune from the Lord simply by His will.

In the Vamana Purana it is said that the same Visnu expands Himself as Brahma and Siva to direct the different qualities.

Because Lord Visnu expands the quality of goodness, He has the name Sattvatanu.

The multifarious incarnations of Ksirodakasayi Visnu are known as Sattvatanu.

Therefore in all Vedic scriptures Visnu has been described as being free from all material qualities.

In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said:

harir hi nirgunah saksat

purusah prakrteh parah

sa sarva-drg upadrasta

tam bhajan nirguno bhavet “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is always uncontaminated by the modes of material nature, for He is beyond the material manifestation.

He is the source of the knowledge of all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, and He is the witness of everything.

Therefore one who worships the Supreme Lord Visnu also attains freedom from the contamination of material nature.” (Bhag.10.88.5) One can attain freedom from the contamination of material nature by worshiping Visnu, and therefore He is called Sattvatanu, as described above.