The material creation, mahat-tattva . . . sa īkṣata, as it is said in the Vedic literature, simply by glancing over the material nature and agitating the three modes of material nature, the whole creation comes out. This is an sum . . . sum and substance of material creation. Mahā-Viṣṇu is lying in the Causal Ocean, Kāraṇārṇava, and He is breathing, and from His breathing innumerable universes are coming out. And in each and every universe, Mahā-Viṣṇu, in His further expansion as Garbhodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu, He enters. That Garbhodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu, from His abdomen there is a lotus stem, and in that lotus flower Lord Brahmā is born. In this way, creation is made.
So actually, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, they are the principal directors of the three guṇas. Therefore Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, they are called guṇāvatāra. Lord Viṣṇu is in charge of sattva-guṇa activities. Therefore brāhmin, the symbol of sattva-guṇa, they are Vaiṣṇavas. Formerly, in each and every home of a brāhmin, there was Viṣṇu worship. A brāhmin cannot worship any other demigods except Viṣṇu, because Viṣṇu is the in-charge of the sattva-guṇa, and brāhmin is also in the sattva-guṇa. So Viṣṇu asya devatā. For this reason brāhmin's another title is Vaiṣṇava. Brāhmin-vaiṣṇava. Or brāhmin-paṇḍita.
So on account of the three guṇas, there are three types of Vedic literature. Not directly śruti, but smṛti, the Purāṇas, they are divided into three divisions: sāttvika-purāṇa, rājasika-purāṇa and tāmasika-purāṇa. Śiva Purāṇa, Devī Purāṇa, they are sāttvika, rājasika. Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata Purāṇa, they are sāttvika-purāṇas. The whole scheme is that everyone, every living entity within this material world, they are infected. That we have discussed. The most inferior infection is the rajas-tamas. And the superior rajas, uh, sattva-guṇa, that is also infection, but it is less harmful, whereas the infection of rajo-guṇa and sattva-guṇa is very much embarrassing.
Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). The whole material world is going on, impelled by . . . impelled by rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Generally. Sattva-guṇa is very little. Especially in this age, practically there is no sattva-guṇa. Rajo-guṇa also, very little. Tamo-guṇa predominant.
For this reason, śāstra says in this age most people are śūdras because there is scarcity of sattva-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. Brāhmin-kṣatriya. Brāhmins' activities and kṣatriya, practically nil. There is no protector. Kṣatriya means one who protects from injury, kṣata, kṣatriya, trāyate, one who protects people from being injured. Therefore the kṣatriya class, they were royal families, and the brāhmins, they were meant for giving spiritual education. Brahmā jānāti iti brāhmaṇa. And the vaiśyas, they were meant for trading, agriculture and cow protection. As the kṣatriyas were interested, entrusted for protecting the citizens, similarly the vaiśyas were entrusted for protecting the cows. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44).
So now vaiśyas, they have got big, big factories, they can maintain big, big factories, but they cannot maintain a cow. That is the position. Similarly, kṣatriyas, they have taken different occupational duties. Brāhmins also, they have left their occupation. Only everyone has come to the platform of śūdras. Therefore it is very difficult to convince them about spiritual life.