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 Adi-puruṣam. Adi-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 per cent, 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.
Prabhupāda: eh?
Mālatī: I don't understand why then you'd go to Viṣṇu and not to Kṛṣṇa if Kṛṣṇa is higher?
Prabhupāda: Why you . . . why do you, I mean to . . . 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 per cent 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 per cent, pūrṇam. Mattaḥ parataraṁ kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7).
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 per cent perfect? That is your selection. If you select ninety-four percent, there is no harm, but best thing is why not cent per cent.
Is that all right? Not yet clear?
Mālatī: That part I understand. What I don't understand is why . . .
Prabhupāda: Why?
Mālatī: . . . would they take . . . why would they take less than Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: eh?
Mālatī: Why would you take less than Kṛṣṇa? If Kṛṣṇa is cent per cent, why take less?
Prabhupāda: I don't follow what you say. What is that?
Haṁsadūta: Why would someone take less? Why would someone choose Viṣṇu and not Kṛṣṇa if they know that Kṛṣṇa is cent per cent and Viṣṇu is ninety-four percent?