Lord expansion as the four Personalities of Godhead.
The Vasudeva manifestation, or the status of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is called pure goodness, or suddha-sattva. In the suddha-sattva status there is no infringement of the other qualities, namely passion and ignorance. In the Vedic literature, there is mention of the Lord’s expansion as the four Personalities of Godhead–Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Here in the reappearance of the mahat-tattva the four expansions of Godhead occur. He who is seated within as Supersoul expands first as Vasudeva. The Vasudeva stage is free from infringement by material desires and is the status in which one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead or the object which is described in the Bhagavad-gita as adbhuta. This is another feature of the mahat-tattva. The Vasudeva expansion is also called Krishna consciousness, for it is free from all tinges of material passion and ignorance. This clear state of understanding helps one to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vasudeva status is also explained in Bhagavad-gita as kshetra-jna, which refers to the knower of the field of activities as well as the Superknower. The living being who has occupied a particular type of body knows that body, but the Superknower, Vasudeva, knows not only a particular type of body but also the field of activities in all the different varieties of bodies. In order to be situated in clear consciousness, or Krishna consciousness, one must worship Vasudeva. Vasudeva is Krishna alone. When Krishna, or Vishnu, is alone, without the accompaniment of His internal energy, He is Vasudeva. When He is accompanied by His internal potency, He is called Dvarakadhisa. To have clear consciousness or Krishna consciousness, one has to worship Vasudeva. It is also explained in Bhagavad-gita that after many, many births one surrenders to Vasudeva. Such a great soul is very rare.
In order to get a release from the false ego, one has to worship Sankarsana. Sankarsana is also worshiped through Lord Siva; the snakes which cover the body of Lord Siva are representations of Sankarsana, and Lord Siva is always absorbed in meditation upon Sankarsana. One who is actually a worshiper of Lord Siva as a devotee of Sankarsana can be released from false, material ego. If one wants to get free from mental disturbances, one has to worship Aniruddha. For this purpose, worship of the moon planet is also recommended in the Vedic literature. Similarly, to be fixed in one’s intelligence one has to worship Pradyumna, who is reached through the worship of Brahma. These matters are explained in Vedic literature.
Source: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (2014 edition), “Srimad Bhagavatam”, Third Canto, Chapter 26 – Text 21
