You should know Krsna to be the original Soul of all living entities.

For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy,
appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this by the strength of
His internal potency.

vastuto janatam atra

krsnam sthasnu carisnu ca
bhagavad-rupam akhilam
nanyad vastv iha kincana

vastutah--in fact; janatam--for those who understand; atra--in this

world; krsnam--Lord Krsna; sthasnu--stationary; carisnu--moving; ca--
and; bhagavat-rupam--the manifest forms of the Personality of Godhead;
akhilam--everything; na--nothing; anyat--else; vastu--substance; iha--
here; kincana--at all.

Those in this world who understand Lord Krsna as He is see all

things, whether stationary or moving, as manifest forms of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Such enlightened persons recognize no reality
apart from the Supreme Lord Krsna.

Adhikarana 19: The Supreme Lord awards the fruits of action.

ARE THOSE WHO ARE PROMOTED TO HIGHER PLANETS ELEVATED BY THE STRENGTH
OF THEIR PIOUS DEEDS OR ARE THEY ELEVATED BY THE SUPREME LORD?

THE ANSWER IS THAT THEY ARE ELEVATED BY THE SUPREME LORD.

(Vs. 3.2.39)

2.3.10
akamah sarva-kamo va
moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajeta purusam param

akamah--one who has transcended all material desires; sarva-kamah--one

who has the sum total of material desires; va--either; moksa-kamah--
one who desires liberation; udara-dhih--with broader intelligence;
tivrena--with great force; bhakti-yogena--by devotional service to the
Lord; yajeta--should worship; purusam--the Lord; param--the supreme
whole.

A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all

material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation,
must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.

2.4.17
tapasvino dana-para yasasvino
manasvino mantra-vidah sumangalah
ksemam na vindanti vina yad-arpanam
tasmai subhadra-sravase namo namah

tapasvinah--the great learned sages; dana-parah--the great performer of

charity; yasasvinah--the great worker of distinction; manasvinah--the
great philosophers or mystics; mantra-vidah--the great chanter of the
Vedic hymns; su-mangalah--strict followers of Vedic principles;
ksemam--fruitful result; na--never; vindanti--attain; vina--without;
yat-arpanam--dedication; tasmai--unto Him; subhadra--auspicious;
sravase--hearing about Him; namah--my obeisances; namah--again and
again.

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-auspicious Lord

Sri Krsna again and again because the great learned sages, the great
performers of charity, the great workers of distinction, the great
philosophers and mystics, the great chanters of the Vedic hymns and the
great followers of Vedic principles cannot achieve any fruitful result
without dedication of such great qualities to the service of the Lord.

THIS IS CONFIRMED IN THE SRUTI-SASTRA.

(Vs. 3.2.40)

8.23.15,16
sri-sukra uvaca
kutas tat-karma-vaisamyam
yasya kamaesvaro bhavan
yajneso yajna-purusah
sarva-bhavena pujitah

sri-sukrah uvaca--Sri Sukracarya said; kutah--where is that; tat--of

him (Bali Maharaja); karma-vaisamyam--discrepancy in discharging fruitive
activities; yasya--of whom (Bali Maharaja); karma-isvarah--the master of
all fruitive activities; bhavan--Your Lordship; yajna-isah--You are the
enjoyer of all sacrifices; yajna-purusah--You are the person for whose
pleasure all sacrifices are offered; sarva-bhavena--in all respects;
pujitah--having worshiped.

Sukracarya said: My Lord, You are the enjoyer and lawgiver in all
performances of sacrifice, and You are the yajna-purusa, the person to
whom all sacrifices are offered. If one has fully satisfied You, where
is the chance of discrepancies or faults in his performances of
sacrifice?

mantratas tantratas chidram

desa-ka larha-vastutah
sarvam karoti nischidram
anusankirtanam tava
mantratah--in pronouncing the Vedic mantras improperly; tantratah--in
insufficient knowledge for following regulative principles; chidram--
discrepancy; desa--in the matter of country; kala--and time; arha--and
recipient; vastutah--and paraphernalia; sarvam--all these; karoti--
makes; nischidram--without discrepancy; anusankirtanam--constantly
chanting the holy name; tava--of Your Lordship.

There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing

the regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in
regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. But when Your Lordship's
holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless.

THE STANDPOINT OF SAGE JAIMINI IS THAT THE SUPREME LORD IS THE GIVER OF
PIOUS ACTIVITIES. THE PIOUS ACTIVITIES THEMSELVES HAVE THE POTENCY TO
REWARD THE FRUITIVE WORKER. THUS THE SUPREME LORD DOES NOT DIRECTLY
GIVE THE RESULTS OF PIOUS ACTIVITIES.
(Vs. 3.2.41)

10.24.17
dehan uccavacan jantuh
prapyotsrjati karmana
satrur mitram udasinah
karmaiva guru isvarah

dehan--material bodies; ucca-avacan--high- and low-class; jantuh--

the conditioned living entity; prapya--obtaining; utsrjati--gives up;

karmana--by the reactions of his material activities; satruh--his

enemy; mitram--friend; udasinah--and neutral party; karma--material
work; eva--alone; guruh--his spiritual master; isvarah--his lord.

Because it is karma that causes the conditioned living entity to

accept and then give up different high- and low-grade material bodies,
this karma is his enemy, friend and neutral witness, his spiritual
master and controlling lord.

BUT VYASADEVA HOLDS THAT THE SUPREME LORD IS THE BESTOWER OF REWARDS,
FOR HE IS THE CAUSE OF ALL CAUSES.
(Vs. 3.2.42)

4.11.20,21
na vai sva-pakso 'sya vipaksa eva va