Devanagari
न ब्राह्मणान्मे दयितं रूपमेतच्चतुर्भुजम् ।
सर्ववेदमयो विप्र: सर्वदेवमयो ह्यहम् ॥ ५४ ॥
Verse text
na brāhmaṇān me dayitaṁ
rūpam etac catur-bhujam
sarva-veda-mayo vipraḥ
sarva-deva-mayo hy aham
Synonyms
na
—
not
;
brāhmaṇāt
—
than a brāhmaṇa
;
me
—
to Me
;
dayitam
—
more dear
;
rūpam
—
personal form
;
etat
—
this
;
catuḥ
—
bhujam — four-armed
;
sarva
—
all
;
veda
—
the Vedas
;
mayaḥ
—
comprising
;
vipraḥ
—
a learned brāhmaṇa
;
sarva
—
all
;
deva
—
the demigods
;
mayaḥ
—
comprising
;
hi
—
indeed
;
aham
—
I .
Translation
Even My own four-armed form is no dearer to Me than a brāhmaṇa. Within himself a learned brāhmaṇa comprises all the Vedas, just as within Myself I comprise all the demigods.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Even My own four-armed form is no dearer to Me than a brāhmaṇa. Within himself a learned brāhmaṇa comprises all the Vedas, just as within Myself I comprise all the demigods.
KB 10.86.54
“My feature of four-handed Nārāyaṇa is not so pleasing or dear to Me as is a brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇa means ‘one well conversant with Vedic knowledge.’ A brāhmaṇa is the insignia of perfect knowledge, and I am the full-fledged manifestation of all gods.
Purport
It is understood from the Vedic science of epistemology, the
Nyāya-śāstra,
that knowledge of an object (
prameya
) depends on a valid means of knowing (
pramāṇa
). The Supreme Personality of Godhead can be known only by means of the
Vedas,
and thus He relies on the
brāhmaṇa
sages, who are the
Vedas
personified, to reveal Him in this world. Even though Lord Kṛṣṇa embodies all the demigods and
viṣṇu-tattva
expansions of Nārāyaṇa, He considers Himself obliged to the
brāhmaṇas.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The brahmana is called sarva devamaya or composed of all the devas because he knows the Vedas which point out Krsna as the Supreme Lord, since he has the power of all the devatas combined.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Even my four armed form that you see (etat) is not as dear as the brāhmaṇa described. The reason is given. Just as the brāhmaṇa possesses all knowledge of the Vedas, so I possess the form most worthy of worship (sarva-deva-mayaḥ) which is taught in the Vedas. He makes the brāhmaṇas the object of comparison and himself the subject of comparison. Without the object of comparison the subject does not show excellence. He thus shows the excellence of the brāhmaṇa by this comparison. A similar example is found in the Ninth Canto:
nāham ātmānam āśāse mad-bhaktaiḥ sādhubhir vinā
śriyaṁ cātyantikīṁ brahman yeṣāṁ gatir ahaṁ parā
O best of the brāhmaṇas, without saintly persons for whom I am the only destination, I do not desire to enjoy my transcendental bliss and my supreme opulences. SB 9.4.64
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Worshiping the devotees is superior to worshipping me. To reinforce the greatness of the best mahā-bhāgavatas the Lord speaks three verses. Śrutadeva and others saw the four armed form as Arjuna did. However the two armed form is dearer to the Lord than the brāhmaṇas are, since he holds the people of Vraja to be dearest.
These devotees are dear because (hi) the brāhmaṇas comprise all the Vedas. Though (api) I am worshipped by the brāhmaṇas as the sum of all devatās, and worshippable by brāhmaṇas, the brāhmaṇas who are my devotees are as dear as my four armed form since the four armed form is the sum of the devatās. That form becomes dear if it is dear to the devotees.
nāham ātmānam āśāse mad-bhaktaiḥ sādhubhir vinā
śriyaṁ cātyantikīṁ brahman yeṣāṁ gatir ahaṁ parā
O brāhmaṇa! Without the devotees, who take shelter of only me, I do not desire to enjoy my own bliss by my six great qualities. SB 9.4.64
The Lord explains to Uddhava:
na tathā me priyatama ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ
na ca saṅkarṣaṇo na śrīr naivātmā ca yathā bhavān
Neither Brahmā, Śiva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, the goddess of fortune nor even my own self are as dear to me as you are. SB 11.14.15