भूतेषु वीरुद्भ्य उदुत्तमा ये
सरीसृपास्तेषु सबोधनिष्ठाः ।
ततो मनुष्याः प्रमथास्ततोऽपि
गन्धर्वसिद्धा विबुधानुगा ये ॥
देवासुरेभ्यो मघवत्प्रधाना
दक्षादयो ब्रह्मसुतास्तु तेषाम् ।
भवः परः सोऽथ विरिञ्चवीर्यः
स मत्परोऽहं द्विजदेवदेवः ॥
न ब्राह्मणैस्तुलये भूतमन्यत्
पश्यामि विप्राः किमतः परं तु ।
यस्मिन्नृभिः प्रहुतं श्रद्धयाह-
मश्नामि कामं न तथाग्निहोत्रे ॥
धृता तनूरुशती मे पुराणी
येनेह सत्त्वं परमं पवित्रम् ।
शमो दमः सत्यमनुग्रहश्च
तपस्तितिक्षानुभवश्च यत्र ॥
bhūteṣu vīrudbhya uduttamā ye
sarīsṛpās teṣu sabodha-niṣṭhāḥ |
tato manuṣyāḥ pramathās tato’pi
gandharva-siddhā vibudhānugā ye ||
devāsurebhyo maghavat-pradhānā
dakṣādayo brahma-sutās tu teṣām |
bhavaḥ paraḥ so’tha viriñca-vīryaḥ
sa mat-paro’haṁ dvija-deva-devaḥ ||
na brāhmaṇais tulaye bhūtam anyat
paśyāmi viprāḥ kim ataḥ paraṁ tu |
yasmin nṛbhiḥ prahutaṁ śraddhayāham
aśnāmi kāmaṁ na tathāgni-hotre ||
dhṛtā tanūr uśatī me purāṇī
yeneha sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram |
śamo damaḥ satyam anugrahaś ca
tapas titikṣānubhavaś ca yatra ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.5.21–24)
“Among [all] entities [in this world], those endowed with consciousness among those which are mobile are greatly superior to vegetation [i.e., immobile entities]. Humans beings are [greatly superior] to them. The pramathas are [greatly superior] even to them. The gandharvas [are greatly superior to them], the siddhas [are greatly superior to them], the followers of the devas [i.e., the kinnaras and others, are greatly superior to them], the asuras [are greatly superior to them], the devas led by Indra [are greatly superior to them], the sons of Brahmā led by Dakṣa [i.e., the prajāpatis, are greatly superior to them], and among them, Bhava [i.e., Śiva] is supreme. He then is the scion of Viriñca [i.e., the son of Brahmā, meaning, Brahmā is superior to him]. He [viz., Brahmā] is he whose superior is me [i.e., I am superior to Brahmā], and I am he whose devas [i.e., objects of worship] are the devas [i.e., the illustrious ones] among the twice-born [i.e., my objects of worship are the brāhmaṇas, and thus the brāhmaṇas are superior even to me]. O brāhmaṇas! I do not equate any other entity [in this world] with brāhmaṇas. So do I see anyone superior to them? [Certainly not. Any why not?] I eat at will excellent oblations [offered] with śraddhā by human beings unto them [viz., brāhmaṇas], and not so [do I eat oblations offered] in a fire sacrifice. By them [viz., brāhmaṇas] my dear, primeval figure [viz., the Veda] is carried here [in this world] and in them supremely pure sattva, equanimity, sense control, truthfulness, compassion, austerity, forbearance, and realization dwell.”
Note
Please observe that in the translation of these verses, the sentence structure of some of the statements have been modified, an intended form of āṇuṣaṅga, that is, resupplying of words stated earlier, has been followed in accord with the commentary of Śrī Svāmipāda, and some relative pronouns have been translated as demonstrative pronouns.