ब्राह्मणानां सहस्रेभ्यः सत्रयाजी विशिष्यते ।
सत्रयाजिसहस्रेभ्यः सर्ववेदान्तपारगः ॥
सर्ववेदान्तवित्कोट्यां विष्णुभक्तो विशिष्यते ।
वैष्णवानां सहस्रेभ्य एकान्त्येको विशिष्यते ॥
brāhmaṇānāṁ sahasrebhyaḥ satra-yājī viśiṣyate |
satra-yāji-sahasrebhyaḥ sarva-vedānta-pāragaḥ ||
sarva-vedānta-vit-koṭyāṁ viṣṇu-bhakto viśiṣyate |
vaiṣṇavānāṁ sahasrebhya ekānty eko viśiṣyate ||
(Garuḍa Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 174)
“A performer of the satra-yāga [i.e., a difficult form of sacrifice only a highly trained brāhmaṇa can perform] is superior to thousands of brāhmaṇas. One adept in the entire Vedānta [i.e., who knows the conclusion of all the Vedas] is superior to thousands of performers of the satra-yāga. A bhakta of Viṣṇu is superior to a crores of knowers of the entire Vedānta, and one who is one-pointed [in one’s bhakti to Viṣṇu] is superior to thousands of Vaiṣṇavas [who are not yet one-pointed].”