Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.14.41

purusheshv api rājendra

supātram brāhmanam viduh

tapasā vidyayā tushtyā

dhatte vedam hares tanum

SYNONYMS

purusheshu — among persons; api — indeed; rāja-indra — O best of kings; su-pātram — the best person; brāhmanam — the qualified brāhmana; viduh — one should know; tapasā — due to austerity; vidyayā — education; tushtyā — and satisfaction; dhatte — he assumes; vedam — the transcendental knowledge known as Veda; hareh — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tanum — body, or representation.

TRANSLATION

My dear King, of all persons a qualified brāhmana must be accepted as the best within this material world because such a brāhmana, by practicing austerity, Vedic studies and satisfaction, becomes the counterpart body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

From the Vedas we learn that the Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Person. Every living entity is an individual person, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the Supreme Person. A brāhmana who is well versed in Vedic knowledge and fully conversant with transcendental matters becomes a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore one should worship such a brāhmana or Vaishnava. A Vaishnava is superior to a brāhmana because whereas a brāhmana knows that he is Brahman, not matter, a Vaishnava knows that he is not only Brahman but also an eternal servant of the Supreme Brahman. Therefore, worship of a Vaishnava is superior to worship of the Deity in the temple. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura says, sākshād dharitvena samasta-śāstraih: in all the scriptures the spiritual master, who is the best of the brāhmanas, the best of the Vaishnavas, is considered to be as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This does not mean, however, that the Vaishnava thinks himself God, for this is blasphemous. Although a brāhmana or Vaishnava is worshiped as being as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such a devotee always remains a faithful servant of the Lord and never tries to enjoy the prestige that might accrue to him from being the Supreme Lord's representative.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness