Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.29.30
रूपभेदविदस्तत्र ततश्चोभयतोदत: ।
तेषां बहुपदा: श्रेष्ठाश्चतुष्पादस्ततो द्विपात् ॥ ३० ॥
rūpa-bheda-vidas tatra
[roopa-bheda-vidas tatra]
tataś cobhayato-dataḥ
[tatash chobhayato-datah]
teṣāṁ bahu-padāḥ śreṣṭhāś
[teshaam bahu-padaah shreshthaash]
catuṣ-pādas tato dvi-pāt
[chatush-paadas tato dvi-paat]
Word-for-word
rūpa-bheda
—
distinctions of form
vidaḥ
—
those who perceive
tatra
—
than them
tataḥ
—
than them
ca
—
and
ubhayataḥ
—
in both jaws
dataḥ
—
those with teeth
teṣām
—
of them
bahu-padāḥ
—
those who have many legs
śreṣṭhāḥ
—
better
catuḥ-pādaḥ
—
four-legged
tataḥ
—
than them
dvi-pāt
—
two-legged.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
rūpa-bheda-vidas tatra
rūpa-bheda
distinctions of form
vidaḥ
those who perceive
tatra
than them
tataś cobhayato-dataḥ
tataḥ
than them
teṣāṁ bahu-padāḥ śreṣṭhāś
catuṣ-pādas tato dvi-pāt
ca
and
ubhayataḥ
in both jaws
dataḥ
those with teeth
teṣām
of them
bahu-padāḥ
those who have many legs
śreṣṭhāḥ
better
catuḥ-pādaḥ
four-legged
tataḥ
than them
dvi-pāt
two-legged.
Better than those living entities who can perceive sound are those who can distinguish between one form and another. Better than them are those who have developed upper and lower sets of teeth, and better still are those who have many legs. Better than them are the quadrupeds, and better still are the human beings.
Purport
It is said that certain birds, such as crows, can distinguish one form from another. Living entities that have many legs, like the wasp, are better than plants and grasses, which have no legs. Four-legged animals are better than many-legged living entities, and better than the animals is the human being, who has only two legs.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Entities which can distinguish form are superior. Superior to them are entities with two sets of teeth. Superior to them are beings with many legs. Superior to them are animals with four legs. Superior to them are humans with two legs.
Beings who can distinguish forms such as crows are superior. Entities with upper and lower teeth such as snakes are superior. Those with many legs such as bees are superior. It should be understood that they have two sets of teeth since they can cut flowers or wood. Four legged animals are superior and two legged human beings are superior to them. Those beings later in the list are in general superior because of superior qualities. By knowledge from scriptures, it is understood that mountains like Govardhana and Veṅkatācala, and plants like tulasī, are superior and more worthy of respect because of even greater qualities, such as residing at the Lord’s abodes.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The Lord is named here as the actual proprietor of everything we manage. The verse asks us to relax our grip on what was never ours and let Him hold it again.
Reflection Questions
- Where does your idea of God blur into a generic 'higher power' that asks nothing of you?
- What single attribute of the Lord, taken seriously today, would reorganize a corner of your life?
My note
Source: vedabase.io