Text 54
na brāhmaṇān me dayitaṁ
rūpam etac catur-bhujam
sarva-veda-mayo vipraḥ
sarva-deva-mayo hy aham
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.
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.
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.