निम्नगानां यथा गङ्गा देवानामच्युतो यथा । वैष्णवानां यथा शम्भु: पुराणानामिदं तथा ॥ १६ ॥
nimna-gānāṁ yathā gaṅgā devānām acyuto yathā vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ purāṇānām idam tathā
- nimna-gānām
- of rivers flowing down to the sea
- yathā
- as
- gaṅgā
- the Ganges
- devānām
- of all deities
- acyutaḥ
- the infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead
- yathā
- as
- vaiṣṇavānām
- of devotees of Lord Viṣṇu
- yathā
- as
- śambhuḥ
- Śiva
- purāṇānām
- of Purāṇas
- idam
- this
- tathā
- similarly
Just as the Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas.