यदन्तरं वायसवैनतेययोर्यदन्तरं मद्गुमयूरयोरपि।
यदन्तरं सारसगृध्रयोर्वने तदन्तरं दाशरथेस्तवैव च॥
yad antaraṁ vāyasa-vainateyayor
yad antaraṁ madgu-mayūrayor api
yad antaraṁ sārasa-gṛdhrayor vane
tad antaraṁ dāśarathes tavaiva ca
yat antaram = there is a difference; vāyasa-vainateyayoḥ = between a crow and Garuḍa; yat antaram = there is a difference; madgu-mayūrayoḥ api = between a diver-bird and a peacock; yat antaram = there is a difference; sārasa-gṛdhrayoḥ = between a sārasa swan and a vulture; vane = in the forest; tat = that; antaram = is the difference; dāśaratheḥ = between the son of King Daśaratha; tava eva = you; ca = and.
There is a difference between a crow and Garuḍa. There is a difference between a diver-bird and a peacock. There is a difference between a sārasa swan and a vulture in the forest. That is the difference between the son of King Daśaratha and you.
NOTE. It should come as no surprise to the learned reader that a mere jīvātmā like Rāvaṇa is considered in the Rāmāyaṇa to be insignificant in comparison to Lord Rāmacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for Lord Kṛṣṇa has clearly pointed out that there is none superior to Him:
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva
O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread. (Bhagavad-gītā 7.7)
In his first commentary on Bhagavad-gītā, Śrī Madhva quotes the following verses of Skanda Purāṇa to reveal the infinite difference in power between the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa and the living entities:
yad antaraṁ vyāghra-harīndrayor vane
yad antaraṁ meru-girīndra-vindhyayoḥ
yad antaraṁ sūrya-sureḍya-bimbayos
tad antaraṁ rudra-mahendrayor api
There is a difference between a tiger and a lion in a forest. There is a difference between the great mountain Meru and the Vindhyas. There is a difference between the sun worshipped by the devas and its reflection. That is the difference between Rudra and the great Indra.
yad antaraṁ siṁha-gajendrayor vane
yad antaraṁ sūrya-śaśāṅkayor divi
yad antaraṁ jāhnavi-sūrya-kanyayos
tad antaraṁ brahma-girīśayor api
There is a difference between a lion and the best of elephants in a forest. There is a difference between the sun and the moon in the sky. There is a difference between Gaṅgā and Yamunā. That is the difference between Brahmā and Śiva.
yad antaraṁ pralayaja-vāri-vipruṣor
yad antaraṁ stamba-hiraṇyagarbhayoḥ
sphuliṅga-saṁvartakayor yad antaraṁ
tad antaraṁ viṣṇu-hiraṇyagarbhayoḥ
There is a difference between the water of universal devastation and a drop of water. There is a difference between a clump of grass and Brahmā. There is a difference between a spark of fire and the saṁvartaka fire of universal destruction. That is the difference between Lord Viṣṇu and Brahmā.
anantatvān mahā-viṣṇos tad-antaraṁ anantakam
māhātmya-sūcanārthāya hy udāharaṇam īritam
Since Mahā-viṣṇu is infinite, the difference between Him and the rest is infinite. The above instances have been delineated just to indicate His glory. (Quoted in Madhvācārya’s Gitā-bhāṣya 2.24)