208
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
TRANSLATION
Such a person is truly intelligent, whereas others, who have but a poor fund of knowledge, must endure a cycle of repeated birth and death. Of all sacrificial performances, the chanting of the Lord's holy name is the most sublime.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the father and inaugurator of the  saṅkīrtana  movement. One who worships Him by sacrificing his life, money, intelligence and words for the  saṅkīrtana  movement is recognized by the Lord and endowed with His blessings. All others may be said to be foolish, for of all sacrifices in which a man may apply his energy, a sacrifice made for the  saṅkīrtana  movement is the most glorious.
TEXT 79
কোটি অখমেধ এক কৃষ্ণ নাম সম।  
 ষেই কহে, সে পাষণ্ডী, দণ্ডে তারে যম ॥ ৭৯ ॥
koṭi aśva-medha eka kṛṣṇa nāma sama  
 yei kahe, se pāṣaṇḍī, daṇḍe tāre yama
SYNONYMS
koṭi —ten million;  aśva-medha —horse sacrifices;  eka —one;  kṛṣṇa —of Lord Kṛṣṇa;  nāma —name;  sama —equal to;  yei —one who;  kahe —says;  se —he;  pāṣaṇḍī —atheist;  daṇḍe —punishes;  tāre —him;  yama —Yamarāja.
TRANSLATION
One who says that ten million  aśvamedha  sacrifices are equal to the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is undoubtedly an atheist. He is sure to be punished by Yamarāja.
PURPORT
In the list of the ten kinds of offenses in chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hare Kṛṣṇa, the eighth offense is  dharma-vrata-tyāga-hutādi-sarva-śubha-kriyā-sāmyam api pramādaḥ . One should never consider the chanting of the holy name of Godhead equal to pious activities like giving charity to  brāhmaṇas  or saintly persons, opening charitable educational institutions, distributing free foodstuffs and so on. The results of pious activities do not equal the results of chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.
The Vedic scriptures say:
go-koṭi-dānaṁ grahaṇe khagasya  
 prayāga-gaṅgodaka-kalpa-vāsaḥ  
 yajñāyutaṁ meru-suvarṇa-dānaṁ  
 govinda-kīrter na samaṁ śatāṁśaiḥ