242
Šrū Caitanya-caritāmrta
[[Madhya-lilā. Ch. 8]
TEXT 246
‘কীর্তিগণ-মধ্যে জীবের কোম্ বড় কীর্তি ?’ ‘কৃষ্ণভক্ত বলিয়া যাঁহার হয় খ্যাতি ॥’ ২৪৬ ॥
‘kīrti-gaņa-madhye jīvera kon baḍa kīrti?’ ‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta baliyā yāṅhāra haya khyāti’
SYNONYMS
kīrti-gaņa-madhye —among glorious activities;  jīvera —of the living entity;  kon —which;  baḍa —greatest;  kīrti —glory;  kṛṣṇa-bhakta —a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa;  baliyā —as;  yāṅhāra —of whom;  haya —there is;  khyāti —the reputation.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then asked Rāmānanda Rāya, “Out of all glorious activities, which is the most glorious?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “That person who is reputed to be a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s enjoys the utmost fame and glory.”
PURPORT
The greatest reputation a living being can have is to be a devotee of Krṣṇa’s and to act in Krṣṇa consciousness. In the material world everyone is trying to be famous by accumulating a large bank balance or material opulence. There is a steady competition among  karmīs  attempting to advance in a wealthy society. The whole world is turning in accordance with that competitive mood. However, this kind of name and fame is temporary, for it lasts only as long as the temporary material body exists. One may become famous as a  brahma-jñānī , an impersonalist scholar, or one may become a materially opulent person. In either case, such reputations are inferior to the reputation of Krṣṇa’s devotee. In the  Caruḍa Purāṇa  it is said:
kalau bhāgavataṁ nāma durlabhaṁ naiva labhyate brahma-rudra-padotkṛṣṭaṁ guruṇā kathitaṁ mama
“In this age of Kali, the fame of one who is known as a great devotee is very rare. However, such a position is superior to that of the great demigods like Brahmā and Mahādeva. This is the opinion of all spiritual masters.”
In the  Itihāsa-samuccaya , Nārada tells Punḍarīka::