880
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 21]
lives forever.” Specifically, one who is reputed as a devotee of the Lord undoubtedly lives forever. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya, Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, “What is the greatest reputation?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied that a person who is reputed as a great devotee has the greatest reputation, for a devotee not only lives forever in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, but by his reputation he also lives forever within this material world.
TEXT 49
अहो वयं श्वघ पवित्रकीर्ते 
  त्वयैव नायेन मुकुन्दनाथाः । 
  य उत्तमस्तोकतमस्य विष्णो- 
  बीष्मण्यदेवस्य कथां व्यनत्ति ॥४९॥
aho vayam hy adya pavitra-kīrte 
  tvayaiva nāthena mukunda-nāthāḥ 
  ya uttamaślokatamasya viṣṇor 
  brahmaṇya-devasya kathām vyanakti
aho—O goodness; vayam—we; hi—certainly; adya—today; pavitra-kīrte—O supreme purity; tvayā—by you; eva—certainly; nāthena—by the Lord; mukunda—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; nāthāḥ—being the subject of the Supreme; ye—one who; uttamaślokatamasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is praised by the nicest verses; viṣṇoḥ—of Viṣṇu; brahmaṇya-devasya—of the worshipable Lord of the brāhmaṇas; kathām—words; vyanakti—expressed.
TRANSLATION
The audience continued:  Dear King Pṛthu, your reputation is the purest of all, for you are preaching the glories of the most glorified of all, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the brāhmaṇas. Since, due to our great fortune, we have you as our master, we think that we are living directly under the agency of the Lord.
PURPORT
The citizens declared that through being under the protection of Mahārāja Pṛthu they were directly under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This understanding is the proper situation of social steadiness within this material world. Since it is stated in the  Vedas  that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the maintainer and leader of