eteṣāṁ nāma-liṅgānāṁ
puruṣāṇāṁ mahātmanām
kathā-mātrāvaśiṣṭānāṁ
kīrtir eva sthitā bhuvi
eteṣām - of these; nāma - their names; liṅgānām - which are the only means of remembering them; puruṣāṇām - of the personalities; mahā-ātmanām - who were great souls; kathā - the stories; mātra - merely; avaśiṣṭānām - whose remaining portion; kīrtiḥ - the glories; eva - only; sthitā - are present; bhuvi - on the earth.
Although one may consider oneself to be a great, powerful leader, he will ultimately end up as a name in a long list of names. In other words, it is useless to be attached to power and position in the material world.