eteṣāḿ nāma-lińgānāḿ
puruṣāṇāḿ mahātmanām
kathā-mātrāvaśiṣṭānāḿ
kīrtir eva sthitā bhuvi
etesham -- of these; nama -- their names; linganam -- which are the only means of remembering them; purushanam -- of the personalities; maha-atmanam -- who were great souls; katha -- the stories; matra -- merely; avasishtanam -- whose remaining portion; kirtih -- the glories; eva -- only; sthita -- are present; bhuvi -- on the earth.
These personalities, who were great souls, are now known only by their names. They exist only in accounts from the past, and only their fame remains 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.
