8.249
’mukta-madhye kon jiva mukta kari’ mani?’
’krsna-prema yanra, sei mukta-siromani’
SYNONYMS
mukta-madhye—among the liberated; kon—what; jiva—living entity; mukta—liberated; kari’-considering as; mani—We accept; krsna-prema—one who loves Krsna; yanra—of whom; sei—such a person; mukta-siromani—the topmost of all liberated souls.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then inquired, “Out of all liberated persons, who should be accepted as the greatest?”
Ramananda Raya replied, “He who has love for Krsna has attained the topmost liberation.”
PURPORT
In Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.14.5), it is said:
muktanam api siddhanam
narayana-parayanah
su-durlabhah prasantatma
kotisv api maha-mune “O great sage, of the many millions of liberated persons and of the millions who have attained perfection, he who is a devotee of Lord Narayana is very, very rare.