It is said in Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 23.39,
yāṅra citte kṛṣṇa-premā karaye udaya
tāṅra vākya, kriyā, mudrā vijñeha nā bujhaya
”Even the most learned man cannot understand the words, activities and symptoms of a person situated in love of Godhead.
Prior to meeting Lord Caitanya, when Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was not a devotee, he had visited Kovoor. He met a very exalted devotee known as Ramananda Raya, but due to his impersonal background he was unable to understand the devotional sentiments of Ramananda Raya and had made fun of him.
He himself remarks,
alaukika vākya ceṣṭā tāṅra nā bujhiyā
parihāsa kariyāchi tāṅre ’vaiṣṇava’ baliyā
I could not realize when I first spoke with Rāmānanda Rāya that his topics and endeavors were all transcendentally uncommon. I made fun of him simply because he was a Vaiṣṇava. CC Madhya 7.66
Later, by the grace of Lord Caitanya, the transformed Sarvabhauma could very well understand the greatness of Ramananda Raya. He made a special request to the Lord that on his journey to South India, the Lord must meet Ramananda Raya and heartily glorified him.
He says,
tomāra saṅgera yogya teṅho eka jana
pṛthivīte rasika bhakta nāhi tāṅra sama
“Rāmānanda Rāya is a fit person to associate with You; no other devotee can compare with him in knowledge of the transcendental mellows.” CC Madhya 7.64
Till the time our devotional sentiments are not awakened, we cannot see the greatness of devotees. Or till the time Lord’s mercy doesn’t fall on us, we cannot understand the greatness of devotees. Pradyumna Mishra was requested by Lord Caitanya to visit Ramananda Raya. He was thoroughly bewildered by the behavior and dealings of Ramananda Raya. When for the second time Mahaprabhu told Pradyumna Mishra to visit him, and when he heard Krishna Katha from him, Pradyumna Mishra could understand what kind of advanced devotee Ramananda Raya was.
Just as one can take darshan of Deities in a material manner, seeing them as just made of matter, similarly, one may have a materialistic viewpoint of seeing devotees.
We must pray earnestly to the Lord to reveal to us the greatness of His devotees. Devotees of the Lord belong to the svarupa-shakti (internal potency) of the Lord. When our vision is covered by maya, we cannot see the Lord, nor we can see the devotees. We are only able to see the materialistic side in a devotee.
When Krishna is pleased with us, He gradually reveals to us the greatness and the exalted position of His devotees.
A few years back, a devotee once seeing the behavior of another devotee commented to me, “Prabhu, I am somehow unable to understand the behavior and nature of some devotees. Maybe someday Krishna will reveal it to me.”
Till the time we are not able to see the good qualities in a devotee, we must be careful not to offend them. May be after some time, Krishna may reveal to us their greatness. Till then, if we keep on offending them, we might as well dig our own graves, and it might become too late to rectify. Prevention is better than cure. Similarly, accepting devotees for what they are constitutes a part of humility. Even if we have some service of correcting Vaishnavas, it has to be done in a very sensitive manner.
When we get purified, Krishna reveals to us the greatness of all devotees. And then our life’s only business is to taste the glories of other devotees’ love for Krishna. This is what in essence what Narada Muni does as depicted in Brhad Bhagavatamrta. He keeps on going to various Vaishnavas who are being appreciated as the best of devotees, and keeps on relishing and fainting narrating their qualities and singing their glories.
