106 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 2

devotees; viprah—O twice-born; punya-tirtha—those who are cleansed of all
vice; nisevanat—by service.

TRANSLATION

O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely
freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains
affinity for hearing the messages of Vasudeva.

PURPORT

The conditioned life of a living being is caused by his revolting against
the Lord. There are men called deva, or godly living beings, and there are
men Called asuras, or demons, who are against the authority of the Supreme
Lord. In the Bhagavad-gitd (Sixteenth Chapter) a vivid description of the
asuras is given in which it is said that the asuras are put into lower and lower
states of ignorance life after life and so sink to the lower animal forms and
have no information of the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead.
These asuras are gradually rectified into God consciousness by the mercy
of the Lord’s liberated servitors in different countries according to the
supreme will. Such devotees of God are very confidential associates of the
Lord, and when they come to save the human society from the dangers
of godlessness, they are known as the powerful incarnations of the Lord,
as sons of the Lord or as servants of the Lord or as associates of the Lord.
But none of them falsely claim to be God themselves. This is a blasphemy
declared by the asuras, and the demoniac followers of such asuras also
accept pretenders as God or His incarnation. In the revealed scriptures
there is definite information of the incarnation of God. No one should be
accepted as God or an incarnation of God unless he is confirmed by the
revealed scriptures.

The servants of God are to be respected as God by the devotees who
actually want to go back to Godhead. Such servants of God are called
mahatmas, or the tirthas, and they preach according to particular time
and place. The servants of God urge people to become devotees of the
Lord. They never tolerate being called God. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was
God Himself according to the indications of the revealed scriptures, but
He played the part of a devotee. People who knew Him to be God addressed
Him as God, but He used to block His ears with His hands and chant the
name of Lord Visnu. He strongly protested against being called God,
although undoubtedly He was God Himself. The Lord behaves so to warn
