and other "devas," or holy, virtuous beings. In the sixteenth chapter, the Bhagavad-gita gives an elaborate description of the asuras, in which one learns, among other things, that these demonic beings are plunged, life after life, into an increasingly profound ignorance, until they sink to the species Where they have no access to the knowledge of the Absolute Truth, of the Supreme Lord. But by the grace of the liberated souls, the servants of the Lord, who appear in different countries by the supreme will, these asuras gradually come to correct themselves and to regain their consciousness of God. The pure bhaktas are very close to the Lord, and when they come to save mankind from the dangers of atheism, they take the name of the Lord's sons, servants or companions, and sometimes even powerful avatars. But none of them claims to be God Himself. This is a blasphemy of which only asuras are capable, but their demonic followers accept them no less as avatars or as God Himself. The sacred texts also give very precise information concerning the manifestations of God, and no one should be accepted as God or as one of His manifestations unless they respond to the descriptions of these texts.
The bhakta who sincerely wishes to return to God shows as much respect to His servants as to the Lord Himself. These servitors are called tirthas, or great soul, and they preach according to the particular circumstances of time and place where they appear. They implore people to become devotees of the Lord and never tolerate being called God themselves. According to the Scriptures, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was God in Person, but He played the role of a bhakta, and when those who knew Him God addressed Himself as such, He carried His hands to His ears And sang the Name of Visnu. He totally refused to be called God, and yet He was God in Person. Why does the Lord act?
To warn us precisely against unscrupulous men who take pleasure in calling themselves God. The servants of God come to spread the conscience of God. They should then receive the unreserved support of intelligent men. By placing oneself in the service of a servant of God, one can in fact still more satisfy the Lord than by serving Himself directly. And if the Lord is so pleased to see his servants duly respected, it is because they risk everything to serve Him and are therefore infinitely dear to Him. He himself declares in the Bhagavad-gita that no one is more dear to Him than he who risks everything to spread his glories. Serving the servants of the Lord, one gradually acquires the qualities of pure bhakta, and in this way one qualifies to hear the glories of the Lord. Now the ardent desire to hear that which relates to God represents the first quality required by the bhakta to enter His Kingdom.