Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 11
Nārada and Aṅgirā Instruct Citraketu: Impermanence, Ātma-Tattva, and Mantra-Upadeśa
चरन्ति ह्यवनौ कामं ब्राह्मणा भगवत्प्रिया: । मादृशां ग्राम्यबुद्धीनां बोधायोन्मत्तलिङ्गिन: ॥ ११ ॥
caranti hy avanau kāmaṁ brāhmaṇā bhagavat-priyāḥ mādṛśāṁ grāmya-buddhīnāṁ bodhāyonmatta-liṅginaḥ
Brāhmaṇas who are dear to Bhagavān—exalted Vaiṣṇavas devoted to Kṛṣṇa—wander the earth as they wish, sometimes even in the guise of madmen. They do so to awaken people like us, bound to sense pleasure, and to dispel our ignorance.
FAQs
This verse explains that devotees dear to the Lord may adopt an 'unmatta' (madman-like) external demeanor to awaken and instruct materially absorbed people, while remaining spiritually fixed within.
Citraketu acknowledges Narada as a Lord-beloved brāhmaṇa whose unusual, detached conduct is meant to enlighten him, since Citraketu admits his own mind was previously absorbed in worldly concerns.
Do not judge spiritual teachers merely by external style; focus on their message and character, and seek guidance from genuine devotees to awaken from materialistic thinking.