Verse 2.3.170

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.3.170:

महाशया ये हरि-नाम-सेवकाः सुगोप्य-तद्-भक्ति-महा-निधेः स्वयम् ।
प्रकाश-भीत्या व्यवहार-भङ्गिभिः स्व-दोष-दुःखान्य् अनुदर्शयन्ति ते ॥ १७० ॥

mahāśayā ye hari-nāma-sevakāḥ sugopya-tad-bhakti-mahā-nidheḥ svayam |
prakāśa-bhītyā vyavahāra-bhaṅgibhiḥ sva-doṣa-duḥkhāny anudarśayanti te || 170 ||

mahā-āśayāḥ–great souls; ye–who; hari-nāma-sevakāḥ–the servants of the holy name of Śrī Hari; su-gopya–very confidential; tat–of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; bhakti–in devotional service; mahā-nidheḥ–of their great treasure; svayam–personally; prakāśa–of revealing; bhītyā–out of fear; vyavahāra–activities; bhaṅgibhiḥ–with deceptive; sva-doṣa–as their own faults; duḥkhāni–sufferings; anudarśayanti–show according to spiritual authorities; te–they.

The great souls, who render service to the name of Hari, are reluctant to reveal their vast, secret treasure of bhakti. Thus, in public they behave as if they are suffering due to their own fault.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Śrī Gopa-kumāra might question, “Why were the imminent karmic reactions (bhoga-unmukha karma) of Bharata and other devotees not destroyed?” In reply, the Vaikuṇṭha associates speak the verse beginning with mahā.

They say, “The great souls who are attached to the service of harināma have deep and mysterious moods. Externally, they appear to be suffering materially, but this is just to delude others. Actually, their behavior is difficult to understand. To alert everyone to the perils encountered in the development of one’s bhakti, Bharata Mahārāja made a display of suffering. Looking after a baby deer, he ended up obtaining an unfortunate birth as the result of that lower association. What was his intention? Not willing to reveal the vast, confidential treasure of bhakti, such great souls exhibit distress to the public eye in order to conceal the happiness of devotion hidden in their hearts.

Thus, they keep hidden their most intimate devotion to Bhagavān.”