Answer
Yes, that is a proper understanding. The relationship a devotee has with others and his sensitivity toward offenses are important indicators of spiritual advancement.
However, even if a devotee has little realization of the Supreme Lord, if he has strong faith in and obedience to his spiritual master, he can effectively avoid many offenses by faithfully following the guru’s instructions. In the beginning, one may avoid offenses not because of deep realization, but because of obedience.
As realization develops, avoiding offenses becomes natural. A purified perception naturally produces humble behavior. For example, if the spiritual master instructs us to be humble toward everyone, and we fail to recognize that the same Lord resides in the hearts of all living beings, we may easily commit offenses.
Therefore, a neophyte devotee should constantly ask, “What has Srila Prabhupada instructed? Let me follow that.” Later, when realization matures, one acts spontaneously from realization.
The ultimate goal is to see everything as it is meant to be seen in the eyes of God, not merely as we personally perceive it. This is called seeing through shastra-chakshu—the eyes of scripture. The scriptures are the mind of the Lord, and by seeing through them we give everything its proper place: a karmi, a yogi, a devotee, and every living being.
For example, we cannot justify stealing by thinking, “Krishna is the Supreme Lord, so I will rob a bank for Krishna.” Krishna Himself has established the laws of karma and ownership. Therefore, we must act according to dharma and avoid concocted forms of devotional service.
