A brahmana is not supposed to offer his obeisances by falling flat before anyone because a brahmana is considered to be in the highest caste. However, when a brahmana sees a devotee, he offers his dandavats. This brahmana priest did not ask Madhavendra Puri whether he was a brahmana, but when he saw that Madhavendra Puri was such a bona fide devotee that Krsna would even steal for him, he immediately understood the position of the saint. As stated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei 'guru' haya. (Cc. Madhya 8.128) Had the brahmana priest been an ordinary brahmana, Gopinatha would not have talked with him in a dream. Since the Deity spoke to both Madhavendra Puri and the brahmana priest in dreams, practically speaking they were on the same platform. However, because Madhavendra Puri was a senior sannyasi Vaisnava, a paramahamsa, the priest immediately fell flat before him and offered obeisances.