REAL VAISNAVA-SEVA

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REAL VAISNAVA-SEVA

 

Feeding Vaisnavas and offering them dakshina (money) is considered part of

the staunch karma-kanda. Dakshina is not for Vaisnavas. This system of

offering dakshina to Vaisnavas has been arisen from the smarta-system of

inviting brahmanas, feeding them and offering dakshina. It is very essential

to completely give up this syastem among Vaisnavas.

 

"O bhaktas! Please serve in all ways those Vaisnavas who are continuously

engaged in chanting the pure name. But please don't make Vaisnava-seva even

lower than karma-kanda by offering dakshina to the Vaisnavas while feeding

them. Inviting so-called renounced Vaisnavas to simply feed them is not the

instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu."

 

(Thakura Bhaktivinoda in Vaisnava-seva, Sajjana Toshani 6/9)

 

Nowadays people have set up these system of 'mahotsava'. People think that

it is Vaisnava-seva. ANYTHING OTHER THAN SERVICE TO A PURE VAISNAVA IS NOT

ACTUALLY VAISNAVA-SEVA. ALTHOUGH THE PURE VAISNAVAS ARE VERY RARE, STILL

ONLY THEIR SERVICE IS KNOWN AS VAISNAVA-SEVA.

 

(Thakura Bhaktivinoda in Vaisnava-seva, Sajjana Toshani 4/5)