TEXT 198
yadyadi brahmanya kare brahmanera sahaya
'suddha-vaisnava' nahe, haye 'vaisnavera praya'
SYNONYMS
yadyapialthough; brahmanya karegive charity to the brahmanas; brahmanera sahayagreat helpers to the brahmanas; suddha-vaisnavapure Vaisnavas; nahenot; hayethey are; vaisnavera prayaalmost like Vaisnavas.
TRANSLATION
"Although your father and uncle are charitable to brahmanas and greatly help them, they are nevertheless not pure Vaishnavas. However, they are almost like Vaisnavas.
PURPORT
As stated by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, some people, usually very rich men, dress like Vaisnavas and give charity to brahmanas. They are also attached to Deity worship, but because of their attachment to material enjoyment, they cannot be pure Vaisnavas. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam. The pure Vaisnava has no desire for material enjoyment. That is the basic qualification of a pure Vaisnava. There are men, especially rich men, who regularly worship the Deity, give charity to brahmanas and are pious in every respect, but they cannot be pure Vaisnavas. Despite their outward show of Vaisnavism and charity, their inner desire is to enjoy a higher standard of material life. Raghunatha dasa's father, Govardhana, and uncle, Hiranya dasa, were both very charitable to brahmanas. Indeed, the brahmanas from the Gaudiya district were practically dependent upon them. Thus they were accepted as very pious gentlemen. However, they presented themselves as Vaisnavas to the eyes of people in general, although from a purely spiritual point of view they were ordinary human beings, not pure Vaisnavas. Actual Vaisnavas considered them almost Vaisnavas, not pure Vaisnavas. In other words, they were kanistha-adhikaris, for they were ignorant of higher Vaisnava regulative principles. Nevertheless, they could not be called visayis, or blind materialistic enjoyers.

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