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 When
I returned home from my recent trip to visit Srila Gurudev
and the devotees of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram in
Soquel, I returned with the same fire that burns ever so brightly
in the Soquel devotees' service mood and desire to meet Srila
Gurudev's expectations and needs. This is the fire of devotional
service and dedication to Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga.
While I was there the devotees
were gearing up for a fund raising drive to solicit funds
to meet the ongoing financial needs of the community. One
such avenue open to all servitors is a monthly, personal pledge
in support of the Soquel Temple. This is a fund raising method
that every devotee should be excited about. Maintaining and
expanding the preaching mission at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat
Seva Ashram is of paramount importance, and everyone should
be willing to sacrifice something in order to see the Seva
Ashram prosper and grow.
 Several
years ago my husband, Achyuta Priya Prabhu, and I decided
to tithe a certain percentage of our monthly income to Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Taking a percentage off the top of
our income first has helped us ensure our monthly giving.
It is a routine just like paying any other debt except that
we are giving to Krishna first. There are a lot of things
an organization's members can do to raise funds, but one of
the most important is for members to tithe a certain portion
of their individual, personal income to the organization each
month. This concept is one that most Christian churches depend
on for raising funds and one that can easily be applied in
the Vaishnava community as well. Since visiting the Soquel
Temple recently, my husband and I have decided to add another
percentage point to our monthly tithe specifically to support
the Seva Ashram. After having the darshan of the beautiful
Deities there, we could do no less.
The philosophy in Gaudiya Vaishnavism is that the center comes
first. And, it seems to me that everyone needs to understand
the importance of giving something to the center first regardless
of personal economic status. Everyone can give something.
It is easy to think about paying our debt to Krishna after
we engage in spending on other things, but the better idea
is to pay the Krishna debt first, off the top. Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Seva Ashram belongs to Krishna, and it is a better
consciousness to remember to give to Him first. A proper service
mood comes from those who give to Krishna in full faith that
their needs will be taken care of after His needs are fulfilled.
For any mission to succeed,
the members have to invest their time, money, and heart. No
doubt sacrifices will have to be made by each individual in
order to see the mission succeed. By Guru and Gauranga's mercy
we are all benefiting from the association at Sri Chaitanya
Saraswat Seva Ashram. In order to continue to share that mercy
with others, some investment in personal giving has to be
maintained.
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