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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 21]
“I am not in Vaikuṇṭha nor in the hearts of the  yogīs . I remain where My devotees engage in glorifying My activities.” It is to be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not leave the company of His devotees.
Fire is certainly devoid of life, but devotees and  brāhmaṇas  are the living representatives of the Supreme Lord. Therefore to feed  brāhmaṇas  and Vaiṣṇavas is to feed the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. It may be concluded that instead of offering fire sacrifices, one should offer food-stuffs to  brāhmaṇas  and Vaiṣṇavas, for that process is more effective than fire  yajña . The vivid example of this principle in action was given by Advaita Prabhu. When he performed the  śrāddha  ceremony for his father, he first of all called Haridāsa Thākura and offered him food. It is the practice that after finishing the  śrāddha  ceremony, one should offer food to an elevated  brāhmaṇa . But Advaita Prabhu offered food first to Haridāsa Thākura, who had taken his birth in a Mohammedan family. Therefore Haridāsa Thākura asked Advaita Prabhu why he was doing something which might jeopardize his position in  brāhmaṇa  society. Advaita Prabhu replied that he was feeding millions of first-class  brāhmaṇas  by offering the food to Haridāsa Thākura. He was prepared to talk with any learned  brāhmaṇa  on this point and prove definitely that by offering food to a pure devotee like Haridāsa Thākura, he was equally as blessed as he would have been by offering food to thousands of learned  brāhmaṇas . When performing sacrifices, one offers oblations to the sacrificial fire, but when such oblations are offered to Vaiṣṇavas, they are certainly more effective.
TEXT 42
यद्ब्रह्म नित्यं विरजं सनातनं 
    श्रद्धातपोमङ्गलमौनसंयमैः । 
    समाधिना बिभ्रति हार्थदृष्टये 
    यत्रेदमादर्श इवावभासते ॥४२॥
yad brahma nityam virajam sanātanam  
 śraddhā-tapo-maṅgala-mauna-samyamaiḥ  
 samādhinā bibhrati hārtha-drṣṭaye  
 yatredam ādarśa ivāvabhāsate
yat —that which;  brahma —the brahminical culture;  nityam —eternally;  virajam —without contamination;  sanātanam —without beginning;  śraddhā —faith;  tapaḥ —austerity;  maṅgala —auspicious;  mauna —silence;  samyamaiḥ —controlling the mind and senses;  samādhinā —with full concentration;