Why shika?

[Guest guest]

Home Base: Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, Navadwip Dhama, Nadia, WB, INDIA

Current Camp: Sri Sri Radha-Govinda Mandir, Calcutta, W.Bengal. INDIA.

 

> He also said that he was

> unhappy with the western institutions 'coz the people were not true and

> they do not follow nature. I then explained about various other things and

> asked him to meet mataji for joining ISKCON. He was pleased but he asked

> me one question that I couldn't answer. He asked why the devotees are

> shaved. They shave their beard and even their head. He asked me if our

> principle is to follow nature and not any artificial ways to achieve God,

> then why do we stop the nature of growing beards (he had a long beard). It

> was one thing which makes difference between man and woman. So why stop

> the nature. This I was not able to answer.

> Do u have an explanation for it?

> Regards,

> Gokul.

>

> Thankyou very much Guru Maharaj for your kind guidance.

> Wanting to be your humble servant,

> Hema

 

The male devotees living in a temple or having a brahminical Krishna

conscious occupation often shave their heads and leave a shikha. Srila

Prabhupada said shaving the head is clean and since we take 2-3 baths per

day there is less hair to dry off.

 

Also having short hair helps one to be free from the false ego thinking that

one is the body. In that sense it is conducive for Krishna consciousness.

 

People are more inclined to give donations and service to Lord Sri Krishna

to a shaved devotee since their appearand is more renounced and brahminical.

Of course other activities must also match and be in the mode of pure

Goodness.

 

Also Srila Prabhupada said that Lord Sri Krishna pulls the conditioned soul

out from the sikha tuft of hair on the back of the head.

 

I hope that this finds you in good health.

 

Your ever well wisher,

 

Jayapataka Swami