Guest guest Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Sorry for such a late reply. I was in India. No need to be extreme. How can we, under current circumstances, order the grihasta community to dress a certain way. To wear a dothi/sari is definitely very helpful for one's Krishna consciousness. Infiltrating into the society, though not impossible, usually ends detrimental to one's spiritual life. There are plenty of examples of this. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to organize communities, self sufficient ones. Cities are for preachers. Your servant, Mahat-tattva dasa > Dear Prabhus, > > Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. > > > The argument can be made that a brahmacari or sannyasi should wear his > dhoti because, indeed, he is a 'monk.' A householder, on the other hand, > may be a brahmana, but he is not a monk in the Western understanding of > the term. Therefore the person asking Mahat tattva prabhu, "Are you a > monk?" indeed refers to monks. However, given that the large majority of > the ISKCON Vaisnava world is (and will increasingly be) made up of > grihasthas living in the world in all spheres of social and economical > levels, it would be unfair to impose upon them the restricted profile of a > monk. > One of the advantages of being a grihastha is that he can indeed > infiltrate himself in various places in society and preach by his own > example. Wearing a dhoti categorically in all circumstances in today's > society may not realistic, or even desired by Srila Prabhupada, as will be > seen below. > > > > > > > > > >Yes, there is no objection if one wants to wear western dress for a > > > >few hours while distributing books, but then one should put on > > > >dhoti/sari. It was very clear that Srila Prabhupada wanted devotees > > > >to wear dhotis/saris. > > There are many photographs in which Srila Prabhupada is surrounded by some > disciples who are wearing coat and pant. > > Here are a few quotes also: > > > Dr. Wolfe: Çréla Prabhupäda, the dhoté is not important then. > Prabhupäda: Not important. He can have dhoté, you can have pant, you can > have... It doesn't matter. > > >>> Ref. VedaBase => Garden Conversation with Professors -- June 24, 1975, > Los Angeles > > > > Prabhupada: Now, nowadays coat-pant is very costly. If you can spend your > money, costly dress, we have no objection. > VD 41: Bhuvanesvara, January 21, 1977: Room Conversation > > > > > Rämeçvara: No. I'm just saying that it is a little difficult if they wear > their dhoté. > Prabhupäda: No, dhoté, I don't say. You have nice coat-pant. I don't say > that you have to... I never said that. You have adopted it. (laughs) I > never said that "You put on dhoté." But those who are sannyäsés, > brahmacärés, their dress is different. But it doesn't require that one has > to become a sannyäsé. > > > >>> Ref. VedaBase => Conversation on Train to Allahabad -- January 11, > >>> 1977, > India > > > This point is important, I think: > "But those who are sannyäsés, brahmacärés, their dress is different. But > it doesn't require that one has to become a sannyäsé." > > > > > We should not be more "Catholic than the pope," or > more "Vedic than Srila Prabhupada," and we should not forget, as > Prabhupada makes very clear in the last quote above, that there may be > different allowances in terms of dress for different asrams. At the very > beginning of the movement, when everyone was living in a temple, > irrespective of asram, the contrasts between > asrams was not yet pronounced as it later naturally became (and will > increasingly become in the future.) For example, in one letter from 1967, > Srila Prabhupada says, > > "Clean shaved Brahmacharies & Grhasthas in SAFFRON robes look like angels > from Baikunta." > > > Which grihastha today would wear saffron robes?? > > > > Since Prabhupada said, speaking about dhotis, 'you have adopted it,' one > can say that wearing a dhoti (at least for a grihastha) is not as > essential as wearing, for example, Tilak and keeping kunti mala and sikha. > These symbols, on the contrary, were considered by Prabhupada as > 'essential' for ALL Vaisnavas, as shown below: > > > "if somebody dresses like nice American gentleman without any robes, I > have no objection; but every one of my disciples must have the flag & > marks of tilak on forehead. This is essential." > > >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Damodara — Calcutta 13 October, 1967 > > > "I have no objection if members of the Society dress like nice American > gentlemen; but in all circumstances a devotee cannot avoid tilak, flag on > head, & beads on neck. These are essential features of a Vaisnava." > > >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Brahmananda — Calcutta 14 October, 1967 > > > > > I never objected to any of my students dressing like nice American > gentleman, clean shaved; those who are my disciples must have flag, tilak > & beads on neck without fail. > > >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Kirtanananda — Calcutta 16 October, 1967 > > > > > > > > > > Thank you very much, Mahat-tattva Prabhu, for the quotes. No one can > > > or will argue that Prabhupada did stress devotional clothes and wanted > > > devotees to wear them as much as possible. > > Personally, I love to wear a dhoti. But I am not a monk in an ISKCON > temple, and I also love wearing a fancy coat and pant with nice Tilak and > a nice sikha. And I feel absolutely bona-fide doing it, given the quotes > above. > > > Will the first high court judges in the modern world who wear Tilak to > court automatically wear dhotis also? > > > Your respectful servant, > Candrasekhar acarya dasa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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