Category:Our Dress (Disciples of SP)
Theme Analysis
The quotes compiled in this category present a balanced and practical approach to the concept of devotional dress within the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. On one hand, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes the traditional Vaiṣṇava attire—saffron robes for celibate students, shaved heads, tilaka, and neck beads—as a beautiful spiritual uniform that identifies devotees as representatives of Vaikuṇṭha. On the other hand, he strongly emphasizes that spiritual advancement depends on internal purity and knowledge, not external garments. To facilitate preaching and ensure that the movement remains accessible, he allows significant flexibility, permitting householders and book distributors to wear respectable, Western gentleman's clothing. Ultimately, the guiding principle is absolute cleanliness and presenting oneself nicely for the pleasure of the Lord, while understanding that the soul and its devotion are far more important than the cloth it wears.
- The Advertisement of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: The traditional Vaiṣṇava dress acts as a powerful advertisement, instantly identifying practitioners to the public and reflecting the pristine beauty of the spiritual world.
- The Essential Principle of Cleanliness: Regardless of whether one wears traditional Indian robes or a Western suit, Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly requires his disciples to be perfectly clean, specifically mandating shaved heads and faces for men.
- Flexibility for Preaching: Recognizing that unfamiliar robes can sometimes alienate the Western public, devotees are permitted to dress as respectable ladies and gentlemen to effectively distribute books and present the philosophy.
- Guidelines for the Āśramas: While brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs are expected to wear saffron, householders are instructed to wear white or adapt to socially acceptable clothing outside the temple to maintain their livelihoods peacefully.
- Substance Over Superficiality: A true devotee does not judge others by their garments; realizing the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and maintaining faultless conduct are the true markers of a spiritual master, not simply wearing a particular dress.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Prabhupāda Instructs His Disciples on the Purpose of Vaiṣṇava Dress.
Pages in category "Our Dress (Disciples of SP)"
The following 42 pages are in this category, out of 42 total.
I
- I am glad to hear of the book distribution success of Tripurari in Chicago. It is reported that he did it dressed in dhoti, but Karandhara says that dhoti is an impediment
- I am so glad to learn that you have sacrificed your long beard and hair
- If you are keeping long hairs, they must be removed. All of my disciples must be clean shaved. Even anyone who stays with us must be clean shaved
- If you criticize my dress, I criticize your dress, that's all. Then you go on criticizing dress, where is the talk between gentlemen? That is our disease, that we are concerned with the dress, this body, not the person who has the dress
- If you want you can cut your hairs, but there is no need of cutting. It would be nicer if you can put on sari, you can learn it from Jadurani. You must remain like a nice girl. The dress and appearance is social convention of the society
- In our Krsna consciousness movement, fashionable persons are taught to adopt one fashion - the dress of a Vaisnava with a shaved head and tilaka. They are taught to be always clean in mind, dress and eating in order to be fixed in Krsna consciousness
- It comes to the conclusion of suppression, that "Give the dog a bad name and hang it." "You are not properly dressed; therefore you should stop it." It is like that
- It is great offense to change dress now that you have taken babaji dress you must continue. You are all so restless and take everything as farce. Now, take more rest and go on with your program of chanting and that will be good for you
- It is not that if you do not come in that dress in our temple you will not understand our philosophy. That is not... We don't mean that. But it is convenient. But anyone who does not want to change this dress, that does not matter. We don't insist
J
- Just like he is not well dressed, but anyone who will, he'll immediately find he's cleansed. That is wanted. Cleansed dress. Dress is not important... One can become clean with simply loincloth. It doesn't require dress
- Just like the policeman, he is differently dressed. One can understand that he is policeman. Similarly, we are also differently dressed so that people may understand we are Hare Krsna people
O
- Our (Krsna consciousness movement) only concern is to attract people to Krsna consciousness. We may do this in the dress of sannyasis or in the regular dress of gentlemen. Our only concern is to spread interest in Krsna consciousness
- Outside the Temple they (householders) may wear American gentleman's dress, with Tilaka, flag, and beads. It is not required to wear dhotis, as this society does not understand, so outside the Temple dress suit is more socially acceptable
S
- Sometimes members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness - especially in the Western countries - find it difficult to approach people to distribute books because people are unfamiliar with the traditional saffron robes of the devotees
- Suppose you come in a dress. You are my friend. Do I see your dress or you? Panditah sama-darsinah. Vidya-vinaya-sampanne (BG 5.18). You are reading BG. You know all these things. When you are learned, you won't see the dress. You will see the soul
T
- The devotees can dress up in respectable clothes like ladies and gentlemen in order to distribute my literatures under special circumstances, but even this program should not become widespread
- The girls, the women, they like to be more beautiful. So if by dressing in other way they look beautiful, why should you ask them not to do it?
- There is no question of giving up robes in the temple
- These brahmacaris, they voluntarily change. Otherwise there are many students, just like we have got two, three students, they are working. They come like ordinary American gentlemen. There is no objection in that way. Dress is not very important thing
- This dress may be advertisement to others that "We belong to the Krsna consciousness group." That is another thing. But Krsna consciousness does not depend on dress
- Translation of prayers into English is good and if somebody dresses like nice American gentleman without any robes, I have no objection; but every one of my disciples must have the flag and marks of tilak on forehead
W
- We are living in a nice house, we are eating nice foodstuff, we have got nice dress, and the devotees look very nice, bright-faced. What is the wrong there?
- We are not concerned with the dress; we are concerned with the advancement of spiritual understanding. That's all
- We are sitting, so many boys and girls, you are in different dress. But essentially your dress may be different, but you are all human beings. Similarly, there are 8,400,000 different forms of living entities
- We are spending at the present moment, monthly, seventy thousand dollars. In Indian calculation, it is seven lakhs of rupees. So everything required. We have to maintain establishment, we have to feed them, we have to educate them, we have to dress them
- We can understand that we may change our dress in any way to facilitate our service. When our members change their dress to meet the public or to introduce our books, they are not breaking the devotional principles
- We do not judge the man by his dress, so we are not concerned with the color of our cloth as much as we are concerned to keep our conduct on the plane of pure spiritual life
- When they (student of Krsna consciousness) are dressed with saffron-colored cloth, with tilaka on their foreheads and beads in their hands and on their necks, they look exactly as if they come directly from Vaikuntha
- When they are dressed with saffron-colored cloth, with tilaka on their foreheads and beads in their hands and on their necks, they look exactly as if they have come directly from Vaikuntha
- Why don't you dress like European, half foreign dress and half hair? Who is that foreign and European and gentleman? What is the use of wig? Keep regular gentleman's hair. There is no need of saffron dress
- With this dress you look so beautiful. This Vedic dress is also nice, very beautiful. It increases the beauty hundred times by this dress
Y
- You go to your office, you dress in some way, similarly, this is a particular type of dress. It is sanctioned by our predecessors. We adopt. So if you don't accept this dress, that does not mean you cannot be in Krsna consciousness
- You must always remain dressed like a Vaisnava. That is necessity. So preksaniya: "is very beautiful to see." Otherwise how they became impressed?
- You must know the science of Krsna consciousness. That makes you guru, not this dress
- You should dress yourself always very nicely so that Krishna by seeing you will be pleased. Don't try to be ugly before Krishna. Krishna does not like ugly gopis