Should Vaisnavas Wear Vaisnava Dress?
Should devotees wear Vaisnava dress as much as possible, or should they go undercover?
Srila Prabhupada introduced us to Vaisnava dress by his dhoti, shaved head, neck beads, and tilaka. It was because Prabhupada was wearing Vaisnava dress that he was recognized on the street as a holy man by Howard Wheeler, who along with his friends soon thereafter became a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. It was because of the Vaisnava dress of Shyamasundar Das that George Harrison recognized him as a devotee. George then approached Shyamasundar and befriended him. This contact with George Harrison became one of the greatest turning points for the expansion of the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. Srila Prabhupada asked his female disciples to wear saris and personally gave them saris as gifts. Although Srila Prabhupada never told his male disciples that they had to wear dhotis, he clearly expressed his pleasure with their doing so and stated that the devotees with the shaved heads and dhotis look like angels from Vaikuntha. In fact, he personally taught his early male disciples how to put on a dhoti.
Srila Prabhupada, as a fully self realized soul, could see the pastimes of spiritual world going on in his heart. So when he instructed his artists to paint the inhabitants of Goloka Vrindavan wearing dhotis and saris this was not imagination or an Indian convention. He instructed his artists in this way because this is what the Brijavasis, the inhabitants of the spiritual world, actually wear.
In conclusion, it is very favorable for our Krishna consciousness to wear Vaisnava dress as much as possible because it helps us to remember that we are not of this world, that we are actually instead the eternal servants of Krishna and inhabitants of the spiritual world. It is also oftentimes favorable for our preaching as well because it allows people to recognize the devotee as a Hare Krishna devotee, a religious person, or at least a person with a different cultural perspective. In situations where Vaisnava dress is not favorable, such as going to one's job or when can be more effective in preaching by not wearing Vaisnava attire, Srila Prabhupada has authorized us to wear karmi dress, the ordinary dress of materialists.
How can I achieve these powers by chanting just Hare Krishna alone? Please don't disappoint me. This is one of my hopes. I don't want to experiment on Krishna consciousness anymore. Please give me a satisfying answer.
Regards,
P.R.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Srila Prabhupada introduced us to Vaisnava dress by his dhoti, shaved head, neck beads, and tilaka. It was because Prabhupada was wearing Vaisnava dress that he was recognized on the street as a holy man by Howard Wheeler, who along with his friends soon thereafter became a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. It was because of the Vaisnava dress of Shyamasundar Das that George Harrison recognized him as a devotee. George then approached Shyamasundar and befriended him. This contact with George Harrison became one of the greatest turning points for the expansion of the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. Srila Prabhupada asked his female disciples to wear saris and personally gave them saris as gifts. Although Srila Prabhupada never told his male disciples that they had to wear dhotis, he clearly expressed his pleasure with their doing so and stated that the devotees with the shaved heads and dhotis look like angels from Vaikuntha. In fact, he personally taught his early male disciples how to put on a dhoti.
Srila Prabhupada, as a fully self realized soul, could see the pastimes of spiritual world going on in his heart. So when he instructed his artists to paint the inhabitants of Goloka Vrindavan wearing dhotis and saris this was not imagination or an Indian convention. He instructed his artists in this way because this is what the Brijavasis, the inhabitants of the spiritual world, actually wear.
In conclusion, it is very favorable for our Krishna consciousness to wear Vaisnava dress as much as possible because it helps us to remember that we are not of this world, that we are actually instead the eternal servants of Krishna and inhabitants of the spiritual world. It is also oftentimes favorable for our preaching as well because it allows people to recognize the devotee as a Hare Krishna devotee, a religious person, or at least a person with a different cultural perspective. In situations where Vaisnava dress is not favorable, such as going to one's job or when can be more effective in preaching by not wearing Vaisnava attire, Srila Prabhupada has authorized us to wear karmi dress, the ordinary dress of materialists.
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Answers by Citing the Vedic Version
Question: How to Attain Mystic Powers?
In Srila Prabhupada's Nectar of Devotion 1st Chapter there is a mention of the eight mystic siddhis or perfections: anima, mahima, laghima, garima, prapti, prakamya, ishita, vashita, and kamavashayita.How can I achieve these powers by chanting just Hare Krishna alone? Please don't disappoint me. This is one of my hopes. I don't want to experiment on Krishna consciousness anymore. Please give me a satisfying answer.
Regards,
P.R.
Answer: Unflinching Faith in Guru and Krishna
If you come to Krishna demanding something, you cannot attain Him, and you will not be satisfied even if your demand is met. So you should not approach Him or His representative demanding satisfaction. With the demanding approach you will never be successful. If you want spiritual success, you must approach Krishna in the mood of wanting to satisfy Him. If you will humbly approach Him with unflinching faith both in Him and the spiritual master, Krishna will gradually reveal everything to you including Himself. After this, He will endow you with the eight mystic powers that you have listed. Finally through the agency of the spiritual master you be will accepted into the confidential entourage of the Lord and entrusted with a specific service in His eternal pastimes. A pure devotee is more interested in serving the Lord than he is in awakening and exhibiting the eight dormant mystic powers.Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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