Hair (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"hair" |"haircutting" |"hairpin" |"hairpins" |"hairs" |"hairstyle"

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- Vrindaban 4 August, 1967:

Regarding your question about Lord Caitanya's thinking himself lower than the grass, it should be understood spiritually. The dimension of the spirit soul is 1/10,000 part of the hair tip; so the spirit soul is certainly smaller than the grass. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was teaching us as a teacher, so he represented himself as an ordinary living entity; but as the Supreme Brahman he is greater than anything.

Letter to Hayagriva -- Vrindaban 29 August, 1967:

I am so glad to learn that you have sacrificed your long beard and hair.

Letter to Jayananda -- Delhi 29 September, 1967:

The mayavadi sannyasins are frustrated beings in their attempt to enjoy the world, therefore they say the world is fake or the grapes are sour, the world is not false, Krishna is the supreme truth and the world is His energy therefore the energy of the supreme truth cannot be false; but we must know that this energy is inferior to His spiritual energy. As there are hairs and nails on the body and sometimes we separate these parts from the body similarly when the the material energy is separated from the service of the Lord it is inferior energy. Inferior energy is not false but temporary. The same temporary energy when surcharged with Krishna Consciousness it transforms into supreme energy by the supreme will.

Letter to Pradyumna -- Calcutta 17 October, 1967:

Regarding the hippy religion; we must distinguish ourselves from the hippies. The hippies generally maintain long hair & beard & in order to distinguish ourselves from them we should be clean shaved. When our devotees go outside I have no objection if he dresses as nice American or Canadian gentleman. Up to date gentlemen are all clean shaved so if we do not keep long hair & dress ourselves nicely with tilaka, flag & beads on the neck, apart from our devotional service, then certainly we shall be distinct from the Hippies. I think we should follow this principle rigidly & there is no question of giving up robes in the temple.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Janardana -- Los Angeles 21 January, 1968:

Yes, anything of which we have no conception, the unknown particle, that is the representation of Paramatma. Yes, your interpretation is quite feasible, because from the Vedic literature that spiritual particle is measured as 1/10,000 part of the upper portion of the hair. So if the physicist's conclusion about the measurement of the soul, that is 100 times finer than what they are already discovered. But however fine and smallest it may be, there is measurement of spirit soul, maybe beyond the experimental knowledge of human scientists.

Letter to Janardana -- Los Angeles 21 January, 1968:

God's name is therefore Adhoksaja which means beyond experimental knowledge. You can inform them that here is statement in Vedic literature (Padma Purāṇa) that the measurement of soul is 1/10,000 of the upper portion of the hair. You are meant for doing this and I shall assist you as far as possible.

Letter to Aniruddha -- San Francisco 9 April, 1968:

There are two kinds of dissolution. One is when Brahma goes to sleep, and another is when Brahma dies. When Brahma goes to sleep, the highest planetary system does not dissolve, the lower planetary systems, beginning from heavenly planets downwards, everything is dissolved. And when the day comes out, they are again created. When the living entities enter into Brahma, or into the Body of Narayana, they keep their own spiritual body, that is very small, 1/10,000 of tip of hair, and when there is again material creation, they manifest again with different kinds of body. Just like a man sleeps at home without any dress, and when he goes out to work, he dresses himself. So similarly in creation, there is different kinds of bodies for working, and whenever there is no creation they remain in their own spiritual body sleeping.

Letter to Madhavi Lata -- Montreal 20 June, 1968:

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.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Los Angeles 12 February, 1969:

I think the Deities have already helmets and peacock feathers and hair to be dressed with. If not, make arrangements for this also.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Jadurani -- Los Angeles 26 May, 1970:

The personified Vedas are just like great sages in appearance. Some of them may be looking like Vyasadeva, Valmiki, Narada, etc. Some of them are older and some of them are younger, some of them have full hair like Vyasa because they are householders and others are brahmacari—but they are all great souls, highly elevated in transcendental science, or Paramahamsas.

Letter to Sudama -- Calcutta 17 September, 1970:

In India, from the very moment we stepped down from the airplane, there is good propaganda work going on. We are following the same principles as in the U.S.A. by sending Sankirtana Party and it appears to be very successful. We have had many meetings and still we have got many engagements and the functions are going very nicely. The boy Bruce is improving and becoming more interested. He has now sacrificed his hairs for Krsna—that is a good sign.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Laksmimoni -- Bombay 1 May, 1971:

So far as taking care of the Deities and your family simultaneously, you have to do both mutually, but the main importance is Deity worship. Just like a busy housewife always busy in household affairs, yet still she is engaged in dressing herself nicely, combing her hair, etc. So both things go together.

Letter to Jadurani -- Calcutta 19 May, 1971:

Yes, occasionally devotees may be pictured with full head of hair instead of sikha.

Letter to Himavati -- London 27 August, 1971:

For your hair you can try a little castor oil.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Chaturbhus -- Bombay 21 January, 1972:

Lord Caitanya may have long hair in his early grhastha life, but that does not mean that we should imitate Lord Caitanya. Caitanya also had shaven head and sikha. The important thing is that we follow the regulative guidelines as laid down by great saints and acaryas in our line, and so it is recommended that we wear clean-shaven heads. but there is no hard and fast rule in this respect. If it is practical to grow hairs out, that can be done. But it is not that we may imitate Lord Caitanya by growing big hairs.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Los Angeles 1 July, 1970:

So practically we see the youth of your country have become very much frustrated by trying to enjoy this dead body, and they are seeking to find the point of real life which has been lost, but they are thinking that to become animals will give them new life, just like standing naked or growing long hairs. But without Krishna that is not possible.

Letter to Jadurani -- London 6 August, 1972:

Brahmins are sometimes also Saivites, so you can paint Kasyapa Muni with Siva tilak as you have depicted. Varaha is fighting in the outer space and the rain of pus and blood and hair is coming down in the outer space. Just like we also change different bodies, similarly Brahma also changes his bodies.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Karandhara -- Bhaktivedanta Manor 27 July, 1973:

Vedic knowledge is definite. Take for example Padma Purāṇa, there it is said there are 8,400,000 species of life: two million trees, one million insects, four hundred thousand humans. Nowhere do we find about so and so many, but exactly the number is given. Or we see the description of Kali yuga, and we are experiencing it. "People of this age will keep big bundles of hair and thus think themselves very beautiful." So this is going on.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Muralidhara -- Mayapur 7 March, 1974:

The answers are as follows.

1. Kardama Muni should look something like you have pictured Vyasadeva, with beard and top know of hair, not as you have pictured him in your drawing. Generally munis have beards.

Letter to Govinda -- Bombay 30 April, 1974:

There are many ideal young Hindu widows who do not dress nicely at all, do not comb the hair, and who take bath three times daily in the Ganges, wear white sari and are engaged 24 hours a day in chanting Hare Krsna Mantra. The vivid example is Visnupriya devi, Lord Caitanya's wife.

Letter to ISKCON Artists -- Bombay 2 May, 1974:

I will answer the points as best as I can.

1. Fresh rice and paddy grains are simply some grains. Still in this country of sandalwood pulp and rice grains are used to put on the forehead in different blessings.

2. Saci should wear a nice sari and nice ornaments, wearing vermillion on the part of her hair. She is dressed not like a queen but a well to do householder.

Letter to Upendra -- Vrindaban 30 August, 1974:

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.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Ramesvara -- Bombay 1 January, 1975:

Sometimes a salesman can say something extraordinary in order to sell something, but that is not fraud. Just like they are selling this oil, saying that if you rub it on your bald head, hair will grow. Where is the case where a bald man's hair grew from this oil?

Letter to Visalini -- Bombay 1 January, 1975:

You can work on the hair sets while the Deities are taking rest.

Letter to Gurukrpa -- Evanston, Illinois 8 July, 1975:

The temple is not being maintained properly. They are keeping long hairs and not living responsibly.

Letter to Madhudvisa -- Detroit 4 August, 1975:

Yes, it is good that you are sending everybody on Sankirtana party, and also that everybody is taking prasada together. This is all very good. And, the cutting of the long hairs is also good.

Letter to Svarupa Damodara -- Bombay 12 November, 1975:

That the jiva-atma is the superior particle and these other particles are all inferior. So this is their business, to discover the inferior particles and neither have they discovered the superior particle which is one ten-thousandth the tip of a hair. Simply they are wasting their time.

Letter to Brsni -- Bombay 18 December, 1975:

The Deities may be carved without hair or dhoties, and then later they can be dressed.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Sukadeva -- Mayapur 4 February, 1976:

The Panca-tattva should not have long hair. It should only come to Their shoulders as you have shown in the drawing. Please correct this.

Letter to Yamuna, Dinatarine -- Mayapur 21 February, 1976:

. A widow is forbidden to use ornaments, nice sari, decoration, combing the hair nicely. These are forbidden for the woman who is not with husband.

Letter to Dhrstaketu -- New York 17 July, 1976:

Unless absolutely necessary, one should keep head shaven and not allow the hair to grow long. If absolutely necessary, one can dress like an American gentleman, with short hair, but long hair is prohibited. The reason that one with long hair is not my disciple is because he is against the principle. Unless absolutely necessary one should keep hair short, and if necessary one can dress like an American gentleman with short hair. It is not expected that everyone will join. For that reason we can't compromise.

Letter to Ramesvara -- NEWSLETTER 26 November, 1976:

Now for our practical life we are known all over the world as shaven headed, is it not? Now we are becoming hair-headed, we are forgetting shaving. Because there is a little leniency, immediately faulty things are creeping in. So we should be known as shaven-headed, not hair-headed. This is discrepancy. At least once in a month you must be clearly shaven-headed. On the bright fortnight, on the day of purnima, four days after ekadasi. Once in a month, in the bright fortnight we must be shaven-headed. It is not desirable that in grown up age also, you be chastised. that is not desirable-that is also difficult because when the disciple or son is grown up, if he is chastised, then he breaks. So before being chastised we should be conscious that this is our rules and regulations, we must observe. Therefore it is advised by Canakya Pandit (Sanskrit) After the 16th year of the disciple or son, he should be treated as friend because if you chastise when he is grown up then he will break up- that is also another risk. So our request is that instead of chastising, with folded hands I request you, don't you become hippies again by growing hair. Keep your head cleansed at least once in a month. That is my request.