Dress is not important

Expressions researched:
"I am the important, not this dress" |"dress is not important" |"dress is not very important" |"dress... That's not very important thing" |"not very important thing, to dress"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Just like we are covered by dress. Dress is not important. But I, the man who is putting on the dress, I am important.

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Vrndavana, March 19, 1974:

Ātma-tattva, apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). This verse we have discussed. People are blind about the interest of the soul, actually, his own person. The soul is the chief within this body. Neither the mind, nor the body—they are simply covering. Just like we are covered by dress. Dress is not important. But I, the man who is putting on the dress, I am important. That we cannot see.

Just like policeman has got a particular type of uniform, but that does not mean that... That may be imitated even by a thief. So that is not very important thing, to dress. You can become a swami even with your this hats and coats. That doesn't matter.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:

Guest (1): Does the swami, once he has been installed in office, does he every..., wear a white long coat with a white hat?

Prabhupāda: Of course, the real meaning of swami is one who has got control over his senses. It does not mean that by wearing a different colored garments one becomes master of senses. Neither it does mean that one, a man in gentleman's dress with hat and coat, he cannot control his senses. Dress has nothing to do. But according to the Vedic system... Just like there is a particular uniform that this class of men, who have renounced this world, his robe or garment should be like this. That is simply... Just like policeman has got a particular type of uniform, but that does not mean that... That may be imitated even by a thief. So that is not very important thing, to dress. You can become a swami even with your this hats and coats. That doesn't matter.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Just like you Frenchmen, you may be differently dressed, and Englishman may be differently dressed. But dress is not very important. The man within the dress, he's important. Similarly, this body is not very important thing.

Arrival Lecture -- Paris, July 20, 1972:

A learned man sees all of them on the equal level because a learned man who is actually on the spiritual platform, he knows that "Here is a dog and here is a learned brāhmaṇa. By their karma they have got different dress only, but within the brāhmaṇa, within the dog the same spirit soul is there." So our material platform we distinguish, "I am Indian, you are Frenchman, he's Englishman, he's American, he's cat, he's dog." This is the vision of the material platform. In the spiritual platform we can see that every living entity is part and parcel of God, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: mām evāṁśa jīva-bhūta. Every living entity. It doesn't matter what he is. There are 8,400,000 species of forms, but all of them, they're covered only by different dresses. Just like you Frenchmen, you may be differently dressed, and Englishman may be differently dressed. But dress is not very important. The man within the dress, he's important. Similarly, this body is not very important thing. Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18), this body is perishable. But the soul within the body, he's not perishable. Therefore this human form of life is meant for cultivating the knowledge of the nonperishable.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

This dress is not very important thing, but when one is initiated, he accepts the regulations which I give them. So it is not that if you do not come in that dress in our temple you will not understand our philosophy. But it is convenient. But anyone who does not want to change this dress, that does not matter.

Interview -- February 1, 1968, Los Angeles:

Interviewer: What is the purpose of the robes and having your head shaved?

Prabhupāda: That is not very difficult to understand. Just like you dress in a certain way, I dress in certain way. So we have got this dressing system in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and this is taken from Vedic literature. A brahmacārī should dress like that. And that is very economical. Our dress is saffron dress. It does not become dirty very quickly, and we... (break) This dress is not very important thing, but when one is initiated, he accepts the regulations which I give them. So 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. These brahmacārīs, they voluntarily change. Otherwise there are many students, just like we have got two, three students, they are working. They come just like ordinary American gentlemen. So there is no objection in that way. Dress is not very important thing.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

You can ask about some philosophy. Dress, how people will benefit knowing about my dress?

Interview -- July 20, 1972, Paris:

Frenchman: Can you please describe the dress in which you are clothed.

Prabhupāda: You can ask about some philosophy. Dress, (how) people will benefit knowing about my dress. Instead of wasting time in that way, I can ask you why you are in dress... That's not very important thing.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Here, under certain condition, I accept this dress. In another place, under certain condition, I accept another dress. So I am the important, not this dress.

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 17, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Transmigration. Bhramadbhiḥ. Bhramadbhiḥ means transmigration, wandering from one body to another. Just like I am here. I have got my this body, a dress, covering. And when I go India, this is not required. So they are taking that the body has evolved like that. But no. Here, under certain condition, I accept this dress. In another place, under certain condition, I accept another dress. So I am the important, not this dress. But these rascals are studying the dress only. That is called ātmābhimānām, considering of the dress, body.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

You can become spiritual in your this dress. Simply you have to learn what it is from the books. The dress... dress is not very important thing.

Interview -- March 5, 1975, New York:

Reporter: Swami, that isn't the thrust of my question. Yes, I have. The thrust of my question very simply is this: Can't people be spiritual without dressing in this fashion and dancing in the street?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, oh, yes, you can become spiritual in your this dress. Simply you have to learn what it is from the books. The dress... dress is not very important thing, but still, in the material field, this girl is dressed in a different way, you are dressed in a different way.

Reporter: The way we dress lets us move in all circles.

Prabhupāda;: No, the thing is, dress is not very important.

Reporter: But you have your disciples dress in this way...

Prabhupāda: But just to draw a particular... 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 Kṛṣṇa people.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Anyone who is engaged in service, he is big. The dress is not important. The advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is important.

Morning Walk -- March 22, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yei bhaje sei boro. Here is woman (indistinct) engaged in worshiping (indistinct), she is great. Yei bhaje sei boro. So why should we hurt woman? Anyone who is engaged in service, he is big. The dress is not important. The advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is important. We have to see from that formula. Just like we sometimes have to dress like ordinary gentleman and sell books. Does it mean he is deviating? No. He's serving Kṛṣṇa, dress or no dress. It doesn't matter. If you stick to the dress, "Oh, I have taken sannyāsī, I cannot..." He cannot sell the books. Where is your service influence? You must give service first.

Dress is not important. Practically, as sannyāsī, brahmacārī, we dress with saffron cloth, but sometimes you do not like, but we have to do business with you; therefore we change.

Interview and Conversation -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Janice Johnson: I don't quite understand that in terms of my question about wearing street clothes and wigs instead of saffron robes and chanting and so forth.

Hari-śauri: She's pointing out that in recent years we've changed our dressing style while we're on the street selling books.

Prabhupāda: Dress? Dress is not important. Practically, as sannyāsī, brahmacārī, we dress with saffron cloth, but sometimes you do not like, but we have to do business with you; therefore we change. What can be done? "Necessity has no law."

Just like he is not well dressed, but anyone who will see, he'll immediately find he's cleansed. That is wanted. Cleansed dress. Dress is not important.

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Nandarāṇī: If many devotees come here and wear old clothes and live... Devotees, sometimes they want to dress in old clothes, they want to be very strict, they want to be very austere, but when the businessmen come and they see a devotee with shaved head and old rags on, then they think...

Prabhupāda: Shocked...

Nandarāṇī: Yes. "What is this?" you know. So, but at the same time we don't want to always dress very nicely, we want to be devotees.

Prabhupāda: We must be clean.

Nandarāṇī: Clean, yes.

Prabhupāda: The dress is not important-cleanliness.

Hari-śauri: You can dress in karmī clothes and still be very strict Vaiṣṇava.

Nandarāṇī: Here we wear mostly street clothes, like the Iranians, suits and dresses.

Prabhupāda: Just like he is not well dressed, but anyone who will see, he'll immediately find he's cleansed. That is wanted. Cleansed dress. Dress is not important.

Nandarāṇī: I think Atreya Ṛṣi wants two places, one like a home and one like a temple. Those devotees who want to...

Prabhupāda: One can become clean with simply loincloth. It doesn't require dress.