Shave (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"shave" |"shaved" |"shaven" |"shaves" |"shaving"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query:"shave" or "shaved" or "shaven" or "shaves" or "shaving" not head*

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.36 -- London, July 26, 1973:

Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). The father is Kṛṣṇa. He has given the seed in the womb of this material nature. And the material nature has given the body. Somebody has got the body of fish, somebody has got the body of tree, plant, somebody has got insect, reptile, somebody bird, sometimes beasts, somebody human being, somebody demigod. But all these materials have been supplied by the mother. It is very easy to understand. Just like the child grows, the mother supplies the bodily ingredients. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore... This is very scientific. When He took sannyāsa and the mother came... Advaita Prabhu arranged to see for the last time her son. Because a sannyāsī is no more coming home. So at that time, mother became overwhelmed: "Such beautiful body. He has nice hair. Now it is shaven." So she became very much overwhelmed and was crying. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately fell down on her lotus feet and He said, "My dear mother, this body is yours. My dear mother, this body is yours. This body should have been engaged for your service, but some way or other, I mistake, I have taken this sannyāsī. Kindly excuse Me." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "This body belongs to you. This is your body." Every son should think like that. This is Vedic culture.

Lecture on BG 4.28 -- Bombay, April 17, 1974:

In other countries too, there are many hospitals, old age homes and similar charitable foundations meant for distributing food, education and medical treatment free to the poor. All these charitable activities are called dravyamaya-yajña. There are others who, for higher elevation in life or for promotion to higher planets within the universe, voluntarily accept many kinds of austerities such as cāndrāyaṇa and cāturmāsya. These processes entail severe vows for conducting life under certain rigid rules. For example, under the cāturmāsya vow the candidate does not shave for fours months during they year, July to October, and does not eat certain foods, does not eat twice in a day and does not leave home. Such sacrifices of the comforts of life is called tapomaya-yajña.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

For example, I cited the other day, just like we go to a barber shop, and we spread our neck, and the barber has got a sharp razor in his hand. If he likes, he can at once cut my throat. He has got the weapon ready. But because I have got faith he'll not do it—he'll simply shave my beard or mustaches... So this faith is required in every activity. Without faith we cannot step forward even in our daily life. So if we have got so, so faith in ordinary dealings, don't you think that we must have very good faith when we are making progress in spiritual line?

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:

And the modern civilization is even increase your necessities—a machine for shaving your cheek. You see? Another machine, another attention diversion. More machine means more diversion of attention. I have to take care, more technician, more technologies. Simply if one razor can shave, can make my cheek very clean, where is the necessity? Formerly, at least we Indian know that go to a blacksmith and he prepares a razor, very nice razor. You pay him four annas, and it will last for your life and shave your cheek very nicely, daily or occasionally. But the modern civilization means that in everything there must be machine.

Lecture on BG 7.5 -- Nairobi, November 1, 1975:

You cut your hair; automatically the hair will again grow. Do you know what is that energy? But there is energy. Otherwise a dead man shaved will not grow, will not grow any more hair—finished. But a living man, because he has got that energy, so today you shave, again tomorrow there is hair. This is called inconceivable energy.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1972:

So we should be very much careful. Careful... It is said, kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā. The spiritual path, Kṛṣṇa consciousness path, is just like sharpened razor. You take your sharpened razor and shave your cheek. If you are expert, it will be very clean-shaved. But if you are not expert, there is little inattention, immediately cut and blood.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Mayapura, October 20, 1974:

Vaiṣṇava is unhappy seeing these peoples' unhappiness, Prahlāda Mahārāja like. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ: "I am thinking... I am lamenting only for these rascals who have forgotten You. And forgetting You, they are trying to become happy by so many rubbish activities." Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). They want to be happy by inventing machine for shaving also. You see? The attention is diverted that for shaving they want machine, for brushing the teeth they want a machine.

Lecture on SB 2.3.21 -- Los Angeles, June 18, 1972:

The temple is meant for giving chances to the nondevotees. Some way or other, if he comes in the temple, bows down, and dances with us, takes the prasādam, takes caraṇāmṛta, that means he is becoming spiritually advanced. Therefore this is a chance. And actually, our Society is giving this chance. In the beginning they come as a inquisitive visitor. Then dances, then chants, then take prasādam, and, say, after a week, he becomes shaven. So this is the process. Association of the devotee, coming to the temple, will give him impetus to make further progress.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:

The sādhu-saṅga is very important. Therefore we have created this internal society, International Society so that actually it is happening. People are coming to our society, in our centers, and after one week, automatically he takes a bag and beads and shaves himself. Automatically. Sādhu-saṅga is very... Association of sādhu. Solitary bhajana, executing devotional service in a solitary place, is not possible for the neophyte devotees. It is meant for the advanced devotees. If, from the very beginning, without executing the regulative principles, if one wants to execute devotional service in a solitary place, it will be simply disturbing, and he must fall down. There are so many examples, even in this Vṛndāvana.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.66-96 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

According to the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's sampradāya, they keep themselves clean-shaven. And only single instance is there, Advaita Prabhu. He had his beard. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu never asked Him to cleanse. Because one reason is that Advaita Prabhu was just contemporary to His father, so He did not like to dictate. But otherwise, all His disciples, they were clean-shaved.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

So Sanātana Gosvāmī, after joining Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he left Bengal. And when Śrīla Caitanya Mahāprabhu was residing in Benares to deliver the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, at that time, his bavarṇasee (?) ... So after he was clean-shaved... This is one of the items of our movement. If one wants to be initiated, he must be clean-shaved. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was clean-shaved.