Hare Krsna to all Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisance,
All Glories to Srila Prabhupad,
I had this question lingering in my mind for a long time.Since my childhood,I didn't have attraction towards jewellery,cosmetics,buying colorful clothes.I wish to lead a simple life. My mother scolds me for not being a normal person.She says what will you wear on special occassions & weddings of relatives.Girls should never bare dressed without jewels,good clothes & that too should look decent.
The same if I speak with friends,they are interested in fruitless activities like praising your jewels,dress,handbags etc.They say you are not a normal person,how come you don't like all these things.I personally don't like to wear nor prefer about speaking about them.
Being a new devotee,I wish to ask Senior Devotees as to what extent should we possess these materialistic things without affecting our devotional activity? This is a dilemma I have facing since many days.
Haribol
Subhashini
Replies
Hare Krishna dear Subhashini Gopinath Mataji, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
We took birth in a female body and woman's duty is to become a perfect wife and mother.
Body is not ours. It is Krishna's. And to take care of this body for His pleasure is not materialistic activity.
And why man and woman gets married just to protect each other from prostitution. Wife protects husband from other women husband wife from other men.
In this age there are so many allurements, girls walk half naked on the streets or with tight jeans...so many things.
But wife should decorate herself in a vedic way with nice jeweleries, saree, not loosen hair style, some cosmetic also for her beauty in for the pleasure of Krishna and His representative - her own husband.
And seeing wife always beautiful and chaste husband won't look to other women.
Beauty of a wife will satisfy him and make him happy.
But beauty is not presented only in clothes but also with nice, sweet words, good manners...nice service, food.
In this way Your mom in some extend is right. You should cultivate qualities of a women. But not for the pleasure of other men but Krishna, and then You will have husband for Krishna and him.
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i also use cosmetics, some jewelery, sarees....we should be honest. We have such like desires and by just renouncing them artificially we can not become free of those desires. But if we use them for the pleasure of Krishna then by the mercy of Krishna renunciation will come automatically.
Your servant,
Hare Krsna Mataji
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Prabhupad,
Thank you for your wonderful answer.Can u explain in detail how to dress & decorate in Vedic way?
Actually my misconception was,if I get attracted towards jewelleries,dresses,cosmetics then i would be attached to them & forget my devotional duties.
Haribol
Subhashini.
first thing is purity: externally and internally.
What is the use of jeweleries, decorations ... if our intention is sense gratification??? But if we wear them for Krishna, then it will be a top most yoga.
In previous ages ladies used to wear gold and silver because gold protects from lusty desires, and silver is good for health, and also cools body.
We can not renounce something artificially, as we told before. But if we use those things which come easily to us then why not to accept and use it for Krishna's pleasure?
Some people work as an ass in order to buy gold ... that is not good, but if gold comes easily then just accept it and use it for His pleasure! Being grateful to Him.
For example, ladies used to put cum-cum, kajal etc. Some sarees.
when we use them for the pleasure of Krishna then it is not different then our devotional service.
Every act can be done with devotion: cooking, taking bath, cleaning the house, doing homeworks...
Your servant,
Hare Krsna,
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All Glories to Srila Prabhupad,
Thank you Mataji...your answer cleared my doubt.Now I know how to dress & decorate in Vedic way.
Haribol
Subhashini