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When the acaryas are seen with beard, that is during Caturmasya, July-September.

Srila Prabhupada answered a couple of letters today from devotees in America. Damodara Pandita dasa from New Vrindaban had several questions. He said he had heard some tape recordings of Srila Prabhupada's Godbrother, Krishnadasa Babaji, singing some devotional songs. He wondered if they were bona fide or not. He also asked if it was a good idea to make a comparative study of different philosophies from the Krishna conscious standpoint. He felt it might be useful in our preaching work. 

Srila Prabhupada replied that he had not heard the recordings of his Godbrother, so he could not make a judgment of them. Apart from this he said, "You should just go on chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra and the Pancatattva mantra and don't divert your attention. You cannot understand the meaning of the Indian songs and simply parrot like chanting of these songs has no value." He told him that comparison of philosophy was a difficult task unless one was expert. Prabhupada doubted its necessity for general preaching. "First of all, let people understand Krishna. We are doing that. Maybe one or two are interested in philosophy and for so few persons we can't spare so much valuable time. Better to induce everyone to chant Hare Krishna and take prasadam. That will be a mass benevolent activity. In the western countries many Ph.D.'s are out of employment because they do not get any service. We do not want to become great philosophers but rather to understand the philosophy in our own books. If we remain strong in our own literature, we can meet anyone else without any fear." He ended his letter by telling him that he would visit New Vrindaban again, as soon as the palace is complete. "I very much appreciated how everyone is living peacefully and happily at New Vrindaban." 

In a letter from Los Angeles, Dhrishtaketu dasa, a BBT worker, asked for Srila Prabhupada to clarify his instructions on the growing of hair. Dhrishtaketu had heard it said that Srila Prabhupada did not consider a person with long hair to be his disciple. If this was so, he wanted to know the reason, as there are photos of our previous spiritual masters with hair and beards. Srila Prabhupada confirmed his dislike for long hair. "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. The tendency is there to be hippy. When the acaryas are seen with beard, that is during Caturmasya, July-September. If observed strictly there is not simply a beard. There are so many rules and regulations. One can't eat a variety of foods. Only kitri prepared and poured on the floor, and then licked up. There are so many other rules also. That is not always that they kept beard." 

In Gopala Krishna prabhu's last letter, and then again during a phone call, he requested Srila Prabhupada to give him a special power of attorney so he could initiate a court case against a Vrindavana babaji. Prabhupada had negotiated to buy land at the back of our temple in December last year with the man. Under the signed agreement the babaji was to sell his land for thirty thousand rupees. He is now demanding four hundred thousand. Although we have already laid a drainage pipe through Mr. Dalmia's property in front of the land, the babaji is now blocking the pipe. The effluence is falling on Mr. Dalmia's land, making him angry, and making it urgently necessary for us to fight the case in court. In his letter Gopala Krishna prabhu said that Bhagatji feels the local municipal councilor and the local gosvamis are behind the trouble since the babaji is an old man, without resources to fight us without some kind of backing. Accordingly, Srila Prabhupada sent out the power of attorney today. He made it out in favor of Akshayananda Swami and Haihaya prabhu.


Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 3 by Damodara Pandita Dasa