Room Conversation Prabhupada: At least once in a month you must be shaven headed. Aksayananda: Actually, we usually shave more. Prabhupada: Hm? Aksayananda: We usually shave more than once a month. Two weeks. ’Cause after even two weeks it looks a little dirty. Hari-sauri: We can get very good wigs. Prabhupada: No, no, there is no need. It is simply… That is also mental concoction. Nowadays, if you go with coat-pant shaven headed, nobody will criticize you. It has become a practi… Russians, they used… That Krushchev I have seen. Bald head. Hari-sauri: Yes, bald head. Prabhupada: And so many. Gopala Krsna: They don’t have a sikha, that’s all. Prabhupada: Oh? It is practice only. Aksayananda: No, it’s nice. We shouldn’t be afraid to do that. Then it will become more and more accepted. Gopala Krsna: That’s so timely. Once we start diverting, like on these records I was thinking after you told me not to do it. We started. Now there’s so many. Everyone’s into records. Everyone wants to diversify into so many other areas. There’s no end to it. Jagadisa: Srila Prabhupada, when you were in Los Angeles you heard that new record by Krsnakanti. Hari-sauri: This pop music? This tape that you just got of that Western style music. Jagadisa: Apparently in a new BBT newsletter which just came yesterday afternoon there’s a statement by Ramesvara that you were asked whether this record should be played in the temples and you said, “Why not in the temples?” Hari-sauri thought that you said “not in the temples,” Ramesvara said… Prabhupada: No, no. Not in the temple. I… I want… If the wordings are all right, so there is no… If there is no mistake in the set-up of the wording, the change of musical tune, that is not harmful. Gopala Krsna: This one tape that Alex has made, he gave me a copy in Bombay to listen. I just played it… Prabhupada: Hare Krsna, this vibration, you can make in different tune. We are already doing that. Hari-sauri: We’re talking about these songs that they are writing. Jagadisa: Philosophy songs. Prabhupada: And therefore we have to see the words. Hari-sauri: Like this “caterpillar had a change of heart.” Jagadisa: If the words are all right, then they can be played in the temple? Gopala Krsna: Because no one can hear the words. It’s the pop music that people hear. Aksayananda: Actually the words are just like modern pop songs. You can’t tell really what it means. I suggested to those people. I said, “Why don’t you put music to Prabhupada’s books? Take the words straight from your…” Hari-sauri: No, Prabhupada’s approved this method for attracting karmis. Aksayananda: Yes, not for devotees. Hari-sauri: But the thing is once you become a devotee, we don’t need… Prabhupada: Yes. Aksayananda: That kind of music also reminds us of past bad activities, sinful activities. Hari-sauri: The question is whether should it be played in the temple or not? Prabhupada: Temple may not be played. What is use of playing in the temple? Gopala Krsna: I know from practical experience, Srila Prabhupada, that… I just played this Alex’s record. It’s all current pop music with English philosophy wording. And all the brahmacaris were so agitated, they came to my room to listen and they were, you know, really making fun of it like it was a pop… Aksayananda: Because that style of music it reminds us of the nightclubs or whatever it might be. Prabhupada: Therefore I said it is better not to make these records. Gopala Krsna: Just your these records and parampara records should be played, I think. There are so many tapes of your records. Hari-sauri: This style that they are doing now, they explain that they wanted that because then that way, they’ll be able get them played on the radio. Otherwise they won’t play bhajanas or anything on the radio. But there’s a distinction between that kind of music and pure Krsna consciousness music. Even though the words indicate Krsna consciousness, most of the songs are written in such a way that it’s indirect. It’s not directly Krsna. Gopala Krsna: But you can’t hear the words. Prabhupada: Yes, indirect. Hari-sauri: They give this thing, “The caterpillar changed his mind,” like that. It provokes some speculation. Prabhupada: No, indirect for gross outsiders, not for us. Therefore they should not be played in the temple. Gross outsider only. Gopala Krsna: So, Prabhupada, the New York temple has just produced a ballet on Ramayana, and one boy, Vijayadeva, just came back and he brought a slideshow on that ballet. Prabhupada: Ballet? Gopala Krsna: They did a ballet, the New York theater, Sudama Swami and his group. But that ballet is accompanied by a classical Western record in background. It’s a twenty med… They have just played the whole record as background music. And I know, we showed it in Bombay and none of the devotees liked it. They told me to stop that show because they said it’s all maya. Everyone saw it, Giriraja and… Prabhupada: So they should be restricted. Gopala Krsna: I mean, their playing… Serious devotees don’t like it, like Giriraja walked out of the show and he told me to stop it. Prabhupada: So why it was played, this? Gopala Krsna: They just brought it from New York, so we didn’t know what it contained. But they are doing this in other centers. (end)
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
November 25, 1976, Vrndavana