SHIKHA

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>From P Pradipa:

 

Tuft of Hair (sikha)

 

According to the Vedic culture, when a person undergoes the

cuda-karana-samskara (hair-cutting ceremony) and upanayana (Vedic initiation),

he must shave his head, leaving a tuft of hair called a sikha. One must have a

sikha to perform any kind of yajna. Therefore in Indian tradition all the

brahmanas, Vaisnava or otherwise, keep a sikha.

Although there seem to be no sastric injunctions regarding the size of

the sikha, Gaudiya Vaisnavas traditionally keep the sikha about the size of a

calf's hoofprint, approximately 1 1/2 inches (5---6cm) in diameter. Srila

Prabhupada mentioned this in a conversation with some of his disciples in

Hawaii: "Gaudiya Vaisnava sikha is an inch and a half across-no bigger. Bigger

sikha means another sampradaya. . . . And they have to be knotted." (May 6,

1972, Hawaii; Srila Prabhupada Lila V, pg. 93).

The sikha may be any length, but it should be kept tightly knotted and only

untied when you are washing,* cleaning, or oiling it. Also, when going to

sleep, attending funeral rites, or observing a period of mourning, you should

keep the sikha untied. Since an untied sikha is a sign of a death in the

family, it is inauspicious to go about one's daily duties with an untied sikha.

It is also said that if one keeps the sikha untied, the body may become weak.

 

* The Hari-bhakti-vilasa observes that members of the upper classes even tie

the sikha before taking the final ablutions of a bath. This particularly

applies when bathing in a body of water such as a river or lake, in which case

to not tie the sikha prior to bathing is considered low class and disrespectful

to the sacred rite of bathing. You may tie it in a simple manner for bathing,

retying it more carefully after the bath.

 

While tying your sikha after bathing, chant the Hare Krsna mantra, or,

if initiated with Gayatri mantras, silently chant the Brahma-gayatri (first

line of Gayatri). The sikha should not be braided (traditionally only women

braid their hair), nor should it be kept long and disheveled.*

 

*Naturally, if the sikha is too short to be tied, it is all right to leave it

open, but it should not be disheveled.