Guest guest Posted October 24, 2000 Report Share Posted October 24, 2000 If the shikha gets too long, is it ok to get it trimmed? YHS VPd > 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sauliusban Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Hare Krishna, how to locate shikha's spot (centre) accurately? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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