IzzyR

Thanks a lot! But I wonder if you could comment on the aspect that I've seen referred to in several websites about the tonsure being a "sacrifice" or "offering" to the Lord. Because you seem to be focusing on the perspective on the person - how he or she is affected and the meaning that it has for them. But is there also some aspect of sacrificing (a part of) oneself for the Lord? For example: "There is tradition of tonsuring and offering one's hair as offering to the Lord." - from http://www.iiitb.ac.in/ss/New%20Folder/Publications/ET/An%20Easier%20Way%20to%20Reach%20God,%20Mar%2025,%201999.htm "...and offering the tonsure of hair as a sacrifice to the Lord." - from http://www.tradewingstravel.com/andhra/apholycities2.jsp "The second ritual is the offering the tonsure of hair as a sacrifice to Lord ..... In return devotees ask for the Lord to bless and protect them." http://www.msu.edu/~krishn17/tirupati.html. So according to these websites there is some aspect of offering something to the Lord, in addition to the "detachment from worldly life" aspect that you reference. OTOH, I know that the media frequently misses the mark badly when reporting on other cultures and religions. So I figured this would be a better source of information. So I wonder if you (or someone else here) could confirm or deny whether the tonsure ceremony also contains some aspect of sacrificing something for the Lord. Thanks again!!

I wonder if someone should explain to me exactly what is the nature of the cutting off of hair at certain Hindu temples, such as the Tirupati temple, in Andhra Pradesh. According to an article I read (http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=2294) it is in gratitude for some good fortune but also ""basically an indication of surrender of the ego". I wonder if someone could clarify this a bit. The shavers are apparently unaware that the temple is gaining anything out of the hair, so they are not trying to help out the temple. Would it be analogous to someone offering a sacrifice to God, in that the person is sacrificing their hair as a sign of their devotion? A previous post to this board (http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:redMh4A6_hcJ:www.hindu-religion.net/showflat/cat/WorldNews/26913/13/collapsed/5/o/1+hindu+hair+cutting+temple+tirupati&hl=en) says that is can also be a penance. Any enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.