Guest guest Report post 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sauliusban 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 Hare Krishna, how to locate shikha's spot (centre) accurately? Thank you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
