Manava Dharmashastra 2.35

2.35

'cūḍā' śikhā tadarthaṃ 'karma' cūḍākarma | keṣucinmūrddhadeśeṣu keśānāṃ sthāpanaṃ racanāviśeṣaścaitaccūḍākarmocyate | prathamavarṣe tṛtīye vā | grahasausthiyāpekṣo vikalpaḥ | śrutinodanādityanuvādastanmūlatayaiva prāmāṇyasyoktatvāt | athavā śrutiśabdena na vidhāyakānyeva vakyānyucyante, kiṃ tarhi mantrāḥ | te ca rūpāda cūr̤ākarma—yāñjatā itivadvadṛṣṭakāṃ —prakāśayanti | 'yatkṣureṇa mārjayate'tyādi ( pāraskara 2. 1. 16) | tena samantrakametatkarmetyuktaṃ bhavati | viśeṣāpekṣāyāṃ gārhyo vidhiraṅgīkriyate | ataḥ śūdrasya nāyaṃ saṃskāraḥ, dvijātigrahaṇācca | aniyatakālaṃ tu keśavapanaṃ śūdrasyārthaprāptaṃ na nivāryate |

In view or the injunctions or the Veda, the Tonsure-ceremony of all twice-born children should be performed, according to law, in the first year or the third.—(35)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Cūḍā’ is the tuft of hair on the crown of the bead’; and the ceremony for the purpose of this is called ‘Cūḍākarman,’ ‘Tonsure’; this name ‘Tonsure’ is given to that ceremony which consists in the cutting of the hair in such a manner as to leave well-arranged tufts of hair on certain parts of the head.

This may be done ‘in the first year or the third’;—this option being due to considerations of the good and evil aspects of planets.

‘In view of the injunctions of the Veda’:—this is merely explanatory: the fact of the entire contents of the work being based upon the Veda having been already stated before. Or, the term may he taken here as not necessarily standing for the injunctive texts, but including the Mantras also; and as a matter of fact, we have the mantra, ‘yatkṣureṇa mārjayet, etc.,’ (Pāraskara-gṛhyasūtra, 2.1.1), which is indicative of the Tonsure-ceremony, in the same manner as the Mantra ‘yāñjanā pratinandanti, etc.,’ (Pāraskara,—3.2.2) indicates the Aṣṭakā-rites. So that what the phrase means is that the ceremony should be performed with mantras. As to the particular details (regarding the mantras, etc.), these are learnt from the Gṛyhasūtra.

From this it follows that this sacrament is not to he done for the Śūdra; which is also clear from the mention of the ‘twice-born.’ As for the shaving of hair without any restriction as to time, this is done for special purposes, and may he done for the Śūdra also: this is not interdicted.—(35)