History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c29.19

v2.c29.19

One subject that arouses bitter controversies is the practice of tonsuring widows among brāhmaṇas and certain other castes. A few words must be said on this. It is clear from the verse (vidhavā-kabarī-bandho &c.) of the Skandapurāṇa quoted in the Madanapārijāta and other nibandhas that for some time at least before the 14th century A. D. (when the Madanapārijāta was composed) tonsure of widows was in vogue. How and exactly when this practice arose cannot be established with certainty. That it is comparatively a later innovation can, however, be demonstrated. Two distinct propositions have to be made out, first, that widows were tonsured on the death of their husbands, just as sons were tonsured and secondly, that widows were required by the texts to tonsure themselves continually from time to time till their death, though sons who had to tonsure themselves on their father's death are not required to do so afterwards. The advocates of this practice rely upon three Vedic passages, viz. Ṛg. X. 40. 2, Āp. M. Pāṭha I. 4. 9, and Atharvaveda 14. 2. 60, Ṛg X. 40. 2 (cited below p. 606) refers to vidhavā only and probably to niyoga, but there is nothing about tonsure in that verse. Some modern orthodox Paṇḍits ingeniously argue from the explanation of the word ‘vidhavā’ in the Nirukta (III. 15 vidhāvanād-vā iti Carmaśirāḥ). Carmaśiras is the name of a former teacher according to all commentators of the Nirukta, but these pandits interpret it by a *tour de force* as a synonym of vidhavā (‘having only the bare skin on her head’). About this interpretation the less said the better. Āp. M. P. I. 5. 9 contains the word ‘vikeśī’ which is translated as the appellation of a female goblin in S. B. E. vol. 30 p. 187 ‘mayst thou not be beaten at thy breast by she goblin, the rough haired¹³⁷³ one’. Even taking ‘vikeśī’ as referring to the maiden who is being married the meaning is ‘mayst thou, with dishevelled hair, not beat thy breast (through grief)’. The word ‘vikeśī’ does not mean ‘a widow whose hair is tonsured’; it ordinarily means ‘a woman with dishevelled hair'. The third passage is Atharvaveda¹³⁷⁴ 14. 2. 60, that is a verse in a marriage hymn which means 'if this daughter of thine has bewailed with loosened hair in thy house, doing evil by her wailing, from that sin let Agni and Savitṛ release thee'. Here it is impossible to hold that 'vikeśī' means tonsured, as this mantra is part of the marriage hymn and Agni is asked to remove the blemish due to the girl's weeping at the approaching prospect of separation from her parents. There is no comment of Sāyaṇa on this passage but elsewhere in the Atharvaveda when that word occurs as in Atharva XI. 9. 14 he paraphrases it by 'vikīrṇakeśī' which does not mean 'with tonsured hair' but only 'having dishevelled hair'. Therefore there is no reference whatever to the tonsure of widows in the Veda, much less an injunction as to it. In the Baud. Pitṛmedhasūtra,¹³⁷⁵ elaborate rules are laid down about the cremation of one who had kindled the sacred Vedic fires. In I. 4. 3 it is said 'his wives led by the youngest should follow the cortege with dishevelled hair and throwing dust on their shoulders' and this they have to repeat several times (vide I. 4. 12-13, I. 5. 5-7, I. 5. 12-14) on the way to the cemetery. It is also said that they go round (the corpse) thrice with their hair gathered together (I. 4. 13). Then in I. 12. 7 shaving of the hair and moustache is prescribed for the close relatives of the deceased (amātyas) who are present, his wives are not mentioned in this connection and II. 3. 17 expressly forbids tonsure of wives.