History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.435

v5.c71.s1.435

A few words may be said about the tonsure of the head (*vapana* or *muṇḍana*). The Tai. Br. (I. 5 6. 1–2) states²⁷³ 'The Asuras first shaved the hair on the head, then the moustache and then the armpits, therefore they went down (or with face downwards) and were defeated, while the gods first shaved the armpits, then the moustache and then the hair on the head' The Pr. Prakāśa quotes this passage in a mutilated form and then states that *vapana* is of three kinds, *daiva* (of the gods), *āsura* (of the asuras) and *mānuṣa* (of men), that the āsura method is condemned, that in consecrating the Vedic fires, in the *iṣṭis* and soma sacrifices the daiva method is ordained, while in prāyaścittas, there being no special *vidhi*, there is an option. Tonsure of the head is enjoined on several occasions e. g. the Viṣṇupurāṇa provides²⁷⁴ 'Tonsure should be carried out at Prayāga when on a pilgrimage, and on the death of one's father or mother, one should not in vain (lightly) tonsure the head'. To these occasions may be added penances. The idea seems to have been entertained that whatever sin a man commits it becomes centered in the hair, as a verse quoted by the Madanapārijāta and Pr M. states.²⁷⁵ Gaut. (27 3), Vas.²⁷⁶ (24 5), Baud. Dh. S. (II. 1. 98–99) and others provide for the tonsure of the hair on the head and lips (except those on the eye-brows, the hair on the trunk and the top knot). Exceptions were introduced to the rule about tonsure Dakṣa²⁷⁷ forbade tonsure, the offering of *piṇḍas* and the carrying of a corpse and all funeral rites to one whose father was alive and to a man whose wife was pregnant. But this prohibition did not apply to penances. The Baud. Dh S already referred to prohibits the tonsure of women in penances Angiras 163, Āpastamba-smṛti I. 33-34, Bṛhad-Yama IV. 16, Vṛddha-Hārīta IX 386, Parāśara IX. 54-55, Yama 54-55 provide ²⁷⁸ that in the case of married women whose husbands are alive and in the case of maidens all their hair should be held together and only two finger-breadths of hair should be cut off. In the case of widows and ascetics the entire head was to be shaved. It was further provided by Parāśara (IX 52-54), Śaṅkha (q. by Par. M. II. part I, pp. 290-291) that in the case of a king or prince or a learned brāhmaṇa tonsure of the head should not be insisted upon, but that they should have to undergo double the usual penance and the dakṣiṇā would have to be double. ²⁷⁹ The Mit. on Yāj. III. 325 quotes a verse of Manu ²⁸⁰ (not found in the printed text) 'tonsure of the head is not desired in the case of learned brāhmaṇas and kings except in the case of those guilty of mahāpātakas, of cow-killing or of being an *avakīrṇin*'. The Mit. (on Yāj. III 264) further quotes Saṁvarta ²⁸¹ to the effect that when the penance prescribed is only a quarter then only the hair on the body below the throat is to be shaved, when half is prescribed then in addition the hair on the lips is to be cut, when three-fourths then all the hair on the body except the knot is to be cut and in the case of the full penance all hair including the *śikhā* (the top-knot) also are to be cut off. The Par. M (II part I. p 300) while describing cāndrāyaṇa penance requires the cutting of the hair on all parts of the body (including private parts).²⁸² The tonsure is to be performed by a barber and yet the *saṅkalpa* is 'vapanam kariṣye' and not 'vapanam kārayiṣye' From Gaut 27.3 (vapanam vratam caret) prescribing tonsure in cāndrāyaṇa Haradatta and others infer that *vapana* is unnecessary in kṛcchra penance