Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.s8.790

v2.c4.s8.790

Śmaśru in the Rigveda¹ and later² means ‘beard’ and ‘moustache,’ being sometimes contrasted with Keśa,³ ‘hair of the head.’ Shaving was known (see Vaptr and Kṣura). The wearing of a beard was a sign of manhood according to the Taittirīya Saṃhitā,⁴ with which agrees the notice of Megasthenes⁵ that the Indians carefully tended their beards up to the day of their death.