Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis c6.40

c6.40

Among the Ratannāth Yogīs the candidate is given, by his guru, a razor and scissors seven times, and he is urged not to proceed with the initiation. The scissors suggest the cutting of the scalp-lock, which entails the breaking of caste; the razor, the painful ordeal of having the ears split. But if the candidate persists, his guru cuts off his scalp-lock after which his head is shaved by a barber. He then bathes and is besmeared with ashes, and a kafni or shroud, a laṅgoṭī or loin-cloth, and a cap are given to him. The ashes and the shroud signify death to the world. After six months, or so, if his guru be satisfied, the candidate’s ears are split.²