Why do men shave their heads when a relative dies? Is there any mystery associated with hair?
According to Garuda Purana, the soul of the deceased is not ready to leave the body even after death and tries to contact his relatives. To ensure that the soul can leave this world easily, some rituals are performed in Hinduism on the death of a relative, one of which is shaving the head. What is the connection between shaving the head and the liberation of the soul and why only men have to perform this ritual, let's find out...
Why do men shave their heads when a relative dies? Is there any mystery associated with hair?
Garuda Purana sheds light on many rituals related to death in Hinduism and explains them. According to Garuda Purana, when a relative of yours dies, it is necessary to follow the rules related to the sixteenth Sanskar, which is the last Sanskar, for the salvation of his soul. After death, for 13 days, the family members perform many different rituals for the peace and liberation of the soul and one of them is 'Chudakarma Sanskar' or 'Mundan Sanskar'.
Spiritual reason for Mundan-Sanskar The
spiritual belief associated with this sanskar is that shaving the head is also a way to express love and respect for the deceased because hair is considered a symbol of pride and ego. When you get your head shaved, you show dedication and sacrifice towards someone. That is why on many occasions hair is also offered to the gods. Shaving the head is done to show that the bereaved family wants to leave their grief behind. Actually, at that time the hair present on the head and face is polluted, which carries negative thoughts i.e. sorrow, grief and pain. By removing them physically, you prepare for a new life. As new hair grows, your sorrow and negativity are left behind and new hope starts entering your life.
A religious reason for Mundan-Sanskar
If we talk about religious beliefs, then it is mentioned in Garuda Purana that Sutak is observed on the birth of a child and if there is a death of someone in the family, then it is called Paatak. During Paatak, the whole family is considered impure and it is believed that after shaving the head, the Paatak is eliminated and so are the impurities present in the men.
It is also believed that when the male members of the family take the dead body of their relative to the crematorium and burn it, then some bacteria of the dead body stick to their body. The bacteria that stick to the head are removed by Mundan Karma because by doing this those bacteria come out completely along with the hair. Therefore, on this day, nails, hair and baths have special importance. If we believe in Garuda Purana, then according to it, the soul of the deceased does not want to leave the body and in this greed, it comes back by pleading to Yamraj and tries to contact its relatives. Hair is considered to be the main source of absorbing negative energy and this is the reason that the spirit takes the help of the hair of the relatives to contact them. Therefore, the relatives shave their heads so that the soul can be free from their attachment.
These symptoms will be seen in humans at the end of Kalyug. The secret of Kalki Avatar. Devi Krishnapriya
Why did widows shave their heads earlier? By the way, shaving the head of a women is considered prohibited in Hinduism. The first reason for not shaving their heads is that they do not go to the crematorium and have minimal contact with the dead during cremation. The second reason is that Hinduism considers women a symbol of divine energy. It is said that the waves radiated from the ends of the hair protect women from negative energy attacks. However, on many occasions, they also voluntarily sacrifice their hair and earlier the heads of widows were also shaved because it was believed that if they kept their hair and made a braid, then their braid would tie them to the soul of their dead husband and his previous life i.e. connect them to the past.
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