Essay name: Glories of India (Culture and Civilization)
Author: Prasanna Kumar Acharya
This book, “Glories of India on Indian Culture and Civilization”, emphasizes the importance of recognizing distinct cultural traits across different societies. The historical narrative of Indian civilization highlights advancements in agriculture, medicine, science, and arts, tracing back to ancient times. The author argues for the need to understand the past to meaningfully engage with the present and future.
Page 55 of: Glories of India (Culture and Civilization)
55 (of 510)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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INDIAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION
also. Only the free born Romans could wear uncut
hair, so also the aristocratic Lords of the British
society. Similar customs are prevalent among the
Slavonic peoples of south Europe and the Indo-Germanic
Aryans.
The preservation of the uncut hair in tufts or
in whole mass might have been due to the intention of
leaving the growing skull undisturbed so that the brain
inside may enlarge to its fullest growth. The common
practice prevalent among all the aristocratic and brainy
people of the world will warrant such a theory. But
owing to an exaggerated notion of modern superiority
over the ancient, the present civilization has no patience
to examine the wisdom of the past. The tonsure
ceremonies of the Hindus or Indo-Aryans will, however,
clearly show the precautions adopted in ancient India
to leave the growing brain undisturbed.
The ceremonies comprise a preliminary oblation,
mixing of hot and cold water, rubbing of tepid
water over the head, smearing of butter on the hair to
be cut, putting of sharp kusa grass on the hair, pressing
of the razor on the hair and then cutting the hair and
bathing after the haircut. The wiping of the razor and
putting of the cut hair into cowdung are the two
subsequent functions.
If our reasonable surmise be correct the great
importance of this sacrament can easily be realised.
After the ocular and dental treatment the intellectual
treatment completes the necessary precautions for the
physical and the intellectual well-being of the child.
This will further vindicate the cultural level and the
civilized condition of the Hindus in the matter of bring-
ing up a child.
After the building up of a healthy constitution and
sharp intellect, attention is devoted to the education of
the child in an atmosphere of quiet simplicity and
affectionate discipline. For this purpose the sacrament
of upanayana or bringing the child to a selected teacher
is adopted. As this sacrament takes place along with
the ceremony of putting on the child by the father
and of Atri and Kasyapa on both sides. The decendants of Angiras
kept five tufts. But the school of Bhrigu kept no tuft and clean
shaved the head.
