Hair styles of gods and goddesses

We would have observed that different-different gods and goddesses have a distinct hair style. Are these hairstyles of gods and goddesses are their personal choices or has it some significant message?  The followers of these gods and goddesses also observe the same garb and hairstyle.

      

Kali has unbounded and untidy hair, Durga, Laxmi, and Saraswati have well- combed and tidy but unbounded hair. Parvati has well-combed tidy and bounded hair. Lord Krishna has curly hair. His elder brother Balaram has silky and straight hair. Lord Rama has well combed, well organized and bounded hair. Lord Shiva has matted hair.

Practicing Buddhists have shaved head. Jain Munis pluck their hair from the root. Practicing Brahmins keep the half shaved head and knotted tuft in the middle. Many people offer their hair to gods and goddesses in devotion when their wishes are fulfilled, like Balaji in Andhra, Chhath Mata in UP and Bihar, Kamakshya Mata in Assam.

In Shraddh (Pitrapaksh), people offer their tonsured hair to their demised ancestors in bereavement and devotion. People also shave their head in case of death in the family and relatives. These hair styles and traditions are not by chance it has intense message and meaning. Let us decode it.

     

The hairstyle conveys the internal personality of the individuals. The dirty, unbounded and untidy hair is the significance of violent, wild and unorganized person like Kali who violently destroys those who do not please or satisfy her. She does not believe in civilization. She is free, violent and aggressive. She is bloodthirsty Kali if she is tried to be dominated in any form.

Well-combed, tidy and unbounded hair is the indication of the civilization. This is the next transformation of Kali. The next transformation of Kali is Durga. She is civilized and blesses for the well-established civilization. Remember, her hair is still unbounded. She may be ferocious if the proper conduct is not given to her. If Kali is transformed into Durga, then, Durga can also be Kali.

Well-combed, tidy and bounded hair is the indication of demure and domestication, like Parvati. She is the next transformation of Durga. She is married. She is demure and domesticated. She is a mother and confined to take care of her offspring and husband. She is bounded by her domestic duties.

Curly hair is the indication of strategist like lord Krishna. Krishna never tells anything which gives a straight forward meaning. His statements remain curly like his hair. Silky and straight hair is for a straight forward person like Balaram.  Well-combed, well organized and bounded hair is the symbol of the well-organized and perfect rule follower (Maryada Purushottam) like lord Rama. He is bound by the rules, Raghu kul riti.     

   

Shaved head gives contextual meaning and message. Shaved head is for the ascetic, who has detached from the worldly life like Buddh Bikshu and Jain Munis. Shaved head with a knotted tuft in the middle is for half ascetic and half worldly people. The knotted tuft is the middle of the hair is the indication of the controlled mind and senses despite having involved in the worldly life.

The shaved head on the death of the family members or relatives is the indication of the loss of the patron. It displays the bereavement and devotion to the ancestors for what they have done for their generations. In Shraddh, people shave their head. It is the reminder of their ancestors and the mortal nature of beings on the earth. It also indicates the impending crop harvesting. Shraddh falls every year just before crop harvesting.

Tonsuring, the cutting of the hair, is a symbol of obedience and sacrifice. The objective behind tonsuring (shaving one’s head for the Lord) is to demonstrate the complete surrender of the ego at the feet of the Lord. In the Ramayana, Sita throws out all her jewelry in the way of her abduction by Ravana. The last removed trinket was her hairpin. Hence, the hair becomes unbounded and untidy, a form of Kali, the ferocious, the imminent destruction of Ravana.

In the Mahabharata, Draupadi was dragged by her hair to the assembly by Dusashan. She promised not to bind her hair until the destruction of Kauravas. In the medieval history, Chanakya took an oath not to knot his tuft until and unless the complete depredation of Magadha king Dhananand.

Matted hair is the significance of profound control over mind and senses like lord Shiva. Lord Shiva dispersed His matted hair to control the violent Ganga, and locked her in His hair to domesticate her, and released her in an organized way for the welfare of the humanity.