Gurudev, What is the importance of Mundan Sanskar (referring to the Indian tradition of Shaving a babies’ head after a year of birth)? Please tell us something about it.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Our ancestors have told that we have to shave off the first hair of a child. Then the new hair will come. It is the same as how the first teeth fall on their own and only then do new teeth come. But the hair has to be removed first time; it does not fall off automatically like the teeth. They will grow again in time. Mundan Sanskar (Shaving hair) is one of the traditional ceremonies, which reminds us that we have come in this world and you have responsibilities to fulfill. Till the end your life, you have a duty of service and obedience towards to your parents. This is the purpose of Mundan Sanskar.
There are 16 Samskaras (here referring to the Shodasha-samskaras or sixteen fundamental duties or rites of passage in a person’s life denoting the entry into a phase of life, as per the Vedic tradition) in a person’s life as prescribed by the Vedic scriptures. Similarly Namankaran Samskar (the Naming ceremony for a new born child) is also one such Samskar.