The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

Shaving
A man shaves an infant boy’s head. Hair is believed to trap impurities.
contrast with the “Black” Yajur Veda, in
which these notes have been incorporated
into the body of the text itself. Aside from
giving instruction on the practice of rituals,
the Shatapatha Brahmana includes a wide
variety of texts, one of which is the Isha
Upanishad. The upanishad’s presence in a
Brahmana text clearly shows that there
was considerable overlap in the times of
composition of various Vedic literary
styles, rather than clear-cut “periods.”
Shatrughna
(“Foe-slayer”) In the Ramayana, the earlier
of the two great Indian epics,
Shatrughna is the second son of King
Dasharatha and his wife Sumitra, and the
youngest brother of Rama, the epic’s protagonist.
Whereas Rama’s brothers Lakshmana
and Bharata play important roles in
the epic—the former as Rama’s minion
and shadow, the latter serving as Rama’s
regent during his exile—Shatrughna is virtually
invisible and does not play an
important part in the larger epic narrative.
Shattila Ekadashi
Religious observance falling on the
eleventh day (ekadashi) of the dark
(waning) half of the lunar month of
Magh (January–February). As with all
the eleventh-day observances, this is
dedicated to the worship of the god
Vishnu. Most Hindu festivals have
certain prescribed rites, which usually
involve fasting (upavasa) and worship
and often promise specific benefits
for faithful performance. On this day
one should bathe an image of Vishnu
with the five auspicious things (milk,
curds, honey, ghee, and sugar water),
placing some sesame seed (tila) into
each. One should also eat food containing
sesame seed. During the night
one should sleep before the image of
the deity. This ekadashi’s name comes
from the six (sat) ways in which
the sesame seed has been used.
Faithfully observing this festival is said
to cause one to be reborn in Vishnu’s
realm, Vaikuntha.
Shaving
An act of ritual purification as well as
an act of hygiene. The hair of the head
and face is believed to trap impurity
(ashaucha), and shaving one or both
is a significant part of many rites of
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