Achars pertaining to combing hair

        In the earlier times for combing hair, women would sit in front of a wooden box that had a mirror, used to keep a comb, kumkum (Vermillion) etc. and throw the hair (that would fall while combing) into the fireplace. But rarely do we see such conducts being followed today. Most of the women nowadays will be in a hurry to comb their hair and run for work, so they find no time to follow the achars of sitting and combing hair, Many women also have shorter hair which they prefer leaving it open. In fact, dressing tables built nowadays do not even come with an attached chair like before; this shows that the tradition of sitting and combing hair has become non-existent. From a spiritual point of view, this is degradation for mankind. This article provides specific reasons behind why this is considered an unhealthy step, and how we can protect ourselves from the negative effects arising from non-abiding of achars by following simple steps.

1. Combing hair

A. With three fingers dipped in hair-oil, drawing a boundary before combing

In the earlier times, there was a custom of chanting the Name of the Kuladevata (Family Deity) and using oil for making three dots with three fingers at the four corners of a wooden seat, before a woman seated herself for combing her hair. Through this process of making three dots, a mandal (Protective sheath) of Raja-predominant waves was created around the seat, thus creating an obstacle to the interference of negative energies in the Raja-Tama-predominant process of combing the hair.

B. Correct method of combing hair

In the earlier times, women would comb their hair only after sitting slightly bending forward, with the right leg folded and holding the knee towards the stomach, in front of a wooden box having a mirror used for keeping the comb, kumkum etc. By moving the double-sided comb through the hair in a forward bending posture, the Panchaprana (Five vital energies) would constantly remain in an awakened state. After a bath, looking at the mirror for applying kumkum to the forehead and for combing the disheveled hair with a double-sided comb would result in spiritual healing on the woman through the medium of the mirror, thereby reducing the proportion of Raja-Tama-predominant vibrations entering the woman. (Nowadays, the sight of women combing their hair sitting in front of a wooden box having a mirror is rare. The modern trend is to use a single-sided comb instead of a double-sided comb on the hair. However, combing hair with a double-sided comb (instead of single-sided comb) is superior.

2. Importance of regular washing of the comb

After washing my hair, the distressing energy in my head and body would get destroyed, with a consequent reduction in distress. On combing the washed hair with an unwashed comb, the distressing energy would re-enter the head and the hair, and distress would reappear. Thereafter, I began washing the comb immediately after washing the hair. Whenever I physically washed the comb using a detergent, I did not feel that it would get cleaned at the subtle-level. Only when it was washed with water mixed with Vibhuti, I would experience that, the distressing energy in the comb would get destroyed along with the distressing energy in my body. Only then I would get a feeling that the comb is really clean. When a comb is washed with water mixed with Vibhuti, the distressing energy in the comb gets destroyed and Chaitanya is generated in it. Thus, upon commencing spiritual practice I realized that after washing the hair, it is also necessary to wash the comb with water mixed with Vibhuti.

3. Importance of avoiding the use of other’s comb or belongings

In March 2008 I misplaced my single-sided comb. For 2 – 3 days, I used the comb of a lady-seeker friend who did not suffer from spiritual distress. Thereafter, whenever she used that comb, her head would get heavy and she would feel restless. This proved that a large amount of distressing energy is accumulated in the hair of the lady-seekers who suffer from distress due to negative energies, and the comb used by them also gets charged with that distressing energy. I then realized why those suffering from negative energy distress should not use each other’s comb or belongings.

4. How to charge the comb with Chaitanya?

A. Necessity of purifying the comb

The comb too gets affected by the Raja-Tama-predominant waves in the hair; hence, the comb should always be kept clean and charged with Chaitanya. Do not comb your hair with an unwashed or ’impure’ comb after you have had a head bath. The comb should be purified in the gross and the subtle using methods mentioned ahead.

1. Always wash the comb with water after combing hair.

2. On the day you have a head bath, before using the comb, wash it with soap. Thereafter, wash it with water mixed with rock salt, Gomutra or Vibhuti, and then keep it in the sun for drying.

3. Keep it in an empty wrapper of incense-sticks.

4. Apply Vibhuti to the comb every day.

5. Wave a lit incense-stick to the comb and to the wrapper.

B. Keeping comb in a wrapper of incense-sticks, it gets charged with Chaitanya, thereby making reuse possible

Upon combing my hair, I perceive that my comb gets charged with distressing energy. When it is reused, the distressing energy gets transferred into the hair again. As a remedy, I keep the comb in an empty wrapper of incense-sticks. It destroys the distressing energy in the comb and generates Chaitanya in it. When I comb the hair again, the Chaitanya from the comb enters the hair and the distressing energy there is expelled. Thereafter, my head feels lighter. However, the wrapper also develops a distressing energy covering in 3-4 days. At such times, if Vibhuti is applied to it or if it I kept near the pictures of Deities, Chaitanya is again generated in it.

C. Importance of waving the smoke of incense-sticks

• Perceiving that by holding the comb over the smoke emitting from incense-sticks, the negative vibrations and distressing energy get destroyed : In October 2009, I held my comb over the smoke emanating from incense-sticks. It was moved through the smoke in such a way that each tooth of the comb came into contact with the smoke. I perceived that negative vibrations associated with me and present in the comb, as well as the distressing energy were destroyed.

• Feeling lighter due to expulsion of distressing energy from the head and hair : After purification of the comb, as an after effect, the mantrik (A subtle-sorcerer) in me manifested and started nodding his head. The distressing energy in my hair and head was getting expelled. My head was shaking at that time. Later, I began to feel lighter.

D. Why purify the wrapper of incense-sticks in which the comb is kept?

        The distressing energy in the comb accumulates inside the wrapper too and hence, purification of the wrapper is necessary: I keep my comb in the empty wrapper of incense-sticks. I wave the smoke of these incense-sticks to the wrapper too, with the intention of purifying it. When I exposed the inside of the wrapper to the smoke instead of just exposing its borders, I had a similar spiritual experience as mentioned above. This proved that the distressing energy in the comb gets stored inside the wrapper too and hence, its purification is also necessary.’ – Ms. Gayatri Butte.

5. A double-sided comb is more useful than a single-sided comb

• A single-sided comb : Today, the use of single-sided comb is prevalent. It has to be held in the middle for combing hair. This causes the Raja-Tama-predominant waves emitting from the hair to come into contact with the hands, and the whole body gets charged with Raja-Tama

• A double-sided comb : In the earlier times, double-sided combs were used in place of single-sided combs. It is much easier to hold it in the voids of the hands; and hence, while combing, the hands do not come into contact with the functional area of the teeth of the comb, thereby avoiding contact with Raja-Tama-predominant waves emitting from the hair. (Today, double-sided combs are used only to get rid of lice from the hair.)

A. Rapid extraction and elimination of distressing energy on combing the hair with a double-sided comb

‘The distressing energy is swiftly extracted and expelled on combing the hair with a double-sided comb instead of a single-sided comb. This reduces the distressing energy covering on the mind, intellect and head, thereby bringing clarity in thinking. The proportion of distressing energy covering getting reduced upon combing with a single-sided comb is much less when compared with a double-sided comb.’ – Ms. Girija

B. Importance of a small wooden box with a mirror in it

In the earlier times, articles (kumkum, wax and double-sided comb) would be kept in a small wooden box with a mirror in it, and as a result of the dormant fire in the wood, they would remain pure.

6. Conducts to be followed for combing hair

A. It is essential to bathe only after combing hair

Many women comb their hair after a bath to avoid the hair from getting disheveled. Whatever transmission of Raja-Tama-predominant waves into the body takes place during the process of combing hair is destroyed due to purification of the body through the medium of bathing. Therefore, it is a custom to comb the hair first and then bathe. Conversely, the body becomes impure upon combing the hair after a bath. This in itself is an indication that in Kaliyug (Era of strife), man is only interested in external cleanliness, that is, external beauty of the body, and has drifted away from spiritualization of life, meaning, has drifted away from true conduct.

B. Young girl paying obeisance to her mother after the mother braided her hair

The process of a girl paying obeisance to the mother after her mother braided her hair would eliminate the Raja-Tama-predominant waves that had developed in the girl’s body, due to generation of bhav (Spiritual emotion) in the form of Divine Principle. After making a braid, the hands were washed only in flowing water, because the sinful effects of the contact with the Raja-Tama-predominant waves in the hair would also be eliminated by washing the hands in flowing water.

C. Why the hair that have fallen during combing should not be immediately thrown out ?

The friction taking place in the process of combing increases the emission of Raja-Tama particles. It is because of these movements that swift Raja-Tama-predominant waves are emitted by the hair into the environment. The hair that fall during combing are also charged with these waves and hence, the negative energies moving in the environment get attracted towards these Raja- Tama-predominant waves. Distressing energy is released through the medium of these waves. After two hours, the movement of Raja-Tama waves in the hair slows down and the hairs become almost lifeless. Since the environment outside is more Raja-Tama-predominant than the environment in the house, hair that have fallen during combing should not be immediately thrown out.

D. When the hair that have fallen while combing are immediately thrown out, there is a possibility of the mantrik causing distress through their medium

A mantrik can use the hair of an individual for aghori Yadnya with the help of subtle-vibrations in the hair that have fallen during combing. This also causes a great amount of hair-fall in the individual. Therefore, to throw the hair that has fallen while combing immediately in the environment is considered inauspicious. The hair that have fallen while combing should be bunched and retained for two days and only then discarded when vibrations in them have been completely destroyed. (The speed of Raja-Tama-predominant waves reduces after two hours. Despite this, it is possible that the Raja-Tama-predominant vibrations in the hair may last, though in very little proportion. Therefore, it is always better to throw away the bunch of hair after two days, since by that time the Raja-Tama-predominant vibrations in the hair [that have fallen while combing] are completely destroyed.)

E. Burning the bunch of fallen hair after spitting on it

In the earlier times, after braiding the hair there was a custom of spitting on the bunch of fallen hair and then throwing this bunch in fire at a place where water was being heated. By spitting on the bunch of hair, the Raja-Tama-predominant waves related to our body, spread in our body in the process of making a braid, would enter the bunch of fallen hair, and Raja-Tama-predominant waves related to our body and contained in that bunch of fallen hair would be brought to the maximum emission level. Thus, by burning the bunch in the fire, their movement in the body would be curtailed. The swiftly moving Raja-Tamapredominant vibrations, activated in the body through the medium of spitting, would be automatically emitted and their burning would cause automatic spiritual healing of the body.

F. Necessity of washing the comb and the hands after combing hair

In the earlier times, the comb and the hands were washed after combing the hair. This would automatically prevent the effect of negative energies on the body through the contact with Raja-Tama predominant waves.

G. Why should the hair not be combed at night

The proportion of distressing waves in the atmosphere is greater during the night. Due to these swiftly moving distressing waves, there is generation of hot energy in the environment. The frictional process of ‘combing hair’ and the sound waves generated through the movement of hair attract the distressing waves moving in the atmosphere, which then make a swift entry into the body of the individual through the tips of the hair. Therefore, the individual suffers from distress such as restlessness, heaviness of the body, nightmares and tingling, leading to numbness of the body. Sometimes, a specific negative energy can enter the body of an individual through these swift distressing waves.

7. Combing and not combing hair after they have been washed

A. Effect of not combing hair after they have been washed

‘I washed my hair on Chaitra Shukla 7 (12.4.2008), but did not comb them till the night. The flow of Chaitanya coming from God had spread from the head downwards on to the hair; but since the hair had not been combed, distressing waves were being spread from the small hair protruding through the uncombed hair. I saw an increase in the distressing energy covering around my head and spreading of a thin layer of black colour in the environment.

B. Effect perceived on combing hair

When I combed my hair neatly, I perceived a reduction in the distressing energy covering around my head.’ – Mrs. Rajani

Reference : Sanatan Sanstha’s Holy text ‘Hair Care’.