Is necessary to remove all the hair from the head of a baby (mundan or tonsure)?

Smt. Priyanka Seethepalli asked: Is it mandatory to do the muṇḍan ceremony (tonsure) of a baby? Does it have any religious significance? Commonly, after performing the pujā in a temple, a few snippets of the baby’s hair are taken off and later, the parents are supposed to get all of the baby’s birth hair shaved off. Is this necessary?

Swami replied: Removing the hair from the head of a baby may be good from a scientific point of view, for which you have to consult a doctor. But in the name of tradition, if unscientific and unhealthy actions are being imposed, refuse them. If you have to follow the tradition, then there is a way. When you are unable to offer 100 rupees due to your poverty, it is acceptable to offer just one paisa. In the same way, if shaving off all the hair on the baby’s head is not acceptable for personal reasons, three or five strips of hair may be cut.

| Shri Dattaswami | mundan puja

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