Shaving and Bathing Rules

Subrahmanya said

Vamadeva, great sage, I will tell you the rules for shaving and bathing, which, if followed at once, lead a mendicant to supreme purification. Lord among sages, after he has gained yogapatta by the rules, a disciple who keeps his vows begins the task of full shaving. He bows to the guru and takes specific permission from him, washes his hair and rinses his mouth. He does the shaving while clothed. Afterward the garment and razor are washed with water and clay. The barber too is given clay and asked to wash his hands with it. Repeating "Shiva, Shiva" he sprinkles every object there with water. He closes his eyes, presses them with the ring finger and thumb and recites the weapon mantra, opens them and looks at the razor and other tonsure articles. He recites the weapon mantra twelve times and sprinkles them with water. He takes the razor and snips a bit of hair on the right side, and some from the front is cut first before all the hair is shaved. The shaved hair must be collected on a leaf and not allowed to fall on the ground. The beard is shaved and finger and toe nails clipped. Clay is gathered from the root of a bilva, ashvattha or tulasi tree. He submerges himself in the water twelve times, returns to the bank and sits. The clay is divided into three parts placed on a clean spot, and each part again into three, sprinkled with water while the weapon mantra is recited. Taking one bit of clay he wipes each hand twelve times with it and cleans each hand with water. In order another bit is used for the feet, another for the face, another for the arms and so on. Smearing and washing himself he submerges again. He gathers more clay and smears his head twelve times, then repeatedly submerges. He returns to the bank and with a handful of water rinses sixteen times, does breath-control twice and chants Pranava sixteen times. He again divides some clay into three parts and by the rules purifies his hips and feet. He rinses twice and, reciting Pranava sixteen times, silently does breath-control. He again applies clay thrice to his thighs chanting Aum, chants mantras seven times sprinkling water over his palms, smears clay thrice on them and glances at the purifying image of the sun. He smears his armpits and cleans them, using the opposite hand. Excellent in inclination and firm in mind, the disciple cleans his hands with clay. Full of devotion to his guru he smears himself with clay and purifies himself from head to foot while looking at the sun. He stands and fixes a staff on the ground, remembers his own guru with faith and devotion and uses the knowledge and mantras. The disciple devoutly remembers Mahesha Shankara Chandrashekhara Shiva, lord of prosperity, with Uma, lovingly makes full prostration three times before the guru, Shiva, and the five-limbed prostration once, rises and bows. He enters the tirtha water again and by the earlier rules smears his shoulders with clay. He gathers the remaining clay, enters the water again, dissolves it in the water and applies it all over his limbs. Remembering Shiva's lotus feet he chants Aum thrice; this is the rule by which he always crosses the ocean of samsara. He sprinkles himself with water and uses ash from a Viraja oblation to smear his limbs, wipes them, bathes and smears ash again. Sage, by the auspicious rules he applies the Tripundra to all his limbs attentively. Then, pure in mind, he does the midday rites, bows to Maheshvara, the guru and the tirtha water, and, full of supreme devotion, worships Ishana, saviour of the three worlds and giver of knowledge, with Ambika. Firm in mind the mendicant keeps to his pure tasks and goes to ask alms in virtuous brahmana households. Pure in self he divides the alms into five parts and uses them accordingly, and discards any impure food. Every day he attentively practises purification, bathing and begging. He uses four types of begging bowls and no fifth: of dried gourd, bamboo, wood or clay. Six activities must be avoided by mendicants: having betel, using a metal vessel, emission of semen, a white garment, sleeping by day and eating at night. Those who go against these rules are said to become rakshasas, so one should not act contrarily. After the shaving he must make efforts to bathe and purify himself, and in his mind remember the pure supreme brahman Sadashiva. Subrahmanya told the tiger among sages that out of affection he had thus told everything about the rules of shaving and bathing, and asked what else he wished to hear.