Different Names and their Significance

The kesanta or the first shaving was one of the four vedic vratas. When the first three vratas, that were closely connected with the vedic study, disappeared, the kesanta separated and assumed an independent position, though it retained the ancient ceremonies. The existence of the kesanta as a separate samskara seems to be older than that of the vedarambha. The Gruhyasutras describe the kesanta with the chudakarana, but they nowhere mention the vedarambha. Jatukarnya, an older writer than Vyasa, enumerates the former but does not mention the latter. It was regarded as a major samskara by Vyasa who includes it in the list of the famous sixteen samskaras. The question may rise in one’s mind why the kesanta did not meet the same fate as the other vedic vratas met. The reason appears thus. This samskara had an advantage over its colleagues. While the first three vratas were dependent, for their life, on the vedic study, it was essentially connected with the body and conduct of the student. When the vedic literature ceased to form the general curriculum of studies, the first three vratas fell into disuse. But the kesanta still signalized the natural change that took place in the life of the student. Even when the samskaras became mere ceremonies bereft of their original purpose, the kesanta did not suffer very much.

The Origin and early History

The kesanta, as its very name suggests, was a samskara which consecrated the first shaving of the students beard. It was called Godana also, because it was characterized by the gift of a cow to the teacher and gifts to the barber. This samskara was performed at the age of sixteen and marked the arrival of youth when the student was no more a boy, and beard and moustaches appeared on his face. The consciousness of manhood dawned upon the young man. He required a greater watchfulness over his youthful impulses. Hence it was thought necessary that the student should be reminded once more of his vows of Brahmacharya. He was, after shaving the beard and moustaches, required to take the vow of Brahmacharya anew and to live the life of strict continence for one year.

Later History and Confusion

During the mediaeval and subsequent times confusion entered the Hindu religion and degeneration set in every department of life. When early marriage became common, the kesanta began to be considered as marking the end of Brahmacharya. In the sutra period the shortest period of Brahmacharya was twelve years. According to this calculation, the student career ended at the age of eighteen. But this was not the general custom. Only those students, who were in sure need of the family, took leave of their gurus at this early age. Later on, however, owing to the emergency of child marriage, it became a common practice to close the brahmacharya period with the Kesanta or Godana. The Brharadvaja and the Varaha Gruhyasutras, which were written subsequent to the beginning of the Christian era had already begun to prescribe the general opinion that "in the opinion of some, one could close his brahmacharya with the Godana ceremony." The supporters of early marriage began to argue that the termination of brahmacharya at sixteen was in no way against the sastric rule, as if the upanayana was performed at the age of five, one could get twelve years for the study of the vedas. Thus what was in the beginning a concession, later on became privilege and right of the people, but certainly for the worse.

As a matter of fact, the kesanta or godana had nothing to do with the termination of brahmacharya. The samavartana was to mark the close of the student life. Both the samskaras were confounded deliberately in order to enable the boy to marry without finishing his complete course of studies. Confusion became more confounded for ordinary men owing to the fact that shaving formed the common element in both the samskaras.

Ceremonies

As already said, the ceremony was performed at the age of sixteen. The procedure followed and the mantras recited at this samskara were quite the same as adopted in the chauda samskara. The only difference was that in it beard and moustaches were shaved instead of head. Just as in chudakarana, hair of the beard, head, nails were thrown in to water. The student, then, offered a cow to the teacher. At the end of the ceremony he observed a vow of silence and led a life of austere discipline for full one year.