As I love to write, take pictures, and create content for social media, I also get inspired by what others post. This time, a picture of a monk brought up memories from a long time ago.
This monk wore a tuft of hair on the back of his head, also known as a Shikha. The Shikha has significant spiritual and religious symbolism among practitioners of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition. Gaudiya Vaishnavism is a religious movement within Hinduism that emerged in Bengal, India, in the 16th century, primarily founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534). It is part of the broader Vaishnavite tradition, which worships Vishnu and his avatars, especially Krishna and Rama.
As a teenager, I experimented with my creativity and wanted to be a hairdresser, using scissors and paint on my hair. It was my brother’s turn, as he needed a haircut. We went upstairs, where we were alone and couldn’t be disturbed. The sound of the scissors seemed to go on for hours, resulting in a bold head and a tale on the back for my brother. I created a Shikha for my brother.
When we proudly showed the results to my parents, I was baffled when there were onions thrown at me because I had pissed off my dad with this nicely worked-out haircut for my brother. I ducked to avoid them and was lucky they didn’t break our living room window as they hit the glass. My father and mother didn’t take long to send us off to stay with my uncle and aunt.
Back then, I was clueless about the spiritual meaning that profoundly fit my brother’s manifestation in life. He was the smartest and the most beloved in our Catholic upbringing. In our younger years, he left me with a big question mark above my head as he always talked about his aspiration to become the pope. While I was still sleeping with my stuffed animals, he used to sleep with a statue of Jesus next to his bed. He was committed to the religion of our upbringing.
The Shikha is not just a tuft of hair but a profound symbol of spiritual commitment. It is a constant reminder that one is a servant of God, a testament to the dedication to religious and spiritual practices devoted to Lord Krishna. Not the God we grew up with, or might it be that there is only one God? Yet, this tuft of hair is a visible sign of surrender to one’s guru and Krishna, embodying spiritual dedication and discipline.
In the Vedic tradition, the Shikha is a symbol and a protector. It is believed to safeguard the brain’s highest centre of energy, a sacred point in the body where spiritual energy, or prana, can enter or exit. The Shikha is crucial in preserving this energy and upholding its spiritual potency. In many respects, wearing the Shikha is an outward declaration of an individual’s religious identity and spiritual aspirations, prominently indicating their commitment to their faith and spiritual path.
Even if the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition is very different from our Catholic upbringing, I see the beauty of the meaning of the Shikha I created for him. Yet, during our stay at my uncle and aunt’s, he went to a genuine hairdresser and got a new Western haircut. The new haircut made him look like a conditioned schoolboy, but his behaviour was far from that. I loved the Shikha; it gave him a look that showed his inner love and devotion to God.
To celebrate the new haircut, we went to a small restaurant for drinks, and my brother saw the opportunity to bypass our strict upbringing and begged my uncle for a real glass of beer. I was flabbergasted he dared to even ask for a beer. A glass of beer doesn’t fit in the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition as practitioners avoid alcohol, while in Catholicism, alcohol is allowed. As my brother was still a minor, my uncle pretended to buy him a real beer and asked me to keep it quiet that it was an alcohol-free beer; my brother said he would taste the difference as he found alcohol-free beer gross.
As we grew up, my brother never became the pope, and I never became a hairdresser. This story reminds me that limiting beliefs can be created in the heat of emotions and that viewing things from different perspectives is essential.
The Power of Little Things: This story illustrates how small actions or decisions—like a haircut—can have profound impacts on our lives and the lives of others. It delves into the idea that minor changes can sometimes make the most significant difference.
Change can happen instantly, yet we often procrastinate because we fear losing attachment when things do not stay the same.
This tale encourages us to incorporate a growth mindset and be open to possibilities that enhance change in our daily lives. It recognises how seemingly minor decisions or gestures can resonate deeply, unexpectedly shaping our identities, relationships, and, ultimately, our lives.
What small action can you take today to let go of a detachment that does not benefit your growth mindset?
Leave what comes up for you in the comments.
Develop a mindset that will empower us to overcome self-doubt and adversity; we have everything to live an extraordinary life, so we need to believe in ourselves and get started.
Always think positively; we need to do yoga, exercise and avoid negativity and bad habits which distract us from goals like smoking and drinking.
Sometimes situations change, but we must always think positively. To develop a growth mindset, we need to do yoga, exercise and keep away from negativity and bad habits which distract us from goals like smoking and drinking.
We need to stay calm when the situation changes to make proper decisions. Never lose hope, focus on whatever comes, and try again till reaching our goals so that one day we’ll get everything we are struggling for by staying calm and making proper decisions.