purification. Body hair, however, is
rarely shaved, since the Sanskritlan-
guage has different words for these
two types of hair, and they are consid-
ered to be different things entirely.
During the period of impurity associ-
ated with death (maranashaucha) the
mourners will not shave for the entire
ten days, signifying their continuing
impurity, but at the end of that period
they will shave completely to signify
their final purification. Hindu men
will sometimes also refrain from
shaving as a sign of austerity while
they are keeping religious vows, and
shave when the vow has been com-
pleted. One example occurs during
the lunar monthof Shravan, in which
men who are devotees (bhakta) of the
god Shiva will often refrain from
shaving. Another example can be
found in the ritual preparation for the
annual pilgrimage to Shabari Malai;
men must keep a strict asceticdisci-
pline for forty-one days before the pil-
grimage, in which one element is a
ban on shaving.
Shesha
(“remnant”) Mythical thousand-head-
ed serpent upon which the god
Vishnu reclines, as on a couch;
Shesha is also considered to support
the various regions of the earth, par-
ticularly the underworlds. His name
comes from the fact that he is consid-
ered a partial incarnation of Vishnu
and is thus related to Vishnu, both as
incarnation and through his status as
Vishnu’s couch. As with most of the
gods’ animal associates, Shesha does
not play a prominent role in his own
right. The one mythic episode in
which he does play an important part
is that of churning the Ocean of Milk
in which Shesha serves as the churn-
ing-rope to turn Mount Mandara,
with all the gods pulling from one
side, and the demonspulling from the
other. Yet here too he is only instru-
mental, necessary for the episode to
unfold but with the main focus lying
elsewhere. Shesha is seen as having a
protective role. In Hindu astrology
(jyotisha) he is identified as the pro-
tective deityfor the fifth dayof each
half of the lunar month. See also
Tortoise avatar.Shibi
In Hindu mythology, sage-king who is
famous for his virtue and commit-
ment to his word. Shibi’s reputation
reaches the ears of the gods, who
decide to test it. The god Dharma,
who is righteousness personified (or
in some other versions, the god Agni)
takes the form of a dove, and is pur-
sued by the god Indra, in the form of a
hawk. The dove flies into Shibi’s lap
and entreats him for asylum, which
Shibi grants. The hawk observes that it
is inappropriate for Shibi to deprive
him of the food he needs to eat, and
demands in exchange an equal weight
of flesh cut from Shibi’s body. Shibi
agrees, but no matter how much of his
flesh he throws into the balance, the
dove is still heavier. Finally Shibi sits
his whole body into the balance, as a
sign that he will sacrifice his life for
the dove. At this point the gods
resume their divine forms and bless
Shibi for his steadfastness.Shikhandi
In the Mahabharata, the later of the
two great Hindu epics, the rebirth of
the maiden Amba, daughter of the
king of Kashi. Amba and her sisters
have been kidnapped by Bhishmato
be married to his nephew
Vichitravirya, but when she informs
Bhishma that her heart already
belongs to King Salva, Bhishma gal-
lantly releases her. Yet Salva refuses to
marry her, for since she has been kid-
napped he is not certain of her virgin-
ity. Amba then returns to Bhishma,
who refuses to marry her because of
his vow to remain a lifelong bachelor.
In her anger Amba swears to get
revenge on Bhishma and performsShesha