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This answer says sins are attached to hair and devotees tonsure their hair when they visit temples to get rid of sins. It says Dharma Sindhu mentions the verse.

तीर्थोपवास कर्तव्य सिरसोमुन्दनानिच सिरोगतानि पापानि यान्तिमन्दनथो यतह्

tīrthopavāsa kartavya sirasomundanānica sirogatāni pāpāni yāntimandanatho yatah

Dharma Sindhu is a book written by Panditha Kashinaatha taking essence of various Dharma Sastras and Puranas. This is what preface of book says,

Drushtaa purva nibandhaatrirnaaya sindhu kramena siddharthaan

Praayena mula vachaannyujijjtya likhvaami baalabodhaaya

Having studied various ancient Sciptures and strictly based on the rudimentary facts delineated in those Root-Grandhas that the essence of Dharma Nirnayaas (Regulatoty Verdicts) is sought to be described.

So, this must be presumably present in Puranas or Smritis or Dharma Sastras.

Also, Dr. Sri Vaddiparti Padmakar, famous scholar in Telugu states, says the same in this video (in Telugu). I searched in Shiva Purana and Padma Purana but couldn't find any references for it.

My question is: What scriptures, such as Dharma Sastras or smritis or puranas or any authoritative Hindu scriptures, say Paapa or Sins are stored or attached to hair? Please don't answer from books by Acharyas or Swamijis.

Note: This question is not duplicate to this question or any such related question.

The Destroyer
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    related note - when washing hair and then drying it, elders advise us to not let water drip down the back of the head. if you see olden ladies, they will bend down and let hair fall through front of their face and then dry it. same with shikha for men. because water falling from back neck is considered equal to toddy, while that from the front is offered as libations to pitrus. – ram May 05 '17 at 12:21
  • @ram I think there is also scientific reason for what you mentioned. If we let water drip on back, we may get cold, especially women. Our Hinduism is really very amazingly correct –  May 05 '17 at 12:28
  • @ram What is toddy What if prokshanam​ water during sandhyavandanam flows down from the back, I cannot control it like ladies. Destroyer Goof question btw, I think that's why hair strands are considered impure. – Yogi May 05 '17 at 12:56
  • If it is so, one should die bald. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ May 05 '17 at 12:58
  • @RohitSinghRathore but that doesn't guarantee Moksha. :P – The Destroyer May 05 '17 at 13:09
  • @Yogi, toddy = liquor. water will invariably flow down our back when bathing, so it doesn't mean water should never flow down back. what they mean is, that back-water should be confined to the bathroom, and not inside the house. when doing sandhya, we are advised to take only few drops of water for prokshanam on top of head, not handful that it would drip down. – ram May 05 '17 at 13:26
  • @ram Yeah that's why one/four fingers are used for prokshanam. Thanks! – Yogi May 05 '17 at 14:09
  • not in hair but stored in the chitta , astral body – Rakesh Joshi May 07 '17 at 04:19
  • @RakeshJoshi i know all Samkaras or impressions are stored in Chitta and with Tapasya or through various yoga techniques, Yogis destroy them. But above quote is famous and moreover a book called Dharma Sindhu says it. So, i guess it comes from Puranas or Dharma Sastras or Smritis. – The Destroyer May 07 '17 at 06:46
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    that is why i avoid these texts... it would mean that dead person karmas would remain with the physical body as his body will be cremated. – Rakesh Joshi May 07 '17 at 07:25
  • for getting rid of sins, some procedures like bhootashuddhi, sandhya etc are helpful. – Rakesh Joshi May 07 '17 at 08:13

2 Answers2

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Chapter 29, Prabhas Khanda of Skand Puran says so...

enter image description here

Iswara said:

  1. O Daughter Of the Mountain, whatever sin a man commits when in straitened circumstances due to want Of Sustenance, all that sin remains on his hairs.
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YDS
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    You're right. Please add this, Verse 5 reference as it is the complete and unabridged version of the Skanda Purana. – Arya Oct 18 '17 at 20:48
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    Btw, what's the SI unit of sins? Kg, MB, GB, Cal, pixel etc ? How do we measure quantity of sins? Seems they are stored in bytes in hairs. My sins are then in some TBs. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Oct 19 '17 at 03:36
  • @Mr.Sigma. what is the answer to your question? How is sin measured? –  Jun 16 '19 at 15:10
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It is so said in ParAshara Smriti's (PS) Chapter 9.

Whatever sin a man commits attaches itself to his hair. Hence he should clip his hairs to the length of two fingers' width from their end.

PS 9.55

Attaching a screenshot from the book:

enter image description here

Rickross
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  • Which book are you following? I have checked Parashara Smriti on archive and 9.55 looks different. https://archive.org/details/ParasharaSmriti – The Destroyer Oct 18 '17 at 12:43
  • I am following "Parashara Samhita" -Original Text- Edited and published by Manmatha Nath Dutta. Calcutta edition. And yes that version does not contain this verse otherwise i would answered long ago as i have it too. Apparently there's something wrong in the version which you have given. I find many sanskrit verses and their translations are out of place. @TheDestroyer – Rickross Oct 18 '17 at 14:07
  • I could not find any online link of the book right now. See if u can find it. Anyways here is another ss: https://i.imgur.com/2vIQOpX.jpg @TheDestroyer – Rickross Oct 18 '17 at 14:34
  • But i think Sanskrit verses have no words for "Sins" – The Destroyer Oct 18 '17 at 14:45
  • @TheDestroyer Yes i have that book, its not in there. I am not sure if i got a book which is translating a different manuscript of Parashara Smriti. Anyways i will look for more sources. – Rickross Oct 18 '17 at 14:50
  • Possibly, it could be a different manuscript. – The Destroyer Oct 18 '17 at 15:03
  • @TheDestroyer In the archive.org, the English translations are given properly(verse numbers) but the Sanskrit verses are misplaced. Even the translation is inaccurate. See the answer to my black cat question. – Sarvabhouma Oct 18 '17 at 16:56
  • Do you believe sins are stored in hairs? – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Oct 19 '17 at 03:43
  • @TheDestroyer the verse number in your link is 9.54. However the Sanskrit version and English version in that verse don’t refer to a female. The next verse does refer to a female. – user1952500 Oct 19 '17 at 04:21
  • @Rohit. Assuming you are asking me. Well i don't have any self realisations of sins being stored in the hairs. So i have to go by what the scriptures say. At least till that time when i myself collect irrefutable proofs. Also, empirically the hairs and the nails are far more impure than some other parts of the body. This can be easily observed. – Rickross Oct 19 '17 at 05:11
  • @Rickross Then only Mammals would have sins. Amphibians, insects etc are sinless? and sins won't be transmigrated if attached to the body after death. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Oct 19 '17 at 05:29
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    Obviously such verses apply on those who have hairs.. This is but common sense. For those who don't have hairs there must be a separate mechanism for them. @Rohit. – Rickross Oct 19 '17 at 05:37