By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist
According to legend, when Shankaracharya went to meet Brahmin scholar Mandan Mishra, around 700 AD, Mishra refused to look at him because his head was shaved. This is why the Shankaracharyas cover their heads with cloth even today, as shaven heads are still seen as symbols of bad luck and inauspiciousness. Householders once shunned all hermits.






