2.23. Dress of Students and Celibates

We get information regarding a student’s attire from Smṛtis, Dharmasūtras and Gṛhyasūtras. But they are of different opinion about a student’s dress. Gobhila-gṛhyasūtra^[1] insists on wearing a single garment by a Snātaka, while Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra^[2] recommends both upper garment and lower garment. Baudhāyana-dharmasūtra^[3] adds a turban to the above mentioned attire. Gautama-dharmasūtra^[4] insists that a student should wear skins of black bucks, spotted deer or he goats as upper garments, while as lower garment, it prescribes textures made of linen, hempen or inner bark of trees. He may use cotton also, but it should not be dyed. It is stated as other’s view in one place that a student may also wear dyed red cloth. But in such situations, the clothes should be dyed with different substances according to their hierarchy. Thus it is mentioned that a Brahmin should use garment dyed with a dye prepared from a sort of tree, while for Kṣatriya and Vaiśya, the dyeing agents should be madder and turmeric respectively. Gobhila-gṛhyasūtra^[5] insists on wearing a garment of black deer by a student observing Mahānāmnivrata. In Āpastamba-gṛhyasūtra^[6] also we find such classification. Smṛtis^[7] also recommend skin upper garments for students. But unlike Gautama-dharmasūtra, Smṛtis suggest different skins for students belonging to different category. Thus the skin of black antelope was reserved for a Brahmin student, while for Kṣatriya and Vaiśya it was of he goat and spotted deer respectively. Such a distinction is seen with lower garment also. A Brāhmaṇa wore hemp, while a Kṣatriya and Vaiśya used flax and linen respectively. As per the rules of Smṛtis, a student is not permitted to wear worn out or dirty clothes. He should wear white clothes only and should be simple in dressing while meeting his teacher.