Exploring identity & facets of sexuality through Hindu religious texts, myths & architecture
LGBTQ Representation in Hindu Mythology
Pranjali Morchhale
CONTENTS
Literature review
The existing literature & scholarly articles on Hindu mythology all acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ characters and behaviors in the religious texts & stories. What they represent & their interpretation is varied across authors. Some interpret it as a sign of acceptance of the community & the openly portrayal of the community in ancient times. Some believe the same stories to have different connotative meanings reinforcing the shunning of same sex relationships – mainly sexual. While some others believe it to represent none of these as the characters & stories are set in a different context, metaphors for deeper spiritual truths & thus not a sign of actual happenings of the events in ancient times.
The most spoken about text when it comes to sexuality & Hindu mythology is the classic by Vatsyayana – “Kama- sutra”. It was written somewhere between the 1st and 6th centuries. It identifies the three facets of the Hindu religion “Dharma,” “Artha,” “Kama” & “Moksha” which represent religious duty, worldly welfare and sensual aspects of life and enlightenment respectively. [1] Many believe it to be an acknowledgement of sexuality & the expression of sexuality as a part of the natural order of life.
Books & articles written by the renowned scholar on Indian mythology Devdutt Patnaik form a basis for understanding of the thousands of stories that exist within scriptures & epics. The architectural evidence such as the Khajurahu temple in Madhya Pradesh have been a subject of discussion as the temple is a canvas for erotic depictions of women , men and animals.
The current landscape on the topic is largely tilted towards the liberal interpretation of the texts , mainly because of the lens through which we look at the texts. Looking back at the presence of representation of the LGBTQ community in the religious texts is more than what we see in the mainstream media today. They prove to be a crucial piece in the argument against a large section of the society.
Introduction
India is as diverse a nation can be. It is religiously & ethically diverse, people have for centuries with diverse set of values, customs & beliefs. It is these customs, values & beliefs that shape sexuality. Sexuality too has diverse meaning & expression. For some, it is the act of sex & sexual actions, for others it means orientation or identity and/or preference and yet for others it means wants & desires. What sexuality means & our understanding of it has evolved over time. The expression of sexuality too has changed. The oldest form of expression that we can examine today is mythology. Sexuality in its varied forms is present in Hindu mythology. It gives a glimpse into the values, customs & beliefs of the times bygone & the times to come because mythology has a great influence on the Indian society & its functioning.
Hindu mythology, through evolved heroes and instances, has displayed elements of gender variance and non-heterosexual sexuality. While the reproductive connection between man and woman has always been honored, homosexuality and LGBT themes have been documented through ancient literature and folk tales, art and performing arts alike.
It is fascinating to be exploring this side of Hindu mythology that is not necessarily the public version that is taught in schools and narrated at home. It may come as a surprise sometimes the openness and inclusivity that is present in many texts of Hindu mythology. Far from the version of the religion that is practiced today , the scriptures and texts paint a very different picture of the values and beliefs of Hinduism.
Exploring characters and stories displaying homosexuality as an umbrella term is intriguing and fascinating in understanding the context of ancient India and also then understanding why it has taken the route that it has in the immediate historical culture of India.
DIFFERENT FORMS OF SEX
Hindu scriptures identify fours goals of human life. The first being Dharma – which is the ethics, Artha – which is the wealth, Kama – which is pleasure and Moksha – which is liberation. Sex can also classified as sex for Dharma , Artha , Kama and Moksha.
Dharma sex is the sex which is not fueled by desire but by responsibility of procreation. There is no love & emotions involved in the sexual act. The sole purpose of the sexual act is to impregnate the woman. The woman can also approach a man who may or may not be her husband for the purpose of reproduction and it is the mans duty to oblige or face a curse. An example for this is when Diti approaches rishi Kashyapa at the time of his evening prayers and he has to leave his prayers to engage in sex with Diti , though he warns her that the children produced would be Asuras. This is how Hiranayaksha and Hiranakashipu are born.
When Vichitravirya passes away without any sons, his mother approaches her own son Vyasa to impregnate Vichitravirya’s widows Ambalika & Ambika and bless them with a son each. Vyasa does so out of duty of procreation and not desire towards the women
Kama sex is the sex that is for the purpose of pleasure. It is fueled by lust & desire. It is here that homosexuality is present. As there is no purpose of reproduction. This is the sexual acts that apsaras would indulge in. This form of sex is to indulge the senses and climax. Kama, is also the god of desire who is feared by all and has faced defeat only by Shiva who is an ascetic.
Kama sex is said to be dangerous as it can be used as a distraction & to manipulate. Vishnu takes the form of Mohini to distract the Asuras while the Devas consume Amrita, which is the nectar that grants immortality to the entity that drinks it. According to Raghuvamsa, Agnivarna , who is said to be the last scion of the clan to which Ram belonged to died prematurely because he engaged in excess Kama sex.
Artha sex is transactional. It is used to gain something. Sex is offered in exchange for something else, usually wealth. A man who marries a widowed queen would then become the King. Women commonly used it in exchange of wealth. Such women were called Ganikas and would provide pleasure to men who would pay for it. It is not restricted to women , there is a story in the Kathasaritsagar where a man is paid to impregnate a widow who wants a child .Moksha sex was when the sex was a medium to reach higher levels of enlightment and liberation.
HOMOSEXUALITY DEPICTED IN ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE
On the walls of ancient temples from the 12th and 13th century there are scenes depicting war , legends , gods , nymphs and many daily activities. Amongst these scenes one invariably finds erotic scenes which in the modern age would be considered unnatural and obscene.The erotic scenes can be couples exchanging romantic looks, couples engaging in sex, elaborate orgies and homosexual relations. Sometimes there are sexual scenes involving an animal too. There are no rules, complete liberalization of sex is displayed.
A famous example of such a temple is Khajuraho. Withen the sculptures of the temple you may find images of women embracing each other erotically and men exposing their male parts to each other. These images are monumental because they adorn a temple which is a place of worship and importance. One interpretation of the images is that they are portrayals of fertility ceremonies or occult rites. In any way they are proof of the acknowledgement if not acceptance of homosexuality in ancient times. The sun temple at Konark is another example of a temple where erotic depictions exist.
PORTRAYAL IN THE EPICS & STORIES
There are some references to same – sex relations in the Indian stories and epics. In the Ramayana when Hanuman goes to Lanka he sees Rakshas women kissing the women who were in bed with Ravana. According to a story in the Padma Purana there was once a king with two wives, when he was dying he gives them a potion that would impregnate them. The women wanting to bear his child drink the potion and make love to one another. Unfortunately the child that is born is born without brains and bones as that is said to be a mans contribution. According to this example the same sex relationship is a substitution.
There are also stories of when men have turned into women and women have turned into men. The most famous being Vishnu tuning into Mohini to seduce the Asuras. In the Mahabharata , King Draupad raises Shikhandini like a man. He is even married to a woman who doesn’t know his true identity till after the marriage. Discovering this his wife’s father threatens destruction upon Drupad’s kingdom. Yaksha then interjects and lets Shikhandini exchange his manhood. He then becomes known as Shikhandi and eventually fights the was of Kurukshetra alongside the Pandavas.
According to a folk version of the Mahabharata from Tamil Nadu , when Arjun’s son was asked to be sacrificed if the war at Kurukshetra was to be won. Arjuns son did not want to die a virgin and no woman would sleep with him as he was a dead man walking. Krishna offers to help at this point and turns to a woman to spend a night with him.These stories indicate existence of same sex relations and fluidity of identity and gender.
PORTRAYAL IN THE SCRIPTURES
The Kama Sutra is an ancient text dealing with all forms of desire. The kamasutra describes many instances of homosexuality and gender types. Various sexual practices of homosexuals are described in detail along with their outside demeanor. Sexual positions and techniques for oral sex are elaborately described. The Kamasutra recognizes homosexual marriage as a ‘union of love and cohabitation without the need for parental approval.’
In the Manusmriti lesbians are looked down apon and strict punishment which could be as severe as cutting her fingers off is stated. Male homosexuals also have punishment but not as severe as for the females.
The two gods Varuna and Mitra are portrayed as a gay couple in Indian scripture and are always beside each other. They are personified as two half moons that deposits their seed in one another as the moon goes through its phases.
Agni the god of fire , wealth and creativity is married to the goddess Svaha and the moon god Soma.
CONCLUSION
Overall there is an acknowledgement if not an acceptance of homosexual activities. Its presence in temples, in epics and stories suggests that it did exist in some form in the ancient past. There is more tolerance of changing of gender from a man to a woman or woman to a man when there is then heterosexual relations to be maintained. When the desire for the same sex is so evident that the man becomes a woman to be with a man. The presence of the sexual desires in the sculptures and scriptures is a sign of a culturally existing phenomenon. Everything is contextual in Hindu scriptures , sex is no different.