Hindu Mythology Accepts Homosexuality, Why Can’t You?

The issue of homosexuality is now-a-days a much debated topic associated with much hatred, fear, prejudice, disgust and violation of civil rights. In a historic judgment delivered on June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of making the USA the 23rd country that allowed same-sex marriages. In India, a few years back, the Delhi High Court had struck down the 150-year-old IPC Section 377, thus legalising consensual homosexual activities between adults. However, to the dismay of many, the Indian Supreme Court, overturned the Delhi HC decision. While the matter is expected to come up for hearing once again before the Supreme Court, the issue of “gay rights” seems to have divided the nation.

Hindu Mythology Accepts Homosexuality (4)

Various religious heads in India were opposing the same-sex relationships, calling this sexual choice “unnatural.” We often find them in television studios, giving sound bites on how homosexuality is against the “great Indian culture.”  It is important in this multicultural environment to make a clear statement about what Hinduism teaches regarding the subject of homosexuality.

Throughout the centuries Hinduism has been the most tolerant religious system and its teachings have a perennial youth and relevance to all ages and situations. There are many Hindu mythological stories of alternate sexual choices. Traditional Hindu literary sources do not speak of homosexuality directly, but changes of sex, homoerotic encounters, and inter-sex or third gender characters are often found both in traditional religious narratives such as the Vedas, Mahabharata, Ramayana and Puranas as well as in regional folklore.

There are many examples of deities changing gender, manifesting as different genders at different times, or combining to form androgynous or hermaphroditic beings. Gods had a sex change or manifest as an Avatar of the opposite sex in order to facilitate sexual congress. Non-divine beings also undergone sex-changes through the actions of the gods, as the result of curses or blessings, or as the natural outcome of reincarnation.

For example, a Hindu god Vishnu took form of a woman by name Mohini and a Hindu god shiva got attracted to him. They both had union and as a result a Hindu god called Ayyappa was born. It’s clearly a homosexual union or a transsexual union. Another tale is that of Shiva, who bathes in the Yamuna and becomes a Gopi so that he can participate in raas-leela with Krishna.

In Mahabharata, there is a similar story of Aravan, the son of Arjuna and Ulupi, who had to be sacrificed to ensure the Pandavas’ victory in the war. Aravan, however did not want to die unmarried. As no woman wanted to marry a man who would die the next day, Krishna took his female form, Mohini, became Aravan’s wife, and even spent the night with him.  Krishna remained in mourning in the Mohini form for some time after Aravan’s death.

The Mahabharata also has, in one of its stories, the episode when the great archer Arjuna goes to visit his father, god Indra, in Amravati while in exile. There he spurns the advances of Urvashi who, at being rejected, curses him to become a eunuch. His father, the king of Devas, modifies the curse, so Arjuna loses his manhood just for a year, and advises him to live the curse in the 13th year of exile when the Pandavas are expected to be in hiding.

Another chapter from the Mahabharata is the story of Budh (the planet Mercury), which is neither male nor female. Brihaspati (the planet Jupiter) discovers that his wife Tara (the goddess of stars) is pregnant with the child of her lover, Chandra (the moon god). He therefore curses the unborn child. The neuter Budh (Mercury) later marries Ila, a man who becomes a woman when he accidentally trespasses into a forest.

Hindu Mythology Accepts Homosexuality (4)

In the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu takes the form of the enchantress, Mohini, in order to trick the demons into giving up Amrutham, the elixir of life. Shiva later becomes attracted to Mohini and they have a relationship that results in the birth of a son. There is another story which says that Vishnu takes the form of Mohini to save Shiva’s life from a demon that was chasing him. Mohini enchanted the demon Bhasmasura and made him touch his own head, thus reducing him to ashes, saving Shiva’s life.

In Shiva Purana, the birth of Hanuman is attributed to the union between Shiva and Mohini. In the Brahmanda Purana, Shiva’s wife Parvati “hangs her head in shame” when she sees her husband’s pursuit of Mohini.

In the Ramayana, two widows who want to give birth drink a magic potion and make love to each other. In Valmiki Ramayana, in order to taste Ravana, Rakshasa women kiss other women on their lips.

Amongst other stories in the Puranas is the story of Narada, who desires to understand Lord Vishnu’s Maya and the lord asks him to bathe in a lotus pond. As soon as he enters the pond, he transforms into a female form and forgets his earlier identity. He then gets married to a king, lives the life of a queen and even has children.

Changes of sex and cross-dressing also occur in myths about non-divine figures. One such figure is Shikhandi, a character in the Mahabharata. Numerous deities have also been considered patrons of third-sex or homoerotically-inclined people. Homosexual or bisexual activity also occured between gods, although such interactions are most usually considered purely ritualistic, or have purposes other than sexual pleasure.

Homosexuality is not a person’s own choice. Knowingly or unknowingly, homosexuality has been prevailing in the world for centuries. But here in India, a homosexual is always looked down upon. The reason being simple, people here are ill informed on this particular issue. It is kept hidden as the people are afraid to accept something that they have been conditioned to despise. Lack of knowledge and information is blocking the people’s mind about these things.

In this great land, it is the soul that is important. The body is just temporary. Everyone should have a right to live a happy and normal life.

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