Homosexuality in Ancient and Contemporar

HOMOSEXUALITY IN ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY HINDUISM
INTRODUCTION
This dissertation is going to explore the situation of sexual minorities within Hinduism. I will
explore the place and significance of the 'third sex' in Hinduism and the contrast between the
liberal and generous, but disciplined attitude of traditional India to sexual minorities and the
puritanical, alien-inspired modern attitude of democratic Indians that repress non-
heterosexual behaviour, thus betraying the sacredness contained in the Kama-Sutra. I have
accessed sources from the Internet as I did not find enough books on the matter, but in
many respects the material found in the Internet develops many themes quoted from the
books.
The first chapter will deal with the metaphysics of the Third Nature that allow for
homosexuality to have a place within Hinduism -called otherwise Sanatana Dharma.
Sources from different branches of Hinduism will be quoted and discussed. The first chapter
will try to show that there can be attributed to homosexuality a place within the Sacred as
perceived and lived by the Hindu mind. Then the second chapter will talk about the modern
indifference to and/or repression of homosexuality emanating from sections of Modern India
and Hindu fundamentalism. It will be proposed than the modern Indian repression of non-
procreative same-sex sexuality contradicts the Sanatana Dharma in its traditional
expression. Suggestions as to why , on the whole, the Sanatana Dharma seems more
tolerant than Abrahamic faiths towards homosexuality will be formulated. The third chapter
will discuss why certain sections of Hinduism may disapprove of homosexuality while
acknowledging, if grudgingly, its legitimacy. Then, I will finish with a conclusion hoping to
show that, as a result of the metaphysics of the Third Nature, homosexuality does seem to
have a legitimate place within Hinduism, but that it cannot be taken apart from the whole of
the Sanatana Dharma, the same way the caste system cannot be separated from Hinduism,
as the Sanatana Dharma is a whole, that is a tradition in the Guenonian understanding of the
term.
The term 'homosexual' is used as opposed to 'gay', term that has Western political
ramifications although I do use it as well, moreover, Alain Danielou, the Frenchman initiated
in Dravidian Sivaism or who 'was self-identified as a practising Hindu, and he was also
openly gay ' (1) , is one the sources I will use and had a 'commendable zeal for gay
liberation'. (2) In his books, Danielou uses the word 'homosexual'and, to me, that in itself
justifies my use of that term as opposed to other terms, although I sometime employ the
word 'transgendered' borrowed from one of my sources. Certain Hindu terms will also be
used, their meaning being translated in English within this text. In fact, later on, I will show
that the use of the terms 'gay' and 'lesbian' by modern Indian homosexual activists may be a
betrayal of their Indian-ness as they seem not to use the proper Sanskrit equivalent of those
terms, the same way Indian nationalism betrays its Indian-ness by being nationalistic,
nationalism and the nation-state being Western concepts to start with.
The quotations used in this thesis are fairly long but it has seemed to me not possible to
conduct this work without using lengthy quotations, partly because they go to the point of
what is being discussed in this work. One last thing, the point of view endorsed here is
inspired by Tradition as expounded by Rene Guenon, Fritjof Schuon, Martin Lings and Alain
Danielou, among others. This point of view presupposes 'the Transcendent Unity of [all]
Religions' (Schuon). (3)
THE THIRD SEX
The Metaphysics Of The Third Nature According to Dravidian Shivaite Philosophy

I will commence this chapter by a quotation from Alain Danielou. Its length is justified in that,
in itself, it could be considered as a summary and/or a core containing the main topics that
will be discussed later on. The sources from the Internet, for instance, continue and develop
the articulation of the themes as expounded by Danielou in what follows.
According to Alain Danielou, 'the three Gunas(s), the three fundamental tendencies of
Pakriti, are to be found in all that exists. All aspects of the divine are reflected in creation.
The primordial impulses are reflected in the masculine aspect (Purushaa-Shivaa), substance
in the female aspect (Pakriti-Vishnu). The resulting principle is neutral. It is represented by
Brahmaa, the world's artisan, or by Shivaa in the aspect of the primordial androgyne. Once
a certain level of androgyneity develops in living beings, it is called the Third Nature (Tritiiya
Pakriti) or the non male (napunsaka). Everything that lies between the poles of absolute
masculinity and femininity derives from both. Everything is imbued to some extent with this
double nature and is thus both male and female. [...] When applied to human society, this
principle means that each hierarchical level is masculine with regard to the superior or
inferior levels. [...]
Men and women who are marked by sexual ambivalence have a role other than the
transmission of the genetic code, and also have special functions within society. It is largely
from among this class of people that shamans, magicians, wandering monks, initiates, holy
virgins, priestesses, and also creative artists are recruited. [...] In modern times,
Ramakrishna (founder of the monastic order that bears his name), a worshiper of the
goddess Durgaa, wore feminine clothes for many years as part of his Saadhana (his method
of spiritual fulfilment). [...] Intersexuals, in whom certain male and female aspects are
combined, are considered holy because they evoke the primordial androgyneity, the
wholeness of principles. Corresponding to the neuter principle represented by the god
Brahma, the creator in the cosmic trinity, they are particularly adapted to artisanal or artistic
creation. [...] Castration, impotence, continence and homosexuality are various forms of
exclusion from genetic continuity which affect man as an individual, but even more as a link
in the genetic chain, for these traits break the continuity of that chain and destroy one of the
prime functions of the being of flesh. Nevertheless this break in the chain is also part of the
[divine] plan. [...] Since they are not involved in reproduction, and since this breaks the
genetic chain, homosexuals fall outside the castes. One of their functions is to establish
links between different castes, and also between men, spirits and the gods. They play a key
part in magical practices. As it has no genetic consequences, homosexuality should be
considered a harmless erotic and sentimental pastime: the Kaama Sutra and other works on
the arts of love all include it. Male prostitutes (Shand) and transvestites (kanchukin),
nowadays called Hijiraa or Laundaa, have a recognized place and enjoy a similar status to
the Deva-dasi in traditional society. They are a separate social group under the direction of
a guru who enjoys certain privileges, particularly in the field of holy spectacles. Even today,
the presence of a male prostitute in female dress, the last vestige of the androgynous
shaman, is a good omen in a marriage ceremony. The influence of Anglo-Saxon Puritanism
has meant that the anglicized groups in modern India pretend that they do not know of the
sacred aspects of the Third Nature and homosexual practices.' (4)
Alain Danielou was a 'convert' to Dravidian Shivaite religion, which pre-dates the Aryan
invasions. Here, we see that there is a metaphysics/theology that recognises homosexuality
as playing an important symbolic role, hence it is sacred. As a result of this sacredness, it
has privileges and duties. On its own, homosexuality forms a (set of) caste(s) apart from
and yet still part in its own way of the mainstream caste system. Belonging to the Third
Nature, homosexuals are part of the plan as intended by Shiva and Shakti. To an extent,
according to the same theology, one could envisage them as a manifestation of the god
Brahma and the tendency (guna) Rajas, the two other gunas being (Shiva) Tamas,
corresponding to the masculine principle or expansion, and (Vishnu) Sattva corresponding to
the feminine principle or attraction. Men would be related to Shiva, women to Vishnu/Shakti
and homosexuals to Brahma. Of course, Reality being subtle and complex, one might say
that the three gunas interpenetrate one another so that many combinations arise from the
play of the three tendencies. A woman can be masculine, a man can be feminine, etc. The
privilege and duties of homosexuals place them outside the sphere of reproduction. They
are exempt from the burden of maintaining a family and seem thus obligated to refrain from
parental functions. From that, could it be said that Western homosexuals raising children
betray their caste and nature, adding to the confusion and the destruction of castes which is
the inauspicious mark of the further deteriorating Kali-Yuga or Age of Conflict. (5)
Female homosexuals are also acknowledged as the Kama Sutra discusses in its chapter
eight the issue of virile women who assume the male position when the male lover is
exhausted - who then becomes the 'female' partner, and those virile women can also be
lesbian. The Kama Sutra's chapter nine deals with male homosexuality. Alain Danielou
writes in his introduction of his translation of the Kama Sutra: 'Lesbianism is described in
detail, as well as the inversion of roles by dominating females. Male homosexuality forms an
integral part of sexual life and various homosexual practices are described in detail.
Transvestite prostitutes play a role in public life, and their presence at weddings and
religious ceremonies was considered a symbol of good luck down to our own times.' (6)
Vaishnava Opinions on the Third Nature
The quotations on Vaishnava views on homosexuality that will follow shortly are from Amara
Das Wilhelm's Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex. Amara Das Wilhelm seems to be a
follower of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. His text has been presented in a
website established with the help of the Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association of
Honolulu. It will be seen that many of the views held by Das Wilheim agree with what is said
by Shiva-worshipping Alain Danielou. The problem possibly arising with Das Wilheim is that
his pro-homosexual bias may not be actually shared by a certain number of Hare Krishna
heterosexual members and/or other Hindus, even though his exposition appears fairly
conform to Sanatana Dharma Tradition, but modern practicing Hindus have perhaps,
precisely, a modern, and therefore partial and not-so-conform-to-Tradition comprehension of
Hinduism and the place of the Third Nature within it. Geeta Patel has written in her (his?)
article called On Fire: 'One [event] was an episode of the TV show Xena, Warrior Princess
called "The Way", which featured Hindu gods Krishna and Hanuman, and goddess Kali.
Krishna helped save Xena's friend Gabrielle. Although the Xena-Gabrielle friendship is
never depicted or named as explicitly lesbian in the show, and both women have
heterosexual involvements from time to time, Hindu protesters possibly in the [USA] argued
that this "make it appear that Krishna and Vedic religion approves of and gives its blessing to
homosexual relationships."' (7) The source of the quote in brackets is, according to Patel:
'www.anotheruniverse.com/tv/xena/thewayprotest.html.' It will be seen that Das Wilheim
research would imply that, on the contrary, 'Krishna and Vedic religion' approved of and
gaved 'its blessings to homosexual relationship.' It must be said that the article On Fire, to
my subjective and Traditiono-informed opinion, sounds post-modernist in style and
depressingly typical of the end of the Kali Yuga, unlike the refreshing writings of Danielou
and Das Wilheim that conform to Tradition.
Psychology Of The Third Nature
Amara das Wilheim writes: 'Throughout Vedic literature, the sex or gender of the human
being is clearly divided into three separate categories according to "Pakriti" or nature. These
are : "pums-pakriti" or male, "stri-pakriti" or female, and "tritiya-pakriti" or the third sex.
These three genders are not determined by physical characteristics alone but rather by an
assessment of the entire being that includes the gross (physical) body, the subtle
(psychological) body and a unique consideration based upon social interaction (procreative
status). The third sex or nature is analyzed in the Kama-sutra and broken down into several
categories of people that are still visible today and generally referred to as gay males and
lesbians. They are characterized by a "transgender" behavior that can often be recognized
within childhood, and are identified by an inherent homosexual orientation that manifests at
puberty.' (8) Here Alain Danielou's writings on the Third Nature seem to be confirmed. The
Sanatana Dharma dealing with natural law so to speak, hence it recognizes homosexuality
as being natural because it arises from the third guna , that is to say the third tendency of
Pakriti, or rajas, symbolized by and/or representing the God Brahma.
Amara Das Wilheim continues: 'Transgender implies a mixing or combination of the male
and female natures to the point in which they can no longer be categorized as male or
female in the traditional sense of the word. [...] People of the third sex belong to a larger
category of "sexually neutral" people known as the third or neutral gender. its members are
called "napumsaka," or "those who do not engage in procreation." There are [...] : (1)
children, (2) the elderly, (3) neuters, (4) the celibate and (5) the transgender sex
(homosexuals). They were all considered to be sexually neutral by Vedic definition and were
protected and believed to bring good luck.' (9) The traditional Hindu concept of sexuality is
richer than the Western one as to include even under-age and over-age people. But only
homosexuals are included in the Kama Sutra as they engage in sexual activities unlike the
other four types of napumsaka.
Social class and community
Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'Vedic society was all encompassing and each individual was
seen as an integral part of the greater whole. Thus all classes of men were accommodated
and engaged according to their nature. Transgender citizens were neither persecuted nor
denied basic rights. They were allowed to keep their own societies or town quarters, live
together within marriage and engage in all means of livelihood. Gay men [...] are especially
mentioned as being expert in dancing, singing and acting, as barbers or hairstylists,
masseurs, and house servants. [...] Transvestites were invited to attend all birth, marriage
and religious ceremonies as their presence was a symbol of good luck [...]. Lesbians [...]
were not expected to accept a husband. [Constituting about five percent of the overall
population according to Das Wilheim, third sex people] were not perceived to be a threat in
any way and were generally considered to be aloof from the ordinary attachments of
procreation and family life.' (10) One might wonder what a modern liberal gay or lesbian
activist might think of ancient India's attitudes towards sexual minorities. On one hand, gays
and lesbians are granted rights that homosexuals do not possess in their entirety in some
European countries or so was the case not so long ago. On the other hand, this is the caste
system, which everything but a classless society and a hierarchical system does go very well
with modern liberal attitudes. Western transgender people might also not be pleased with
the non-parental functions attached to third sex folks, which would imply that when one is a
gay or a lesbian, one cannot be a father or a mother, suggesting therefore that the raising of
children is a non-legitimate occupation for homosexual individuals. But the information to
our disposal may be incomplete so that it may be that there were cases of homosexual
parents in ancient India but, if this was the case, was it yet a Dharma hobby for those
people? The desire of some Western homosexuals to raise children may actually goes
against their very nature, therefore raising some potential theological and psychological
concerns from the point of view of both Shivaite and Vaishnava philosophy. Maybe the
raising of young humans by third nature people was legitimate in parts of India and
discouraged in other regions of the sub-continent, the latter being such a mosaic of ethnic
groups and deities.
A point has to be made about the notion of Dharma. Roughly translated, it could
approximately mean something like natural law, which would imply that the Hindu view
would consider homosexuality has nothing to do with sexual preference but one is born
homosexual, that it may be the result of karma accumulated in previous life-times.
Variations within the Third Nature
Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'Members of the third sex are first categorized according to
whether their physical characteristics are either male or female. These are known as
"napumsaka.," or gay males, and "svairini," or lesbians. Each of these categories is then
divided into two, depending upon whether their appearance is either masculine or feminine.
They are then further divided into many sub-categories numbering well over twenty.' (11)
The duality present in Hinduism is not a vulgar binary, 'black and/or white' system, it is a
duality constituted of various dual components. Even the neuter, third tendency has many
types of dualisms within its different ramifications. Thus there are not one type of lesbian or
gay but many variations of the same theme. Hinduism recognizes the multiplicity of forms
coming from a single unity. 'In any domain a leveling is the prelude to death.' (12) The
recognition of the third sex adds to the
enrichment of creation, but it also presupposes different types of privileges and duties from
those attached to the first (male) and second nature (female). One acts according to one's
nature, which predisposes one to certain types of activities and psychological states and
excludes one from other kinds of doing and mindset.
Svairini
Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'the lesbian (svairini) is defined as an independent or liberated
woman who has refused a husband, earns her own livelihood and lives either alone or in
marriage with another woman. [...] Lesbians were more likely to marry and raise children
than their male counterparts and were readily accommodated within the transgender
community and ordinary society.' (13) It looks as if after all transgender people could raise
children in ancient India, but does that mean lesbian could give birth to children. Perhaps
lesbians were raising children in the way an auntie or an uncle may bring children up. As to
Danielou, in his translation of the Kama sutra, he writes the following in the chapter called
Virile Behavior in Women, the italics being in the text itself: 'A woman known for her
independence, with no sexual bars, and acting as she wished, is called svairini [homophile].
She makes loves with her own kind. She strokes her partner at the point of union, which she
kisses. Once she has won the girl's trust, the svairini practices the acts mentioned above,
pitilessly, ill-treating the girl's pubis.' (14)
Later on, when discussing the fiery debates generated by the film Fire in India, it will asked
whether or not right-wingers and left-wingers in post-colonial India have lost the traditional
understanding of being a svairini in post colonial India.
Napumsaka
Amara Das Wilheim states: 'Oral sex is not recommended for heterosexuals and is forbidden
to brahmanas, but it is acknowledged as the natural practice among those of the third sex
who are not otherwise engaged in celibacy.' (15) This seems to be an example of what is
permissible for some sections of society and not for others. It looks as if people were
enjoying number of liberties in accordance with their nature in ancient India. Those
allowances were nonetheless restricted. It seems then that traditional Indians were far from
being licentious like we are now in the West, or it could be said that various groups like the
practicing Buddhists, Moslems, Christians, Jews and Hindus would qualify our secular
society as being prone to license in all its forms and godless promiscuity. It may be that
most, or at least many people act to an extent according to their nature, however the relating
to one's own inner self is distorted in the West due to the creation and stimulation of artificial
wants that aggravate the general confusion, itself a result of secularism which is the
adharma 'rule' at the end of the Kali Yuga.
Male homosexuals can be either feminine or masculine. The feminine gays may dress up a
woman and is then a transvestite or kibla. Masculine gays would keep a more virile
appearance. Usually having casual sex, a napumsaka would get sometimes married to
another male homosexual. Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'The homosexual marriage [...] was
classified under the gandharva or celestial variety [...] not permitted for members of the
brahmana but [...] often practiced by heterosexual men and women belonging to the other
classes. The gandharva marriage is defined as a union of love and co-habitation,
recognized under the common law, but without the need of parental consent or religious
ceremony.' (16)
Bisexuality
Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'Apparently , in Vedic times, bisexuality was considered more as
a variation for heterosexual men and women who were so inclined, and not as a
characteristic of the third gender. [...] Bisexuality is [...] involving the question of choice,
which is not an issue with heterosexuals or homosexuals. [...] In any case, bisexuals were
typically accommodated within the heterosexual community because they commonly
engaged in procreative sex. [...] In those ['heavenly realms situated below the earth']
bisexual women ['kamini'] would entice men with a cannabis beverage and enjoy sex to their
full satisfaction.' (17) It would seem than bisexuality, however mentioned in the Kama Sutra,
is not considered as part of the Third Nature, but more as a variation of heterosexuality, an
inclination and a choice whereas the homosexuality is part of the nature of some individuals
who cannot therefore be turned on by the opposite gender. this assessment shows the lack
of wisdom and the preponderance of ignorance among the people who consider
homosexuals as 'evil'. The Third Nature is part of the divine plan. A rejection of
homosexuality or the delegation of it to the realms of the demonic could be seen as the mark
of spiritual shortsightedness.
Diversity Versus Leveling
Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'In the Vedic system, different standards of behavior and sexual
conduct are prescribed for different classes of men. [...] This contrasts greatly with most
modern systems whereby all citizens are expected to follow the same laws. The advantage
of the Vedic system is that it is able to accommodate all varieties of men within society
according to their different natures. It should be understood that the sexual behaviors
described in the Kama Shastra are intended for the Vedic citizen pursuing worldly
enjoyment, which is generally the aim of most people. They are not intended for those
engaged [in the pursuit of moksha 'or liberation from material bondage']. [Spiritual] celibacy
[...] is considered to be the highest standard of conduct for those in the human form of life.
However, Vedic culture is all encompassing and thus, while ultimately encouraging
renunciation, also realistically accommodates other standards of behavior amongst men. In
modern times, laws are drawn which artificially attempt to force all citizens to adopt
standards of conduct that are normally assigned to the priestly class [...] sexual restraint is
only effective when it is voluntary. [...] The puritanical concept of total prohibition of vice is a
failed, unrealistic system that causes widespread hypocrisy, disrespect for law and injustice
for many citizens.' (18) It may be that the Abrahamic idea of all men and women equal
before God has been understood too literally, thus misunderstood, creating a psychological
tendency seeking to make the other like oneself. The tendency of humanity in the final days
of the Kali-Yuga is a tendency towards uniformity and leveling, a prelude to the human mud
before the radical transformation of the terrestrial and human landscape, which should open
the coming manvantara, that is to say, a new cycle of a re-born (born-again) humanity. To
an extent, God has created religions in accordance with the leveling tendency, hence
Buddhism, Christianity and Islam do not recognize the caste system and seem less tolerant
of human diversity, although generally the Buddha-Dharma does not follow Abrahamic
extremities. The idea of secular equality is an abstract concept, one of the aberrant
doctrines prophesized to dominate at the end of the Kali Yuga. It seems realistic to say that
homosexuals have suffered more in Abrahamic societies than traditional India, which has
systemized the different tendencies of humanity in the caste system,
Sexual Acts And Scriptural Law
Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'People of the southern and western regions tend to be more
relaxed in their attitudes concerning sexual variation. Adhorata (anal intercourse) [...] is
particularly practiced by people in the south. While acknowledged as being occasionally
practiced by all three sexes, it is not recommended for any of them, including members of
the third sex, and it is of course forbidden to brahmanas. Its practice is said to divert the life-
airs downwards and cause disease.' (19) The difference between Hinduism and the
Abrahamic faiths seem to reside in their forms of 'thou-shalt-not'. Hinduism appears to
discourage certain practices more on account of technical reasons than on account of moral
reasons. In the Kama Sutra, it is accepted than certain sexual practices are legitimate but
not necessarily beneficial. The practice of sodomy would be more widespread in the south
than in the north. That could be due to racial/ethnic factors among other things. The south
is more Dravidian, whereas the north is more Aryan-populated. Shivaism originated from the
Dravidians according to Danielou who seems to suggest that sodomy has been/is part of
the Shiva-worshipping Dravidians' sexual practices. It is therefore normal that Shivaism
should have continued to flourish in the south..
Amara Das Wilheim carries on: 'Regarding scriptural law, there are only two verses in the
Dharma Shastra that concern intercourse between men, and both pertain only to [...] the
twice-born class. "A twice-born man who engages in intercourse with a male, or with a
female in a cart drawn by oxen, in water, or in the daytime, shall bathe, dressed in his
clothes." "Striking a brahmana, smelling obnoxious items such as liquor, cheating, and
engaging in intercourse with a male, are declared to cause the loss of caste." This loss of
caste [...] could be atoned for, but [...] third-sex citizens in the role of priests were expected
to be celibate.' [And so were heterosexual priests.] (20) The loss of castes for twice-born
men engaging in intercourse with other men must have concerned mostly heterosexual men.
It was not expected to see a heterosexual lad to have homosexual intercourse. Possibly that
loss of caste may have resulted in the man becoming accepted in the Third nature
community. One would expect that born-homosexual ksatriya and brahmana may have
suffer peer pressure to keep up to the high status of their caste, which may have gone
against their instinctual Third Nature which would have revealed itself later on in life. Once
coming out of the closet, they would have joined the homosexuals' community.
Amara Das Wilheim claims: 'There are no references made in the Dharma shastra
prohibiting sexual acts between women, with the exception of two laws that involve the
violation of young, under-aged girls.' [As to] 'the punishment for homosexual acts committed
in public view or within prohibited areas', the 'fines for males are approximately four times
the fines for females. It should also be noted that heterosexual crimes, such as adultery or
the pollution of women, were dealt with much more harshly.' (21) It looks as if
heterosexuality, or procreative sex, was taken more seriously by ancient Vedic people. This
may have been due to patriarchal codes, lines of succession. Danielou says that adultery
within the confines of the extended family is not a threat as it does not affect the genetic line.
If a woman or a girl sleeps with many men outside the extended family, then she is not fit for
procreation and thus become a servant of the gods. Gays fined four times more than
lesbians for Third Nature sex committed in public or in restricted areas may also be due to
the importance given to the masculine, 'superior' pole. Thus, Brahmins would have been
dealt with more severely than sudras.
Amara Das Wilheim continues: '[The] type of apparent homosexual behavior between first
gender males, as seen in prisons for instance where there are no females available,' is
considered "demoniac and is not for any sane male in the ordinary course of life." (22) Thus,
heterosexual men (and women?) are forbidden or, at least, discouraged to engage in
forceful or otherwise non-procreative same-sex practices, as they do not belong to the third
sex.
Amara Das Wilheim states: 'in another well-known verse from the Mahabharata, [...] Lord
Shiva describes the fate of heterosexual men who indiscriminately engage in any form of
intercourse without restriction. "Those foolish men of evil conduct who engage in all forms of
intercourse, taking advantage of improper wombs and forcing themselves upon other men
(pumsaka), are born again without their organs as neuters." [...] Scriptural narration such as
the ones mentioned above have been written to discourage unrestricted and unnatural
sexual behavior among heterosexual or bisexual males (pumsaka). [...] Gay males
['nampunsaka' or "not males] were generally to be considered to be gentle and non-
aggressive by nature [...] not classified amongst heterosexual men of the first gender, [...]
they were not expected [...] to behave as ordinary males under the Vedic social system.'
(23) It seems that 'unrestricted sexual behavior' practiced by 'straight lads' was perceived as
a menace to the complex equilibrium of Vedic society, creating turmoil in the extended family
and possibly transgressing caste restrictions. Sex, like any other excess, is bad for you.
Homosexuals, who would represent about five percent of society, were not seen as a threat
as they by nature engage in non-procreative sex with members of their own caste, that is to
say the Third Nature.
The Third Nature and Agarjuna
Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'When Arjuna went to approach the king for shelter, he had
assumed the form and nature of a transgender male, a member of the third sex. [...]
According to the Mahabharata, his feminine attire hid his glory and at the same time it did
not. [...] This portrayal of Arjuna's dress [a woman's attire] and [woman's] behavior is very
interesting because it clearly reveals his third-sex status. It is the same behavior found in
the karma Shastra describing feminine gay males who dressed up and lived as females. [...]
In introducing himself as a professional dancer and musician trained by gandharvas, Arjuna
explained that he was expert in singing, hair decoration and "all the fine arts that a woman
should know." [...] Arjuna was tested by beautiful women to ensure that he was actually third
sexed and thus free from any lust for females [...]. The king was surprised yet pleased with
his manner of speaking, and he agreed that Arjuna should live among the palace women
and instruct them in singing and dancing." [The king addresses his daughter thinking
Brihannala (Arjuna) looks like he belongs to the 'high born' and he should be treated 'with
the respect due to a queen.'] It is important to note that the king addressed Brihannala
(Arjuna) as a female [...] He did not ridicule [...] her. [...] Rather he accepted her nature as it
was and offered her shelter and employment within his royal palace.' (24) Perhaps, one
may delude oneself in seemingly idealizing the status of Third Nature people in ancient
Vedic society. Maybe, despite the theological legitimacy of homosexuality, they were not all
treated equally in the sub-continent. India, after all, is such an ethnic mosaic. Possibly,
some people were homophobic and involved in gay bashing. Also, some families may have
had difficulties to come to terms with the son or the daughter turning out to be homosexual.
On the whole, from what is written, it seems that the third-sex had a better treatment in
ancient Vedic society than monotheistic societies.
Astrological confirmation
Amara Das Wilheim writes: '[In Vedic Astrology,] Ketu [...] specifically concerns those who
are sexually fit but have no interest in the act of sexual procreation. These include the
celibate and the transgender sex. Of all the planets, Ketu or the moon's south node is the
most indicative of the third gender. Ketu is a subtle planet that cannot be seen with the
physical eye except indirectly during the lunar or solar eclipse. It is represented by the tail or
the lower portion of the body. While considered inauspicious in the material sense, it is a
"moksha karaka," or indicator for enlightenment. People influenced by this planet are often
psychic and spiritually inclined. They frequently become monks, nuns and renunciants.
Ketu [...] signifies the direction inwards or "heavenwards." (25) Here the difficulty may
reside in the claims about Ketu. One would needs perhaps statistics showing the claimed
fact. One would also need a broad knowledge of Vedic astrology to articulate the concepts.
But the whole thing would become a thesis in itself. One may also accept that the author
has already checked out his sources. Alain Danielou was also a believer in Vedic astrology
as he makes use of it in his 'While The Gods Play'. If Vedic astrology does recognize a
planet to be responsible for homosexuality, depending possibly on the aspects of that planet
to the other astral bodies, then it would seem to confirm again that ancient Vedic theologians
shared the view that one is born homosexual.
The Third Nature, Celibacy and the Spiritual Path
Amara Das Wilheim writes: '[The 'practice of sexual restraint', or celibacy is important in
Hinduism.] Its practice is said to conserve the stamina of the body, strengthen mental
resolve and direct the life-airs upward. It also helps to minimize bodily and worldly demands
in order to fully immerse oneself in spiritual rapture.' [...] Celibacy 'is highly recommended
for sincere souls who are truly eager to make advancement in spiritual life.' [Celibacy may
also be practiced for a given period of time as opposed to forever, so to speak.] One of the
advantages of the third sex is that the practice of celibacy often comes easily for them. [...] It
can be observed that the ratio of gay and lesbian people living within temples and
monasteries is generally higher than it is within the ordinary population.' (26) Here, again,
one might want to see other confirmation, although Alain Daneliou seems to agree on what
is written above. Third-Nature generally not being made for procreative sex, they are
potentially freer from family life and the transmission of the genetic code and the karma it
may generate. In a spiritual environment like ancient Vedic India, they may have turned
naturally to spirituality more easily than married people. In a consumerist environment like
ours not really suitable to spiritual undertakings, the potential of homosexual - as well as
heterosexual - people for spiritual life is perhaps frustrated.
Amara Das Wilheim mentions: 'The institution of religious marriage, which unites
heterosexual couples for the production of good progeny and protects the social fabric was
not considered a necessary or relevant function for people of the third sex within Vedic
tradition since they did not engage in procreation by nature. [...] No one is to be excluded or
discouraged from these ['spiritual'] practices ['recommended in the Vedas'] because of class
character, social standing, gender, race, etc.' (27) This would imply homosexual were
encouraged, like anybody else, to become renunciants. As has been said before, Third
Nature people, potentially less tied down to Samsara because of their lack of involvement in
the transmission of the genetic link, seem to have more aptitude for renunciation than
heterosexuals. Samsara is the wheel of seemingly endless becoming to which one is
prisoner if one's awareness does not extend beyond the periphery and thus ignores the
motionless center of the wheel. In the Kali Yuga, renunciants form the minority en route to
enlightenment and homosexual are also a minority. As the third sex represents the neutral
function symbolized by the God Brahma, they may be said to have a less dualistic
psychological fabric than heterosexual people more entangled in gender binary code.
Transvestites are thus naturally seen as transmitting blessings as they already are blessed
with neither male nor female psyche, thus reminding us that the Divine transcends binary
codes. From this spiritual perspective, people born homosexual may consider their Third
Nature as a blessing, a result of good karma.
The Third Nature and Lord Caitanya
Amara Das Wilheim writes: '[The holiness of the third sex seems again confirmed by the]
appearance of Lord Caitanya'. He appeared, according to tradition in 1486 Common Era
and he had the mission to teach the mantra Hare Krishna to help people reach salvation
from the darkness of the Kali Yuga. 'Although appearing in a male form, He displayed the
highest sentiments of love for God by accepting the mood of the supreme Goddess, known
as Radhika. This divine combination of Supreme God and supreme Goddess in the form of
Lord Caitanya is considered to be amongst the most confidential teachings of Vedic
literature.' At the time of his birth, 'the full moon was rising above the [...] Ganges river,
accompanied by Ketu, in the form of a lunar eclipse [...] all the area residents crowded
around to see the newborn child. [...] Not least among the guests were the dancers of the
transvestite community, known as the "nakarta", who happily performed before the Lord.
These dancers were especially used for religious occasions. [...] All of these transvestites
from the naupumsaka or gay community were devotees of the lord, and they prayed to God
to bless the child and grant Him a long life, as was the custom. [...] The nakarta dancers are
also mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam during the pastime of Lord Krishna's entrance
into Dvaraka. There, [...] these dancers enthusiastically performed their art as an offering to
the Lord 'which granted everybody His blessings. 'It shows that from the Vedic perspective,
God does not discriminate against gays but on the contrary welcomes their service and
devotion, just as He does for all.' (28) If anything, it does seem that both Lord Krishna and
the Vedic tradition did approve and did give 'its blessing to homosexual relationships', but
whether both would approve of and bless modern, secular homosexual relationships as lived
in the West and a post-colonial India that has become secular - therefore experienced
outside the confines of Tradition - may not be the case. It may also be that both Krishna and
the Vedic system would not approve of and bless modern and secular heterosexual
relationships lived outside the sacredness
of the Sanatana Dharma
Amara Das Wilheim continues: '[Transgender] people were utilized to bestow blessings
[which] can only be bestowed by people who are auspicious, yet transvestites were well
known for their homosexual behavior and often served as prostitutes. [...] In Vedic literature,
the [legitimate but] strongest bond within [Samsara] is said to be the attraction between man
and woman [and the ties to the world it creates in the form of family and social duties.]
Transgender people were considered to be aloof from this attachment, particularly gay
males. [...] Cross-dressing is quite common among Lord Krishna's most intimate cowherd
boyfriends [...] An important ritual at the Jagannatha temple in Orissa involves a sequence in
which a young man dressed in female attire seduces Baladeva, the elder brother of Lord
Krishna.' (29) Obviously, this Vishnouite author might be said to be enthusiastic in
supporting gay and lesbians folks with the help of Vedic tradition. However, he supplies a
certain number of notes and his writing is supported by, among other things, the research of
Shivaite Alain Danielou.
Other Confirmations Of Hinduism's Traditional Tolerance Towards Homosexuality

In another document 'fished' from the Internet, radio animator Stephen Crittenden says; ' [...]
In fact one of the keynote speakers was Hindu priest, or Acharya, Rami Sivan. He says the
Hindu attitude to homosexuality, as with sexuality in general, is relaxed and even humorous.'
To which Rami Sivan replies: 'Well the Hindu position on homosexuality is actually one of
almost complete indifference. Some of the texts actually prohibit it, but never from a moral
point of view, it's always from a social legal point of view, and the problem with
homosexuality was always seen as confounding inheritance, so homosexuals were banned
from inheriting, and the elder son usually inherited the property and he was enjoined to
maintain all his homosexuals siblings.' (30) Banning homosexual - and one might be
enjoined to think of male homosexual as Rami Swan talks about the son inheriting - is
conform to the theology of the Third Nature as inheriting means the transmission of the
family property to a person -usually male as seems suggested here - who will begets
children intended, among other things, to inherit the family property that will be given to the
grand-children, the great-grand children, etc. A son turning out to be a gay falls outside this
jurisdiction as he will not procreate, his third sex nature representing a break in the continuity
of the genetic chain
Another source from the Internet adds to the view that homosexuality has a legitimate place
within the Sanatana Dharma. In 'Homosexuality in Ancient India', Dr. Devutt Pattanalk
writes: 'Hijras are organized communities comprises of males who express themselves
socially as women. They are a mix of transsexuals [...], transvestites [...], homosexual [...],
hermaphrodites [...] and eunuchs [...]. [Bahucharaji is the 'patron goddess of hijras
worshipped in Gujarat'. A] man who attempted to molest Bahucharaji was cursed with
impotency. He was forgiven only after he gave up his masculinity, dressed as a woman and
worshipped the goddess. [...] According to hijra folklore, when Rama went to the forest in
exile, he asked the men and women of Ayodhya who had followed him to return to the city.
Since he said nothing to those who were neither male nor female, these waited outside the
city until he returned. Touched by their devotion, Rama declared that the non-man would be
king in the Kali Yuga." (31) Although seeing to endorse the view that homosexuality was not
a problem for traditional India by just writing the above information, later on we will see that
Pattanalk has the belief that, even though acknowledged, transgenderism was not approved
by Hinduism.
MODERN AND ANTI-TRADITIONAL INDIAN ATTITUDES TO THE THIRD SEX
Fiery Debates Generated by a Film Depicting Lesbianism
Danielou claims that the influence of British Puritanism has infected traditional Hindu
attitudes to sexuality. Hinduism, in some of its variants, is not the same as it was 1000 years
ago. The invasions of both the Moslems and the British have left their influence on
Hinduism. According to Alain Danielou, Vivekananda, however heir to Sri Ramakrishna,
attempted to present a version of Hinduism adapted to Anglo-Saxon prejudices. This
'heritage' could explain the anti-homosexual attitude of modern Hindu fundamentalism.
According to International News # 242 (Dec 14, 1998) 'Hundred of female zealots from
India's Hindu Shiv Sena party stormed at least 12 cinemas across the nation in early
December and intimidated managers into suspending screenings of the lesbian-themed film
Fire. [...] The movie has played to packed houses during the three weeks it was shown. It
depicts two sisters-in-law who are unhappy in their arranged marriages and turn to each
other for love. "Women seeking satisfaction from other women is alien to Indian culture,"
said Bombay Shiv Sena activist Meena Kulkarni. The film poisons our women. It makes
them curious about something immoral." [...] Leading gay activist Ashok Row Kavi
commented: "Our laws on homosexuality were bequeathed to us by the British, who had a
Christian view of things. ... Hinduism, on the other hand, defines sex as one of the three
ways of attaining salvation. Hinduism does not run away from sexuality and does not pass
judgement on people who have different preferences." [...] "Lesbian relationships are part of
the Indian heritage and the film brings into the public domain the hypocrisy and tyranny of
the patriarchal family, the issue of women's sexuality, and makes a strong statement about
women-women relationships," [Fire Director Deepa] Mehta said.' (32) Traditional Hindu
morality rests on the fulfillment of one's Dharma, among other things. The mention of
homosexual sex in the Kama Sutra is the proof that homosexuality is one of the countless
variations of Dharma, as the Kama Sutra is a sacred book, a fact which perhaps many
Westerners have yet not realized. Homosexuality is part of the 'Third Nature', the neuter
gender which does not engage in procreation and that corresponds to Brahma. Therefore a
person born homosexual that does not fulfil his/her 'third sex' function sins against his/her
Dharma. 'Virtue, Success, Pleasure, and Liberation [are] The Four Aims of Life in the
Tradition of Ancient India', (33) this is also a title of another of Alain Danielou's books. It
would appear therefore that the Shiv Sena party is sinning by not respecting the right of
lesbians to express themselves. It may also appear that some of India's modern lesbians
may be sinning against Sanatana Dharma. 'It is the responsibility of the government to
demonstrate to the citizens that their fundamental rights cannot be trampled upon by criminal
acts of violence. The constitution guarantees everyone [the] right to expression.' (34) This is
above-mentioned film director Deepa Metha talking. The democratic constitution of India is
not a part of the heritage of Ancient India. One has to realize that homosexuality and
transvestism are part of Sanatana Dharma and are therefore holy in their functions, but
Sanatana Dharma also comprises the caste system, which is applied social Dharma. The
initial impulse of the Shiv Sena party against the lesbianism portrayed in the 'controversial'
film Fire may be adharma, but what is if the lesbianism portrayed in that movie is Western-
inspired, 'democratic' and secular? That would be a form of adharma lesbianism claiming its
'legitimacy' from secular democratism, which would be seen as being completely adharma
according to Alain Danielou. And it seems that, although it is not specified whether Metha is
or is not a lesbian and that whether the film's portrayal of lesbianism is in accordance with
traditional lesbianism as defined by traditional Hinduism, her referring to the Indian
constitution makes her partly adharma. Due to the lack of information on the film itself, it is
not possible to completely rule out that the Shiv Sena party activists' forceful demonstration
against the movie was partly in accordance with Sanatana Dharma.
Some modern Hindus claim that homosexuality has no part in India and is a vice imported
from the West as shown now: 'many [Indian] right-wing critics of the film Fire ague that
homosexuality itself is the Western import. This was Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackery's main
argument against Fire. (35) Against those right-wingers, one could mention Ruth Vanita
who, in her introduction to Queering India, writes: 'in the context of South Asia, Michael
Sweet and Leonard Zwilling have demonstrated the formulation of sexual categories in
Hindu and Jain texts as early as the sixth century BCE, it is evident that the Kama Sutra
(fourth century CE), while mentioning casual sex relations between "men", also classifies
men who prefer men as "the third nature"; and scholars of the medieval Islamicate have
written both on male-male and on the representation of female-female love by male writers.
(36)
This latter quote is interesting in seemingly confirming the researches of both Alain Danielou
and Amara Das Wilheim, and also suggesting that an Islam belonging to the past may been
more tolerant of homosexuality than its more recent fundamentalist version (some would say
distortion), a point that will be very briefly touched upon later on.
Concerning the film Fire, there are two articles about it in Queering India. One called On
Fire: Sexuality and Its Incitements, written by Geeta Patel from which I took short quotation
while presenting Amara Das Wilheim, comments on the Indian right-wing reaction to the film.
The other one, called After the Fire and written by Monica Bachmann, speaks about the
Indian left-wing reaction to the movie. I would conclude after the reading of the articles that
both sets of opinions are alien to the Sanatana Dharma. The Hindu fundamentalist seem to
have espoused nationalism, sometimes in its fascistic manifestations and both nationalism
and fascism are originally Western concepts. The contemporary Indian lesbians seem to
use the word 'lesbian' instead of the term 'svairini' as 'S.L., a member of the [Indian]
Campaign for Lesbian Rights [CALERI], notes, "By the morning of December 8 it has all
happened....The word 'lesbian' was on the front pages of every newspaper I picked up in
Delhi. LESBIAN. It looked and out-of-place.' (37) Indeed, it looks 'out-of-place' as the noun
'svairini' could have been employed, the same way 'napumsaka' could be used instead of
'gay'. It is mentioned that the film maker belongs to the Indian Diaspora; 'isn't Deepa Metha
Canadian, not really Indian?' (38) Would that suggest she has been exposed to current of
thought alien to the Sanatana Dharma, therefore making a film about Lesbianism but
inspired by Western queer/feminist politics? Some 'lesbians demonstrating against the Shiv
Sena protests and the withdrawal of the film displayed a banner reading "lesbianism is our
heritage."' (39) Personally, I would rather advise them to write: 'svairinism is our heritage.'
Concerning The Foreign Anti-Homosexual Infection
Alain Danielou writes: 'In the country of the Kama Sutra, where amorous ecstasy is
assimilated to mystic experience, to that perception of the divine that is supreme enjoyment,
the Puritanism of modern India, arising from Islamic and Anglo-Saxon prejudice, is all the
more stupefying, although it largely only concerns the managerial classes with English
education. Mahatma Gandhi, educated in England, sent squads of his disciples to smash
the erotic representations on the temples. It was the poet Rabindranath Tagore who
managed to halt this iconoclastic massacre. Pandit Nehru was irritated by me having
photographed and published the photographs of sculptures showing homosexual relations,
dating from the eleventh century, when he claimed that such vices in India were due to
Western influence. The blossoming of sexuality and all its variants has never formerly been
persecuted in India. It was only starting with the new penal code promulgated by Nehru's
socialist government that, for the first time, article 377 punished "sexual relations against
nature with a man, woman or animal, whether the intercourse is anal or oral." The country of
the Kama sutra had thus been relegated to the level of the most backward countries in the
sphere of liberty. The intelligent traveler can, however, outside official circles, find amorous
adventures that show that the people of India have forgotten nothing of the teachings of the
Kama Sutra.' (40) Danielou seems to blame the middle-classes for part of the modern
corruption infecting India. It also seems that the country folks of India may have retained
Sanatana Dharma, which may imply that forms of Hindu traditional non-procreative sexuality
may still be alive in the sub-continent countryside.
In 'International News # 227 (Aug 31, 1998)', it is reported that 'two women got married in
Nepal's south-western Nawalparasi district last month, the Gorkhapatra newspaper reported.
Textile workers Sital Malla, 24, and Rupa Shestra, 16, tied the knot at their home in front of
hundreds of friends and relatives. Prior to the wedding, the couple had been arrested when
their parents complained to police about their relationship, but they were let go after telling
the cops they loved each other and were having a wedding. Nepal has no law banning
same-sex marriage.' (41) Nepal has still a (partly) traditional Hindu government and society.
Lesbians could marry in ancient India. The recent massacre of the Nepalese royal family
and the present Maoist subversion threatening this country are to say the least inauspicious.
This 'reactionary' country seems to have a police that does not seem to repress same-sex
relationships, unlike democratic Western Europe of a few years and decades ago.
Nepal having seemed to have kept the traditional Hindu attitude towards the third sex
appears to contrast with modern Indian attitudes towards sexual minorities as shown in this
extract: 'How would Hindutva# (the concept of the 'essential Hindu' as used by modern
Hindu fundamentalists) deal with cults or sects that are within he [sic] "Hindu" umbrella but
are completely at odds with the general conventions of the dominant Hindu beliefs. For
example, i [sic] once posted a link to a website set up by a German Anthropologist who was
conducting research on the South Indian cult of the god Kuthanadavar Aravan. Now this
god (who is a "Veeran" or "Brave" [attendant of the Great Goddess]" in terms of
classification) is the patron deity to gays, transvestites and transgender peoples, and his cult
consists primarily of such folks. Now, in the general modern Hindu sensibility about social
decorum, homosexuality is considered deviant and repulsive. Yet the cults of gods who
protect gays have existed, either in the public eye or out of it, in India for centuries, with their
own traditions, festivals and pilgramage [sic] sites. Kuthandavar, Yellamman, Bahuchari
Devimata are all examples of these types of deities. [...] Yet these deities preside over a
marginalized group who are not recognized by the dominant Hindu culture, and are even
seen to be antitheical to the dominant culture, even to the point of the devotees of these
gods erasing caste barriers within their sects.' (42) This marginalized group abolishes caste
distinctions within their cults because social classification is irrelevant within Third Nature
people. They form a caste of their own so to speak, within the confines and possibilities of
the traditional caste system, even if in a possibly perceived eccentric position in relation to
more 'mainstream' castes. this account is nonetheless interesting in seeming to confirm the
legitimacy of certain sexual minorities in forms of Hinduism, to the extent that third sex
people are even under the protection of a patron deity.
The Case Of Castration
Amora Das Wilheim, already quoted, argues against the cliche concerning castration in
India: 'Welcome to the world of the so-called "Vedic eunuch", a term so archaic and
disingenuous that it provides a good lesson both in semantics and social denial. First of all,
there is no recorded evidence of any system of male castration in ancient Vedic India. The
English word "eunuch", or castrated male, is Greek in origin and was used to refer to
homosexuals during the middle Ages. [...] During the nineteenth century, when Great Britain
was the major world power and had subjugated India, homosexuality was considered a sin
so horrific that it was not to be mentioned [...] . The result was the use of vague,
inappropriate terms to describe transgender people such as eunuch, neuter, impotent,
asexual, hermaphrodite, etc. [...] Rather, by behaviour and as described in the Kamaa
Shastra, members of the tritiya-pakriti engage almost exclusively in homosexuality. [...]
Words used to describe transgender citizens in Sanskrit were inaccurately translated in
order to skirt homosexual issues and to impose puritan ethics upon Vedic literatures where
they did not otherwise exist. There are many examples of this, the most common of which is
the Sanskrit word "napumsaka" or literally "not male", which is used to refer to a man who
has no taste for women and thus does not procreate [...] it most commonly refers to the gay
or transgender male, depending of course upon the context and behaviour of the character
being described. Other Sanskrit words for the gay male include "sandha" or "half man, half
woman" and "kliba" or "effeminate male". It is highly unlikely that so many words would be
coined to describe and classify castrated men in a society where castrations was not
practised. [...] Mistranslations such as [above] have only served to confuse and cover the
acknowledgment of transgender roles in Vedic literature, roles that were nonetheless clearly
defined and outlined in the Kamaa Shastra.' (43) It might be argued that English-educated
Indian people have been so brainwashed by the foreign , that is British, education that they
have been alienated from the native psychological soil, unable to understand the nature of
the third sex. It seems that, according to Danielou, Gandhi had a rather English attitude
towards sexuality in general instead of the traditional Indian one. It then seems likely that
Gandhi's successors were equally 'British-infected'. One would like to know where the
modern Hindu fundamentalist gets their education. It would appear that modern Indian
attitude is not really Indian after all. I was myself visualising castrated males when thinking
of Indian eunuchs till I read the text from which are taken those quotations.
Das Wilheim's comments on eunnuchs seems to be confirmed by another author: 'In the
Victorian imagination, the making of eunnuchs was invariably associated with the decadent
East, but in reality they were rare, if not entirely nonexistent, in pre-Muslim India.' (44)
Amara Das Wilheim continues: 'Castration was not an accepted practice of ancient India and
mutilation of the body is considered by Vedic texts to be in the mode of darkness. Its current
illegal practice in Northern India amongst the "hijra" or eunuch class has been attributed to
the former centuries of Muslim rule that once encouraged it. [castration is not practiced in the
South according to the author of the quoted text] The abused hijra class of modern day India
is the sad result of cruel social policies directed against the third sex for over eight hundred
years. Rejected by foreign overlords who ridiculed and condemned homosexual behaviour
as intrinsically evil and unnatural, transgendered citizens were abandoned as social
outcastes. Gay men could join the hijra class by castrating themselves but were otherwise
forced to marry women and pretend to live as ordinary males. This stifling social policy still
remains dominant in India today and has become accepted by most modern Hindus.' (45)
This would seem to indicate that the group of castrated males one encounter today in India
is the result of foreign interference, and in this case it seems to be Muslim in origin. For
some reasons, the Abrahamic folks and religions seem to have difficulty to come to terms,
let alone recognise homosexuality. This may be a particularity of Semitic mentality, pre or
post Hebraic, or may be a particularity of Semitic monotheism, leaving the Semitic 'pagans'
aside. The phenomenon of castrated males in India seems to show that ingrained customs
may not necessarily be legitimate and arise out of corruption. The sacred texts do not
appear to encourage mutilation. It is regrettable the provenance of those foreigners is not
clearly specified. It is not clear either if the British are counted among those 'foreign
overlords'.
The meaning behind the oppression of the Third Nature
Amara Das Wilheim writes: 'In Vedic civilisation the cows, the brahmanas, women and those
belonging to the third or neutral gender (children, the elderly, neuters, the celibate and the
transgender sex) were all offered protection as an important social principle. [...] In Vedic
society, people were familiar with the third sex and could normally recognize its
characteristics within their transgender offspring. Since everyone was accommodated under
the Vedic system, transgender youth could find their place within society according to their
nature and thus grow healthfully into adulthood. [...] The disrespect and persecution of the
transgendered sex is a clear sign of Kali-Yuga, or the modern era of irreligion and hypocrisy
described in Vedic literatures. Under the Vedic system, transgendered citizens were
symbols of good luck. They were protected and would bestow their blessings upon society.
The fact that they are now mistreated and oppressed can be seen as an omen of bad times,
and it is a poor measure of our humanity.' (46) It is refreshing to see at least a writing that
does not regard homosexuality as a sign of imminent Armageddon. like born-again
Christians do, but rather consider the oppression of the third sex as a sign of
inauspiciousness. In fact, it 'is a common misconception among some that in the Kali-Yuga
there is an increase in the ratio of homosexual people.' [There is] 'yet to find any Vedic
verse supporting this claim. Rather, in the Vayu Purana it is stated, "in the Kali-Yuga there
will be more women than men." The foremost symptom of the Kali-Yuga described is the
marked increase in promiscuity among people of all genders.' [Because heterosexual
promiscuity can produce 'broken families' and other social ills,] 'the Dharma Shastra and
other Vedic literatures strictly enforced the institution of marriage among heterosexual
couples for the maintenance of the social structure.' (47) Promiscuity can lead to, or should
we say is symptomatic of the secular times of dissolution affecting the castes. In the West,
dissolution is seen as progress (John Major concept of a 'class-less society'), and misleading
concepts of equality as defined by the Enlightenment may have contributed to the general
promiscuity. Under the demoniacal auspices of 'democracy' and 'free-market', a process of
levelling down occurs and accentuates the confusion of the last days. Homosexuality cannot
be democratised as one is born gay in the case of men and lesbian in the case of women.
The advocates of the teaching of homosexuality at school may have a point if it is to educate
under-age about the existence of Third Nature folks, and the necessity to accept them as
one's fellow human being, but if the agenda is to democratise homosexuality, then those
opposed to the teaching of 'queer politics' at school have a point as well, even if they may
not know it consciously. One cannot encourage heterosexual children and teenagers to
experiment with homosexuality but, equally, one cannot force under-age napumsaka and
svairini to fit heterosexual patterns. It may be that sexuality for under-age is not completely
defined for life in some cases and then the person doesn't know whether his/her sexuality is
heterosexual or homosexual. The binary code regulating western mental processes, it may
be difficult for people to admit the possibility of a 'third position', a bisexual one.
Confirmation of Malevolent Victorian Influences
Another source seeming to suggest the influence of the British Empire on the modern Indian
hostily to homosexuality is Hindu priest Rami Sivan already mentioned above during an
Australian broadcast called the Religious Report.
Stephen Crittenden continues speaking: 'Right, so in other words these sexual connotations
[referring to the cult of the Linga] are increasingly upsetting for middle-class Indians; is that
because of something they've inherited from the British?' To which Rami Sivan replies:
'Certainly; one must remember that in India, all the middle-class go to English medium
schools, and [they] are generally run by either the Catholics or the Presbyterians, which they
then start confusing with their own religious tradition. The problem I face as a teacher of
Hinduism is very often deprogramming Indians from their Christian moral involvement [...]'
Crittenden asks another question: 'OK, now is this why [...] the homosexual community in
somewhere like Delhi is still a very repressed community, even though Hinduism takes this
benign attitude [to sex]?' Sivan answers: 'Well the funny thing is that the attitude of the legal
fraternity, say , is one of being very pukka Victorian; sex is not discussed, neither
heterosexuality nor homosexuality. [...] But in this context it's important to remember that
there is a vast community of what are known as hijras or transvestites - 'eunuchs' as they're
popularly called, but they're not eunuchs in the real sense. And these people have a
traditional part to play within the religious festivities. Whenever there's a celebration,
transvestites are always invited to sing and dance, and there are festivals both in Gujarat
State and in Tamil Nadu in which millions of transvestites get together to celebrate various
festivals.' Crittenden asks another question: 'Can I just ask you finally: [...] as a Hindu, [...]
does homophobia essentially stems out of religion do you think?' And Sivan replies: '
Homophobia essentially stems from the 'Abrahamic coalition'. It is a particularly poignant
problem for the Semitic religions. [further on] Mainly because of the desire for God to control
the penis. Whereas in Hinduism, there has never ever been any desire to control men's
penises, [...]' (48) Rami Sivan seems to confirm what Alain Danielou says about English-
educated Indian middle-class and the influence of the British empire on certain modern
Indian attitudes hostile to homosexuality. Rami Sivan also seems to confirm the possible
Abrahamic origin of homophobia. The 'desire for God to control men's penises' and
women's vaginas may be (one of) the key(s) behind Abrahamic homophobia. Judaism,
being a religion of the chosen nation and her subsequent numerical development, therefore
non-procreative sexuality has no place within a tradition which emphasises procreative
sexuality as the nation must increase in number. Non-procreative is at best a distraction and
at worst a subversion. Similarly, one of the pillars of Islam is the family that presupposes a
preference for procreative sexuality. Non-procreative sexuality, especially the homosexual
one, breaks away from the heterosexual basis of sex for making babies. Even though there
seemed to have been a certain tolerance of homosexuality at certain periods in some
Muslim countries, due to the interdiction for men to fornicate before marriage, there seems to
be nothing in Islam like the Hindu theology of the Third Nature. As to Christianity, it seems
to have merely inherited Hebraic homophobic feelings, even though Jesus seems to refer in
non-negative terms to homosexuals according to Alain Danielou: 'The Greek word
corresponding to napunsaka is eunychos, meaning "he who guards the marriage bed"; [...].
There is no implication here of the emasculation involved in the modern term eunuch. It was
thus a misrepresentation of the Evangelist's word (Matthiew 19:10-12) to use the word
eunuch (in place of homosexual) when Jesus said, "There are those who have been born
eunuchs, others who have been made eunuchs, and others who have chosen the path in
their wish for the solitary life, and who are not suited for marriage." (49) If Danielou's
interpretation is correct, then there would be the recognition of the Third Nature in the words
and mouth of the God and Messiah of Christianity.
To be fair to Islam, it seems that under the reign of the Moghuls in pre-colonial India, a form
of Persian and Sufi-inspired Islam has actually tolerated - and possibly respected - (forms
of) homosexuality to the extent 'gay' poetry flourished, like the one celebrating Sultan
Mahmud of Ghazna and his male lover. (50)
WHY HOMOSEXUALITY MIGHT NOT BE TOLERATED WITHIN SECTIONS OF THE

SANATANA DHARMA
It may be that there are some elements of the Sanatana Dharma that disapproves of
homosexuality. Perhaps there are sects, which encourage the practise of spirituality through
marriage and begetting children, therefore, viewing with suspicion homosexuality. Hinduism,
through the caste system and its many sects, permits the coexistence of apparently
divergent viewpoints and spiritual practices. At first Vedanta seems opposed to Tantra.
Maybe, some Third Nature sects view with disdain the mainstream heterosexual minority.
The Sanatana Dharma appears like a multiplicity of worlds that do their best not to trespass
the other's boundaries. The suspicion of certain Hindus towards homosexuality may be
legitimate but not necessarily 'gay-bashing'. In some of the Hindu sects, the Masculine
Principle is the superior one. In others it will be the Feminine Principle and others will adore
the Neutral Principle. So a sect encouraging marriage would naturally view with suspicion
homosexuality but would not engage in the repression of it, the same way an adept of the
Vedanta might have his/her reserves about Tantra and vice-versa. There may nave been
cases of 'gay-bashing' within elements of the Sanatana Dharma, but one would be lead to
think this repression was accidental and isolated, in view of what has been said about the
place of the Third Nature within Shivaism and Vishnouism.
Objections to the Sanatana Dharma's acceptance of homosexuality
Dr. Devdutt Pattanalk, already quoted, writes: 'The Kali Yuga marks the final phase in the
cosmic lifespan, the era before the flood of doom. Hindu scriptures state that in this age all
forms of sexual irregularities will occur. [...] According to Narada Purana: "The great sinner
who discharges semen in non-vagins, in those who are destitute of vulva, and uteruses of
animals shall fall into the hell 'reto-bhojana' (where one has to subsist on semen). He then
falls into 'vasakupa' (a deep and narrow well of fat). There he stays for seven divine years.
That man has semen for his diet. He becomes the despicable man in the world when
reborn." Clearly an acknowledgement, but not acceptance, of homosexual conduct. In the
Kamaa Sutra, there is a disdainful reference to male masseurs who indulge in oral sex
(auparashtika). the author of this sex manual was not a fan of homosexual activities though
he did refer to them in his book. reference, but not approval, to homosexual conduct does
occur in many Dharmashastras. These Hindu law books tell us what is considered by
Brahmins to be acceptable and unacceptable social conduct. [...] The Manusmriti scorns
female homosexuals. It states, "if a girl does it (has sex) to another girl, she should be fined
two hundred (pennies), be made to pay double (the girl's)bride-price, and receive ten whip
(lashes). But if a (mature) woman does it to a girl, her head should be shaved immediately
or two of her fingers should be cut off, and she should be made to ride on a donkey." There
are no kind words for a male homosexual either: "Causing an injury to a priest [...] and
sexual union with a man are traditionally said to cause loss of caste." [...] Though not part of
the mainstream, [the] existence [of homosexuality] was acknowledged but not approved.
There was some degree of tolerance when the act expressed itself in heterosexual terms -
when men 'became women' in their desire for other men, as the hijra legacy suggests. [...]
And while we ponder over the questions, we must remind ourselves that the ancient sources
that censure homosexual conduct, also institutionalised the caste system and approved the
subservience of women.' (51) The author's belief that homosexuality was frowned upon by
the Hindu mainstream, while possibly correct in parts, seems to derive from an
incomprehension of the caste system, which he doesn't seem to approve by what is the tone
of the comment on the caste system at the end of the above-quoted quotation. It is
mentioned that men and women engaging in seemingly homosexual activities are punished,
but it is not stated whether those individuals are Third Nature ones or heterosexual folks.
The punishments could indeed have been intended for heterosexual people engaging in
homosexual activities. In fact, in his mention of the 'great sinner who discharges semen in
non-vagins', it is not specified whether the culprit belongs to the sexually reproductive
mainstream or to the Third Nature. Again we do not know if those scorned male masseurs
belong to the third sex. It is indeed possible that Brahmins would have disapproved of
homosexual activities, the same way they would have disapproved of sudras eating meat,
even though it is a legitimate diet for the sub-continent working-class. The ksatriyas may
have disapproved of the commercialism of the vaisyas. The caste system is not a
sentimental social utopia, it is a form of cosmic social engineering that allows for mutually
distrustful tendencies to co-exist without trespassing in the other's territory. In other areas,
the chaste Vedantist may disapprove of Tantric sexual rites and the Tantrika may scorn the
chastity of other Sanatana Dharma sects. The Brahmins may also have disdain for the
warlike tendencies of the ksatriyas. It did not matter as it was not part of their world. Alain
Danielou who was homosexual was also a traditionalist Hindu and as such did approve of
the caste system. Due to his Shivaite initiation, he did not seem to like Vaishnavism but did
not say it was an illegitimate system. He also seemed to have held in higher esteem men
rather than women but did not say a woman was an illegitimate being. So yes Brahmins
may have had disdain for the Third Nature people but it does not mean that the latter were
illegitimate, that is to say adharma. On the other hand it seems that heterosexuals engaging
in homosexual activities was considered an adharma occupation.
CONCLUSION
From all the sources we have come across, it seems fairly certain that homosexuality has a
legitimate place within the Sanatana Dharma as it is a manifestation of the Third Nature and
the God Brahma. There is a theology of non-procreative sexuality. Third sex people have,
like any other caste, certain freedoms and certain restrictions; for instance, they cannot
inherit. From a certain spiritual point of view, it may have been an advantage when one was
born a homosexual as one was not tied to procreative sexuality and all the attachments it
may lead to. Homosexuals may have been distrusted by Brahmins but so would have been
the sudras. The modern repression of homosexuality in India seems to stem from the
puritan attitudes imposed upon the sub-continent by the British Empire. It may be that Islam
has anticipated the British in the disdain of the Third Nature, even though others would
argue the Persian/Sufi-inspired Islam of the Moghul rulers of pre-colonial India has been
'kind' to homosexuality. It is possible that the misunderstanding, oppression and repression
of the Third Nature is a sign of the furhter degeneration of the Kali Yuga. The traditional
Hindu acceptance of homosexuality goes hand in hand with the establishment of the caste
system. It does not justify a casteless homosexual conduct as some may see as being
practised in the West today, the same way it does not justify an adharma heterosexual
attitude that is prevalent in today's Occident.
JM AVRIL
NOTES
(1) Sweet, Michael J., Eunuchs, Lesbians, and Other Mythical Beasts - Queering and
Dequeering the Kama Sutra, in Queering India, Same-Sex Love And Eroticism In Indian
Culture And Society, New York/LondonRoutledge, 2002, p.79
(2) Sweet, Lesbians, and Other Mythical Beasts, in Queering India, Same-Sex Love And
Eroticism In Indian Culture And Society, p.79
(3) The reader should read Martin Lings's Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions
(London, Mandala Books/Unwin Paperbacks, 1980) which is short but to-the-point exposition
of the Traditional thought.
(4) Danielou, Alain, While the gods play, USA, Inner Traditions Ltd, 1987, pp. 173-174-175-
176-177
(5) The Kali Yuga - and the end of it - has been expounded by Alain Danielou in the book
from which we take this quote, and also by Rene Guenon in his book, The Reign of Quantity
and the Signs of the Times (London, Luzac & Co., 1953).
(6) Danielou, The Complete Kaama Sutra, USA, Park Street Press, 1994, p.10
(7) Patel, Geeta, On Fire: Sexuality and Its Incitements, in Queering India, p. 227
(8) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

http://www.geocities.com/galva108/, 5/12/01, p. 2



(12) Danielou, Alain, While the Gods Play, Inner Traditions Ltd, USA, 1987, p. 159

(14) Danielou, The Complete Kaama Sutra, p. 71


http://www.geocities.com/galva108/, 5/12/01p. 6
http://www.geocities.com/galva108/, 5/12/01 pp. 7-8

http://www.geocities.com/galva108/, 5/12/01 pp. 8-9


http://www.geocities.com/galva108/, p. 9

http://www.geocities.com/galva108/, 5/12/01, pp. 9-10







http://www.geocities.com/galva108/, 5/12/01, p. 14-15

(30) The Religion Report, on Wednesday 28/02/01, Religion and Homophobia,

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s2525248.htm, 5/12/01, pp. 3-4
(31) Dr Dedvutt Pattanalk, Homosexuality In Ancient India,

http://www.gaybombay.com/arts/ancientindia.shtml, 15/1/02, p. 7
(32) International News, http;//www.longyangclub.org/toronto/1998.htm, 5/12/01, pp. 2-3
(33) Danielou, The Complete Kaama Sutra, USA, Park Street Press, 1994, p. 564
(34) International News, http;//www.longyangclub.org/toronto/1998.htm, 5/12/01, pp. 2-3
(35) Bachmann, Monica, After the Fire, in Queering India, p. 238

(36) Vanita, Ruth (Editor), Introduction in Queering India, p. 1
(38) Patel, On Fire in Queering India, p.223
(40) Danielou, The Complete Kaama sutra, pp. 10-11)
(41) International News, http://www.longyangclub.org/toronto/1998.htm, 5/12/01, p. 9
(42) Sreekishen nair (@ spider-wi081.proxy.aol.com)on: Tue Sep 4 17:34:02, India - without

Brahmins, http://forumhub.com/tnhistory/29944.10408.06.18.33.htm, 5/12/01, p. 33
(43) Amara Das Wilheim, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(44) Sweet, Eunuchs, Lesbians, and other Mythical Beasts in Queering India, p. 78



http://www.geocities.com/galva108/, 5/12/01, p. 11-12
(48) The Religion Report, on Wednesday 28/02/01, Religion and Homophobia,

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s2525248.htm, 5/12/01, pp. 5-6
(49) Danielou, While The Gods Play, p. 176
(50) See Scott Kugle's Sultan Mahmud's Make Over - Colonial Homophia and the Persian-
Urdu Literary Tradition, in Queering India.
(51) Dr Dedvutt Pattanalk, Homosexuality in ancient India,

http://www.gaybombay.com/arts/ancientindia.shtml, 15/1/02 pp. 6-7
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Danielou, Alain, While the Gods Play, Shaiva Oracles And Predictions On The Cycles Of
History And The Destiny Of Mankind, USA, Inner Traditions Ltd, 1987
Danielou, The Complete Kaama Sutra, USA, Park Street Press, 1994,
Danielou, Alain, Gods Of Love And Ecstasy, The Traditions of Shiva And Dyonisos, USA,
Inner Traditions Ltd, 1992
Vanita, Ruth (Editor), Queering India, Same-Sex Love And Eroticism In Indian Culture And
Society, New York/LondonRoutledge, 2002
KALI: GODDESS FOR FEMINISM OR MOTHER OF FEMINISM?
Kali is one of the main goddesses in Hinduism. She has often been misunderstood in the
Christian West, partly because of the strangling Thugs who allegedly worshipped Her. Her
main depiction is usually that of a fierce goddess wearing a garland of skulls. In a continent
raised with the image of the Virgin Mary, the iconography of Kali may lead to an
incomprehension of her metaphysical functions. In spite of that, Kali's influence is visible in
some sections of Western feminism. We are going to explore some of the manifestations of
the Mother in some (groups of) individuals as well as touching the spiritual and psychological
message of the Mother. We will see that people from different backgrounds do, in their
different ways, respond to Kali's call to spiritual empowerment and liberation.
The 'Judeo-Christian' figures closest to Kali could be the Black Virgin of Catholic Europe and
the controversial figure of Lilith. In the Kabalistic account of her, Lilith was the first wife of
Adam and she left him as she did not want to go through the 'missionary position'. She was
said to give birth to demons and steal children. '[S]he also had the power to prevent birth by
barrenness, miscarriages and complications during childbirth.' (1) The stealing of children
could be a reference to a tantric form of sexuality, whereby the sperm is not ejaculated
and/or Lilith symbolizes a feminine and non-procreative form of sexuality. So procreative
Hebraism could only curse a feminine figure that refuses the more passive role of Eve and
the production of offspring, so vital to Judaic spirituality.
Lilith, according to Ean Begg, has also a more positive function. 'The twelfth-century Spanish
Cabalist, R. Isaac Hacohen, writes that "Lilith is a ladder on which one can ascend to the
rungs of prophecy", and also connects her to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
According to a later cabalist, Havyyim Vital (1543-1620), the angel called the flame of the
revolving sword is, by night, Lilith. Similarly in Zoharic Literature the Shekinah is at times
called the mother and at times the Slave-Woman or Lilith. In another formulation, Lilith
appears as the nakedness of the Shekinah during the time of Israel' exile. Lilith's greatest
triumph is recorded in a sixteenth-century Cabalistic writing where, as a result of a piece of
divine wife-swapping, following the destruction of the Temple, God relinquishes his consort,
the Matronit (identical with the Shekinah) to Samael/Satan and takes his queen, Lilith, to be
his bride.' (2)
Lilith then appears as a more complex figure than a simple Cabalistic she-demon. However,
her 'demonic' reputation has been taken - so it seems - literally by some. Thus, in his book
'Les Sectes Luciferiennes Aujourd'hui' (Editions Belfond, France), journalist of the occult
Jean-Paul Bourre presents a Lilith worshipped as the bride of Lucifer by some syncretic
Luciferian sects of the seventies, some of them with a fascistic agenda. So the demonic
aspects of Lilith seem to have spilled over, in spite of her being the ladder ascending to the
rungs of prophecy. Lilith's advantage over Kali here in the West is that on some level the
bride of Samael is more rooted in the collective psyche, although this claim may be
debatable. The advantage of Kali over Lilith is that She is a proper divine figure rooted
within a particular tradition and one can find proper literature about her, i.e. there are rituals,
hymns, poems and treatises written about Kali, such as the Kalika Purana.
Another advantage, in the light of Tradition as expounded by Rene Guenon, of Kali over
Lilith is her worship by Sri Ramakrishna, the nineteenth-century Hindu holy man who was
the master of Vivekananda who helped popularize Hinduism in the West in its Vedantic form.
Vivekananda seemed to have been a devotee of Mother Kali and appeared to have hold
what could be termed proto-feminist positions about women, a point to which we will return
later. To our knowledge, there has not been a historical saintly figure of Sri Ramakrishna's
status who was a worshipper of Lilith. An aspect of the philosophy of and as expressed by
the Master himself is as follows: 'Once a man realizes God through intense dispassion, he is
non longer attached to woman. Even if he must lead the life of a householder, he is free of
and attachment to woman. Suppose there are two big magnets, one big and the other small.
Which one will attract the iron? The big one, of course. God is the big magnet. Compared
to Him, woman is a small one. He who has realized God does not look upon a woman with
the eye of lust; so he is no longer afraid of her. He perceives clearly that women are but so
many aspects of the Divine Mother. He worships them all as the Mother Herself.' (3) The
holy sage suggests that lust and attachment prevents a man to see the essence of women,
that is to say, Mother Kali Herself. Attachment turns the woman into an object and the man
can only establish a one way relationship with the lady, remaining stuck in binary mode.
Freedom from lust takes the fear of woman away from the man who can then establish a
friendship with her, adoring the Goddess-essence within her, in a similar form to the
Christian 'Love thy neighbor as thyself' that is really loving God within both the other and
oneself. Whether this would satisfy feminists is an other question. the Master's partner, Sri
Sarada Devi, led the life of a traditional Hindu woman, in the shadow of Sri Ramakrishna so
to speak. However, later on, we will approach what seems to be the suggestion that via the
influence of the Master, a form of Hindu proto-feminism was born. Further on, we will see a
US group seemingly taking the adoration of women by men in a more master/mistress-slave
dialectic.
Kali non-demonic aspects are clear as She emerged from Durga's forehead to destroy an
army of demons. 'The mighty demon Raktabija remained. From the blood shed from his
wounds sprang thousands of fresh combatants, representing the destructive masculine
principle. To annihilate this archetypal power, Kali again and again drank the rakta-bija (the
'seed-blood'). This symbolic devouring represents the 'taking-possession-of' or rendering
harmless of an overpowering destructive element, a phallic power.' (4) Here we have what
seems to be a feminist interpretation of Kali as destroying patriarchal demons, 'the asuras
whose exaggerated ego-sense is destroying the balance of the universe, and whose sole
purpose is to dominate and control. (5)
Mookerjee mentioned 'Vivekananda [who] predicted "the resurgence of the Mother into the
consciousness of the world's population, after patriarchal religions had forced her into
concealment in the unconscious.' (6)
Feminism, in that worldview, could be seen as Kali the Mother resurfacing in the collective
conscious polluted by patriarchal secular demons, that is to say all the dualistic errors
resulting from patriarchal separatism such as capitalism, individualism, fascism,
fundamentalism, communism, individualism, materialism, spiritualism and so forth. Those
'evil' entities are faulty because they operate from a dualistic, and therefore partial vision:
the subject opposed to the object, the half against the other half; against this partial view,
one could propose a image based on the premise of the two sides of the same coin: the half
cannot be without the other half and, thus, dualism exists on the surface of things and more
deeply one can perceive the unity. So one can perceive day and night as being two sides of
one process and there is no real separation between day and night: during sunrise and
sunset, there is neither day or night but a gradual passing from one to the other. The ego
survives on the belief in separation, a mistaken view that can be personified as a demon.
The fall of Adam and Eve certainly symbolizes the evolution of our humanity from a non-dual
and direct perception of things are they are to a distorted vision of things as they appear but
really are not, that is to say, separate entities. Adrienne Rich writes: 'The rejection of the
dualism, of the positive-negative polarities between which most of our intellectual training
has taken place, has been an undercurrent of feminist thought.' (7)
Monica Sjoo is a pagan and a feminist established in Britain. She writes against the 'New
Agers [who] do not want to know about the ancient tantric beliefs of India that characterize
death as Mother Kali[a]Kali/Shakti's time-space consciousness. Tantrikas believe that Kali,
the Black Mother, manifests the worlds and dissolves them back again into Her great cosmic
womb of self-luminous light and consciousness.' (8) Monica Sjoo seems to be inspired by
the Dark Mother, as suggested by the reading of her book from which we take this quotation.
She has fought at Greenham Common, painted several paintings representing various
images of the Goddess and written books and articles. Her life, partly described in 'New Age
and Armageddon', is one of fighting for the Goddess in the 'real world' so to speak.
Subjectively, one could see Kali as being the inspiration behind Monica Sjoo
Penelope Shuttle and Peter Redgrove also mention Kali as the '"red substance of female
source" [that] is "the prime menstrum of magical energy", and the destructive aspect of lunar
or black magic. This is of the Scarlet Woman, who is also the Goddess Kali. C.D. Daly
wrote a fascinating paper on the black goddess Kali[a]Kali's cults as a menstrual cult. He
says that the destructive aspect comes from the great evolutionary energy, but even more
from men's fear of it. In due time, the hideous Kali, when she is loved as she deserves, will
reveal her beauties hidden patiently for centuries, he says. (9) Here, we may see another
side of Kali's relevance to feminism: the reclaiming by women of menstruation, the
celebration of it as opposed to the patriarchal curse on the menstrual cycle. From that
reclaiming may come an empowerment of 'everywoman'. It referred to 'mens's fear of it'.
The fear, possibly, is coming from men's ego and when this ego is transcended, made
transparent, patriarchal fear perhaps evaporates and men's soul can then get in touch with
Kali's Soul and 'she is loved as she deserves,' as put by Shuttle and Redgrove themselves.
Kali is equally referred to in a book by Marion Woodman, a Jungian analyst and Elinor
Dickson, a clinical psychologist. 'Kali's dual role as devouring mother and enlightened
goddess is highlighted in a poem written by Vivekananda, a Hindu sage of the twentieth
century.
"I am not one of those," he chanted

"Who put the garland of skulls round
Thy neck,
"And then look back in terror
"And call thee 'The Merciful.'"
"The heart must become
a burial ground,
"Pride, selfishness, and desire all
broken into dust,
"Then and then alone will the Mother
dance there."
['Vivekananda, cited in David kingsley, The Sword and the Flute, (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1975), p. 145']
In this poem, Vivekananda dissociates himself from those who project their own fear onto
Kali and then tremble before her, seeking to appease her wrath. In these few opening lines,
the poet captures the essence of genuine Great goddess worship: there must be a death to
the ego self; there must be a transformation in which there is a letting go [...] of all the things
that the egotistical nature mistakenly clings to. The mystery of Kali is that she is perpetually
destroying and, at the same time, creating [...]. [...] For Kali, all experience are one - life as
well as death. [...] Those who can accept her cycle - life and death - are no longer
vulnerable. They are fearless.' (10) Here the reference to life and death may be applied to
the menstrual cycle, potentially making the womb a signifier rather than the phallus. Kali
appears as devourer to the ego stuck in dualistic perception but is transformation for the soul
that has relinquished the ego, i.e. that soul has seen the ego for what it is, a transient
process as opposed to a fixed entity. The transformation is that reaching of/to the higher
self. Life is not opposed to death. The opposition is only a mask. There is no life without
death and vice-versa. In the poem by Vivekananda, 'pride, selfishness and desire' are those
demons or distortions resulting from the belief of the ego that it is an separate entity existing
independently from/of anything else. On a materialistic level, it is easy to see that dualism is
a fallacy as one is made up of atoms and molecules and we need to eat other living
creatures in order to survive. So how can one say one is 'free' and 'independent'. On a
psychological level, the personality is partly made up of the input we get from others: parents
and siblings, family and society and one's direct and indirect interaction with the other(s).
Lex Hixon, a writer, says that 'everywhere we look in ancient or modern life, the nurturing,
maturing, educating, and liberating power of the Divine Feminine can be seen in operation at
the deepest levels of cultural wisdom. She operates directly through humanity, primarily
through women, but also through men; Neopagan, feminist, wise woman, traditional native,
tantric, ecological, green, and creation-centered movements in contemporary society are
reestablishing conscious communion with the Goddess on an increasingly wide scale'. (11)
All those movements - or many of them - are characterized by the notion of interdependency
as opposed to the unity-denying 'each to its own' set of ethics that pollutes distorted
patriarchy in whatever form: capitalism, nationalism, fundamentalism, consumerism, and so
forth. The notion of interdependency arises as a result of seeing larger than one's ego.
Further on, Hixon writes that 'Mother Kali[a]Kali's field of battle is the complex network of
mental suffering. Her enemy is the aggressive and even demonic force of self-inflation.' (12)
The ego trying to maintain its sense of separation is fighting a lost battle. What it believes to
possess slides away with the passing of time and/or other factors, and the frustration
resulting from it stresses the ego out who construct more layers of shell around itself,
increasing its sense of separation and (false) importance.
Now, we briefly return to the matter of Sri Ramakrishna, the Kali-devoted saint and his
disciple Vivekananda. 'Sri Ramakrishna was the real Advaitin who saw Brahman in the
entire creation and went to the extent of cleaning the premises of a so-called untouchable
[who] to him was as much a manifestation of spirit as a so-called [...] Brahmin. His Vedanta,
accepted [...] by Vivekananda [...] preached equality of men of different castes and creeds
and sex but practiced what it visualized with perfection. It was, therefore, [...] natural for Sri
Ramakrishna [...] to treat women on a par with men.[...] He worshipped his own wife [the
Holy mother] as the Divine Mother [that is, Kali]. [...] Sri Sarada Devi was more modern than
most social reformers and encouraged people to send their girls to school. She understood
the problems of women thoroughly and in her own silent and spiritual way exhorted men to
treat their women with respect. [...] Swami Vivekananda [...] threw his lot with [...]
educationists who advocated education for women. [...] had unbounded admiration for the
American women. [...] On a poem to [Sister Nivedita] Swamiji has spelled out his ideas of
ideal womanhood [...] :

The Mother's heart, the hero's will,
The sweetness of the southern breeze,
The sacred charm and strength that dwell
on Aryan altars, flaming free:
all these be yours and many more
No ancient soul could dream before -
Be thou to India's future son,
The mistress, servant friend - all in one
[reference not given]

Sister Nivedita [...] has described on her own what [Vivekananda] wanted the future woman
of his country to be made of:: "He saw plainly enough that what was wanted was a race of
women-educators, and this was how he contemplated making them. Strength, strength,
strength was the one quality he called for in woman as in man. [...]'
(13) It is interesting to find a form of Kali-inspired proto-feminism within the living tradition of
Hinduism, starting with the holy man Sri Ramakrishna and continued with the Holy Mother
and Swami Vivekananda. This would suggest the inferior place of women in sections of
Hinduism may not be necessarily due to its essence but perhaps to a slow corruption of the
Sanatana Dharma with the passing of time. Ramakrishna was born of Bengali soil and Kali,
through him, could be seen to have brought forth a form of spiritual feminism that was born
within Hinduism. Lex Hixon, in the book of which we take a quotation, dedicate it to Sri
Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother.
If one is open to the totality that is Kali, then one can argue that Her manifestations are
manifold. In Her highest aspects, She is simply behind both the birth and the destruction of
the Universe, the alpha and omega so to speak. She is the Mystery that will always
confound logic and reason, both belonging to the mental plane, pertaining to the soul. To
appreciate Kali, one has to rely on the Intellect in its medieval understanding as opposed to
the modern misconception that highjacks the Intellect for the petty needs of reason.
Kali may also appear in different ways to the less Intellectually inclined. In a curious
document taken from the Internet, there is a mention of Kali as follows: 'Mother Kali -
Matriarch and Director - Service of Mankind Church - Essemian Sanctuary of Mother Kali -
MotherKali@hotmail.com - Goddess Kali, and all other aspects of the Divine Feminine, gives
each of us guidance in honoring our Goddess Within. Welcome, all Sister Dommes, and
submissives too! Females are welcomed to complimentary Goddess Membership at the
Essemian Sanctuary. Join with Me in living the Femdom Life You love! Only submissive
males who are collares and sponsored by Goddess Members or fully trained at the
Sanctuary will be considered for Commitment Membership. I am a Superior lifestyle
Domme, maintaining formal D/s and Ritual BDSM practices. I honor the Feminine
Intelligence of the Universe with My Life, and provide opportunities for other women to
pursue Goddess Studies, Kali Ritual Femdom, and Manifesting the Goddess Within. [...]
Celebrate the Living Matriarchy with Me at Essemian Sanctuary of Mother Kali in Michigan.'
(14) The point one might make is whether or not Mother Kali is being highjacked to the
benefits of sado-masochistic practices. One could also argue this particular form of hobby is
an, if somewhat, eccentric manifestation of Kali as She is a totality. One might object that all
the matriarcho-feminist talk quoted above is just a smoke screen to justify sado-masochistic
'vices', but the latter could also be a genuine form of living Kali, and it may be this dominatrix
is sincere about what she says. One might also reply David Koresh was sincere. The point
would be to assess if this (self-styled?) priestess of Kali is leading a fulfilling life. On one
hand, women's liberation means that they have the potential to fulfil whatever form of
sexuality they feel right about, provided human rights are not transgressed, on the other
hand, can sado-masochistic practices help realize the state of non-duality which Kali is?
There is also other documents emanating from the same sect: 'As a priestess, Sarakira has
done many religious rituals where, as she incarnates the terrible Goddess Kali, she has
brought men before her naked in chains. She commands them to crawl in their chains to lay
their head beneath her naked feet where she have them whipped as they must beg and pray
for mercy and forgiveness for the sins of all mankind. Priestess Srakira is also a very
spiritual person. (15) The 'spiritual person' has written a book titled '"Seize the Power,"
especially written for women who [...] want to develop an interest in dominating their men.
(15) Are we dealing here with a parody in the Guenonian/Traditional sense of the word or
are we dealing with a genuine quest or something partaking of both the caricatural and the
authentic? It is claimed Priestess Sarakira 'combines a strict form of female domination with
a sincere religious belief.' (16) One would have to pursue the matter further, either by
reading the book- which we have not done - or getting in touch with her - which we also have
not attempted to do. The point is to see how far Kali can be an inspiration even though the
quality may be missing. It may be that what Priestess Sarakira is doing is perfectly
legitimate from the Guenonian/Traditional point of view, but that legitimacy could also be
situated on a lower scale in the cosmic hierarchy.
The sect to which priestess Sarakira belongs has written or is still publishing an 'Essemian
Manifesto [and it] is a small press, private publication printing that describes some of the
philosophy and rituals of a real, California incorporated (Kali) Goddess-oriented church. The
Essemian Manifesto's premise is that Kali is returning to us through the collective
unconscious by channeling through women who feel spiritually inclined to dominate men. If
you feel that you do not have a spiritual affinity with the premise, you should leave this page
immediately because the Goddess Kali does not take kindly to lurkers or the insincere.' (17)
At least one is warned. It is true that traditional icons represent a standing Kali dominating a
sleepy Shiva who is lying down. It may be that forms of Kali-inspired sado-masochistic
rituals may have a psychic effectiveness, but to have any value, they would have to be
integrated within a larger picture involving the study of metaphysics and devotional practices,
among other things. To be truly relevant to feminism, the Essemian people would have to
be truly in charge and not just satisfying some men's sexual fantasies, if that is the case, or
their own fantasies for that matter.
Another group of female supremacists based in the USA appears to refer to Kali as/for an
inspiration. In their 'Matriarch's Way - the Journal of Female Supremacy' (Premier issue -
Spring 1996), there is an article 'In Defense of the Goddess Kali' written by Richard
Chambers Prescott. On page 83, there is this statement: 'Therefore, the Goddess
Kali[a]Kali's visual image functions to make known what is unknown, cannot be known, in
her dual role as both the creatrix and destructrix of the universe. She is both Beginning and
End and all that falls between.' This is again a reference to the unity-(with)in-duality/duality-
(with)in-unity mystery that is and which is represented by the Divine Mother. This would
suggest a female-supremacy would only be legitimate if it was possessing the techniques to
allow its people to reach non-duality. If, on the contrary, it was maintaining its folks in
dualistic captivity, then it would be as worthless as the binary patriarchal society the female
supremacists seek to overthrow. The article's writer also mentions Sri Ramakrishna who is
seen as expressing the authentic Tantra, as suggested by Barlow himself. In the same
issue of Matriarch's Way on page 102, there is an article - titled 'Shakti Manifestation' and
written by Sri Shivayananda - which is really an 'Excerpt from The Essemian Way,'
suggesting therefore that this group of female supremacists is linked with the above-
mentioned Essemian Sanctuary as the Essemian Way is their journal. It would appear that
there may be substance behind the latter sect as Matriarch's Way - whether one agrees or
not with the philosophy behind it - itself is made up of fairly researched articles, and one
would be inclined to believe they communicate with seriously engaged people, such as,
perhaps, the Essemian Sanctuary.
Another document 'fished' from the Internet titled 'Kali prophecies' stresses the link between
the 'Kali archetype' and the coming future of a female-supremacist governed humanity.
There is no declared author neither is there any mention of the name of the organization the
person may be affiliated with. It may be that this work is the product of a sole individual, the
latter stating: 'We are now on more uncertain ground as this [Kali prophecy] seems to be
talking about something that will happen in the future. But there are signs that Kali is
appearing in our society. The Dominatrix was mostly created by men's sexual fantasies, but
today in the 1990's there are now many women who are also being turned by the Kali
archetype. These women call themselves Female Supremacists. They are not content with
the idea of equality with men and want to dominate them. Since the nineteen eighties there
has been a backlash against the Women's Movement by religious fundamentalists and right-
wing politicians [and as] the fundamentalist movement gains in strength, women will be
forced to abandon their "we only want equality" stance, and possibly realize that they are
caught in a power-game where "the winner takes it all". Equality is not yet possible. This
will allow the women's movement to be Led [sic] by the Female Supremacists, who will inflict
a defeat on the two demons of fundamentalism and right-wing politics. They will be helped
by many men, symbolized by the pet lion Devi rides, who are greatly attracted to Female
Supremacists, and more willing to worship them and be their servants.' (18) The tune of the
music here leaves us puzzled. It is as if the patriarchal form of speech was used here to
promote female supremacy. The language used here appears to us fairly forceful. Of
course the feminine can be forceful but, here, it seems that the game consists of a simple
replacement of male supremacy by female supremacy, without initiating changes in the
much deeper layer of the human psyche that would manifest, for instance, in the form of
speech being used. As such, we do not know whether the author(s) of this document is
(are) male or female. The document itself is a list of solemn prophetic statements. One
would like to sense more substance behind the Kali prophecies.
In Bengal itself, there appears to be a local tradition of Kali-inspired 'feminist' art: the
Kalighat paintings. About them, Ajit Mookerjee writes: 'One of the series of pictures ridicule
men's foolish nature and bad habits, a popular theme in Bengali folk-literature, while another
notable group expresses women's assertiveness. A man is depicted as a lamb whom a
woman leads on a string, or the woman's dominant position is indicated by her trampling of
the male, recalling Kali[a]Kali's trampling on Shiva. The sense of woman's freedom and
power is strong. W.G. Archer [...] observes that 'such pictures may well have been
influenced by dim associations with the goddess Kali and may even, in some oblique way,
have glorified the "female principle".' (19) One would not dream of such in Taliban-ruled
Afganistan or Saudi Arabia where the interpretation of Islam is fundamentalist and women-
oppressing. It may imply that certain representations of the Goddess, such as Mother Kali,
may well also translate in certain social realities in which the woman appears freer than in
other cultural contexts. Then, Kali could well be a principle with the potential to empower
women and her relevance to Western feminism is therefore justified.
With Kali, the potential for psychic expansion seems guaranteed, as (indirectly) shown by
Monica Sjoo in a chapter - titled 'Reclaiming the Dark Mother' - of her already-quoted book: '
The mind/matter dualism has limited western thought for nearly four centuries. The brain
might be a receiver of, a sensitive filter for, as yet unknown physical/psychic processes.
Holograms have shown us that there is no 'here'' and 'there', that the part also contains the
whole. There is no distance in super-space, we exist in multiple universes and realities
simultaneously.' (20) That mind expansion was certainly embodied in the life of Sri
Ramakrishna, certainty sustainable in the person open to the possibility of psychic and
spiritual realities. That 'faith' in the Master's realization might be an impossibility in an
atheistic mind.
One important aspect is that daily life must not be forgotten in the search for Kali but
impregnated by the Mother so to speak. As if to illustrate our point, Lex Hixon quotes
Ramprasad: 'You will receive Mother's breath of wisdom while sitting at home in quiet,
disciplined by the responsibilities of daily life.' (21) The point with Kali is not to escape the
'real world' but to transmute it so to speak so that the magic of the Mother penetrates every
aspects of daily life, especially as perceived by and lived within the human psyche.
To conclude the matter, we have seen that Kali has been and continues to be an inspiration
for certain forms of feminism, from Vivekananda's Vedantic proto-feminism to the US female
supremacists, with in between people like Monica Sjoo. Kali seems to inspire different types
of behaviors from the saintly to the sado-masochistic-within-an-alleged-spiritual-framework.
The realization of the non-dual seems to be the message of Kali to us. On a creative level,
Kali has inspired many artists and writers, from Ramprasad to Monica Sjoo, from the poems
of Vivekananda to the Kalighat paintings. The message of deliverance that Kali proposes is
best said by Sri Ramakrishna: 'In response to a question from Mahima about 'something
holding us back' from spiritual progress "Why? Cut the reins. Cut them with the sword of
Kali's name. "The shackles of Kala, time, are cut by Kali's name.' (22)
Notes
(1) Begg, Ean, Myths And Today's Consciousness, London, Coventure Ltd, 1984, p. 85
(2) Begg, Myths And Todays' Consciousness, p. 85
(3) 19 Ramakrishna Quotes on Kali The Divine Mother - Mahashakti,

http://www.angelfire.com/ma/ramakrishna/kali.html, 29/10/01, p. 1
(4) Mookerjee, Ajit, Kali The Feminine Force, London, Thames and Hudson, 1988, p. 55
(5) Mookerjee, Kali The Feminine Force, p.49
(6) Mookerjee, Kali The Feminine Force, p. 79
(7) Rich, Adrienne, Of Women Born, Virago Press, UK, 1976, p. 39
(8) Sjoo, Monica, New Age And Armageddon: The Goddess or the gurus? Towards a
feminist vision of the future, London, The Women's Press, 1992, p. 12
(9) Penelope Shuttle and Peter Redgrove, Peter, The Wise Wound: Menstruation and
EveryWoman, London, Harper Collins, 1978/86/94, p. 194
(10) Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson, Elinor, Dancing In The flames: the Dark Goddess
in the Transformation of Consciousness, Dublin, Gill & MacMillan Ltd, 1996, pp. 14-15-16
(11) Hixon, Lex, Mother Of The Universe: Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of
Enlightenment, USA, Quest Books - the Theosophical Publishing House, 1994, p. 3
(12) Hixon, Mother Of The Universe, p. 23
(13) Krishna, Indira, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Vedanta Tradition And The Problems of

Women, in Perspectives On Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Vedanta Tradition, India, Sterling
publishers Private Limites, 1991, pp. 235-236-237-238
(14) Mother Kali, http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/MotherKali/Kali.html, 12/11/01, pp. 1-2
(15) Meet Priestess Sarakira, http://members.aol.com/smcpage 4/sarakira.htm, 19/11/01, pp.

1-2
(16) Meet Priestess Sarakira, p.2
(17) Excerpts From The Essemian Manifesto,

http://members.aol.com/smcpage1/excerpts.htm, 15/11/01, p. 3
(18) Kali prophecies, http://www.matriarch.com/kali_prophecies_page_3.htm, 05/03/02, p.1
(19) Mookerjee, Kali The Feminine Force, p. 92
(20) Sjoo, New Age and Armagueddon, p. 135
(21) Hixon, Mother of The Universe, p. 16
(22) 19 Ramakrishna Quotes on Kali[a]li, The Divine Mother - Mahashakti,

http://www.angelfire.com/ma/ramakrishna/kali.html, 29/10/01, p. 1
Bibliography
Begg, Ean, Myths And Today's Consciousness, London, Coventure Ltd, 1984
William Bond and Pamela Suffield, Gospel of the Goddess, USA, Artemis Creation
Publishing, 1989
Hixon, Lex, Mother Of The Universe: Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of
Enlightenment, USA, Quest Books - the Theosophical Publishing House, 1994
Mookerjee, Ajit, Kali The Feminine Force, London, Thames and Hudson, 1988
Neumann, Erich, The Fear of the Feminine, UK, Princeton University Press, 1994
Rich, Adrienne, Of Women Born, UK, Virago Press, 1976, p. 39
Penelope Shuttle and Peter Redgrove, Peter, The Wise Wound: Menstruation and
EveryWoman, London, Harper Collins, 1978/86/94
M. SivaRamkrishna & Sumita Roy, Perspectives On Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Vedanta

Tradition, Sterling publishers Private Limited, India, 1991,
Sjoo, Monica, New Age And Armageddon: The Goddess or the gurus? Towards a feminist
vision of the future, London, The Women's Press, 1992
Whitmont, E.D, Return of the Goddess, UK, Arcana, 1987
Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson, Elinor, Dancing In The flames: the Dark Goddess in
the Transformation of Consciousness, Dublin, Gill & MacMillan Ltd, 1996
JM AVRIL
VARNA AND JATI, CASTES AND LINEAGES - Their relationships with Hinduism and moral
issues,
The 'enlightened' West curses caste and lineage belonging today. The dislike of difference
and hierarchy is partly understandable due the abuses perpetuated in the decaying western
varna feudal structures before its final collapse in the 1700s. When castes/classes are off
balance, abuses of the system are unavoidable: we have known the tyranny of the Church,
then of the King followed by the Merchant's and finally the Worker's. Now we start to see the
tyranny of the Underclass. But the West, in its materialistic criticism, fails to appreciate the
metaphysics at work behind varna and jati as other more traditional sources, those
espousing the cause of the Perennial Philosophy, might describe the castes as the
expression of traditional social engineering, behind the Will of God/dess so to speak, hence
concepts of castes and lineages, in their essence but not in the abuse of them by fallen
humans, have a sanctity about them.
Let us examine this traditional science according to the point of view of its exponents.
Varna is an integral part of Hinduism. One doesn't take the castes away from this tradition.
For instance, the four castes correspond to the four ages of a manvantara, i.e. the entire
cycle of a generation of Adam, a specific human type like Cro-Magnon. "The four
corresponding races [and castes] of men successively, play a predominant role in the
various ages of humanity. The sage [brahmana], belonging the colour white, was the man of
the Golden Age, the Krita Yuga. Then the warrior-man [ksattriya], of a brown or red colour
appeared in the Ages of rites or Silver age, the Treta Yuga. The yellow man, agriculturist
and merchant is the man of the Age of Indecision, the Age of Bronze or Dvapara Yuga.
Lastly come the black man, the artisan and worker, who dominates in the Ages of Conflicts,
the Iron Age or Kali-Yuga." (Danielou, Gods of Love and Ectasy, p.216)
Each sub-cycle, defined by an astrological sign like the Age of Pisces, i.e. Christianity,
Buddhism and Vaisna-ism, age of which we live the twilight, reproduces within itself each
phase of the Four Ages cycle. Thus we have the brahmana period of Western Christian
history, taking fully place from the fall of the Roman Empire till the late Medieval times, a
period in which the Church makes the King. Then due the deteriorating -i.e. increasingly
approaching the periphery of the circle away from the centre (Christ) - evolution of the
Western cycle, we enter a ksattriya period ( late Middle-Ages, Renaissance till the late
1600s) in which the King makes the Church (Henri VIII setting up the Anglican Church), then
a vaisya period in which the Merchant makes King and Church (Calvinism, Cromwell,
American Protestantism) starting to blossom in the 1600s which apex were the 18th and
19th century, the latter seeing the start of the sudra period of Christian history, i.e. the
socialist, anarcho-syndicaliste, national-socialistic and welfare state phase of modernity
collapsing with the fall of the Soviet Union. Below the working class is the under class or the
candala to which we will return.
The above paragraph may appear as a disgression, but the (esoteric?) point of view is that
the symbolism of/behind the varna system can be applied to non-Hindu things as this
symbolism, by its nature, has a potential for universal application. The Age of Pisces is the
era of the masses, the common era where salvation is offered to the 'populace', sudra and
women and that translates in the Hindu tradition as the Bhagavad-Gita in which Krishna
manifests this caste-transcending, but not denying, Piscean influence in Hinduism. Today
with the revival of Taurus in preparation for the Age of Aquarius, the trend may be more
Shivaist and tantric, hence pre-Aryan.
The 'trinity' brahmana, ksattriya, vasya can be linked to the Indo-European tripartition as
defined by Georges Dumezil: priest, warrior, and producer.
Varna is (an expression and application of) dharma. People are born with genetic and
hereditary characteristics, which predispose them, the majority, for a 'pre-ordained' and
specific type of activities. From same-
caste and same-race father to same-caste and same-race son so to speak. The four-fold
caste system relates also to the four elements: fire, air, water, earth. One could say a
specific lower caste is a 'reversed' reflection of a higher caste, sharing certain common
characteristics but fundamental differences as well. For instance, the vasya shares in
common with the brahmana a certain pacifism but one is motivated to attain commercial
peace (earth) and the other spiritual peace (water). Sudra is a lower reflection of the
ksattriya, they share a certain tendency to action and violence, but one will become an
anarchist or a trade-unionist (air) and the other a military officer (fire). So in a way it is: "AS
ABOVE, SO BELOW, BUT REVERSED."
"For the brahmana - the purely [...] contemplative and sacerdotal type - it is the changeless
[...] which is real; [...] The ksattriya has a keen intelligence, but it is turned towards action
and analysis rather than towards contemplation and synthesis; [...] For the vaisya [...] it is
riches, security, prosperity and well-being that are real [...] For [the sudra] it is bodily things
that are real; it is eating and drinking which in this case constitute happiness." (Frithjof
Schuon, Castes and Races, pp. 11-12-13)
Different gods and goddesses are/were more appropriate to specific castes than others.
The Goddess will be the focus of worship in Southern rural populations. Indra is/was the
god of the ksattriya, Brahma the god of the brahmana and the more pre-Aryan and sensual
Shiva, eating meat and drinking on occasions is/was mostly revered by the native Dravidian
which constituted the sudra after the Aryan invasions.
Each caste is also on it is own a whole. An organic - not mechanistic - reproduction of the
four-fold structure will take place in each class. "The functional hierarchy that assures the
transmission of knowledge and rites has been maintained in the framework of Shaivism and
Tantrism among non-Aryan [Dravidian] populations {which were the support of Shaivism],
even though reduced, without distinction of rank, to the position of slaves by the Aryans.
Even today, [Danielou quotes P. Banerjee, Early Indian Religions, p. 41] "in the Mahratta
lands the Aryan Brahmans do not officiate in temples where the Linga is worshipped, there is
a separate caste for that called Gurava, of sudra origin." (Danielou, While the Gods Play, p.
165)
Each has privileges and restrictions. Thus the brahmana may be exempt from manual work
but cannot eat meat and drink, whereas the sudra can eat meat and drink but is compelled
to do manual work.
According to Danielou, the sudra caste may be among the most potentially advantaged for
the conditions of the Kali Yuga; "The external hierarchy of beings and things is often the
opposite of the interior order. This is the reason why, during the Kali Yuga (the present
world age) it is most desirable to be either a woman or a worker (sudra), for through humility
and devotion to their role or work, these people can attain exterior perfection, which in turns
permits the interior [perfection, unlike] the state of prince [which] is disastrous in the dark
age, the discipline [...] is so severe [that so many are bound to fail]. It is not at all by chance
that for nearly the last thousand years, almost all the great mystic poets and holy men of
India have been of humble origin [...]" (ibid, p.165)
"According to Sri Ramakrishna 'the rules of caste are automatically effaced for the man who
has reached perfection and realized the unity of all things." (Schuon, Castes and Races,
p.15) That is to say, the person who is/has realized him/herself - achieved liberation within
one's lifetime - such as Sri Ramakrishna, therefore transcends the caste system and his/her
lineage, re-gaining humanity's original condition of the first phase of the Krita Yuga, which
was caste-free, condition described as the Garden of Eden in Genesis. The sunset of the
Iron Age - which is really the era of the outcaste, "the twilight of the Kali Yuga [...] would
have started in 1939, in the month of May. The final catastrophe will take place during this
twilight. The last traces of this present humankind will have disappeared in 2442."
(Danielou, While the Gods Play, p.197)
The condition of primal unity with the divine (Krita Yuga) has its reflected parody in the
'uniform' confusion of the mud (Kali Yuga); the caste-free, the holy ones, are reflected in a
travesty way in the caste of the ones 'lacking caste', i.e. the candala "offspring of a sudra
father and a brahmani mother" (Schuon, Castes and Races, p. 15) which suggest an
impurity, a hazardous combination, and here we touch maybe the main moral issue in the
Hindu eye. "The 'obsession' of Hinduism is [...] the maintaining of a primordial purity which
is as much intellectual as moral and ritual [and social (our underlining)]." (ibid, p. 1) Dharma-
order versus adharma-chaos. The caste system allows a certain homogeneousness within
each functional section. What we've said about varna can apply to jati as well. "When the
genetic code is transplanted into unsuitable ground, as it is the case with the intermingling
of castes and races, it becomes confused [...] Progress rests on the accentuation of
diversity; in any domain levelling is the prelude to death [...] The more the sexual partners
belong to the same stock, the more the race that they represent belong to the same stock,
the more the race they represent is refined. We are well aware that is the case for animals;
we tend to forget that it applies to humans just as much [...] in hybrid societies, the roles are
poorly distributed." (Danielou, While the Gods Play, p. 159-60) Here Hinduism contradicts
fundamentally 'liberal-humanist' anti-racist assumptions.
Basically, looking at our society attempting to be 'classless' (John Major), we can safely
perceive (one of) the significance (s) of it: a society, now global, in its godless and senile
dissolution, hybrid (rock'n'roll), in which the lowest is worshipped at the expense of the
highest (Bay Watch being more widely watched than BBC2 education programme) as our
society, in its now dying Christian history, is reaching its candala phase: "The outcaste, by
reason of its chaotic character, can be opposed to all men of homogeneous character. One
can say of him that he exhibits a tendency to realise those psychological possibilities which
are excluded for others [our italics]: hence his proneness to transgression [...] often he
appears as a chimney sweep, acrobat, comedian or executioner, not to mention illicit
occupations; in a word he shows a
tendency either to follow bizarre or sinister activities or simply to neglect established rules."
(Schuon, Castes and Races, pp. 15-15-16)
We believe many devout Hindus, Moslems and Buddhists consider the West as being
transgressive, immoral, bizarre and sinister as Schuon's description of the caste-less sounds
representative of our contemporary, post-modern culture in which many show-
business stars are misfits so to speak (James Dean, Jim Morrisson, Michael Jackson, Sid
Vicious and many others) alongside the cult of the 'ugly' and the demonic (Horror movies,
UFO cults, conceptual art, etc.). Many here are fascinated with and 'possessed' by the
deranged as illustrated by serial killers (the success of the Silence of the Lambs for
instance).
As quality is scarce like holy persons, so the reverse is true and in the Kali-Yuga, humanity
is born out of Brahma's anus (Bruno Piaud) and in the sad reign of quantity, the residue is
commonplace.
The tragic dharma of the candala - and that includes most of our 'classless' society in which
the lowest denominator, i.e. money governs - is to express adharma. The religion, which
accepts racial intermingling, is mainly caste-less Islam. But there is no outcaste when there
is the purity arising from the submission (Islam) to Allah, unlike our society submitting in
secular ignorance to contingencies. Islam is the final revelation before the end of the cycle
and the fastest growing religion on this planet.
Even though jati has been approached 'incidentally', what has been discussed on castes can
be applied to lineages as well. When the fairer skinned Aryans pushed towards the South
the darker-skinned Dravidian, they, by the look of it, imposed a racial tune to the already
established caste system, if Danielou is right. Now, when one goes up the scale of the
varna system, one meets still with fairer skins whereas the darker skins predominate in the
lower strata of Hindu society. The Aryans would have then put jati within varna. Then we
can see that the caste system - non-separable from Hinduism - is established so that one
can express and fulfil one's dharma, including the ones no fit to carry out dharma, so that
their dharma is to be and express adharma. Castes are transcended by
the saints, whatever their caste provenance, so in theory and sometimes in practice the
candala can reach salvation. The caste system is organic and cosmic, in essence purely
dharma, whereas our outcaste society is mechanistic, divorced from cosmos; hence, it is
adharma.
JM AVRIL
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Danielou Alain, Gods of Love and Ecstasy - The Traditions of Shiva and Dionysus, Inner
Traditions, Rochester, Vermont, 1984/1992
Danielou Alain, While the Gods play - Shaiva Oracles and Predictions on the Cycles of
History and the Destiny of Mankind, Inner Traditions, Rochester, Vermont, 1987
Bruno Bruneau-Piaud, Sectes: un fleau contre-initiatique in L'Age d'Or - Spiritualite et

Tradition No 7, Winter 1987, Editions Pardes, Puiseaux, France
Schuon, Frithjof, Castes and races, perennial Books, UK, 1982
RECEIVING THE BLESSINGS OF KRISHNA
As part of this assignment, I went to a religious service and I choose the Hindu temple in the
Hindu Community Centre opposite FCH. I will answer the questions and describe whenever
appropriate the service trying to convey some of the symbolism and impressions I had.
Size, age range, class, ethnic mix, dress code of the congregation? What does that tell me
about the community?
The women usually dress in the Indian fashion, although some with Western accessories,
the men usually dress fairly Western, but discreetly. Many of them seem to be between fifty
and sixty. Occasional younger people are present too. An attendant told me there are more
people on Saturday than Sunday. The people seem to be working people, possibly (lower)
middle-class. When I went there, I was the only Western European person present. It may
mean not a great deal of Gloucestershire men are not interested in Hinduism.
Basic structure of the service? Formal/informal?

The service is fairly relax, so was the impression I got. The ceremony is made of different
chanting or mantra - 'vocal formulas of a magical nature' (Danielou, Gods of love and
ecstasy, p. 179), one for each deity or god and goddess, each of them representing an
aspect of the One Creator. There are offerings - 'the third sacrifice is offering to the gods the
first-fruits of all things which constitute our food' (Danielou, Gods of Love and Ecstasy, p.
166) made to each of the deities: Lord Krishna and, to His left, His shakti (female consort or
goddess) Radha. Rama, to the right of Lord Krishna and to His left when seen from the
audience), an aspect of Durga, the demon-slaying goddess sitting on a lion behind which
stands a representation of Durga Herself sitting on a tiger, Ganesha - 'the elephant-headed
god ... son of the goddess ... seemingly impossible unity between macrocosm and
microcosm ... god of wisdom ... invoked before anything is undertaken' (Danielou, While the
Gods Play, p. 117), Lord Shiva in the form of a cobra before a phallic black stone - 'A snake
entwines the Linga of Shiva and with its pointed tongues touches the opening. Shiva himself
wears snakes as ornaments around his neck and arms' (Danielou, Gods of Love and
Ecstasy, p. 120 - and Hanuman the monkey god, symbolising "cunning and strength" and
"the Tantric power to transform even the fiercest emotions into spiritual energy", ( Fontana,
The Secret Language of Symbols, p. 90) to the right of Rama of which Hanuman is an ally.
Although the service seems fairly relax, there is a devotional commitment which may be
perceived as more formal. There are prostations with the hands and the head. The women
are on the left facing Rama and the men on the right facing Durga. There is a lighting and
offering of flame on a lamp, Agni the fire god - 'Fire is the symbol of the universal sacrifice ...
a sort of limit between two states of being ... Any offering to the gods is thrown into the
mouth of Agni, the God of Fire. It was Agni who received Shiva's sperm, which gave birth to
Skanda when the god offered his own substance in sacrifice' (Danielou, Gods of Love and
Ecstasy, p. 166). At some stage a person approaches the lamp to each participant. The
participant approaches his/her hands close to the flame then make the gesture of washing
his forehead with the hands purified, blessed by Agni. Then milk is offered in the join palms
of the hand and the participant spread the milk drops on his/her face from bottom to top. If
one recalls the cow is a sacred animal in India, when one will understands the symbolism of
milk. The chanting of the mantra is accompanied by music made of cymbals, tabula, bells
and a kind of organ.
What was the role of the minister?
It seems that there is no a minister as such, but one or two persons delegated to make the
offerings, light the flame on the lamp, take the lamp to each participant, etc.
What was the role of women in the service?
The women were chanting, one or two leading the singing. A woman was attending the
statues of the deities. Basically There seems to be a equality in terms of gender but the
women sit on the left and the men on the right when facing the deities.
How did the architecture, design and decoration of the building reflect the mood and content
of the service? Explain the symbolism of decorative and ritual items like candles, incense,
etc.
Although the temple is build in a former Christian church, the interior is Hindu-designed, full
of colours and the different deities manifesting the One, symbolising unity behind multiplicity.
The use of flames represent, as said before, Agni the god of Fire. Beauty pleases the gods
which is why a delicate scent (incense) is appropriate. The service is a Bhakti service, that
is devotional, as opposed to more contemplative like the Yogi. So one shows love to the
gods by making a fine representation of them (the design of the statues and their clothing)
and one doesn't profane the place of worship by wearing shoes, symbol of the outside
profane world.
How was God portrayed?
Although we couldn't understand the content of the mantra as we don't speak Hindi, we felt
the devotion springing out of the mantra. As said before the Supreme is worshipped in Its
manifested spiritual aspects: Lord Krishna, an Avatara of Vishnu the God of Cosmic
Preservation, is the main focus of worship. In Hinduism, as in our native ancient traditions be
they Celtic, Nordic, Germanic, etc. The One can be approached through the worship of one
deity. So some will privilegy Shiva over Brahma, some will worship Kali more often than
Parvati. Each deity may appeal to one on account of one's psychological and emotional,
among other things, predisposition. It is quite likely the practice is still maintained in Catholic
rural areas of Europe with the veneration to the saints. One venerating the Virgin Mary
reaches the Son or the Father through the very veneration to the Immaculate Conception.
Not understanding Hindi, I don't know how humanity was portrayed.
How, if at all, was salvation/ the after-life presented?
The point is to escape Samsara, the chain of deaths and rebirths occurring due to ignorance.
They didn't explain me how to escape Samsara, apart from mentioning that ethics are
important. It is better to generate good karma as opposed to bad karma. Good karma can
allow one to expend horizontally (rajas) or rise (sattva) whereas bad karma pulls one further
down the path of ignorance and darkness (tamas) swallowed by Samsara so to speak. My
guess is that by identifying with a specific deity, one may reach the paradise governed by
that deity after one's passing away, however this is true in Mahayana Buddhism, I don't
know if Hindus think the same way. That remains to be confirmed.
Any other observations?
I sense the Hindu devotees were more decent than our Western cleverness which probably
creates a barrier between us and the receiving of spiritual blessings as one needs to be
humble to receive it. The worshippers included me in the service by offering me the
blessings of Agni and the sacred milk. I was touched by their gesture. To me it is a sign of
acceptance which they confirmed by inviting me to come along whenever I wanted it.
Why did you decide to visit that place of worship?
I wanted since roughly eight years to visit a Hindu Temple. I have been interested in the
worship of Shiva and Shakti - and the metaphysics behind it - for at least five years.
Hinduism is a living testimony of what could have happened to our European native
traditions if Greece and Latin religions didn't fall as they did in their agony, in other words
becoming 'pagan' in the pejorative sense. That native 'paganism' was absorbed in
Catholicism and the Orthodoxy in their recycling of European festivals which allowed for a
harmonisation between the original Semitic spirit of Christianity and the native Indo-
European mentality. That harmony was destroyed by Calvin and Cromwell, both literalist.
Even though I respect more (aspects) of Catholicism and the Orthodoxy than I used to, I still
find Hinduism more liberating on a personal level, partly because Hinduism is capable of
reconciling different realities which are excluded in monotheistic religions.
Other aspects
One cannot fail to notice the 'blossoming' of colours in the decoration of the temple as well
as the beauty of the clothes with which the deities are clothed. Life seems to spring from a
fairy tale, an Eden of the imagination. To one inclined to a more austere spiritual path, all
this may seem if not hedonistic at least 'pagan'. But one might forget that the luxuriance of
colours and ornamentation may represent the state out of which we come from and to which
we should strive to return, the Self which Truth, Love and Beauty. Eden is still a timeless
potential awaiting us to go back once we finish with the clouds of the ego obscuring the
eternally here and there blue sky of what we are essentially, call it 'the kingdom within'
and/or the Buddha nature within all of us.
One also will remark the swastikas ornamenting the above of the temple. A devotee told me
it symbolises good luck. Also, "The swastika is the symbol of the irrational. It reminds us
that the principle which is at the origin of the world, and that the universe itself are twisted
(vakra) ... Starting from the nonspatial point (bindu), the universe develops in a spatial form;
this is represented by a cross, image of the union between Purusha and Prakriti: one
becomes lost in space if either the inner or outer branches of the swastika are followed. One
never reaches the centre ... All slogans are by their very nature wrong. For this reason the
swastika is a beneficial sign: inscribed on the door of a temple or a house, it reminds us that
there is no logical solution to any problem and that all simplification leads to absurdity."
(Danielou, While the Gods Play, p. 260). Following that, could one speculate that the nazis
were destroyed by their abusing the swastika in seeking a simplistic and criminal solution to
the problems befalling Germany and Europe between the two World Wars. Benefiting from
the good luck symbol during the first six years of the Third Reich, the swastika then cursed
the Nazis as their regime was acting in disharmony with the metaphysics of the swastika.
The service was typically bhakti, that is devotional, based on love expressed by chanting
mantra.
To conclude, we will talk about Lord Krishna. "Krishna is the eighth Avatara of Vishnu; but
he is invariably depicted as being of the colour of Shiva, and this is indicated in his name.
The explanation is no doubt that the ninth Avatara was the founder of Buddhism, whereas
the tenth will have a universal function that concerns all religions. Krishna is thus, for this
cycle of time, the last Divine descent on behalf of Hinduism; and it is in perfect accordance
with his finality that within the framework of Vishnu he should be representative of Shiva.
This is borne out by the Bhagavad-Gita, the Song of the lord, namely of Krishna, for its
perspective is Shivaite rather than Vishnuite." (Lings, Symbol and Archetype, p. 42)
JM AVRIL
Bibliography
Danielou A., Gods of Love and Ecstasy - The Traditions of Shiva and Dyonisus, Inner
Traditions, Rochester, Vermont, 1984/1992
Danielou A., While the Gods play - Shaiva Oracles and Predictions on the Cycles of History
and the Destiny of Mankind, Inner Traditions, Rochester, Vermont, 1987
Lings M., Symbol and Archetype - A Study of the Meaning of Existence, Quinta Essentia,
UK, 1991
Fontana D., The Secret Language of Symbols - A Visual Key to Symbols and their
Meanings, Pavilion Book Limited, London, 1993

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Homosexuality in Ancient and Contemporar

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HOMOSEXUALITY IN ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY HINDUISM

THE THIRD SEX

The Metaphysics Of The Third Nature According to Dravidian Shivaite Philosophy

Vaishnava Opinions on the Third Nature

Psychology Of The Third Nature

Social class and community

Variations within the Third Nature

Diversity Versus Leveling

Sexual Acts And Scriptural Law

The Third Nature and Agarjuna

The Third Nature, Celibacy and the Spiritual Path

The Third Nature and Lord Caitanya

Other Confirmations Of Hinduism's Traditional Tolerance Towards Homosexuality

MODERN AND ANTI-TRADITIONAL INDIAN ATTITUDES TO THE THIRD SEX

Fiery Debates Generated by a Film Depicting Lesbianism

Concerning The Foreign Anti-Homosexual Infection

The Case Of Castration

The meaning behind the oppression of the Third Nature

Confirmation of Malevolent Victorian Influences

WHY HOMOSEXUALITY MIGHT NOT BE TOLERATED WITHIN SECTIONS OF THE

Objections to the Sanatana Dharma's acceptance of homosexuality

(8) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(9) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(10) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(11) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(13) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(14) Danielou, The Complete Kaama Sutra, p. 71

(15) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(16) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(18) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(19) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(20) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(21) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(22) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(23) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(24) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(25) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(26) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(27) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(28) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(29) Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(30) The Religion Report, on Wednesday 28/02/01, Religion and Homophobia,

(31) Dr Dedvutt Pattanalk, Homosexuality In Ancient India,

(32) International News, http;//www.longyangclub.org/toronto/1998.htm, 5/12/01, pp. 2-3

(34) International News, http;//www.longyangclub.org/toronto/1998.htm, 5/12/01, pp. 2-3

(35) Bachmann, Monica, After the Fire, in Queering India, p. 238

(37) Bachmann, Monica, After the Fire, in Queering India, p. 235

(38) Patel, On Fire in Queering India, p.223

(39) Bachmann, Monica, After the Fire, in Queering India, p. 239

(40) Danielou, The Complete Kaama sutra, pp. 10-11)

(41) International News, http://www.longyangclub.org/toronto/1998.htm, 5/12/01, p. 9

(42) Sreekishen nair (@ spider-wi081.proxy.aol.com)on: Tue Sep 4 17:34:02, India - without

(43) Amara Das Wilheim, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(45) Amara Das Wilheim, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(46) Amara Das Wilheim, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(47) Amara Das Wilheim, Tritiya-pakriti: people of the Third Sex,

(48) The Religion Report, on Wednesday 28/02/01, Religion and Homophobia,

(49) Danielou, While The Gods Play, p. 176

(51) Dr Dedvutt Pattanalk, Homosexuality in ancient India,

"I am not one of those," he chanted

[reference not given]

(2) Begg, Myths And Todays' Consciousness, p. 85

(3) 19 Ramakrishna Quotes on Kali The Divine Mother - Mahashakti,

(5) Mookerjee, Kali The Feminine Force, p.49