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Did Homosexuality exist in ancient India?

Jun 30, 2009 | Filed under Articles, Blog.

DID HOMOSEXUALITY EXIST IN ANCIENT INDIA?
By Devdutt Pattanaik
The answer in many respects depends on what we mean by homosexuality. Do we limit ourselves only to sexual acts between members of the same sex and leave out romantic affection? Do we distinguish between those men who occasionally have sex with other men but otherwise live heterosexual lives, and those for whom their sexual preference forms the core of their identity? Do we consider same-sex intercourse that occurs in the course of a subterfuge, or as a result of frustration or desperation? And do we include liaisons involving those who consider themselves neither male nor female (for example, hijras)? Definitions are important because ‘homosexuality’ does not connote the same thing to all people. Besides, the meaning has changed over time. As has the meaning of heterosexuality.
Until early 20th century, ‘heterosexuality’ was used to refer to ‘morbid sexual practices’ between men and women such as oral and anal intercourse, as opposed to ‘normal’ procreative sex. The term homosexuality – that is so casually used today and is almost an everyday vocabulary – came into being only in the late 19th century Europe when discussions on the varied expressions of sex and sexuality became acceptable in academic circles. The term was used to describe “morbid sexual passion between members of the same sex.” It was declared ‘unnatural’ by colonial laws, as unnatural as casual sex between men and women that was not aimed at conception.
The term homosexuality and the laws prohibiting ‘unnatural’ sex were imposed across the world through imperial might. Though they exerted a powerful influence on subsequent attitudes, they were neither universal nor timeless. They were – it must be kept in mind – products of minds that were deeply influenced by the ’sex is sin’ stance of the Christian Bible. With typical colonial condescension, European definitions, laws, theories and attitudes totally disregarded how similar sexual activity was perceived in other cultures.
There never has been across geography or history a standard expression of, or a common attitude towards sexual acts between members of the same sex. Love of a man for a boy was institutionalised in ancient Greece, amongst Samurais in Japan, in certain African as well as Polynesian tribes. Amongst some Native and South American tribes, erotic relationships between men was acceptable so long as one of the partners was ‘feminine’. For Arabs, so medieval travellers claim, ‘women were for home and hearth, while boys were for pleasure’. These cultures offer no synonym for same-sex intercourse. It was perhaps a practice that did not merit definition, categorization or even condemnation. So long as it did not threaten the dominant heterosexual social construct.
To find out if homosexuality or same-sex intercourse existed in India, and in what form, we have to turn to three sources: images on temple walls, sacred narratives and ancient law books.
What the walls show
Construction of Hindu temples in stone began around the sixth century of the Common Era. Construction reached climax between the twelfth and the fourteenth century when the grand pagodas of eastern and southern India such as Puri and Tanjore came into being. On the walls and gateways of these magnificent structures we find a variety of images: gods, goddesses, demons, nymphs, sages, warriors, lovers, priests, monsters, dragons, plants and animals. Amongst scenes from epics and legends, one invariably finds erotic images including those that modern law deems unnatural and society considers obscene. Curiously enough, similar images also embellish prayer halls and cave temples of monastic orders such as Buddhism and Jainism built around the same time.
The range of erotic sculptures is wide: from dignified couples exchanging romantic glances, to wild orgies involving warriors, sages and courtesans. Occasionally one finds images depicting bestiality coupled with friezes of animals in intercourse. All rules are broken: elephants are shown copulating with tigers, monkeys molest women while men mate with asses. And once in a while, hidden in niches as in Khajuraho, one does find images of either women erotically embracing other women or men displaying their genitals to each other, the former being more common (suggesting a tilt in favour of the male voyeur).
These images cannot be simply dismissed as perverted fantasies of an artist or his patron considering the profound ritual importance given to these shrines. There have been many explanations offered for these images – ranging from the apologetic to the ridiculous. Some scholars hold a rather puritanical view that devotees are being exhorted to leave these sexual thoughts aside before entering the sanctum sanctorum. Others believe that hidden in these images is a sacred Tantric geometry; the aspirant can either be deluded by the sexuality of the images or enlightened by deciphering the geometrical patterns therein. One school of thought considers these images to representations of either occult rites or fertility ceremonies. Another suggests that these were products of degenerate minds obsessed with sex in a corrupt phase of Indian history. According to ancient treatises on architecture, a religious structure is incomplete unless its walls depicts something erotic, for sensual pleasures (kama) are as much an expression of life as are righteous conduct (dharma), economic endeavours (artha) and spiritual pursuits (moksha).
Interpretations and judgements aside, these images to tell us that the ‘idea’ of same-sex and what the colonial rulers termed ‘unnatural’ intercourse did exist in India. One can only speculate if the images represent the common or the exception.
What the stories suggest
In Indian epics and chronicles, there are occasional references to same-sex intercourse. For example, in the Valmiki Ramayana, Hanuman is said to have seen Rakshasa women kissing and embracing those women who have been kissed and embraced by Ravana. In the Padma Purana is the story of a king who dies before he can give his two queens the magic potion that will make them pregnant. Desperate to bear his child, the widows drink the potion, make love to each other (one behaving as a man, the other as a woman) and conceive a child. Unfortunately, as two women are involved in the rite of conception, the child is born without bones or brain (according to ancient belief, the mother gives the fetus flesh and blood, while the father gives the bone and brain). In these stories, the same-sex intercourse, born of frustration or desperation, is often a poor substitute of heterosexual sex.
More common are stories of women turning into men and men turning into women. In the Mahabharata, Drupada raises his daughter Shikhandini as a man and even gets ‘him’ a wife. When the wife discovers the truth on the wedding night, all hell breaks loose; her father threatens to destroy Drupada’s kingdom. The timely intervention of Yaksha saves the day: he lets Shikhandini use his manhood for a night and perform his husbandly duties. In the Skanda Purana, two Brahmins desperate for money disguise themselves as a newly married couple and try to dupe a pious queen in the hope of securing rich gifts. But such is the queen’s piety that the gods decide to prevent her from being made a fool; they turn the Brahmin dressed as a bride into a real woman. The two Brahmins thus end up marrying each other and all ends well. According to a folk narrative from Koovagam in Tamil Nadu, the Pandavas were told to sacrifice Arjuna’s son Aravan if they wished to win the war at Kurukshetra. Aravan refused to die a virgin. As no woman was willing to marry a man doomed to die in a day, Krishna’s help was sought. Krishna turned into a woman, married Aravan, spent a night with him and when he was finally beheaded, mourned for him like a widow. These stories allow women to have sex with women and men to have sex with men on heterosexual terms. One may interpret these tales as repressed homosexual fantasies of a culture.
Perhaps the most popular stories revolving around gender metamorphoses are those related to Mohini, the female incarnation of Lord Vishnu. They are found in many Puranas. Vishnu becomes a woman to trick demons and tempt sages. When the gods and demons churn the elixir of immortality out of the ocean of milk, Mohini distracts the demons with her beauty and ensures that only the gods sip the divine drink. In another story, Mohini tricks a demon with the power to incinerate any creature by his mere touch to place his hand on his own head. Mohini is so beautiful that when Shiva looks upon her he sheds semen out of which are born mighty heroes such as Hanuman (according to Shiva Purana) and Ayyappa (according to the Malayalee folk lore). One wonders why Vishnu himself transforms into a woman when he could have appointed a nymph or goddess to do the needful. However, devotees brush aside even the suggestion of a homosexual subtext; for them this sexual transformation is merely a necessary subterfuge to ensure cosmic stability. He who is enchanted by Mohini’s form remains trapped in the material world; he who realizes Mohini’s essence (Vishnu) attains liberation.
In the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Mohini tells Brahma, “Any man who refuses to satisfy a willing woman in her fertile period is a eunuch.” This idea is explicit in the Mahabharata when Arjuna is deprived of his manhood after he spurns the sexual attentions of the nymph Urvashi. Consequently, the mighty archer is forced to live as a ‘eunuch dance teacher’ called Brihanalla in the court of King Virata for a year. All this suggests that in ancient India, men who were ‘unlike men’, unwilling or incapable to have intercourse with women, were deprived of their manhood and expected to live as women in the fringes of mainstream society. Perhaps this explains the existence of the hijra community in India. Like Brihanalla of Mahabharata, hijras have served in the female quarters of royal households for centuries.
Hijras are organized communities comprises of males who express themselves socially as women. They are a mix of transsexuals (men who believe themselves to be women), transvestites (men who dress in women’s clothes), homosexual (men who are sexually and romantically attracted to men), hermaphrodites (men whose genitals are poorly defined due to genetic defect or hormonal imbalance) and eunuchs (castrated men). In one of the many folk stories associated with Bahucharaji (patron goddess of hijras worshipped in Gujarat), the goddess was once a princess who castrated her husband because he preferred going to forest and ‘behaving as a woman’ instead of coming to her bridal bed. In another story, the 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.
The idea of men who are not quite male or female was known in India for a long time. Such beings were known as kliba. In the Brahmana texts, written eight centuries before Christ we learn that when the gods separated the three worlds, there was sorrow. The gods cast the sorrow of the heaven into a whore (socially improper woman), the sorrow of the nether regions into the rogue (socially improper man) and the sorrow of earth into the kliba (biologically imperfect human). In later Hindu texts such as Manusmriti, the kliba was forbidden for participating in rituals; he was not allowed to possess property. Scholars believe the kliba was an umbrella term not unlike present-day words like namard and napunsak, which could mean anything from sexually dysfunctional male to impotent man to homosexual. One text describes fourteen different types of klibas, one of whom is a man who uses his mouth as a vagina (mukhabhaga). Hijras believe that they are neither male nor female, making them the descendents of the ancient kliba (though there is no definite proof in this regard). 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 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.
What the scriptures reveal
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. Men will deposit semen in apertures not meant for them (Mouth? Anus?). 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 Kamasutra, there is a rather 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. Since laws are not made on activities that don’t exist, a study of these scriptures does give an insight into behaviours in ancient India that merited a law.
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, smelling wine or things that are not to be smelled, crookedness, and sexual union with a man are traditionally said to cause loss of caste.” And: “If a man has shed his semen in non-human females, in a man, in a menstruating woman, in something other than a vagina, or in water, he should carry out the ‘Painful Heating’ vow.” Further: “If a twice-born man unites sexually with a man or a woman in a cart pulled by a cow, or in water, or by day, he should bathe with his clothes on.” The ‘Painful Heating’ vow is traditionally said to consist of cow’s urine, cow dung, milk, yogurt, melted butter, water infused with sacrificial grass, and a fast of one night. Compared to the treatment of female homosexuals, the treatment of male homosexuals is relatively mild. Note that there are no threats of ‘eternal’ damnation, unlike the dogmas of Judeo-Christian-Islamic scriptures. There is nothing permanent in the Hindu world. There is always another life, another chance.
An overview of temple imagery, sacred narratives and religious scriptures does suggest that homosexual activities – in some form – did exist in ancient India. Though not part of the mainstream, its existence 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. The question that remains now is: how does attitudes towards homosexuals in ancient India affect modern-day attitudes? Is our approval or disapproval of same-sex affection and intercourse dependent on ancient values? 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.

First Published in Debonair, Annual issue, 2000

gaytempleimageThe answer in many respects depends on what we mean by homosexuality. Do we limit ourselves only to sexual acts between members of the same sex and leave out romantic affection? Do we distinguish between those men who occasionally have sex with other men but otherwise live heterosexual lives, and those for whom their sexual preference forms the core of their identity? Do we consider same-sex intercourse that occurs in the course of a subterfuge, or as a result of frustration or desperation? And do we include liaisons involving those who consider themselves neither male nor female (for example, hijras)? Definitions are important because ‘homosexuality’ does not connote the same thing to all people. Besides, the meaning has changed over time. As has the meaning of heterosexuality.

Until early 20th century, ‘heterosexuality’ was used to refer to ‘morbid sexual practices’ between men and women such as oral and anal intercourse, as opposed to ‘normal’ procreative sex. The term homosexuality – that is so casually used today and is almost an everyday vocabulary – came into being only in the late 19th century Europe when discussions on the varied expressions of sex and sexuality became acceptable in academic circles. The term was used to describe “morbid sexual passion between members of the same sex.” It was declared ‘unnatural’ by colonial laws, as unnatural as casual sex between men and women that was not aimed at conception.

The term homosexuality and the laws prohibiting ‘unnatural’ sex were imposed across the world through imperial might. Though they exerted a powerful influence on subsequent attitudes, they were neither universal nor timeless. They were – it must be kept in mind – products of minds that were deeply influenced by the ’sex is sin’ stance of the Christian Bible. With typical colonial condescension, European definitions, laws, theories and attitudes totally disregarded how similar sexual activity was perceived in other cultures.

There never has been across geography or history a standard expression of, or a common attitude towards sexual acts between members of the same sex. Love of a man for a boy was institutionalised in ancient Greece, amongst Samurais in Japan, in certain African as well as Polynesian tribes. Amongst some Native and South American tribes, erotic relationships between men was acceptable so long as one of the partners was ‘feminine’. For Arabs, so medieval travellers claim, ‘women were for home and hearth, while boys were for pleasure’. These cultures offer no synonym for same-sex intercourse. It was perhaps a practice that did not merit definition, categorization or even condemnation. So long as it did not threaten the dominant heterosexual social construct.

To find out if homosexuality or same-sex intercourse existed in India, and in what form, we have to turn to three sources: images on temple walls, sacred narratives and ancient law books.

What the walls show

Construction of Hindu temples in stone began around the sixth century of the Common Era. Construction reached climax between the twelfth and the fourteenth century when the grand pagodas of eastern and southern India such as Puri and Tanjore came into being. On the walls and gateways of these magnificent structures we find a variety of images: gods, goddesses, demons, nymphs, sages, warriors, lovers, priests, monsters, dragons, plants and animals. Amongst scenes from epics and legends, one invariably finds erotic images including those that modern law deems unnatural and society considers obscene. Curiously enough, similar images also embellish prayer halls and cave temples of monastic orders such as Buddhism and Jainism built around the same time.

The range of erotic sculptures is wide: from dignified couples exchanging romantic glances, to wild orgies involving warriors, sages and courtesans. Occasionally one finds images depicting bestiality coupled with friezes of animals in intercourse. All rules are broken: elephants are shown copulating with tigers, monkeys molest women while men mate with asses. And once in a while, hidden in niches as in Khajuraho, one does find images of either women erotically embracing other women or men displaying their genitals to each other, the former being more common (suggesting a tilt in favour of the male voyeur).

These images cannot be simply dismissed as perverted fantasies of an artist or his patron considering the profound ritual importance given to these shrines. There have been many explanations offered for these images – ranging from the apologetic to the ridiculous. Some scholars hold a rather puritanical view that devotees are being exhorted to leave these sexual thoughts aside before entering the sanctum sanctorum. Others believe that hidden in these images is a sacred Tantric geometry; the aspirant can either be deluded by the sexuality of the images or enlightened by deciphering the geometrical patterns therein. One school of thought considers these images to representations of either occult rites or fertility ceremonies. Another suggests that these were products of degenerate minds obsessed with sex in a corrupt phase of Indian history. According to ancient treatises on architecture, a religious structure is incomplete unless its walls depicts something erotic, for sensual pleasures (kama) are as much an expression of life as are righteous conduct (dharma), economic endeavours (artha) and spiritual pursuits (moksha).

Interpretations and judgements aside, these images to tell us that the ‘idea’ of same-sex and what the colonial rulers termed ‘unnatural’ intercourse did exist in India. One can only speculate if the images represent the common or the exception.

What the stories suggest

In Indian epics and chronicles, there are occasional references to same-sex intercourse. For example, in the Valmiki Ramayana, Hanuman is said to have seen Rakshasa women kissing and embracing those women who have been kissed and embraced by Ravana. In the Padma Purana is the story of a king who dies before he can give his two queens the magic potion that will make them pregnant. Desperate to bear his child, the widows drink the potion, make love to each other (one behaving as a man, the other as a woman) and conceive a child. Unfortunately, as two women are involved in the rite of conception, the child is born without bones or brain (according to ancient belief, the mother gives the fetus flesh and blood, while the father gives the bone and brain). In these stories, the same-sex intercourse, born of frustration or desperation, is often a poor substitute of heterosexual sex.

More common are stories of women turning into men and men turning into women. In the Mahabharata, Drupada raises his daughter Shikhandini as a man and even gets ‘him’ a wife. When the wife discovers the truth on the wedding night, all hell breaks loose; her father threatens to destroy Drupada’s kingdom. The timely intervention of Yaksha saves the day: he lets Shikhandini use his manhood for a night and perform his husbandly duties. In the Skanda Purana, two Brahmins desperate for money disguise themselves as a newly married couple and try to dupe a pious queen in the hope of securing rich gifts. But such is the queen’s piety that the gods decide to prevent her from being made a fool; they turn the Brahmin dressed as a bride into a real woman. The two Brahmins thus end up marrying each other and all ends well. According to a folk narrative from Koovagam in Tamil Nadu, the Pandavas were told to sacrifice Arjuna’s son Aravan if they wished to win the war at Kurukshetra. Aravan refused to die a virgin. As no woman was willing to marry a man doomed to die in a day, Krishna’s help was sought. Krishna turned into a woman, married Aravan, spent a night with him and when he was finally beheaded, mourned for him like a widow. These stories allow women to have sex with women and men to have sex with men on heterosexual terms. One may interpret these tales as repressed homosexual fantasies of a culture.

Perhaps the most popular stories revolving around gender metamorphoses are those related to Mohini, the female incarnation of Lord Vishnu. They are found in many Puranas. Vishnu becomes a woman to trick demons and tempt sages. When the gods and demons churn the elixir of immortality out of the ocean of milk, Mohini distracts the demons with her beauty and ensures that only the gods sip the divine drink. In another story, Mohini tricks a demon with the power to incinerate any creature by his mere touch to place his hand on his own head. Mohini is so beautiful that when Shiva looks upon her he sheds semen out of which are born mighty heroes such as Hanuman (according to Shiva Purana) and Ayyappa (according to the Malayalee folk lore). One wonders why Vishnu himself transforms into a woman when he could have appointed a nymph or goddess to do the needful. However, devotees brush aside even the suggestion of a homosexual subtext; for them this sexual transformation is merely a necessary subterfuge to ensure cosmic stability. He who is enchanted by Mohini’s form remains trapped in the material world; he who realizes Mohini’s essence (Vishnu) attains liberation.

In the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Mohini tells Brahma, “Any man who refuses to satisfy a willing woman in her fertile period is a eunuch.” This idea is explicit in the Mahabharata when Arjuna is deprived of his manhood after he spurns the sexual attentions of the nymph Urvashi. Consequently, the mighty archer is forced to live as a ‘eunuch dance teacher’ called Brihanalla in the court of King Virata for a year. All this suggests that in ancient India, men who were ‘unlike men’, unwilling or incapable to have intercourse with women, were deprived of their manhood and expected to live as women in the fringes of mainstream society. Perhaps this explains the existence of the hijra community in India. Like Brihanalla of Mahabharata, hijras have served in the female quarters of royal households for centuries.

Hijras are organized communities comprises of males who express themselves socially as women. They are a mix of transsexuals (men who believe themselves to be women), transvestites (men who dress in women’s clothes), homosexual (men who are sexually and romantically attracted to men), hermaphrodites (men whose genitals are poorly defined due to genetic defect or hormonal imbalance) and eunuchs (castrated men). In one of the many folk stories associated with Bahucharaji (patron goddess of hijras worshipped in Gujarat), the goddess was once a princess who castrated her husband because he preferred going to forest and ‘behaving as a woman’ instead of coming to her bridal bed. In another story, the 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.

The idea of men who are not quite male or female was known in India for a long time. Such beings were known as kliba. In the Brahmana texts, written eight centuries before Christ we learn that when the gods separated the three worlds, there was sorrow. The gods cast the sorrow of the heaven into a whore (socially improper woman), the sorrow of the nether regions into the rogue (socially improper man) and the sorrow of earth into the kliba (biologically imperfect human). In later Hindu texts such as Manusmriti, the kliba was forbidden for participating in rituals; he was not allowed to possess property. Scholars believe the kliba was an umbrella term not unlike present-day words like namard and napunsak, which could mean anything from sexually dysfunctional male to impotent man to homosexual. One text describes fourteen different types of klibas, one of whom is a man who uses his mouth as a vagina (mukhabhaga). Hijras believe that they are neither male nor female, making them the descendents of the ancient kliba (though there is no definite proof in this regard). 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 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.

What the scriptures reveal

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. Men will deposit semen in apertures not meant for them (Mouth? Anus?). 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 Kamasutra, there is a rather 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. Since laws are not made on activities that don’t exist, a study of these scriptures does give an insight into behaviours in ancient India that merited a law.

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, smelling wine or things that are not to be smelled, crookedness, and sexual union with a man are traditionally said to cause loss of caste.” And: “If a man has shed his semen in non-human females, in a man, in a menstruating woman, in something other than a vagina, or in water, he should carry out the ‘Painful Heating’ vow.” Further: “If a twice-born man unites sexually with a man or a woman in a cart pulled by a cow, or in water, or by day, he should bathe with his clothes on.” The ‘Painful Heating’ vow is traditionally said to consist of cow’s urine, cow dung, milk, yogurt, melted butter, water infused with sacrificial grass, and a fast of one night. Compared to the treatment of female homosexuals, the treatment of male homosexuals is relatively mild. Note that there are no threats of ‘eternal’ damnation, unlike the dogmas of Judeo-Christian-Islamic scriptures. There is nothing permanent in the Hindu world. There is always another life, another chance.

An overview of temple imagery, sacred narratives and religious scriptures does suggest that homosexual activities – in some form – did exist in ancient India. Though not part of the mainstream, its existence 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. The question that remains now is: how does attitudes towards homosexuals in ancient India affect modern-day attitudes? Is our approval or disapproval of same-sex affection and intercourse dependent on ancient values? 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.

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  1. AS

    Hi,

    This is alright,but the GAY couple shouldn,t come to the road and in public showing their love ,This should only in the Bed-room .

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 4th, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Society is a manmade creation. And man can, if he tries, show empathy to all.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 03, 2009 @ 5:42 pm


  2. Krishna

    Wonderful articles. Brings out many points to light!

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 04, 2009 @ 5:32 pm

  3. dr pattanaik,
    the range of indian folklore is mindboggling. and i thank you for bringing them to light and to our knowledge.
    i also get a feeling that your heart is in the right place, so emphatic!. that’s why i wrote in another mail, that you can provide succour to the tormented heart.
    thanks.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 07, 2009 @ 1:19 pm

  4. This is full of crap homosexuality is weird and not at all good

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 10th, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    Ok sir…your opinion is clearly the right opinion, for you…..:-)

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 10, 2009 @ 2:33 pm


  5. Tamal Mukherjee

    Its a complex social issue no doubt. On one hand we have fundamental rights including that of homosexuals to protect and on the other hand we have natural problems of social acceptance. One thing that intrigues me is why nature produces gays ? Is it a genetic abnormality of sorts because the basic purpose of getting attracted to the opposite sex is to mate and have offsprings which will result in continuation of the species but the very idea of homosexuality (in any species)goes against this very basic law of nature i.e. one cannot further his/her race without having a sexual conjugation with the opposite sex. So apart from a social problem this should be considered at a scientific level also. And if its a disorder then it may be corrected also

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 10th, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    Not everything in life can be explained. So we accept and include and respect all….

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 10, 2009 @ 2:55 pm


  6. tejas rathid

    these gay culture is created by us, because of killing unborn girls, increasing boys population. these gays are rebels of modern cultures. there is no help. but only to keep away from highlight media presentation.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 10, 2009 @ 2:57 pm


  7. Rajesh

    Dear Dr. Dev,

    just read your article in Rediff on Baba Ramdev’s view on homosexuality and ur reply. liked it though it wasn’t new.
    never got another better angle view of it.

    In one of his books Osho mentioned homosexuality (he never supported it ) but i feel his views have some weight, it is like this..
    According to him if a boy is brought up in a family where he feels mother is dominating, he may develop a sympathy to his father and eventually it may turn to other men..osho says he could get over it if he don’t try to suppress or defend these feelings. (in this case our society doing their best agaisnt it) it is one stage of ur growth, if u suppress it then, u won’t grow further. if he/family and society could identify it then there is a chance that he could grow further up and over come this stage

    First time hearing you and your website. am really thrilled to see loads of interesting articles. Already added this site to my favorites :) keep posting
    have a good day

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 10, 2009 @ 3:12 pm


  8. Arshad

    Why did these God(s) need to talk about homosexuality in religious scriptures when it is forbidden and unnatural (be it Quran or Bible)?

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 10, 2009 @ 3:55 pm

  9. [...] Originally Posted by bebo Kudos to Indian court for breaking the cultural taboo associated with homosexuality. Good job! Did Homosexuality exist in ancient India? | Devdutt [...]

    Jul 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm


  10. Surendra

    Dear Dr.Ji,

    Read your reply to Baba Ramdev.

    You say in Mahabharta a blind man wan not allowed to be king::

    This is Wrong.

    The father of Kaurvas was a blind man and a King who wreaked havok with his partiality,discrination and bias.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 11th, 2009 at 6:17 am

    He was eldest son and was not allowed to be king long before he got married.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 10, 2009 @ 10:12 pm


  11. Raj

    Thank you for articles. Trikone (gay South Asian Group in San Francisco Bay area) group sent all the members your article on Baba Ramdev and I was quite impressed. Please get these articles published in India through mainstream newspapers and not just rediff to change the hearts minds of people. Thank you!

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 10, 2009 @ 11:17 pm


  12. Bharat

    I am neither pro nor against homosexuality. I have stayed in a boys hostel for 4 years. I know of straight guys (who are happily married now) who used to enjoy playing with other boys parts but were scared to go beyond a point or explore because homosexuality is considered dirty. Let’s think Q1 – legalising homosexulaity would have encouraged them to explore further?

    Q2 – American definition of freedom of speech/expression has led them to point Teenage girls getting pregnant and the parents don’t have any right to do any thing about it. Schools can not stop them from doing things. Q2 – Do we want that kind of freedom of expression.

    Q3 – Gay Pride!!! Why do you want to come on streets kissing/hugging each other??? Are you ready for that?

    Let me add, I would not like anybody to live a life suppressing his/her sexual needs. I think our society tacitly permits it. Prostitution is not legal but everybody knows it exists and is pemitted.

    My opinion – let homosexulaity be treated like prostitution – don’t ask don’t tell.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 11, 2009 @ 12:03 am


  13. Vikrant

    Fascinating insightful clever thorough meaningful intelligent sharp…thank you for your aticles and all the very best
    and i like the way you ignore the ignorant and keep on going

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 11, 2009 @ 4:04 am


  14. Jamsheed Basha

    HOMOSEXUALITY IS NOT A DISEASE BUT AN IRREGULARITY
    by jamsheed bashha on Jul 11, 2009 10:52 AM Permalink

    The article written by Dr.Devdutt Pattanaik is moving, a lucid account on homosexuality and the hypocricy of a few. The author is right on many counts. He dared to quote Mahabharatha, Buddhism and Jainism, Islam too in support of his argument on fallacy attached to celibacy. Baba Ramdev is not an expert on sexual discourses. He may be a practicing guru of Yoga. Here one must not try to poke one’s nose in a matter which is beyond one’s understanding and realms. If he had said anything about Yoga, one would have easily quoted him to prove a point or two. Here he jumped to the conclusion without any scientific or religious proof to suggest that Homosexuality was a disease. No book of psychology had ever suggested the human behaviour, or behaviour in animal kingdom or flora as a disease but at the most an irregularity. If homosexuality is a disease, then what about bi-sexual or heterosexual behaviour in men and women which is widely prevailent. Even among men and women, anal sex is widely prevailent, where men and women enjoy to the hilt more than vaginal sex. There were even cases where oral sex was more enjoyable to certain class of women where clitorial sensation leads to orgasm and such women hate vaginal sex. The sexual act is a normal behaviour of man and the choice of partner depends on the individual taste either due to the presence of gene or circumstances or prevailing ambience. It is too private to be revealed with every one.The author gave a fine example of a marriag.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 11, 2009 @ 11:15 am

  15. Mr. Devdutt,
    I read your article today on the Rediff.com, which is very written, posted it on digg.com to spread the word, I just want to say BRAVO !!

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 11, 2009 @ 7:40 pm


  16. D.K.Choudhury

    Dr Pattanaik,
    Your indepth analysis of the issue is commendable. You have referred to Hindu mythology only. Do you think there is no such instance in other populous religions.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 11th, 2009 at 8:06 pm

    Yes there is in most cultures…..

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 11, 2009 @ 8:02 pm


  17. Arghya

    Many a thanks for your research and your earnest fight for justice and truth.

    I read your article on rediff, it’s just amazing! I wish you could bring upon lights to thousands of Indians who are poisoned with blind faith.

    I used to respect Baba Ramdev for his selfless devotion and used to consider him as a spiritual rather than religious person. But with his current actions, I think it is “The beginning of his End”.

    First of all, like Prostitution, homosexuality is also an undeniable eventuality of human society. Section 377 is just a blatant violation of basic human rights; we must get ride of all such kind of feudal regulations.

    It is quite obvious that no religious-body would be in favor of homosexuality as it blows the wind of freedom and free thinking. So furious resistance is expected from that end, but it’s just the matter of time that society would win over all these evil influences. (Though I may or may not believe in GOD; but I firmly believe that all religions are evil.)

    Ok, let’s consider it is a disease; but what is point of criminalizing it? I may consider the point that somebody has a cure for the disease, but how come imposing criminal charges on the diseased is a cure for the disease??

    There is no straight forward answer to the question – Is it a gene which is responsible for homosexuality? But definitely it is component which determines the sexual orientation. Please read — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_sexual_orientation

    Now if it is genetical, then there is no cure for it once the human is born. According to me, the simple solution is to stop propagating that Gene. And I think Gay-marriage is the only solution for it. (Though according to genetics, in this way we can never get ride of Gay-gene but at least we can create a resistance on its propagation). So the cure to the disease is not to give any medicine to the diseased but to be empathetic (not sympathetic) and allowing him/her to exercise the basic human rights.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 11, 2009 @ 9:17 pm


  18. rajat

    I don’t think that post is judging homosexuality ;it is only showing ancient link of it.
    by the way Dr. Pattanaik is real Doctor[MBBS] he know human physiology more than common man.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 11, 2009 @ 10:39 pm


  19. Sadhan Pande

    Your declaration on homosexuality is your own!
    In GOD’s creation , there is nothing that has not been created , but , remember he also had given the sanctions as to “whatto do and “what not to do”, with an idea of salvation, which is the ULTIMATE GOAL of a human life!
    Lord Krishna said to Arjuna (17/5&6)
    “ashastrabihitang ghotang tapyante je tapo janah I
    dambhahankarsanjuktaah kaamraagabalaanwitah II5
    karshayantah shariirasthang bhuutagraammachetasahI
    maancaibaantahshariirasthang taan biddhyaasuranischayaan II6
    Its meaning is available in all books (Srimadbhagbadgita), have a look there!
    Simply , one who disobeys ‘shastras ‘and performs rituals by sheer ego based knowledge, tortures the GOD within him!
    Dr Devdutt! homosexuality did existg but it was not preached for public shows by public laws as is being tried today!
    TODAY’S EFFORTS ARE SHEER FORCEFUL ILLEGITIMATE APPLICATION OF NUMBER!

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 13th, 2009 at 8:06 am

    Never forget, shastras also approved untouchability.
    There is a difference between shruti (principles that were heard) and smriti (application that were memorized)
    And never forget, all rules change with yugas.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 13, 2009 @ 12:22 am


  20. urohboy

    Dear Dr. Pattnaik

    Read your article on rediff and got the links via many LGBT Twitter groups and on many LGBT websites :) Thanks for writing there, it was very sad to see typically homophobic articles on rediff ever since the judgement passed.
    Finally your article came across as a sunrise to the dark night ones…

    Very well explained and so truly said about Baba Ramdev. Thanks and Bravo…. :)

    Thank u a million times on behalf of the entire LGBT Groups.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 13, 2009 @ 4:25 pm


  21. Yash

    Sir, just wanted to know one thing. Is there any scripture in Hinduism which didn’t condemn homosexuality? As in it was accepted as normal?

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 13th, 2009 at 8:04 pm

    The scriptures recognize its existence….it is manmade society that has to accept it or reject it depending on how much empathy people have…..how much are people willing to include….our current society gives equal rights to women…..two centuries ago, our society did not…..thus all rules of ‘normality’ change

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 13, 2009 @ 4:29 pm


  22. J Srivastava

    Note: It will take courage to read this article, people weak in some ways are advised to skip it.
    This article is dedicated to all the people who are opposing the cause of legitimizing and legalizing homosexuality be it in the name of religion, morality, family, medical, culture etc hope this will shower some light and knowledge upon them and help in having a healthy and holistic view.

    • Homosexuality manifest no displeasure or discomfort in a homosexual person , he is totally at peace with what he/she is and actually enjoys their sexuality like any other heterosexual person. So a homosexual person who is live and kicking needs no medication or cure as he/she is disease free and healthy. People who are afraid of homosexuality/ homosexuals are actually diseased and homophobic. It is proven that there are only two types’ of natural fears 1. Fear of falling down 2. Fear of loud sound. All other fear is man made and thus be cured. Given a chance it a better idea to cure homophobia than homosexuality. Yoga baba Ramdev will take nine months to cure homosexual in his ashram in a batch of 50 people, I Challenge that all phobia including homophobia can be cured in 1/6 th of a second with the advanced behavioral technologies. Let him cure homosexuals (some homosexual suffer low self esteem) and I will cure homophobia’s (most homophobic want to feel more comfortable with a homosexual), I hope together we will make this place a better world.

    • Homosexual love and sex is just the same and no different than heterosexual love in the effect it has on the persons taking part in it and love, affection and respect that it creates for the family members of the same sex partners.

    • Same sex family is as monogamous as any other heterosexual family, Allowing homosexuality will help in formation of families, where partners will not have to seek love & sex outside their own families. The family thus formed will be more functional than otherwise. We just don’t need families , we need purposeful families, where members of the family are working for, in support of other family members to help them achieve their goals and not otherwise. Therefore the institution of marriage and family will be further strengthened as a result of allowing homosexuality.

    • The argument that sex between same sex partners cannot reproduce children does not hold up because the sex is done primarily to achieve psychological and emotional satisfaction rather producing babies. Babies are the secondary manifestation of taking part in sex. Babies just happen to a heterosexual couple, they do not actually actively participate in the creation of the babies. So why take so much of the credit over a process over which you have no direct control in the creation.

    • Today we need better ideas not more children to meet the challenges of our times. All the modern day facilities like computer, diagnostic machines, drugs, airplane, air conditioners etc have been here also because of contribution of the people who are homosexuals. If you need to do away with homosexuality then you just need to stop using any of the above said equipment and appliances now. Please note everyone need not do the same thing, everything is useful in some contexts, so please let people be different than from who you are, and not let your preconceived notions of morality have any business over here.

    • The idea that if you legalize homosexuality then people will ask to legalize prostitution or bestiality is wrongly founded. In the contemporary heterosexual environment if situation was so pleasant and satisfying and moral, I ask why till this date we have the institution of prostitution, why we have crimes of different sexual nature been committed on daily basis in this purely heterosexual world. Clearly the sexual orientation has nothing to do with the moral character of the person and allowing homosexuality and helping same sex families will actually have more satisfied people in the society and consequently less crime.

    • The religion is all to gain from the legalization of homosexuality. In fact the numbers of families will just rise many fold (Same sex families and different sex families together) who will be looking towards religious institutions for moral and spiritual guidance. A strong social and vibrant society will be emerging directly as a result of allowing same sex monogamous partners to live in peace.

    • The general environment is highly prejudiced against this minority community and naturally any healthy person including a heterosexual person is likely to be unhealthy if subjected through the same environment as homosexuals are. When you are commenting on such a subject, the holistic view has to be taken and the problem faced by the homosexual person should be understood from the systems perspective.

    • Statistics on health collected from different sources against homosexuality merely states the effects it has on a minds of a homosexual person, but shows no account of the causes which leads to this effect. In a system perspective you have to study the causes more deeply, to understand the effects it is creating. You have stated the “effects” but what about the “causes”. The cause is certainly not the homosexual behavior but the lack of attitude and understanding of homosexuality on the part of majority.

    • Most people lacks the proper positive attitude and behavior towards homosexuals, they need to be informed, educated and dressed in proper attitudes, that are what the media is precisely doing by giving proper coverage to this homosexuality. So please do not blame media for its jobs, they seem to knowing their job better and are part of the solution. On the contrary, like minded people who oppose homosexuality may be more moral but definitely they are a part of problem itself. You don’t need to teach others what they should do, especially when you yourself are deeply involved in the problem itself. Please watch out what is your contribution in making homosexuality a problem.

    • The paradigm of “Correctness” cannot be proper guide but the paradigm of “Usefulness” will be a much better guide on solving the complex problems of today.

    • If you get too serious ,you get too stupid, and it seems you have gone all the down to prove your lack of knowledge & understanding on the subject of homosexuality, and made people in the religious fraternity look more stupid than ever before.

    • Please change your mindset, a person with such a pathetic view of the problem of homosexuals have no right to be in the religious fraternity (lack of spirit of service and empathy & spirituality), you are, more part of the problem, than solution and certainly you need professional help there.

    [Reply to this comment]

    bhunesh Reply:
    August 23rd, 2010 at 2:06 am

    will u plz tell me how to remove homosexuality from my life …i m homosexual.u r saying abt baba ramdev….will they help me in this case…rply at email id

    [Reply to this comment]

    Devdutt Reply:
    August 23rd, 2010 at 11:25 pm

    Why remove it? Its part of what you are…its the card you have been dealt….deal with it….no use denying it or avoiding it…..we live in a civic society where adults have a right to their sexual preferences expressed in private

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 14, 2009 @ 2:07 pm


  23. Don

    Sexual harassment on same sex will be on the increase. Until now, homosexual perverts were afraid of taking chances in public, for fear of public thrashing if caught. Now that they have the law on their side, they will be emboldened to take advantage of innocent people of the same sex, like public transport or crowded places, to satisfy their lust.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 15th, 2009 at 10:25 pm

    Let me get it straight – so you are saying if we ban heterosexuality, we will reduce incidence of rape (considering 99% of rapists are heterosexuals)….hmmmmm…..

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 15, 2009 @ 11:52 am

  24. A lady scholar once vehemently denied having any portrayal of homosexual acts in Indian temple sculptures. According to her, a lot of times, men used to wear their hair long and women, short. So it’s a case of mistaken genders.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    July 29th, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    Vehemently did you say….:-)

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jul 29, 2009 @ 11:17 am


  25. Samira

    very nice article.. very interesting and got me hooked to it. I was always fascinated to read and understand ancient history, cultural prejudices, psycho analysis and unpopular truths…this one added sense to my understanding of the issue, a bit more…Thank you… keep posting..

    [Reply to this comment]

    Oct 23, 2009 @ 2:17 am


  26. shrikant

    Its a gunine articale.if hertosexulity exists an indian than homosexuality have to be,
    and we don’t have any concept like aganist order nature.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Oct 29, 2009 @ 6:06 pm

  27. As long as humans remain humans everything is allowed. But, as soon a human being experiences his godlike being within himself he’s not allowed to sin any longer.

    No person on earth knows what Love is. The only kind of ‘love’ man knows is Self-love. But, who will be able to agree with what I wrote?…

    I mean: no human being is able to recognize something which he/she doesn’t know. It’s similar as saying to someone he’s asleep if he dreams that he’s fully awake.

    But, the truth is, that in the Land of the Blind the One Eye is King. And, aren’t we all Kings?…

    Anyway: very best regards from Belgium!

    [Reply to this comment]

    Nov 21, 2009 @ 6:02 pm


  28. Shruti

    Sir,

    This is a theme which has always engaged my earnest attention and energy ( in terms of studying -though merely as an amateur- the how’s and why’s of homosexuality, and the how’s, why’s and right’s/wrong’s of societal response towards it).
    I too have long reached the conclusion that if the concept of homosexuality existed in ancient India (as a physical ( and social) FACT) even though it was not accepted, the school of thought that aims to frivolously ‘kill’ it as some disease borne from germs from the west, needs to do some serious rethinking; Whatever occurs in nature, is ‘natural’. Though of course, the frequency of occurrence may determine whether it is termed a regular or irregular feature.
    Also, have not scientists found homosexual behaviour in certain lower organisms- even heterosexual organisms such as mice? So, the theory that it is a punitive crime ( suggesting the instinct to be a voluntary, controllable choice) stands questioned. Again, depriving homosexuals of the simple rights to external expression of their love, and solidarity, as the ‘normal’ couple, is no less than a punitive action.
    One cannot even consider to argue with the school of thought that argues in terms of morals, values etc. But some take a logical stand against homosexuality- as a disturbance in the ‘normal’ order of the system- which leads to chaos and disorder (negative impact on society). But society’s ability to change, incorporate changes, variations across cultures, sub-cultures, time zones etc is what makes its perpetuation possible. And meaningful.

    I had noted my thoughts on this, on a private blog once.
    http://ronspeaketh.blogspot.com/2008/04/to-raised-eyebrows-of-world.html

    Great space, and some good food for thought here!

    Best regards,

    Shruti

    [Reply to this comment]

    Nov 22, 2009 @ 1:04 am


  29. prateek c

    what r ur takes on rational spirituality and secular speritualism.
    plz reply.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Reply:
    November 22nd, 2009 at 8:00 am

    It also exists like infinite other ways.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Nov 22, 2009 @ 1:09 am


  30. !Devsfan

    Your article talks as if homosexuality is something bad. Religion is something man created, and what good is to provide references from all epics and religious texts which are not relevant to the current age?
    Man’s mind belongs to him, and so does his body. And he has the right to do whatever he wants to do. He needs to be rational, and he needs to think. That’s the only condition a man needs to satisfy.
    Who is Zeus, Apollo, Dionysis, Ram or Hanuman for that matter to dictate what Man’s mind or body has to do? Man’s mind created everything that you see in is in this world. Everything belongs to man.
    Maybe this sounds like a rant, but its truth. Its sad that your article concludes on a rather malignant tone as far as Homosexuality is concerned. Maybe your religious texts might say its wrong, but your texts aren’t relevant to this age anymore.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Nov 23, 2009 @ 11:32 pm


  31. New Member

    You are right Dr. Devdutt. Every human soul is equal, and no one should be discriminated based on sex, color, their school of thought, sexual preference. Everyone, except anyone who tries to use force on another man, should have equal rights in this world.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Nov 23, 2009 @ 11:41 pm

  32. the way I put it:
    homosexuality is a spiritual “accident” (wont get into details, except that for homosexual persons the svadistana chakra rotates in opposite direction). This happens to those who rejects and (fear to be) a person of same sex during their childhood or previous incarnation.
    It’s definitely not normal. It’s a problem that needs cure. By accepting it as normal one closes the way for getting it cured.

    You may want to read:
    http://www.kriyayoga.com/faq/homosexuality_problems.html

    [Reply to this comment]

    Nov 27, 2009 @ 10:51 pm


  33. Preetha

    Inspite of all this the myth still exists that this culture has been adopted from the west. We only need more forums like this to bring to light what has been existent but not apparent to the indian people.. After all i think one’s sexual orientation is purely a matter of choice.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dec 09, 2009 @ 11:29 am


  34. Rahul Sharma

    Dear Dr.Devdatta
    What a fabulous coverage to the assimilation of ideas about homosexuality from different ages i must complement.
    The only question that trouble my mind is: If homosexuality was all about men getting dressed as opposite gender then how does the act of intercourse remains homosexual when one od the partner is disguised as a female? Please find time to respond

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dec 18, 2009 @ 10:59 am


  35. Amit

    Love I think is universal and cuts across genders and forms. The physical act of love making is something which should not be allowed openly because of the influence it can have on young mind.

    Thus I too like AS am not in support of Gay or Lesbian parades! Acceptance is different to being a show off!

    [Reply to this comment]

    Dec 28, 2009 @ 6:44 am


  36. Chaitanya

    The manipulated Shastras supported untouchability. It is unfortunate that people who consider Krishna as God do not have the time to read the Gita in which he asserts that the divine principle exists in every human being and hence shouldn’t be discriminated upon. That is the point of the Gita, isn’t it? Man should develop unconditional love towards his fellow human beings. That is the way to God(if u believe there is one, ofcourse).

    [Reply to this comment]

    Jan 06, 2010 @ 9:12 pm


  37. bhunesh

    hi,
    i m bhunesh 23 years…i m homosexual.i have also completed PG.i m the only son of my parent.they want to marry me.what i need to do????wheater die or live a life of gay against my parents.i love them very much.suggest me as erlier as possible at my email id ….thanks

    [Reply to this comment]

    Devdutt Reply:
    August 23rd, 2010 at 11:28 pm

    I do not address things privately, I am sorry….your sexuality is your truth….you have to accept it….and your parents have to accept it…if they force you to marry, tell them to tell the girl first…she has a right to know…..ultimately you are responsible for the choices you make….whether it is obedience or marriage or being honest to yourself

    [Reply to this comment]

    Aug 23, 2010 @ 1:53 am

Reply