3 min readSep 5, 2002 12:00 AM IST
First published on: Sep 5, 2002 at 12:00 AM IST
This is with reference to R. Raj Rao’s article, ‘Where are the homosexuals? You don’t have to look too far’ IE, September 2 and to Adam A.R.’s letter, ‘Misreading Myth’ IE, September 3. In our book, Same Sex Love in India, we examine not homosexuality alone but different types of same sex love relationships. We have nowhere used the word ‘homosexual’ or ‘gay’ about any ancient or medieval text. We have translated extracts from a number of texts from 15 Indian languages, including Sanskrit.
Some of them are about sexual relations for instance, the Kamasutra and others are about different types of unions or relationships which are erotic and/or loving rather than explicitly sexual.
The article says, ‘‘Shiva and Vishnu had a love affair’’. I would like to clarify that nowhere in our book have we made this comment. We translated accurately an extract from the Bhagvata Purana, which recounts how Shiva, having heard about Vishnu’s Mohini form, asked Vishnu to assume that form for his delight. When Vishnu did so, Shiva was attracted to Mohini and pursued her, resulting in her pregnancy.
When Vishnu resumed his male form, he was pleased to see that Shiva was not embarrassed; they then embraced and parted. According to later developments in the story, the son born to Mohini was abandoned by her and adopted by a royal couple on earth. He was named Hariharaputra son of Hari or Vishnu and Hara or Shiva. Though born to Mohini, he is worshipped as the son of Shiva and Vishnu and has the powers of both. Mohini was Vishnu’s Maya — an appearance or aspect of Vishnu.
In one Kannada folk song, it is recounted that Ayyappa, having acquired power in heaven, was planning to make all humans immortal. To prevent his doing so, Narada asked him, ‘What is your relationship to Parvati and Lakshmi?’ Being the son of Shiva and Vishnu, Ayyappa got puzzled and retreated to the forest, where he remained, thinking about the question.
In my view, the different versions of the story reflect the sophisticated, self-reflexive, and nuanced understanding of gender and sexuality prevalent in many ancient and medieval Hindu texts. They cannot be easily summed up to mean any one thing but they certainly illuminate many aspects of life, including same-sex love.
I am myself a Hindu and I approach the texts in an appreciative and respectful manner. As the texts are accurately translated, there is no question of misreading them. This has been noted in all reviews of the book so far, both in India and in the West.
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