Sex and Hinduism
“Her lap is a sacrificial altar; her hairs, the sacrificial grass; her skin, the soma-press. The two labia*(lips) of the vulva are the fire in the middle.” [Brhad-Âranyaka Upanisad, 6.4.3]
“This man (ama) am I; that woman (sâ), thou!
That woman, thou; this man am I!
I am the Sâman; thou, the Rig!
I am the heaven; thou, the earth!
Come, let us two together clasp!
Together let us semen mix,
A male, a son for to procure!” [Brhad-Âranyaka Upanisad, 6.4.20]1
Whenever the issue of Love, Nudity, Sex and Hinduism comes into picture, we usually get any one of the following reactions-
1] The Westerners in general and Western scholars doing South Asian studies [for example RISA2] in particular, and their Indian counterparts who consider Hinduism to be mix of voodoo and pornography.
2] The Hindu orthodox which thinks sex is a taboo.
Now I will examine, how valid is both of these perspective.
Hindu Purusharthas:
Purusharthas means objectives of a human being. They are the canonical four ends or aims of human life. They serve as pointers in the life. The four Purusharthas from lowest to highest-
? Kama – pleasure or desire3
? Artha – wealth
? Dharma – righteousness or morality
? Moksha – liberation from the cycle of reincarnation
According to Kama Sutra, “IN the beginning, the Lord of Beings created men and women, and in the form of commandments in one hundred thousand chapters laid down rules for regulating their existence with regard to Dharma, Artha, and Kama.” 4 Further it says-