Protest against defamaory article on Hinduism in ‘Times of India’

Ashadh Shuddha Dwadashi

Defamatory Article published in Times of India

Following is the Protest by devout Hindu Shri. Prasad Athalye against Defamatory Article about Hinduism published in Times of India on 03-07-2009.  All Hindus protest against this and demand an apology from Times of India.

E-mail address for protest: [email protected]

E-mail sent by Shri. Prasad Athalye

From: Prasad Athalye <>
Date: Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 3:39 PM
Subject: Defamatory Article about Hinduism published in Newspaper.
To: [email protected]

To,
The Editor,
Times of India

Sub : Defamatory Article about Hinduism published in Newspaper.

This is in response to the article published in the Times of India dated 3rd July 2009 titled "Who says Homosexuality is against Indian
Culture?" applauding Gay relationships and trying to defame Hinduism and Indian Culture in general.

First of all, we need to understand that Hinduism is a way of life, the path to righteousness and not the name of an open discussion forum  where anyone can comment authoritatively on its principles, history and practices. According to Hinduism, the only authority which is the basis of all Hindu Spirituality and way of life are the Vedas. Vedic Grihya Sutras like those by Ashwalayan, Apastamba, Sankhyana, Baudhayana etc, all mention marriage ritualistically and therefore divinely ordained between a man and a woman. There is no Grihya Sutra or any part of Vedic mantras which denotes same sex congress. It is therefore clear that in the absence of any mantras for same sex marital relationships, Hinduism does not sanction or support Homosexuality.

Next, we also need to understand that the Ramayan and the Mahabharat are Itihas (history) literatures meant to provide guidelines for righteous behaviour and are not the ultimate authority in Hinduism.

Furthermore, the examples provided in the article by themselves prove the very opposite of what the author tries to say. Thus, the very example that the demoness women of the un-righteous Ravana(and not Rama) are depicted kissing each other indicates two things :
a. That homosexuality was indeed recognised, but as a demonic aspect.
b. That it was on the negative side of the ideality spectrometer.

There is no example of any homosexuality in Ayodhya, Kishkindha, or Mithila, the righteous kingdoms of Rama, Hanuman and Janak. Again let us look at the example of Ila. "Ila" is mentioned as having physical relations with both men and women. But when he/she did it, it was always with member of opposite sex. That "Ila" was not a half-male, half-female or a hermaphrodite but complete man at one time and complete woman at other. Thus this in no way proves that "Ila" was shown to have homosexual relations and was okayed by the Gods(Deities).

Now we come to the image shown in the article. The image shown in the article has no relation with any of the examples in the article or Ramayan or Mahabharat. The image has probably been taken from Khajuraho sculptures. This is a gross attempt to mispresent Hinduism as a sexually perversive religion and that it not only recognises but also supports illicit relationships such as homosexual relationships. The point that Khajuraho sculptures simply make is that a certain group of Spiritual Practitioners called the Tantrics had homosexual aspects included in their practices, but that in no way indicates that homosexuality has been a part of mainstream Hinduism. It must be remembered that such sculptures are found in isolated places and not all over India.

In addition to this, what must be highlighted is that only 10% of the sculptures in Khajuraho depict sex and the sex is between human beings and not Gods. These sculptures are found over the outer walls of the temples and not within the Temples indicating that the supreme almighty can only be known by leaving sensual pleasures outside. No sculpture from Kashmir to Kanyakumari depicts sexual activity between the Gods. The sculptures from Khajuraho depict other activities like musicians, marriage processions, dancing and the daily life of the people of those days. Accordingly sexual activity, which is a part and parcel of human life has been given only around 10% importance. The broad and beautiful message of this is that Supreme God lies within our daily life and can be realised while performing one’s daily activities with sincerity and giving due regard to each acitivity.

Who is considered an Authority on Hinduism. (Since the examples have been taken from Hinduism)
A person is considered to be an authority on Hinduism only if :
1. He is knower of one(Vedi) or two (Dwivedi), three (Trivedi), Four (Chaturvedi) or knower of ten sciences ( Dashgranthi ).
2. He is a Shankaracharya or head of a mutt established by a known authority on Vedas.
3. He is a Saint or a Guru who has established his authority through Vedas.

If the author is not any of the above, then he is only a self-proclaimed scholar and his views will not be authoritative, merely personal nuances to the devout Hindus. Since the author of the article has none of the above qualifications, his views are merely personal nuances and not authoritative views on Hinduism. In these circumstances, it does not seem to be likely that devout Hindus will ever accept Homosexuality into mainstream Hinduism. While the courts will be able to legalise Homosexuality they will never be able to successfully enforce its social acceptance into mainstream Hinduism.

The next important point that needs to be highlighted is that Hinduism and Indian Culture are the one of the oldest remnants of human civilisation and have had a long history of evolution and revolutions and what might have been acceptable at some point in our history need not be acceptable in the present times. Just because Homosexuality has been mentioned in our history texts, does not mean we accept it now. Just because women were not allowed to study in our historical times, we don’t keep our girls uneducated nowadays. What is more important is what is acceptable to the Hindu Society and mainstream Hinduism now!

The political objection to the article is about the words "Indian Culture" being purposefully and intentionally limited to Hinduism and
hindu texts only. Why did the Times of India not publish articles on Islam and Christian belief regarding homosexuality ? Is the Gay law applicable only to Hindu Gays  ? What do the Koran and Bible say about Homosexuality ? Are Muslims and Christians not a part of Indian Culture ? Self Proclaimed scholars often like to comment only on Hindus and Hindu Spiritual and Religious texts, at which point the Muslims and Christians automatically become debarred from such revolutionary changes. On the other hand, both Muslims and Christians have "Personal Law Boards" and "Ministries" which are referred to, when any religious dispute arises.  In other words, the Gay revolution is only for Hindu Gays, as Hinduism = Indian Culture as far and as long it does not go against the Koran or Bible. At all other places, and for financial and monetary benefits, as also benefits in political sphere and education, Muslims and Christians are very much a part of Indian culture ! This hypocrisy reveals the clear cut Anti-Hindu stance of the Times of India.

I strongly object to the defamatory article and its contents and advise the Times of India Management , which has hurt my religious sentiments as a devout Hindu and to refrain from posting such articles without consulting any known Authority on Hinduism.

Regards,
Prasad Athalye.

Defamatory anti-Hindu Article published in Times of India

This article contains image, which is similar to images found at Khajuraho in Times of India E-Paper (Not available in Online edition of Times of India)

When gayness was out in open, not a matter of guilt

In his Navagraha Kirti, the great 19th century Carnatic music composer, Muthuswami Dikshitar describes Budh (the planet mercury) as Napumsakam or one who is not quite male or female. He alludes to a story in the Puranas where Brihaspati (the planet Jupiter) discovers that his wife Tara (the goddess of stars) is pregnant with the child of her lover, Chandra (the Moon-god). He curses the love child to be born neuter. Budh later marries Ila, a man who becomes a woman when he accidentally trespasses an enchanted grove. From that union springs the Chandra-vamsa, or the lunar dynasty of kings. So says the Mahabharata.

As in the story of Ila, Indian lore is full of tales where men turn into women and women turn into men. Narada falls into a pond, becomes a woman, discovers the meaning of worldly delusion or maya. Shiva bathes in the Yamuna, becomes a gopi, a milkmaid, so that he can dance the raas-leela with Krishna — an idea that has inspired the temple of Gopeshwarji in Vrindavan. At a short distance from Ahmedabad, is the temple of Bahucharji, the rooster-riding goddess, once where it is said there was a pond that turned a woman into a man, a mare into a horse and a bitch into a dog. The pond has dried up, but women still visit this shrine seeking a male child. They seek the blessings of bhagats (some call them hijras) who though men believe they are women and choose to live their life wearing a sari.

Near Pondicherry, in the village of Koovagam, every year the transgendered alis dance and sing in memory of an event that took place during mythic times. Aravan, the son of Arjuna and his serpent wife, Ulupi, had to be sacrificed to ensure victory of the Pandavas at Kurukshetra. But he refused to die without a taste of marriage. As no woman was willing to marry a man doomed to die, Krishna took a female form, Mohini, became Aravan’s wife, spent a night with him and then wailed for him as widow when he was beheaded.

In the Valmiki Ramayana, there are descriptions of Rakshasa women who kiss women on Ravana’s bed on whose lips lingers the taste of their master. Krittivasa Ramayana is the story of two widows who drink a magic potion and, in the absence of their husband, make love to each other and end up bearing a child without bones (traditionally believed to be the contribution of semen).

How does one interpret these stories? Are they gay stories? They certainly shatter the conventional confines of gender and sexuality. Ancient Indian authors and poets without doubt imagined a state where the lines separating masculinity and femininity often blurred and even collapsed. Though awkward, these were not stray references. Such tales were consistent and recurring, narrated matter-of-factly, without guilt or shame. Such outpouring has its roots in Indian metaphysics.

As the wheel of rebirth turns, Indians have always believed, the soul keeps casting off old flesh and wrapping itself anew. Depending on one’s karma, one can be reborn as a tree, as a rock, as a bird, a beast, a man, a woman, a man with a woman’s heart, a woman with a man’s heart, even as a god or demon…endless possibilities exist in the infinite cosmos. The wise see masculinity and femininity as ephemeral robes that wrap the sexless genderless soul. The point is not to get attached to the flesh, but to celebrate its capabilities, discover its limitations, and finally transcend it.

The question before us is: does the human mind have the empathy to include gender and sexual ambiguity in civil human society? It does. In every Yuga new rules come into being that redefine world order. Mahabharata mentions a Yuga when there was no marriage — women were free to go with any man they chose. This changed when Shvetaketu instituted the marriage laws. We have lived through a Yuga where we left unchallenged laws of old imperial masters that dehumanised and invalidated sexual minorities. This has to change —hopefully now.

Source: Times of India

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