By Amara Das Wilhelm
Throughout Hindu and Vedic texts there are many
descriptions of saints, demigods, and even the Supreme Lord
transcending gender norms and manifesting multiple combinations
of sex and gender.� These include male, female, hermaphrodite,
and all other possibilities.� In Hinduism, God is recognized
as unlimited and untethered by any gender restrictions.� For
the purpose of enjoying transcendental pastimes (lila),
the Supreme Lord manifests innumerable types of forms—just
like an actor on a stage.
As parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, the
various living entities can also be seen to manifest within
the full spectrum of sex and gender possibilities.� From
the impersonal perspective, the soul is not male, female, or
hermaphrodite, but from the personal perspective the soul assumes
such forms according to desire.� In the mundane sphere,
the soul manifests various gender roles in the pursuit of material
enjoyment, but in the spiritual world these roles are adopted
for the transcendental purpose of reciprocating with the Supreme
Lord and rendering loving service.
The following list of Hindu deities provides
interesting examples of saints, demigods, and incarnations
of the Lord associated with gender transformation and diversity.� These
include:
- Deities that are hermaphrodite (half man, half woman)
- Deities that manifest in all three genders
- Male deities who become female, or female deities who become
male
- Male deities with female moods, or female deities with
male moods
- Deities born from two males, or from two females
- Deities born from a single male, or from a single female
- Deities who avoid the opposite sex, and
- Deities with principal companions of the same gender
All of these different examples demonstrate the
remarkable amount of gender-variance found within Hinduism.� In
India, people of the third sex—homosexuals, transgenders,
bisexuals, hermaphrodites, transsexuals, etc.—identify
with these deities and worship them with great reverence and
devotion.� Along with other Hindus, they arrive en masse
to celebrate the large holidays and festivals connected with
them.� In traditional Hinduism, such people were associated
with these divine personalities due to their combined male
and female natures.� They were included in the various
religious ceremonies and viewed as auspicious symbols of peace,
good fortune and culture. �
�
�
Sri Ardhanarisvara
Siva’s Hermaphrodite
Form
Sri Ardhanarisvara is perhaps the most popular and widely
known hermaphrodite deity in Hinduism.� One half of the
deity is Siva (usually the right side, but not always), and
the other half is his wife, goddess Parvati or Durga.� Ardhanarisvara
is literally split down the middle with one female breast,
one male breast, etc.� The male side is represented in
masculine features while the female side is voluptuous and
slender with one large hip.� The clothing and ornaments
on each side of the deity are also usually represented in male
and female attire.� The oldest-known statue of Ardhanarisvara
is located in Mathura and dated to the first century A.D.
In the Brahmanda Purana (5.30) it is stated that
Lord Siva assumed his hermaphrodite form of Sri Ardhanarisvara
after duly worshiping his shakti through meditation
and yoga.� The Kurma Purana (1.11.3) relates
how Siva’s original form of Rudra was also hermaphrodite.� When
Siva was generated from Lord Brahma’s anger at the beginning
of creation, he appeared in a very fierce half-male, half-female
form known as Rudra.� Brahma requested Rudra to divide
himself in two and thus he became Siva and Parvati.� In
Jayadeva Goswami’s twelfth-century text, the Sri
Gita-Govinda (3.11), Lord Krsna praises Siva’s form
of Ardhanarisvara while experiencing separation from His beloved
Radha, as follows: “Just see!� Lord Siva lives happily
with half of his body united with Parvati, whereas I am far
from united with Radhika—I don’t even know where
She is.”
Remarkably, the fantastic hermaphroditic form of Sri Ardhanarisvara
is not unheard of in nature.� There is a rare type of
mosaic intersexuality known as gynandromorphism in which a
creature is biologically divided in half with one side (usually
the right) male and the other female, often with a sharp line
of demarcation between them.� While extremely rare in
humans, gynandromorphism has been observed in a number of different
animals including butterflies, spiders, small mammals, and
especially birds—more than 40 cases of gynandromorphism
have been reported in avian species like finches, falcons,
and pheasants.� The gynandromorphic animal is literally
divided in half by sex, with one testis and one ovary, and
in the case of birds with male plumage on one side and female
plumage on the other.� Some aboriginal societies highly
value such intersexed creatures—they are kept separately
and cared for meticulously in the belief that they bring good
luck to the village.
Sri Ardhanarisvara embodies the fusion of the male and female
principles and is said to represent all contradictions in nature
such as masculine and feminine; light and darkness; impotence
and fertility; harshness and compassion, etc.� The deity
is often worshiped for blessings in fertility, marriage, progeny,
and longevity.� People of the third sex, associated with
this deity due to their combined male and female natures, are
believed to possess similar powers.� Temples of Sri Ardhanarisvara
exist throughout India and large festivals are held on the Siva-ratri day
in the month of Phalguna (February-March).
�
Sri Arjuna
In Three Genders
In Vedic narratives Sri Arjuna manifests all three genders—male,
female, and hermaphrodite.� He is most popularly known
in his male form as the heroic warrior of the Mahabharata,
the disciple of Sri Krsna in Bhagavad Gita and the husband
of Draupadi.� He is very, very dear to Lord Krsna.� It
is said that when Krsna first met Arjuna tears came to His
eyes and He embraced Arjuna wholeheartedly—this was because
Arjuna reminded Krsna of His intimate cowherd friend in Vraja
of the same name.� Krsna and Arjuna became instant companions
and spent many years together in deep friendship.� In
the Mahabharata (Sauptika Parva, XII), Krsna states, “I
have no dearer friend on earth than Arjuna, and there is nothing
that I cannot give to him including my wives and children.”� In
the Drona Parva of the same text, Krsna reiterates, “O
Daruka, I shall not be able to cast my eyes, even for a single
moment, on the earth bereft of Arjuna…Know that Arjuna
is half of my body.”� Once, when Krsna had to leave
Hastinapura for Dvaraka, He quickly hurried to the apartments
of Arjuna and spent the entire night with him in happy slumber,
even at the risk of upsetting His temperamental wife, Satyabhama.� As
inseparable friends, Arjuna and Krsna are said to be nondifferent
from the two Vedic sages of the Himalayas, Nara and Narayana.
In a lesser-known narrative from the Padma Purana (5.74.60-198),
Arjuna is transformed into a female—the beautiful cowherd
maiden Arjuni.� After continuously expressing his desire
to know all about Krsna’s divine sporting affairs, Krsna
finally relents.� He instructs Arjuna to bathe in a sacred
lake, wherefrom he arises as a beautiful, youthful maiden.� Worshiping
Sri Radha, the maiden Arjuni is granted permission to sport
with Krsna.� However, upon seeing Krsna and His beautiful
male features, Arjuni becomes wonderstruck and overwhelmed
with love, exhibiting all types of ecstatic symptoms and then
fainting.� Seeing her overcome with desire, Krsna takes
Arjuni’s hand and guides her into His pleasure forest
where He sports with her secretly and at will.� After
some time Krsna returns Arjuni to Radha, who then instructs
her to again bathe in the lake.� Arjuna thus regains his
male form but is left depressed and heartbroken.� Krsna
reassures Arjuna and, by touching him, restores his male awareness
and nature.
One of the most popular narratives of Arjuna is his appearance
as the male-to-female transgender, Brihannala.� When Arjuna
refuses the advances of the celestial courtesan, Urvasi, she
curses him to become a shandha—an effeminate man who dresses and behaves
like a woman.� Indra reduces the curse to one year, and
this turns out to be a blessing in disguise—Arjuna is
able to use the so-called curse to his advantage during his
exile in the capital city of Virata.� Arjuna enters the
city as Brihannala, a most unusual transgender woman with masculine
features but an exceedingly effeminate gait, manner of speech,
and attire.� Brihannala is donned in a woman’s blouse
and draped in red silk.� Wearing numerous bangles, earrings
and necklaces, she enters the royal palace with the gait of
a broad-hipped woman.� After Brihannala requests the king,
Maharaja Virata, for employment, he grants her service in the
lady’s chamber as a teacher of dancing, singing, music,
and hairdressing—typical occupations for people of the
third sex during Vedic times.� It is also said that during
this one-year period, Brihannala performed all of the traditional
duties of the shandha by dancing and offering blessings
at wedding and birth ceremonies.
�
Sri Ayyappa
Son of Siva and Vishnu
The worship of Sri Ayyappa, also known as Hariharaputra and
Manikantha, is very popular among the third sex, particularly
in South India.� As described in the Brahmanda Purana and
various medieval narratives, Ayyappa is born from two male
deities—Siva and Vishnu.� Once, while chasing Vishnu’s
exquisite Mohini form, Lord Siva spilled his semen upon the
ground.� The earth goddess, considering that Siva’s
semen should never be wasted, stored the first drop beneath
her soil.� Eons later, Ayyappa appeared from the earth
on the banks of the river Pampa with a jeweled bell around
his neck (thus the name Manikantha) and was discovered by the
childless king of Pandalam, Rajasekhara.� (In some narratives,
Mohini catches the first drop of semen in Her palm wherefrom
the child, Ayyappa, immediately appears.� Embarrassed,
she entrusts the child to the earth goddess and runs away.)� The
boy grew up to be a strong warrior and was very popular among
the citizens, but due to family intrigue he renounced the crown
to meditate as a celibate atop Mount Sabarimalai in Kerala.� Vavar,
his dearmost yavana friend and companion, accompanied
Ayyappa into the forest along with Lila, a beautiful nymph
whom Ayyappa had once rescued but refused to marry.� It
is said that Ayyappa told Lila he would marry her only when
male devotees stopped visiting his temples, and for this reason
throngs of male devotees faithfully make a pilgrimage each
year to keep the demigod free from marriage.� The friendship
between Ayyappa and Vavar was extremely strong and reminiscent
of the relationship between Krsna and Arjuna.� At one
point Ayyappa tells his father: “Consider Vavar as myself.”
The worship of Sri Ayyappa is believed to have originated
in Kerala during the eleventh or twelfth century but has
greatly increased in popularity over the past several decades.� The
original temple of Ayyappa is situated on the Sabarimalai Mountain
amidst dense, tropical forests and is open only during the
pilgrimage season (November-February).� The main festival
for Ayyappa is celebrated on the Makara-sankranti,
when the sun enters Capricorn during its northern journey
in mid-January.� It honors his killing of the demon Mahisi
and retirement to the mountaintop for meditation.� During
this time, tens of thousands of male pilgrims make their way
up to the shrine where there is a great deal of camaraderie
between the men—women of reproductive age are not allowed
to make the pilgrimage.� Like the god Kartikeya, Sri Ayyappa
is associated with maleness and worshiped for strength, purification,
success in celibacy, freedom from marriage, and similar benedictions.� As
the son of both Siva and Vishnu, he is said to represent harmony
between the Saivite and Vaishnava traditions; as the friend
of Vavar, he symbolizes mercy and friendship toward non-Hindus
and outcastes.
�
Sri Bahucara-Devi
Goddess of Male Castration
Sri Bahucara-devi is an expansion of goddess Durga mentioned
in both the Padma and Skanda Puranas.� She
is especially worshiped by people who wish to lose or transform
their sexual identity—transgenders, transsexuals, the
intersexed, hijra, eunuchs, and so on.� She encourages
such people to emasculate themselves through dreams and, like
a mother, offers comfort and protection during the castration
ceremony (or, nowadays, transsexual operation).� Bahucara-mata
guides her followers through their hardship and is said to
bestow special benedictions upon them including the power to
bless and curse others.� There is a famous temple of Sri
Bahucara-devi located at Bahucharaji Taluka, Gujarat, which
is said to be the place were Lord Krsna performed His tonsure
or hair-cutting ceremony.� Each day of the week Bahucara-devi
rides a different animal carrier; on Sundays and full-moon
days she rides a cock, and this is the special day for hijras
and crossdressers to come worship the goddess.� The two
largest festivals of the year are held on the full-moon days
of Chaitra (March-April) and Asadha (June-July).
The life of Bahucara-devi is tragic and people of the third
sex identify with her in many ways. �As a beautiful goddess,
she is deceived into a false marriage with a man who neglects
her in pursuit of other men.� Later, while attending a
festival, Bahucara is forced to cut off her breasts to avoid
being raped by an evil man.� As she bleeds to death, she
curses him to become impotent.� The first story strikes
a chord with many homosexual men and women who are forced into
unnatural marriages, and the second with women or transgenders
who have been assaulted or abused by men.� In the first
story, Bahucara lies in bed at night wondering why her young
husband will not reciprocate her love.� When she discovers
him leaving home during the dark- and full-moon nights, she
secretly follows her husband deep into the forest on the back
of a jungle fowl.� To her surprise, she eventually finds
him sporting in a stream with other young men and “behaving
as women do.”� Addressing him, she asks, “If
you were like this, why did you marry me and ruin my life?”� He
replies that he was forced into marriage so that he could father
children and continue the family line.� Infuriated, she
castrates him and declares: “Men like you (who dishonestly
marry women) should instead emasculate themselves and dress
as women, worshiping me as a goddess!”� In the second
story, the evil man begs for deliverance from Bahucara’s
curse but her reply is similar: “Men like you (who rape
women) will only be forgiven when they are castrated, dressed
as women, and engaged in my worship!”� These narrations
about the life of Bahucara-devi emphasize the Hindu teaching
that women must never be abused or mistreated in any way.
�
Sri Bhagavati-Devi
Goddess of Crossdressing
Sri Bhagavati-devi is an expansion of the goddess Durga worshiped
all over India.� The Kottankulangara temple of Bhagavati-devi
located near Kollam, Kerala, is especially famous for its unusual
stone deity of the goddess and annual crossdressing festival
known as Chamaya-vilakku.� During the festival,
men are invited to dress up as women and receive the special
blessings of the goddess.� The crossdressing festival
is based on a story surrounding the temple’s origin:
Long ago, a group of cowherd boys worshiped a stone in the
mood of shy, young girls.� After some time, the goddess
Bhagavati personally appeared before them to accept their worship
and become the stone.� The Kottankulangara temple was
then constructed to house the stone deity and formal worship
was commenced, along with the annual festival.
The Chamaya-vilakku crossdressing festival of goddess
Bhagavati is very well organized and celebrated with great
pomp each year on the tenth and eleventh nights after the Mina-sankranti (when
the sun enters Pisces in late March).�� During the
ceremony, thousands of crossdressing men grasp tall, lighted
lamps and wait for the procession of the goddess in the form
of a sila or stone to pass by.� The goddess Bhagavati
then blesses the pilgrims and showers all good fortune upon
them.� This unique ceremony is especially popular with
the third sex but appreciated by all.
�
Sri Bhagiratha Maharaja
Born of Two Women
Sri Bhagiratha Maharaja is famous for bringing the celestial
Ganges River down to earth, a pastime narrated in the Bhagavata
Purana (9.9).� Three of his forefathers had previously
attempted the feat and failed, but due to Maharaja Bhagiratha’s
severe austerities, Ganga-devi was pleased and allowed her
waters to descend.� Bhagiratha also propitiated Lord Siva
to bear the great force of the river’s descent upon his
head (pictured above).� The Ganges River is considered
pure because it touches the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu, and
to this day the river is still flowing through the Indian subcontinent
and honored by millions of Hindus.
Maharaja Bhagiratha is known as the son of King Dilipa, but
it is the story behind his miraculous birth that is most interesting.� The
following narrative is found in both the Padma Purana and the fourteenth-century Krittivasa
Ramayana, the most popular Bengali text on the pastimes
of Lord Ramacandra:� Maharaja
Dilipa was the king of Ayodhya but had no sons.� He left
his kingdom to perform severe austerities for the duel purpose
of summoning the Ganges and obtaining a son; however, he died
accomplishing neither.� The demigods became worried—they
had heard that Vishnu would be born in the Sun Dynasty, but
how would this be possible if the dynasty’s line came
to an end?� Lord Siva therefore went to the two widowed
queens of Maharaja Dilipa and blessed them to bear a son.� The
queens asked, “How is this possible since we are widows?”� Siva
replied, “You two make love together and by my blessings
you will bear a beautiful son.”� The two wives,
with great affection for each other, executed Siva’s
order until one of them conceived a child.� Unfortunately,
however, the infant was born as a lump of flesh without any
features or bones.� The queens cried out loud, “Why
did Siva bless us with such a son?”� They decided
to leave the baby on the banks of the Sarayu River, and soon
after a great sage, Astavakra, found the child and blessed
him to become as powerful and good-looking as Cupid (Madana).� He
summoned the two delighted queens and gave them the charming,
healthy boy.� Astavakra then performed the name-giving
ceremony calling him “Bhagiratha”—he who
was born from two vulvas (bhaga).� In this way,
the dynasty of Maharaja Dilipa continued and Maharaja Bhagiratha
eventually fulfilled the wishes of his forefathers by bringing
the Ganges River to earth.
�
Sri Brahma
Born of Vishnu Alone
Sri Brahma is the first created deity in charge of engineering
and propagating the material universe.� He was born from
a single male parent—Vishnu—without any female
assistance.� At the beginning of the universe, Lord Vishnu
lies down upon the universal ocean and a lotus flower sprouts
from His navel.� Within the lotus appears Sri Brahma.� The
idea of demigods, demons and humans emerging from a single
parent, whether male or female, is a common theme found throughout
Vedic literature and transcends all stereotypes regarding reproduction.� Brahma
himself often generates progeny without any female assistance
and conceives Siva, Narada and many of the other demigods in
this way.
In the Bhagavata Purana (3.20.18-37) it is mentioned
that at the beginning of creation, male demons forcibly approached
Brahma for sex.� To appease them, Brahma created a beautiful
woman who completely captivated their lusty desires.� Although
the demons in this story are commonly mischaracterized as homosexual,
their ultimate attraction for a woman conclusively demonstrates
otherwise.� In reality, the demons are nothing more than
what is known as circumstantial or pseudo-homosexuals.
Lord Brahma is famous for his four heads, which represent
the four directions of the universe.� His wife is the
goddess of learning, Sarasvati, the presiding deity of the
arts and sciences who is worshiped during the spring festival
of Vasanta-pancami in Magha (January-February).� It
is said that due to a curse by his son, Bhrgu Muni, the worship
of Lord Brahma is not at all prevalent on Earth.� One
exception is in the holy town of Pushkara, situated on a lake
created when Brahma threw a lotus flower from heaven.� The
largest festival honoring Sri Brahma is held in this town (located
in the Indian state of Rajasthan) on the full-moon night in
Kartika (October-November).
�
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Radha and Krsna Combined
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is described in post-medieval Bengali
texts as the combination of Sri Radha and Krsna.� He is
also clandestinely alluded to throughout the Puranas and
other Vedic texts as the incarnation for this age of Kali—the
golden avatara, who descends to augment the chanting of the
holy names of God.� In the Caitanya-caritamrta,
two more confidential reasons are given for Krsna’s descent
as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: He wanted to taste the ecstatic
love experienced by Sri Radha for Him, and He wanted to propagate
this confidential knowledge to anyone eager to receive it.� Thus,
while appearing in a male form, Lord Caitanya’s inner
mood and emotions were that of a female, His divine consort
Sri Radha.
Lord Caitanya appeared in this world during the fifteenth
century in Mayapura, Bengal (1486 A.D.).� He had two wives
but never any children, having taken the renounced order of
life (sannyasa) at the youthful age of twenty-four.� Caitanya
Mahaprabhu popularized the chanting of the “Hare Krsna” mantra
in India and traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent, making
and instructing many important disciples.� He shared deep
relationships with His confidential companions like Gadadhara
Pandit, Ramananda Raya, Svarupa Damodara, and others, all of
who are revealed as incarnations of Krsna’s cowherd girlfriends.� In
one esoteric pastime from the Caitanya-bhagavata (2.18),
Lord Caitanya and some of His intimate associates dress up
as women for a dramatic performance.� Mahaprabhu disguises
Himself as Laksmi-devi and is so convincing that everyone present
believes He is none other than the Goddess of fortune Herself.� At
the end of the pastime, Sri Caitanya bestows His mercy to all
of the devotees by employing His mystic power and allowing
them to suckle milk from His breasts.� A similar pastime from the Caitanya-mangala (3.9) describes Lord Caitanya crossdressing as a gopi and then adopting the mood of goddess Durga. In the latter years
of His life, Caitanya Mahaprabhu spent His days pining away
in separation from Krsna, experiencing all the ecstatic moods
of Radha.� He left this world in 1534 A.D., at the age of
forty-eight, by entering into the Deity of Tota-Gopinatha at
Jagannatha Puri, Orissa.
After the disappearance of Sri Caitanya, several sects of
religious crossdressers such as the sakhi-bekhis and gauranga-nagaris became
prominent throughout Bengal and other parts of India including
Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.� Members of these sects typically
dress themselves as women in order to reinforce their identity
as sakhis or girlfriends of Krsna and to attain the
esteemed spiritual emotion known as sakhi-bhava.� Sakhi-bekhis consider
themselves maidservants of Krsna whereas the gauranga-nagaris consider
themselves to be dasis of Sri Caitanya.� These
sects were later condemned as sahajiya (unauthentic)
when some members began making public shows of their romantic
feelings for Krsna while simultaneously having illicit relations
with cudadharis—men dressed up as Krsna with
a crown of peacock feathers.� In modern times, most sakhi-bekhis and gauranga-nagaris crossdress
in private and are less conspicuous.
Lord Caitanya is very dear to people of the third sex and
is well known for His inclusiveness and compassion toward all
types of beings.� It is said that the more fallen and
destitute a person is, the more qualified he becomes for Lord
Caitanya’s mercy.� From His very birth, Lord Caitanya
demonstrated kindness toward the third sex—transgender
dancers were invited into His courtyard during the birth ceremony
and the Lord graciously accepted their service and blessings.� Throughout
His lifetime, Lord Caitanya continuously challenged smarta-brahmanas
and mundane religionists who excluded the lower classes with
their dry regulations and caste consciousness.
The mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has increased significantly
over the past several decades and what was once an esoteric
cult of Bengal has since become a worldwide-established faith.� This
is single-handedly due to the efforts and devotion of His Divine
Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a pure devotee of
Lord Caitanya who spread His mission to the West in 1965 by
founding the Hare Krishna movement.� Lord Caitanya’s
appearance day, Gaura-purnima, is observed
on the full-moon day in Phalguna (February-March) and celebrated
by millions of people all over the world, especially in Mayapura,
West Bengal, where the Lord first appeared.� The day after
this is known as Jagannatha-Misra-mahotsava and celebrated
as the day when Lord Caitanya received blessings from the third-gender
community.
�
Sri Chandi-Chamunda
Twin Warrior Goddesses
The twin warrior goddesses, Chandi and Chamunda, represent
a curious tradition in Hinduism of female warriors, often depicted
in pairs, who ride together in battle defeating men and exhibiting
extraordinary strength and prowess.� Throughout India
they are assigned different names in different traditions—Dayamava-Durgamma
in Karnataka, Chotila-Chamunda in Gujarat, Keliamma-Chamunda
in Uttar Pradesh, etc.—but the stories related to them
are all very similar.
Sri Chandi and Sri Chamunda are expansions of the goddess
Durga and the story of their appearance is as follows:� There
were once two demons, Chanda and Munda, who performed great
austerities for thousands of years in order to please Lord
Brahma.� After some time, Brahma appeared before them
and they asked for the benediction to become great warriors,
strong enough to rule the world and conquer heaven.� Brahma
granted the request but, because the two were demons, chaos
quickly ensued.� They became more and more greedy and
even tried to violate the abodes of Brahma, Siva and Vishnu.� It
was agreed that Durga-devi should handle the matter and the
goddess expanded herself into two forms, Chandi and Chamunda,
who fiercely fought against the demons and emerged victorious.
Sri Chandi-Chamunda is said to be the embodiment of Durga’s
power and strength.� The two deities assume fierce forms
with large eyes, tridents in their hands, and ride a single
lion together.� They are dressed in red and green and
adorned with flower garlands.� There are temples to these
twin goddesses scattered throughout India—a famous one
is situated on the Chotila Hill in Gujarat.� Festivals
are celebrated during Durga-puja in the month
of Ashvina (September-October).
�
Sri Durga-Devi
Universal Mother
Sri Durga-devi is the universal mother and goddess of the
material cosmos.� She is the wife and shakti of
Lord Siva and, like her husband, has many different expansions
such as Kali, Parvati, Sati, Uma, Bhagavati, and so on.� Durga
rides on a tiger or lion and has eight arms holding the four
symbols of Vishnu (a lotus, conch, discus and club), a bow
and arrow, a trident, and a machete-like ax (khadagh).� One
of her hands is raised, offering benedictions to all devotees.
Sri Durga-devi can be both loving and fierce.� As the
universal mother she offers protection and shelter to all conditioned
souls, but as the supreme chastiser she never hesitates to
punish her children when they are bad or misbehaved.� Since
mothers are always very compassionate and understanding of their children, goddess
Durga is a favorite of the third sex.� The first nine
days of the waxing moon of Ashvina (September-October) mark
a festival known as Navaratri, which is celebrated
all over India in honor of the goddess.� During this time,
Hindus offer respects to Durga-devi and at many temples there
is a tradition of crossdressing.� In Tamil Nadu, for instance,
girl children are blessed with new dresses and sweets during Navaratri and
treated as representations of the goddess.� In homes where
there are no girls, small boys are crossdressed and honored
in their place.� At some Krsna temples, the Deity is dressed
up as a beautiful young girl with saris, jewelry and so on,
while at certain Siva temples, priests wear saris and headdresses
of the goddess while offering puja to Lord Siva on
her behalf.� In Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu, men
traditionally dress up as women during Navaratri and
go house-to-house asking for festival donations.� On the
tenth day of Dasara, they go crossdressed to the Mutharamma
Durga temple to offer prayers and receive blessings from the
goddess.� Durga-puja is held on the seventh day
of the festival and during this time, Durga-devi’s divine yoni (womb)
is worshiped as a symbol of fertility and the female principle.
�
Sri Gadadhara
Radha in Male Form
Sri Gadadhara, one of Lord Caitanya’s four principal
male associates, is none other than Sri Radha Herself, the
embodiment of Lord Krsna’s internal potency or shakti.� It
is said that Lord Caitanya had so much affection for His dear
friend Gadadhara that He couldn’t be without him for
a moment.� In the same way, no one can describe the ecstatic
affection that Gadadhara had for Caitanya; therefore another
name for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Gadadhara Prananatha, the
life and soul of Gadadhara Pandit.� Gadadhara was one
year younger than Caitanya and appeared in the same village
of Navadvipa, Bengal.� As childhood friends they were
inseparable and played together constantly.
There are two confidential reasons for Sri Radha’s descent
as Gadadhara Pandit: The first reason is so She could associate
with Krsna without restraint. One day, Srimati Radharani praised
the good fortune of Krsna’s cowherd friend, Subala, because
he was always able to accompany Krsna and could embrace Him
publicly.� She, on the other hand, faced so many social
restrictions and restraints.� Reflecting on this, Radha
desired to take a male birth in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes
so that She could always have the Lord’s association.� The
second confidential reason is so She could witness Her own
ecstatic emotions in Caitanya Mahaprabhu and assist Him through
them.
Gadadhara Pandit never married.� Rather, he accepted
the renounced order of sannyasa like Lord Caitanya
and went to Jagannatha Puri to be with Him.� Taking a
vow to always remain in Puri, Sri Gadadhara nearly died when
Lord Caitanya left to go on a pilgrimage alone.� When
Lord Caitanya eventually departed from this world, Gadadhara
quickly became very old and feeble out of intense anguish due
to separation from the Lord.� Shortly thereafter he also
left this world by entering into the Tota-Gopinatha Deity.
Gadadhara and Caitanya Mahaprabhu are often worshiped together
as Sri Gaura-Gadadhara or as two of the five Panca-tattva Deities
(pictured above).� A festival honoring Sri Gadadhara’s
appearance is celebrated on the new-moon day in Vaishaka (April-May).
�
Sri Ganesha
Born of Parvati Alone
Sri Ganesha is famous as the elephant-headed god and is very
popular among the third sex.� His birth is described in
the Siva Purana (4.13.9-39) as follows:� Parvati,
the wife of Lord Siva, desired to have a powerful son who would
obey her alone.� She wanted a servant who would guard
her inner apartments without being subservient to Siva, like
all of the other ganas (attendants of Siva).� Thinking
in this way, Parvati, along with her female associates, fashioned
a strong and beautiful son out of clay.� She instructed
him to become her gatekeeper, obeying no one other than herself,
and then departed for the inner sanctums of her apartment to
bathe with her companions.� Siva then appeared in a playful
mood.� He was hoping to find Parvati but was instead checked
at the entrance by Ganesha.� An argument ensued but Ganesha
would not relent.� Siva tried to enter forcefully but
Ganesha beat him again and again with a stick.� Becoming
furious, Siva summoned his ganas and commanded them, “Find
out who this boy is and what he is doing here!”� The
ganas also argued with Ganesha but Parvati and her cohorts
intervened and told Ganesha to stand firm.� A battle ensued
and Ganesha defeated all of Siva’s ganas, including Kartikeya.� Siva
then challenged Ganesha directly and a long, fierce battle
commenced.� Ganesha fought valiantly but was ultimately
beheaded by Siva.� Infuriated, Parvati threatened to destroy
the entire universe unless her beloved son was revived and
given an honorable position among the demigods.� Siva
agreed and replaced Ganesha’s head with that of an elephant’s.
Lord Ganesha represents mysterious identities and the “queerness” found
in Hinduism and nature—the idea that anything can be
possible.� Throughout Hindu texts many strange, incredible
creatures are found.� Garuda, for instance, the carrier
of Lord Vishnu, has a form that is half man, half eagle.� Hanuman,
the servant of Lord Rama, is half monkey, half god.� Vishnu’s
incarnation of Lord Nrsimhadeva appears in a half-man, half-lion
form.� The third sex is half man, half woman.� Many
celestial beings are described in Vedic texts as kinnara (literally,
�what creature?�) or kimpurusa (�what man?�).� The
peculiar nature of Sri Ganesha’s birth and features continues
in this tradition, making him very attractive to his followers
and hinting at the inconceivable nature of God and His creation.
Sri Ganesha is traditionally worshiped as a bachelor although
sometimes he is depicted as married.� He is also known
as Ganapati (lord of the ganas) and Vinayaka (born without
a male father).� He is famous as the celestial guardian
and gatekeeper who removes all obstacles and permits a person
to “cross over.”� Like Lord Siva and Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, Ganesha is known to be very compassionate to those
who are fallen and destitute.� Ganesha’s appearance
day (Ganesha-caturthi) is celebrated all
over India on the fourth day of the waxing moon in Bhadrapada
(August-September), especially in big cities like Mumbai.� Many
hundreds of thousands of people attend, including members of
the third sex.
�
Sri Gangamma-Devi
Goddess of Disguise
Sri Gangamma-devi is an expansion of Lord Vishnu’s spiritual shakti known
as Yogamaya or Subhadra.� She is worshiped in South India
as the younger sister of Lord Venkatesvara, a popular Vishnu
Deity presiding over the famous Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh.� When
Gangamma-devi appeared on earth she was celebrated as the
most beautiful of all women and known by the name of Ganga.� Seeing
her exquisite beauty, a demonic king ruling the country at
that time desired to enjoy Ganga for himself.� The unpopular
king made many attempts to capture the girl and take her into
his palace, but Gangamma-devi tricked him by assuming various
disguises with her maya (illusory potency).� One
day Ganga disguised herself as a small young girl and on another
day she disguised herself as a man.� Ganga assumed seven
disguises in all, but on the eighth day she became angry with
the king and killed him after assuming one of her fierce forms.� The
entire kingdom thus became very pleased with Gangamma-devi
and worshiped her as the universal mother and goddess.� A
terrible drought caused by the king’s sinful activities
was also ended at this time.
A famous eight-day festival (Ganga-yatra) is celebrated
in Sri Gangamma-devi’s honor throughout South India during
the month of Jyestha (May-June).� The largest festival,
held at Tirupati, is well known for its crossdressing festivities
based on Gangamma-devi’s pastime of assuming the seven
disguises.� During the festival celebrations, many people
don costumes and the temple goddess is brought out in a grand
procession.� The final four days of the festival are the
main time for crossdressing and third-gender devotees attend
from all over India.� Gangamma-devi is worshiped for her
blessings and to usher in the auspicious rainy season.�����
�
Sri Harihara
Vishnu and Siva Combined
Sri Harihara is a form in which the two male deities of Vishnu
and Siva are fused together, similar to the Ardhanarisvara
form.� It is said that this form of the Lord appeared
when Siva embraced Vishnu as Mohini—thus the right side
of the Deity is Lord Siva (the male side) and the left is Vishnu
(the female side).� Many variations of this form can be
found throughout temples in India.� In traditional images,
the right side depicting Siva carries a trident, has matted
hair and is accompanied by Nandi (Siva’s bull carrier)
or a gana (a dwarf-like attendant).� The left side with
Vishnu carries a cakra, wears a crown, and is accompanied
by a Vishnu attendant.� The picture above is a twelfth-century
image of Sri Harihara from Rajasthan, located at the Bharat
Kali Bhavan in Varanasi.
The Deity of Sri Harihara is not very common and little is
known about this unique form.� To many, He is the father
of Hariharaputra, Lord Ayyappa, while to others He symbolizes
the union and deep relationship between Vishnu and Siva—bringing
harmony between the Vaishnava and Saivite traditions.� Sri
Harihara is worshiped mostly in South India and there is a
famous temple of this Deity in the town of Harihara, just south
of the ancient city of Vijayanagara (Hampi) in Karnataka.
�
Sri Iravan
Husband to Vishnu
Sri Iravan, known in Tamil Nadu as Aravan, is the son of Arjuna
and the serpent princess, Ulupi.� In the Mahabharata,
Iravan was a hero during the battle of Kuruksetra and served
both Krsna and his father Arjuna by slaying many of Duryodhana’s
soldiers.
The worship of Iravan in South India has become increasingly
popular over the past several decades.� The main temple
is located in Koovagam (near Villupuram), Tamil Nadu, and the
deity worshiped there is known as Koothandavara (pictured).� A
popular, six-day festival devoted to Iravan culminates on the Tuesday prior to the full-moon day of Vaishaka (April-May)
and is attended by thousands of aravanis (crossdressing
devotees of Iravan, also known as ali), homosexuals,
and other people of the third sex.� The celebrations are
based on Tamil versions of the Mahabharata in which
Krsna assumes His Vishnu form of Mohini—the most beautiful
of women.� During the battle of Kuruksetra, Iravan offers
himself as a sacrifice to Kali to ensure victory for the Pandavas. �He
asks for three benedictions before he dies, one of which is
to marry and lose his virginity before death.� Since no
parent would give up a daughter to a man about to be sacrificed,
Krsna agrees to assume His Mohini form and marries Iravan for
the night.� The next day, Iravan is sacrificed.
During the Koothandavara festival, thousands of aravanis dress
up as women to reenact this pastime, bringing it to life.� On
the day Iravan is slain, they mourn his death by wailing, beating
their chests, breaking their bangles, etc., in order to commemorate
Iravan’s sacrifice and the painful emotions experienced
by his beloved friends and relatives.� In some temples,
the Krsna Deity is dressed in a white sari (a sign of widowhood)
on this day.� Like the demigoddess Bahucara, Sri Iravan
is popular with the third sex throughout India and has become
a patron saint for them.
�
Sri Jagannatha
Lord of the Gotipuas
Sri Jagannatha is a popular Krsna Deity worshiped in Orissa
and throughout the world.� He is accompanied by His brother
and first expansion, Sri Baladeva, as well as by His sister,
Subhadra, the personification of the Lord’s internal
potency.� All three Deities are worshiped with great pomp
in Jagannatha Puri, where the original temple is located.
The Jagannatha Temple has a long history of both female and
crossdressing-male dance traditions.� In former times,
the female devadasis were beautiful young girls whose
lives were completely surrendered to the Jagannatha Deity.� At
their peak they numbered in the hundreds and maintained elaborate
dance and song traditions as an essential part of the daily
worship.� The devadasis were divided into several
different groups, each with their own specific codes of conduct,
dance styles, and perimeters of worship.� The highest
class (mahari) was comprised of celibate virgins who
danced privately for Lord Jagannatha in the innermost sanctums
of His temple, while the lowest class performed in public ceremonies
outside the temple and often served as courtesans.� Another
class known as nachuni danced before the royal courts
of Orissa, entertaining kings and other celebrated nobles.
The current Jagannatha Temple was built in the tenth century
A.D., after which many devadasis were imported from
South India where the tradition was very prominent.� In
the twelfth century, Maharaja Chodagangadeva (1076-1147) established
much of the elaborate worship and also set stringent rules
for the devadasis, forbidding all prostitution as
well as any human contact for the girls.� After this,
the devadasi tradition slowly began to decline and
in 1360, Muslims attacked the temple and violated many of the devadasis.� Puri
recovered, however, and by the early sixteenth century—under
the reign of Maharaja Prataparudra (1497-1540)—all of
the original worship was reestablished.� Sri Caitanya
relocated to Puri at this time and inaugurated a great revival
of the bhakti cult.
Crossdressing boy dancers, known as gotipuas, also
have a long tradition in Puri and were especially popular during
the reign of Maharaja Prataparudra.� In the gotipua tradition,
beautiful male youths were trained in various dance techniques
such as the bandha-nrtya, wherein they dressed up
as devadasis with colorful saris and heavy makeup.� Unlike
the devadasis, gotipuas performed mostly
in public but were also connected with several important temple
ceremonies.� In one of the most popular, a selected young gotipua performs
a seductive dance before the Deity of Sri Baladeva.� The gotipuas were
devoted to Jagannatha but lived outside the perimeters of the
temple.� In ancient times the more accomplished gotipuas would
serve as dance instructors, male courtesans, and act as liaisons
to the devadasis.� In a time where all public
entertainment was centered on temple festivals and ceremonies,
the highly talented devadasis and gotipuas were
the celebrated luminaries of their day.
The devadasi tradition of Puri is now nearly extinct.� In
1956, the number of devadasis dwindled to nine and
by the end of the twentieth century only two elderly women
remained.� It is not at all certain whether the ancient devadasi tradition
will ever be revived or even preserved for future record; many
of the traditional dance techniques and temple ceremonies have
already been lost to time.� The gotipua tradition,
on the other hand, is still extant to some degree and several gotipua dance
troupes continue to perform in Puri and throughout the state
of Orissa.
Despite the demise of the devadasi tradition, the
Jagannatha Mandira remains one of the most popular
and well-known temples in India.� Lord Jagannatha is especially
merciful to the fallen and for this reason much adored by all
Hindus, including those of the third sex.� Every summer
in the month of Asadha (June-July), all three Deities parade
through Jagannatha Puri in a grand festival attracting millions.� Known
as Ratha-yatra, it is one of the largest religious
ceremonies in the world and also observed in many prominent
Western cities such as Los Angeles, London and Paris.
�
Sri Kali
Goddess of Destruction
Goddess Kali embodies the wrath of material nature and has
a very fierce form.� She has four arms carrying a trident,
machete-like ax (khadagh), severed head of a demon
and a vessel of blood.� A similar form known as Sri Bhadra-kali
has ten arms yielding various weapons.� Kali has a blackish
complexion and red eyes.� She wears a garland of human
heads, a skirt of human arms, slaughters millions of demons
and relishes drinking their blood.� Armies of scantily
clad dakinis (she-demons) gleefully assist her in
the slaughter.� The picture above is a modern shrine of
the goddess from the Rajgir Hot Springs in Bihar.
Sri Kali is one of the many expansions of Durga-devi, the
consort of Lord Siva and goddess of the material energy.� One time
Kali was engaged in a universal war so fierce that her fury
went out of control.� All the gods were terrified and
no one could end her ruthless slaughter. �They approached
Lord Siva as a last resort, and Siva, not sure what to do,
prostrated himself before the goddess in full surrender to
her power.� Kali unknowingly stepped on her lord and,
realizing what she had done, recoiled back in horror, sticking
out her tongue.� Remorseful, she cried out, “My
Lord!” and in that way was brought back to her senses,
ending the slaughter.
Sri Kali manifests an amazing display of power and might, shattering
all stereotypes of women as only feminine.� As a divine
warrior, she fights equally beside men and defeats them in battle.� As
a goddess, she rides a tiger and carries out mass destruction—war,
catastrophe, cyclones, earthquakes, etc.—are all manifestations
of her colossal force.� “Kala” means time, and
therefore Kali represents the destructive force of material time.� Kali
is a very popular goddess, especially in Bengal, and there are
many temples devoted to her.� Devotees of Kali generally
worship her as the personification of the material energy (Siva’s shakti),
to appease her wrath, and to pray for all kinds of benedictions.� Kali-puja is
celebrated on the new-moon day in Kartika (October-November)
and marked by animal or sometimes even human sacrifices.� The
day coincides with the Hindu New Year and another popular festival
known as Diwali or “the Festival of Lights.”� Since
goddess Kali represents material time, it is appropriate that
her holiday is celebrated at the juncture between the old and
new years.
�
Sri Kartikeya
Son of Siva and Agni
Kartikeya is the son of two male deities—Siva and Agni—born
without the help of any womb.� He is the god of war and
commander-in-chief of the demigods.� Kartikeya is also
known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, and Murugan, and portrayed as
a brave, handsome youth riding on a peacock, sometimes in a
six-headed and twelve-armed form.� Like his brother Ganesha,
Kartikeya is traditionally worshiped as a bachelor who avoids
women.� In the Brahmanda Purana it is stated
that Parvati cursed Kartikeya so that he would see all women
as his mother.� Thus he never married and instead took
companionship from his fellow soldiers.� Another name
for Kartikeya is Senapati—he was a lord or “husband” to
his army.
Three Vedic texts narrate the birth of Kartikeya in somewhat
different versions.� In the Mahabharata, Agni (the
fire god) is aroused by the six Krittika goddesses (the Pleiades)
and discharges his semen into the hand of one of them, named
Svaha-devi.� She discards the semen into a lake from which
Skanda (literally, “he who was cast off”) emerges.� Because
the Krittikas nursed him, he was named Kartikeya.� The Mahabharata mentions
that since the place where Agni discharged his semen was itself
created from the seed of Siva, both gods are considered fathers
of Kartikeya.� In the best-known version from the Siva
Purana, Kartikeya’s birth is described as follows:
The demigods needed a son who would lead their army against
the asuras (demons).� Siva and Parvati agreed
to produce such a son, but when they were locked in cosmic
embrace for a very long time, the demigods became alarmed and
interrupted them.� Siva spilled his seed on the ground
and Agni, disguised as a dove and urged on by the other gods,
swallowed the semen with his beak.� Parvati was enraged
by the course of events and chastised the gods bitterly.� Agni
was burned by the fire of Siva’s seed and submitted himself
before the god.� Siva was pleased and allowed Agni to
pass the semen on to the Krittikas.� The sagely husbands
of these goddesses, however, accused their wives of unfaithfulness
and therefore they discharged the semen onto the Himalayan
peaks.� Himavata (the Himalayas personified and father
of Parvati) was burned by the seed and tossed it into the Ganges
River, which in turn deposited it into a forest of reeds—wherefrom
a very handsome boy was born named Kartikeya.� His appearance
made Siva, Parvati, and all the gods very happy.� In the Skanda
Purana, the story is nearly identical with the exception
that Agni swallowed Siva’s semen disguised as a male
ascetic instead of a dove.� The Mahabharata also
relates that when Kartikeya was very young, Indra feared he
would usurp his throne and thus threw a thunderbolt at the
boy.� Instead of killing Kartikeya, however, it simply
produced from his body another fierce-looking youth named Visakha.� Indra
then worshiped Kartikeya and installed him as commander-in-chief
of the demigods.
Like Ayyappa of similar birth, Sri Kartikeya is associated with
maleness and many temples in India prevent women from entering
his shrines.� He is portrayed as the divine patron of warriors
and represented by the planet Mars, battle, virility, progeny,
bravery and strength.� There are temples of Lord Kartikeya
throughout India, with special celebrations and festivals held
during the month of Magha (January-February).� Like his
brother, Ganesha, Kartikeya is generally worshiped as a bachelor
although some traditions, especially in South India, depict him
as married.� It should be noted that Hindu deities are often
worshiped in many different forms and features, including married
or unmarried, in accordance with the particular mood and tradition
of the devotee.� For instance, some devotees of Lord Krsna
worship Him as an unmarried youth in Vrndavana whereas others
worship Him as a married king in Dvaraka.
�
Sri Krsna
Enchanter of Cupid
Sri Krsna is known as Madana-mohana—the enchanter of
the male deity, Kamadeva (Cupid).� Indeed, the very name
Krsna means “all-attractive” and His unsurpassed
beauty captivates all beings whether male, female, or third-sex.� Kamadeva
is known as the most exquisitely beautiful youth within the
creation who charms and mesmerizes everyone as the god of sex;
yet in spite of this, Kamadeva himself is completely enthralled
and bewildered by the unparalleled beauty of Krsna.� Because
Sri Krsna is adi-purusa—the supreme and original
male—all other beings are regarded as female in relation
to Him.
Vedic texts, especially the Bhagavata Purana, describe
Krsna as the fountainhead and original source of Vishnu and
all incarnations.� His unique feature is His madhurya-rasa—His
unparalleled sweet and intimate conjugal pastimes—that
place Him above all other forms of God such as Vishnu or Narayana.� God
is normally worshiped in great reverence and formality but
in Krsna all Godhood is left aside for the sake of divine love.� He
is depicted not as a crowned king seated upon a royal throne,
but as a fresh, charming youth—playing in the pastures
with His cows and friends during the day and calling the gopi
maidens with His flute at night.� Many sages and demigods
have aspired to witness Krsna’s divine sport and males
like Arjuna, Narada, and even Lord Siva have transformed themselves
into females for the purpose of attaining Krsna’s intimate
association.� In the Padma Purana it is said
that during the advent of Lord Rama, the sages of Dandakaranya
Forest became so attracted to the Lord they developed conjugal
affection for Him.� Since Rama could accept only one wife,
Sita, He blessed the sages to become cowherd maidens in Krsna’s
pastimes, thus fulfilling their desires.
Krsna’s pastimes are very playful and sportive; narratives
from the Puranas as well as post-medieval texts often
portray Krsna and His friends (both male and female) crossdressing
for fun and delivering messages in disguise.� Krsna has
many male attendants (sahayakas) who meticulously
dress and care for Him and His intimate priya-narma friends
arrange rendezvous for Him to meet with the gopis.� These
intimate friends are said to have nearly the same emotions
(bhava) for Krsna that the gopis do and are
always completely overwhelmed by Krsna’s beauty and the
love they feel for Him.
Krsna is most famous for His loving pastimes with the gopis
and His rasa-lila dances with them.� His chief
consort is Sri Radha, the original source of all shaktis and
Goddess of the spiritual energy.� Radha is Krsna’s
life and soul; in His incarnation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
He combines with Her to experience the ecstatic love She feels
for Him.� Krsna’s natural complexion is bluish
but when He combines with Radha He takes on a golden complexion
and is thus known as Lord Gauranga.� In another popular
pastime, Krsna disguises Himself as the beautiful maiden,
Syamali, just to pacify the jealous anger of Radha.
In Dvaraka, Krsna manifests a majestic form of God known as
Dvarakadisa or Vasudeva.� In this feature He becomes
a royal king and speaks the Bhagavad Gita to His dear friend
and disciple, Arjuna.� The Bhagavad Gita (which is a chapter
from the Mahabharata) is the best-known Vedic text
and stresses the importance of bhakti-yoga—the
process of uniting with God in love and devotion.
Krsna is worshiped all over India and throughout the world.� A
festival celebrating His appearance, Janmastami, occurs
on the eighth day of the waning moon in the month of Bhadrapada
(August-September) and is one of the largest festivals in India.� While
ordinary people worship Krsna for all kinds of benedictions
and even liberation, His pure devotees worship Him for the
sole purpose of achieving krsna-prema or pure love
of God.
�
Sri Minakshi-Devi
Warrior Goddess
Sri Minakshi-devi is a mighty demigoddess who is especially
popular in South India.� As an expansion of Parvati, she
is the wife of Lord Sundaresvara (Siva).� Minakshi was
self-born from a sacrificial fire to King Malayadvaja and his
queen, Kancamanala, in Madurai.� She is named Minakshi
because her eyes are compared with those of fish—she
never blinks and is always watching over her devotees.� Like
the goddess Kali, Minakshi-devi shatters all stereotypes of
women as weak or in need of protection.� As a powerful
princess of Madurai, Minakshi rode horses, tamed elephants,
and wrestled bulls with her bare hands.� She was also
fond of hunting, killing many tigers and other ferocious beasts.� She
led armies all over India, fighting alongside her father and
defeating many kings and warlords.� Goddess Minakshi eventually
married Lord Siva and was blessed by Vishnu.
The worship of Sri Minakshi-devi is believed to have originated
in medieval Tamil Nadu, sometime prior to the sixteenth century.� Like
the worship of Lord Ayyappa, Sri Minakshi-devi’s puja has
increased in popularity during recent years.� Minakshi-devi
is revered as an expansion of the goddess Durga and worshiped
for all types of benedictions.� She is said to guard over
her devotees and protect them from all harm.�� Festivals
in her honor are held during the Durga-puja holiday
in the month of Ashvina (September-October).
� �
Sri Mitra-Varuna
Intimate Brothers
The two demigods, Sri Mitra-Varuna, are brothers of great intimacy and often mentioned together in Vedic literature. These sons of Aditi preside over the universal waters wherein Mitra controls the ocean depths and lower portals while Varuna rules over the ocean�s upper regions, rivers and shorelines. Mitra is furthermore attributed to the sunrise and day, which rise up from the sea, while Varuna is attributed to the sunset and night, which sink below its surface. Both deities sustain the sky and earth with their waters, respectively, and both are associated with the moon, the ocean, the tides and the western direction. In the physical body, Lord Mitra moves waste outwards whereas Varuna directs nourishment inwards. Mitra is thus associated with the body�s lower orifice (the anus and rectum) while Varuna governs the upper (the mouth and tongue).
In Vedic literature, Sri Mitra-Varuna are portrayed as icons of brotherly affection and intimate friendship between males (the Sanskrit word mitra means �friend� or �companion�). For this reason they are worshiped by men of the third sex, albeit not as commonly as other Hindu deities. They are depicted riding a shark or crocodile together while bearing tridents, ropes, conch shells and water pots. Sometimes they are portrayed seated side-by-side on a golden chariot drawn by seven swans. Ancient Brahmana texts furthermore associate Sri Mitra-Varuna with the two lunar phases and same-sex relations: �Mitra and Varuna, on the other hand, are the two half-moons: the waxing one is Varuna and the waning one is Mitra. During the new-moon night these two meet and when they are thus together they are pleased with a cake offering. Verily, all are pleased and all is obtained by any person knowing this. On that same night, Mitra implants his seed in Varuna and when the moon later wanes, that waning is produced from his seed.� (Shatapatha Brahmana 2.4.4.19) Varuna is similarly said to implant his seed in Mitra on the full-moon night for the purpose of securing its future waxing. In Hinduism, the new- and full-moon nights are discouraged times for procreation and consequently often associated with citrarata or unusual types of intercourse.
The Bhagavata Purana (6.18.3-6) lists Varuna and Mitra as the ninth and tenth sons of Aditi and both gods are described having children through ayoni or non-vaginal sex. For example, Varuna fathered the sage Valmiki when his semen fell upon a termite mound, and Agastya and Vasistha were born from water pots after Mitra and Varuna discharged their semen in the presence of Urvasi. Another celebrated child of Varuna is Varuni�the goddess of honey-wine and other intoxicating beverages�and Mitra is considered to be the father of Utsarga, Arista and Pippala�the three demigods presiding over manure, soapberry trees and banyan trees. The Mahabharata mentions that Mitra, the older brother of Indra, stood in the sky at the time of Arjuna�s birth. Because Mitra and Varuna sustain the sky and earth with their great ocean waters, these two demigods are worshiped along the seashore during the month of Jyestha (May-June) for the purpose of obtaining good rainfall. Sri Mitra-Varuna are worshiped together on the new- and full-moon days or individually during the waning half moon (for Mitra) and the waxing half moon (for Varuna).
�
�
Sri Mohini-Murti
Vishnu as Female
Lord Vishnu once transformed Himself into the most beautiful
woman in the universe—Sri Mohini-murti.� “Mohini” means “one
who bewilders the mind,” and “murti” means “form.”� This
pastime is narrated in the Bhagavata Purana (8.8-9)
as follows:� The demigods and demons once combined their
efforts to extract immortality-producing nectar from the ocean
of milk.� When the nectar was produced, however, the demigods
and demons struggled for it and the demons made off with the
pot.� The demigods approached Lord Vishnu, who told them
not to fear—He would resolve the issue.� Vishnu
then appeared as Sri Mohini-murti, the most bewildering of
women.� She is described as an extremely beautiful youth
with a blackish complexion and attractive fragrance. �Her
behavior and movements were very feminine and She attracted
the minds of all men.� Mohini approached the demons and,
taking advantage of their captivation for Her, convinced them
to release the pot of nectar.� She told the demons She
would distribute the nectar Herself and made them promise to
accept whatever She did.� They agreed, and once Mohini
received the nectar She proceeded to distribute it only to
the demigods.� Thus the demons were never able to receive
the nectar of immortality.
Later on, when Siva heard about the Mohini form from others,
he desired to see its unparalleled beauty for himself.� He
requested Lord Vishnu to reveal the form and Vishnu complied.� However,
once Siva saw Mohini’s form—appearing before him
as a playful Goddess—he became completely bewildered
and enamored by Her exquisite beauty.� Siva forcibly embraced
Mohini and chased Her all over the universe.� Only after
fully discharging semen did he finally return to his senses.
There are a few temples of Sri Mohini-murti throughout India
but Her worship is not very prominent.� The above image
is an eleventh-century statue from Karnataka.� The largest
festival and human gathering on earth—Kumbha-mela—originates
from the pastime of churning the milk ocean.� It is said
that while the demons and demigods were struggling over the
pot of nectar, four drops were spilled in four places: Prayaga,
Haridvara, Ujjain and Nasik.� These places are thus believed
to have great mystical powers.� Kumbha-mela occurs
four times every twelve years during the month of Magha (January-February), once at each of the four locations.� The
exact dates fluctuate since they are calculated according to
specific astrological alignments.� Every twelve years
a special Maha-kumbha-mela occurs
at Prayaga on the bank of the Ganges River and is attended
by hundreds of millions of Hindus.
�
Sri Narada Muni
Celestial Celibate
Sri Narada Muni is the transcendental sage of the demigods.� He
was born from the mind of Lord Brahma and is a pure devotee
of God.� Narada Muni is a lifelong celibate (naistiki-brahmacari)
and is mentioned throughout the Vedic literatures.� He
is often depicted traveling freely through outer space, plucking
a stringed musical instrument (the vina), and preaching
the glories of Lord Vishnu.� Narada Muni moves from planet
to planet and in all three realms of the universe—upper,
middle and lower.� His dear companion, Parvata Muni, often
accompanies him.� He is somewhat of a cosmic instigator—constantly
coming and going, setting things in motion and sometimes creating
mischief—but always for the higher purpose of demonstrating
Vedic philosophical truths.
Narada Muni’s character as a roaming, lifelong celibate
is very appealing to many people of the third sex—the
gender most often associated with solitude, asceticism and
celibacy.� He is well known for his preaching against
married life and convincing young men to quit their homes and
take up a life of renunciation, much to the chagrin of their
parents.� There is a popular narrative in the Bhagavata
Purana (6.5) wherein Narada convinces the ten thousand
sons of Prajapati Daksa to renounce marriage and become mendicants.� Saddened
by the loss of his sons, Daksa begets a thousand more, but
Narada also convinces these sons in the same way.� Infuriated,
Daksa curses Narada to never remain in one place—a curse
that Narada graciously accepts.
There are at least two instances in the Puranas wherein
Narada Muni becomes a woman.� In one narration, Narada
asks Vishnu to show him His maya (illusion).� Vishnu
complies and instructs Narada to fetch Him some water from
a nearby river.� Narada does so, but falls into the water
and emerges as a female.� Narada then meets a man, falls
in love, gets married, has many children, builds a home and
establishes a prosperous farm on the riverbank.� She becomes
very happy and satisfied for many years.� One day, however,
there is an enormous flood, and Narada’s husband, children,
home and farm are all washed away in the raging waters.� Narada
laments piteously until finally the turbulent waters capture
Narada herself.� Terrified, she screams for help again
and again.� A hand grasps Narada and pulls her from the
river.� It is Vishnu—He has shown Narada His maya!
In the Padma Purana there is a description of Narada’s
transformation into the beautiful cowherd maiden, Naradi.� Narada
Muni asks Krsna to show him His divine loving affairs, and
Krsna complies by turning him into the gopi Naradi and sporting
with him for an entire year.� This pastime is very similar
to the one in which Arjuna is transformed into the maiden Arjuni,
and it appears immediately afterward in the Purana.
�
Sri Ramacandra
Benefactor of the Third Sex
Sri Ramacandra is one of the most popular incarnations of
Vishnu, especially in South India.� He appeared on earth
during the Treta Yuga and His pastimes are vividly described
in the epic, Ramayana.� There are hundreds of
versions of the Ramayana, both written and oral, that
are read and recited all over India.� One narrative especially
popular among the ali (a third-sex group of South
India) is recited as follows: Ramacandra’s father, Maharaja
Dasaratha, was forced to exile his beloved son to the forest
for fourteen years.� As the young prince left to fulfill
the order of His father, the bereaved citizens of the kingdom
followed Rama to the edge of the forest.� At this point
Ramacandra turned around and said, “Dear ladies and gentlemen,
please stop your crying now and return to your homes without
Me.”� The citizens obeyed the command but those
who were neither men nor women—the third sex—did
not know what to do.� They decided to remain in that place
for the entire fourteen years, meditating on Rama, and when
the Lord returned He was very pleased and gave them all His
blessings.
In another story from the Padma Purana it is described
that the sages of Dandakaranya Forest became so attracted to
Sri Ramacandra they developed conjugal affection for Him.� Since
Rama could only accept one wife, Sita, He blessed the sages
to become cowherd maidens in Lord Krsna’s pastimes, thus
fulfilling all their desires.
In the Valmiki Ramayana (4.5.11-18), Rama aligns Himself with
the monkey king, Sugriva, and they officiate their sacred alliance
with a Vedic friendship ceremony.� The ritual they perform
is very similar to a Hindu wedding—fire is invoked as
a witness, vows are exchanged, and the pair circumambulates
the fire arena together.� In India, third-gender couples
sometimes emulate such friendship marriages to demonstrate
their own love and commitment to one another.
The Krittivasa Ramayana relates how two queens conceive
Lord Rama’s illustrious ancestor, Maharaja Bhagiratha,
without the assistance of any male.� In yet another version
of the epic, Sri Hanuman witnesses several women kissing, embracing
and sleeping alongside one another in the palace of Ravana.� The
celibate monkey god, Hanuman, is famous as Sri Ramacandra’s
beloved servant and his devotion to Rama is legendary.� It
is said that Hanuman has so much love for Sita-Rama that whenever
he hears Their names chanted, a flood of tears immediately
rolls down his cheeks.� In another pastime, Hanuman actually
rips open his chest to demonstrate how Sri Sita-Rama are literally
situated within his heart.
There are many temples of Lord Ramacandra and Hanuman throughout
India and both of their appearance days are celebrated in the
month of Chaitra (March-April).� Rama’s appearance
day, known as Rama-navami, falls on the ninth day
of the waxing moon while Hanuman’s appearance is on the
full-moon day and known as Hanuman-jayanti.� Dasara,
or Rama-vijayotsava, is a festival celebrating Rama’s
defeat over the demon king, Ravana, and honored on the tenth
day of the waxing moon in Ashvina (September-October).� The
festival is observed by burning an enormous effigy of Ravana,
along with fireworks.� Diwali, a holiday celebrating
Rama’s return from exile, falls on the new-moon day of
Kartika (October-November).
�
Sri Siva
Lord of the Dance
Sri Siva is the lord of the material cosmos and husband of
goddess Durga (his shakti).� Together, they are
among the most popular deities worshiped in Hinduism.� Lord
Siva is in charge of universal destruction and famous as Nataraja,
or lord of the dance.� When the time comes for the universe
to end, Lord Siva performs his cosmic dance and ends the creation.� Blazing
fire emanates from his dancing body with the heat of millions
of suns and the cosmos is destroyed.� The above image
is a popular rendition of Siva’s Nataraja form.
Like the goddess Durga, Lord Siva has many different expansions
and is known by a variety of names such as Rudra, Nilakantha,
Sankara, Bhutanatha, and Dinabandhu.� The latter two names
refer to Siva’s association with the dark side of material
nature: ghosts, demons, and all sorts of shady beings accompany
Siva and he is very merciful to them, gradually purifying their
hearts and raising them to a higher platform of existence.� For
this reason, Lord Siva is famous as the friend of the fallen.� Another
popular image of Siva is as a great yogi meditating in the
Himalayas.� He wears a deerskin cloth, has dreadlocks,
a darkish complexion and holds a trident.� His carrier
is Nandi, a large white bull.
In Uttar Pradesh there is a popular narrative about Lord
Siva’s transformation into the beautiful girl known as
Gopisvara.� Siva once desired to witness Lord Krsna’s rasa-lila dance
with the gopis.� He performed austerities for a long time
until Krsna’s yogamaya, Paurnamasi, appeared
before him.� He prayed to her for permission to witness
the dance and she agreed, assisting him to dip within the Brahma-kunda
pond.� Siva then emerged as a very beautiful young cowherd
maiden and went to the place where the rasa-lila was
being performed—hiding within a grove.� Krsna and
the gopis, however, sensed that something was different and
stopped dancing.� They searched the groves and discovered
the unknown maiden.� “Who are you and where are
you from?” they demanded.� The new gopi was sorry
but didn’t know what to say, so the gopis began slapping
her in the face until she began to cry.� “Yogamaya!” she
called out.� “Please save me!”� Paurnamasi
quickly came and requested the gopis to have mercy upon the
new girl.� “She is the object of my mercy,” Paurnamasi
told them.� The gopis thereafter happily accepted the
girl and named her Gopisvara, which means “she whose
controllers are the gopis.”� Krsna, who had been
standing on the side and smiling the whole time, blessed Gopisvara
to become the guard of His sacred rasa-lila and said, “Henceforth,
without the sanction of Gopisvara, no one will be able to enter
My divine rasa-lila dance.”� From that
day on, Lord Siva’s duty as Gopisvara was to carefully
guard the rasa-lila and prevent any unqualified persons
from entering.
Lord Siva also appears in the hermaphrodite form of Sri Ardhanarisvara
and is therefore manifest in all three genders.� There
are many large and famous temples of Siva throughout India
and he is worshiped especially on Siva-ratri—the
last day of the waning moon (Caturdasi) in Phalguna
(February-March).� During the festival, Siva’s divine linga (phallus)
is worshiped as a symbol of procreation and the male principle.� There
is also a temple of Sri Gopisvara Mahadeva in Vrndavana, Uttar
Pradesh.
�
The Six Goswamis
Gopis in Male Forms
The six Goswamis were ascetic saints who lived in Vrndavana,
India (the pastime place of Lord Krsna), during the sixteenth
century.� As pure devotees of the Lord, they spent their
days constantly chanting Krsna’s names and absorbed in
deep, internal meditation (samadhi).� They lived
austere, strictly celibate lives, eating very little and sleeping
under trees at night.� They wore only torn cloth and kept
no possessions of their own.
As the principal disciples of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the
six Goswamis accomplished many amazing tasks.� Lord Caitanya
instructed them to uncover Krsna’s pastime places, install
Deities of Radha and Krsna, compile scriptures on the science
of bhakti (devotion to God), and propagate the rules
of devotional life.� When the six Goswamis first moved
to Vrndavana it was simply an overgrown forest with no houses
or village.� Through their efforts, however, they managed
to locate all of Krsna’s pastime places and commissioned
the construction of large, beautiful temples and ghats (bathing
ponds).� As erudite scholars, they composed scores of
essential Vaishnava texts on the science of bhakti,
and by their examples they set the proper standard for devotional
behavior and practice.
The six Goswamis—Sri Rupa, Sri Sanatana, Sri Raghunatha
Bhatta, Sri Jiva, Sri Gopala Bhatta, and Sri Raghunatha dasa—are
revealed in Vaishnava texts to be the six manjaris—Sri
Rupa-manjari, Sri Lavanga-manjari, Sri Raga-manjari, Sri Vilasa-manjari,
Sri Guna-manjari, and Sri Rasa-manjari—respectively (there
is some variance on a few of these names).� A manjari is
a very young gopi maiden in Krsna’s pastimes.� These
maidens are servants of Sri Radha (Krsna’s spiritual shakti)
and are completely devoted to Her.� They have no desire
to unite with Krsna; rather, their only desire is to serve
and attend to Radha.� These six young gopi maidens, on
the order of Radha, incarnated as males in Lord Caitanya’s lila to
assist the Lord in His mission.� Thus they were especially
empowered to reveal the pastime places of Krsna and expound
upon the teachings of bhakti.
Today, Vrndavana (in Uttar Pradesh) is a bustling town with
thousands of Radha-Krsna temples and is one of the holiest places
in India.� Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit annually
from all over the world, especially during the month of Kartika
(October-November) and on Janmastami.� The large
stone temples erected by the six Goswamis are still fully operating
and have been preserved as national monuments.
�
Sri Sukracarya
Born of Siva Alone
Sri Sukracarya is the preceptor of the asuras and
master of all kinds of supernatural powers.� He is associated
with the planet Venus, material pleasures, beauty, magic and
bewitchment.� The story of Sukracarya’s appearance
as the son of Siva is narrated both in the Mahabharata and
the Vamana Purana as follows:� A powerful mystic
named Kavya knew all sorts of maya (magic) but did
not have the spell for bringing the dead back to life.� Hearing
that Lord Siva possessed this power, Kavya propitiated the
god by hanging himself head down over a smoldering fire.� When
Siva appeared, Kavya slipped into his mouth and remained there
for a very long time, gaining access to Siva’s knowledge
and powers.� After acquiring the spell for reviving the
dead, he sought a passage out but could only find Siva’s
phallus.� Emerging from there, Siva quickly caught the asura and
decided to kill him.� The goddess Parvati, however, stopped
her husband and said, “Since this asura has
left your body through the phallus, he is to be considered
your son.”� Siva agreed and from then on Kavya was
called Sukra—“sprung from the semen of Siva.”
Sri Sukracarya is depicted in a four-armed form riding on
a white horse.� He is blinded in the right eye, relating
to a pastime in which Vishnu plucked his eye with a straw and
suggestive of his lack of spiritual vision.� People generally
worship Sukracarya in order to acquire mystical powers or fulfill
material desires; however, his worship is not very prevalent
in India today and there are few temples dedicated to him.
�
Sri Surya
Lover
of Aruni
Sri Surya is the Vedic sun god also known as Ravi or Vivasvan.� He
is in charge of illuminating the universe and empowered by
the Vaikuntha Deity, Surya-Narayana.� In a popular South
Indian version of the Ramayana, Surya falls in love
with his charioteer, Aruna, after the god transforms himself
into a woman.� The story is narrated as follows:� Aruna,
the god of dawn, desired to see the beautiful courtesans dancing
in the palace of Indra.� He thus transformed himself into
the goddess, Aruni, and sneaked into Indra’s palace.� Indra
noticed Aruni and was immediately captivated by her amazing
beauty.� The two made love together and created a son
named Vali.� The next day, Aruna was late for duty and
Surya demanded to know why.� Aruna described the incident
and Surya requested if he could also see the beautiful form.� Aruna
complied, but Surya then became so captivated by Aruni he immediately
made love to her, producing another child known as Sugriva.� The
two offspring were later turned into vanaras (human-like
apes) by the curse of Gautama Rsi.
There are many popular temples devoted to Sri Surya throughout
India such as the Brahmanyadeva Mandira near Jhansi (Madhya
Pradesh) and the Suryanarayanaswami Temple near Srikakulam
(Andhra Pradesh).� Other ancient sun temples stand in
ruin such as the famous thirteenth-century Konark Temple near
Puri (Orissa).� The impressive architecture of these temples,
with their magnificent, sexually-explicit carvings—some
of which include same-sex lovemaking—point to long-forgotten
days in India when Hindus were free to display erotic artistry. �Many
of the Surya temples are specifically designed so that the
rays of the sun fall on the enshrined deity at the time of
the equinoxes, when special festivals and ceremonies are held.� Sri
Surya is generally worshiped for benedictions of strength,
power and good health.
�
Sri Vallabhavardhana
Vishnu’s Hermaphrodite
Form
Sri Vallabhavardhana is a relatively little-known hermaphrodite
form of Lord Vishnu and Laksmi-devi combined.� Lord Vishnu
is a transcendental manifestation of God who resides in the
spiritual world known as Vaikuntha (literally, �beyond all anxiety�).� Vishnu
maintains both the spiritual and material cosmos simply by
His own sweet will—He is depicted as being completely
aloof, lying peacefully on His serpent bed (Ananta-Sesa), attended
by the Goddess Laksmi (His spiritual shakti), and
served in awe and reverence by His devotees.� The demigods
often call upon Sri Vishnu as a last resort for deliverance
from their calamities.
Like many other deities, Lord Vishnu manifests Himself in
all three genders—male, female (Mohini) and hermaphrodite
(Sri Vallabhavardhana).� The Vallabhavardhana form of
the Lord is literally split down the middle with the right
half represented by Vishnu and the left half by Laksmi.� In
the image shown above (from Kashmir), Sri Vallabhavardhana
is seated and has an eight-armed form.� Most of the known
carvings and sculptures of this Deity are from North India.� Sri
Vallabhavardhana (literally, “half Vallabha or Vishnu”)
is mentioned briefly in the Bhavisya Purana,
but otherwise little else is known about this rare and unusual
form.� There appears to be no prevalent worship of Sri
Vallabhavardhana in India today.
�
Sri Yellamma-Devi
Goddess of the Devadasis
Sri Yellamma-devi is an expansion of the goddess Durga who
is worshiped all over India, especially in south-central regions
such as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.� She is very popular
with the third sex, and her appearance is based on narratives
from the Bhagavata Purana (9.16. 1-8) and later medieval
traditions.� There are several versions of the story but
the basic description is as follows:
Lord Parasurama’s mother, Renuka, went to the bank of
the Ganges to collect water for her husband’s daily yajna (fire
sacrifice).� Once there, she saw the king of the gandharvas (celestial
musicians) sporting with beautiful apsaras (celestial
courtesans).� Distracted by the scene, Renuka returned
somewhat late with the water.� Her husband, Jamadagni,
could understand the reason and accused his wife of committing
adultery within her mind.� Furious, he ordered his many
sons to kill the woman but they all refused except for the
youngest, Parasurama.� Understanding his father’s
great mystic powers, Parasurama agreed to behead his mother
and all of his brothers with his famous axe (some narratives
mention Parasurama castrating his brothers rather than killing
them).� When Parasurama attempted to behead Renuka, however,
Durga-devi appeared as the goddess Yellamma—a celestial apsara with
thousands of heads.� Unable to tolerate the sight of a
son killing his mother, she stood before Renuka to prevent
the matricide, but because Parasurama was so determined to
fulfill his father’s order, Yellamma created an illusory
Renuka and Parasurama beheaded that form instead.� Jamadagni
was thus pleased with the obedience of his son and asked him
for any benediction.� Parasurama requested that his mother
and brothers be returned to life with no memory of the incident.� Jamadagni
agreed and all were revived.� The illusory form thus remained
with Jamadagni while the original Renuka dedicated her life
to the goddess, becoming her inseparable associate and companion.
Sri Yellamma-devi is worshiped as an expansion of Durga and
is the protector of her devotees.� Her name means, literally, “a
mother to all.”� She is depicted along with Renuka
(as in the picture above) but it is her association with the
ancient Hindu practice of keeping devadasis, or temple
courtesans, that is perhaps most striking.� Prostitution
was permitted in ancient India under certain circumstances
and Vedic narratives contain many references to prostitutes
as part of the social construct in large cities and towns such
as Lord Krsna’s capital of Dvaraka, Varanasi, and Puri
in Orissa.� In recent centuries, however, the practice
of keeping temple courtesans has been largely discouraged and
is only visible within certain traditional ceremonies and rituals,
usually related to the worship of the goddess.
Devadasis are maidservants whose lives are completely
surrendered to the temple god or goddess.� They are often
seen in town carrying large pots on their heads that contain
images of the deity.� They wear brilliant marks of turmeric
and vermilion on their foreheads and can be seen singing and
dancing in the streets.� As temple dancers, devadasis maintain
important religious dance traditions; as prostitutes, they
make their services available to anyone and take donations
that are given to the goddess.� Twice a year during the
full moon in Magha and Chaitra, special festivals and ceremonies
are held marked by large processions of jogathis (devotees
of Yellamma) who parade unclothed through the streets.� The
traditional nudity has since been largely curtailed, much to
the protest of the jogathis (they now wear loose clothing
or dresses made of neem leaves).� The temple courtesans
are not only female—a large number of them are males,
known as jogappas, which include both feminine transgenders
dressed as women and masculine types who also offer their service
as dancers and male prostitutes.
There are quite a few temples of Sri Yellamma-devi throughout
India. Some of the more famous ones are the eleventh-century
temple in Badami and the Renuka-Yellamma temple in Saudatti
(Belgaum), both in Karnataka.� There are also two popular
temples in Kurnool (Dandakaranya) and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh.� Hundreds
of thousands of pilgrims descend on the Saudatti temple during
the biggest festival of the year, held on the full-moon night
of Magha (January-February).� Initiations into the devadasi cult
are held at that time—initiates are married to the goddess
and vow to devote their lives to her.� In modern times,
many of the devadasis come from destitute backgrounds
and are no longer respected or treated well.
On Nonsectarianism
In Vedic literature it is stated that thirty-three million
demigods preside over the various aspects of nature.� It
is impossible, therefore, to fully account for and describe
all of the innumerable Hindu deities and their pastimes.� Nevertheless,
it can be observed that the majority of deities worshiped in
Hinduism exhibit some form of gender diversity and that the
two most popular—Vishnu and Siva—manifest in all
three genders.
Hindu philosophy acknowledges many different levels of worship
and for this reason, religious and sectarian tolerance is an
important Hindu precept.� In India, all types of religions
and sects are honored including monotheistic Vaishnavism; Saivism;
monistic Brahmanism; Shaktism (goddess worship); polytheistic
demigod worship, animism (nature and spirit worship), and even
traditions outside of Hinduism.� Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs,
Christians, Jains, Zoroastrians (Parsis), Sufis and other religious
groups have all sought shelter on the Indian subcontinent and,
for the most part, in peace.� Below are a few inspiring
words by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura on the importance of nonsectarianism
and the recognition of different levels of worship:
“All human beings are grateful to God.� No matter
how many sins they commit, occasionally they become aware that
God is the supreme entity, and when they are endowed with this
belief, they bow down before the extraordinary things of this
world.� When ignorant people are inspired by their gratitude
to God, they naturally offer respect to the sun, a river, a
mountain, or to enormous animals.� They express their
hearts before such things and display submission to them.� Granted,
there is a vast difference between this type of worship of
material objects, and transcendental affection toward the Lord.� Still,
when such ignorant people adopt a mood of gratitude to God
and reverence toward material objects, it gradually produces
a positive effect.� Therefore, if one examines the situation
logically, one cannot ascribe any fault to them.”
“We consider that it is essential to arouse bhava towards
Bhagavan by any means.� The door leading to gradual elevation
is firmly shut if people on any level of worship are ridiculed
or condemned.� Those who fall under the spell of dogmatism,
and thereby become sectarian, lack the qualities of generosity
and munificence.� That is why they ridicule and condemn
others who do not worship in the same way as they do.� This
is a great mistake on their part.”� (Jaiva Dharma,
p. 272)
�
(From the book, “Tritiya-Prakriti: People of the Third Sex.”)
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