PURUSHA, PRAKRITI AND ARDHANAREESHVARA

Purusha is the seer, the witness, the real you or me. Prakriti is the seen, the experienced, the form, even down to the most subtle of mental events. Any ideas or feelings, even those about Purusha, are composed of the impermanent, interconnecting braids of a mutable, timeless energy, or Prakriti. Since Prakriti is the content of all experience, Purusha cannot be “experienced” as such, but is realized by the full releasing of Prakriti.  

Technically we cannot even say there is a relationship between Purusha and Prakriti, since Purusha is completely unthinkable. Any relationships are actually between various complementary and opposite functions within the unified field of Prakriti. Philosophically the relationship between these two metaphysical absolutes comes to a halt in a knot of self reference paradox. This is not actually a problem. It happens eventually in all systems and is a beautiful and essential disappearance of the mentally constructed thinker. Purusha and Prakriti are brilliant metaphors, which aid in the actual yoga practice and the experience of observing all phenomena as impermanent construction.For example, we can say that the process of realization in yoga can be likened to the simultaneous unfolding of millions of flowers (Prakriti) to face the light and glory of the rising sun (Purusha). The Kamakalavilasa Tantra also says, “The awakened flower energy, as Mulaprakrti or primordial Sakti is supreme; being in the nature un-originated and undisturbed joy, eternal, utterly incomparable, the seed of all, the spotless mirror in which is revealed the radiant form of Siva. Ardhanareeshvara is a combination of three words “Ardha,” “Nari,” and “Ishwara” means “half,” “woman,” and “lord,” respectively, which when combined means the lord whose half is a woman. It is believed that the God is Lord Shiva and the woman part is his consort Goddess Parvati or Shakti. The Ardhanareeshvara represents a constructive and generative power. Ardhanareeshvara symbolizes male and female principles cannot be separated. It conveys the unity of opposites in the universe. The male half stands for Purusha and female half is Prakriti. Ardhanareeshvara harmonizes the two conflicting ways of life: The spiritual way of the ascetic as represented by Shiva, and the materialistic way of the householder symbolized by Parvati. It conveys that Shiva and Shakti are one and the same. A human being is not a pure unisexual organism. Each human organism bears the potentiality of both male and female sex. Neurohormonal mechanisms have been found to be greatly influencing the sexual behavior. The modern world has come to understand the concept of “Ardhanareeshwara” as it aspires to resolve the paradox of opposites into a unity, not by negation, but through positive experiences of life. The matching of opposites produces the true rhythm of life.

Brihannala The Transgender

The curse: When Arjuna goes to visit his father, Indra he is attracted by heavenly beauty of Urvashi. Indra, noticing this, arranges for their meeting by instructing Urvashi. Urvashi goes to Arjuna's room the same night. However, Arjuna declines to consummate her stating she is his mother. Urvashi, infuriated at the fact that a mortal could resist her temptation, curses Arjuna to spend the rest of his life as an eunuch. Urvashi reduces the curse to one year after Indra's intervention.

The atonement:When the Pandavas are in last year of their 13 year long exile, they go to Virata, the king of Matsya Kingdom. Everyone assumes a disguise to conceal identities. Arjuna takes this opportunity to fulfill his curse and become Brihannala, a dance/music teacher of Uttara, daughter of King Virata.

After spending a year as eunuch, eventually Arjuna reveals himself on the final day of their exile. In the process he defeats the Kuru army as well which had attacked Matsya Kingdom, suspecting Pandvas had hidden there.

Therefore, apart from one year spent as Brihannala, Arjuna was not impotent.

The Third Gender and Mahabharata

Most of us find Mahabharata to be a very mystifying chronicle. This is because Mahabharata has a lot of characters and each character is associated to the other in some or the other way. As this epic has so many legendary characters such as Pandavas, Draupadi, Kauravas around whom the whole story revolves, people are not quite familiar with the other characters who also have a crucial role in the epic.

Today, I will try to narrate you the story of Aravan or Iravan, one such minor yet crucial character of Mahabharata. It is from his lineage that the transgenders are said to have been born. That is why the transgenders or hijras are also known as Aravanis. The story of Lord Aravan can be called one of the most tragic tales of Mahabharata where he sacrifices himself for the greater good. But he does leave a lineage before he dies which makes him immortal in the history of mankind. Want to know his story? Then, read on.

Aravan was the son of the great Mahabharata warrior, Arjuna and his wife Ulupi, the Naga princess. Aravan is the central God of the cult of Kuttantavar. Like his father, Aravan was a fierce warrior. He participated in the Kurukshetra war with his father and the other Pandavas. He fought bravely and gave himself up for a huge sacrifice.

The earliest source of mention regarding Aravan is found in Peruntevanar's Parata Venpa, a 9th-century Tamil version of the Mahabharata.There it talks about a special sacrificial ritual known as the 'Kalappali', which means sacrifice to the battlefield. It was believed that whoever performs this sacrifice ensures victory in the battlefield.

In this ritual, the most valiant warrior must sacrifice his life in front of Goddess Kali in order to ensure the victory of his side. Aravan volunteered to sacrifice himself in the ritual. In Parata Venpa, Aravan asks Krishna to grant him the boon of a heroic death in the battlefield. Aravan is believed to have been granted a second boon - to see the entire 18-day war. The third boon is found only in the folk rituals. This third boon provides Aravan to be married before the sacrifice, entitling him to the right of cremation and funerary offerings (bachelors were buried).

However, no woman wanted to marry Aravan, fearing the inevitable doom of widowhood. In the Kuttantavar cult version, Krishna solves this dilemma by taking on his female form, Mohini, marries Aravan and spends that night with him. The Koovagam version additionally relates Krishna's mourning as a widow after Aravan's sacrifice the next day, after which he returns to his original masculine form for the duration of the war.

Aravanis Aravan is known as Kuttantavar in the cult which bears his name, and in which he is the chief deity. Here, the marriage of Aravan and Mohini, her widowhood and mourning after Aravan's sacrifice form the central theme of an 18-day annual festival either side of the night of the full moon in the Tamil month of Cittirai.

The Alis or the Aravanis (transgenders) take part in the Koovagam festival by re-enacting the marriage of Aravan and Mohini. It is believed that all the Aravanis are married to Aravan and hence, when the sacrifice is re-enacted, the Aravanis become widows of Aravan and mourn his death.

Lord Shiva become Gopi of Vrindavan

Dear viewers here am with the new story of lord Shiva taking the avatara (form) of Gopi in Vrindavan. There is something very feminine about celebration. Whether a man celebrates or a woman celebrates, celebration is essentially feminine. There is a very beautiful story in the Mahabharata to describe the significance of being feminine. When at eight years of age, Krishna moved from Gokula to Vrindhavan, he became immensely popular among the village folk. It was at the time of the Holi festival, just after spring when everything is in full bloom. On a certain evening, a full moon day, the boys and girls of the village gathered on the banks of river Yamuna. They started playing and having fun throwing water and sand at each other. After some time, the play broke into a dance. And they danced and danced because they were in such an exuberant and joyful state. But slowly, one by one, the clumsier ones dropped off. When Krishna saw this, he took out his flute and started to play. His play was so enchanting that everyone gathered around him and once again swayed, for almost half the night.

This is the first incident of Raas Leela, where a simple joyful mingling of people rose to a transcendental state. The word “raas” literally means “juice,” but it can also indicate passion. So this was the dance of passion. The fragrance of this dance spread. People came to know that on full moon nights at midnight, this dance happened, and the numbers of those who participated increased.

It also fell on Shiva’s ears that on full moon nights, a fantastic dance happens on the banks of the river Yamuna. He became aware that people just danced their way to what he had achieved through meditation. Shiva is Nataraja, the Lord of Dance. This is something which is unique to India – only Indian gods dance. If they fall in love, they dance. If they get ecstatic, they dance. If they get angry, they dance. So being the Lord of Dance, Shiva was very amused that this little boy, his devotee, was taking people to transcendental states simply by dancing and blowing upon his flute. He wanted to witness this.

He walked from the Himalayas to the banks of the river Yamuna and said to a boatman who was there, “Please take me across to Vrindhavan. I want to see Krishna’s Raas.” The boat man replied, “You cannot go like this. When you go to the Raas, Krishna is the only man, everyone else is a woman. If you want to go, you have to go as a woman.”

Shiva is considered the ultimate of the masculine – the purusha among purushas. So it was a strange request, that Shiva had to become a woman. But the Raas was in full swing and Shiva wanted to go there. So the boatman said, “If you must go, you must wear woman’s clothing.” Shiva looked around. No one was looking, so he said, “Okay, give me the gopi’s clothes.” He wore the clothes of a gopi and went across. He is such a sport.

This story signifies that essentially, the nature of celebration is feminine. Feminine means exuberance. And that is how you should be every moment of your life – exuberantly alive. What is the point in being half alive? We did not come here to avoid life, we came to know and experience life. And you cannot experience life unless you keep yourself as intense and exuberant as possible. Your whole life, your very existence should become a celebration. If your life has to become a celebration, you have to become absolutely joyful within yourself. And this is not just empty talk – such a thing is possible. There is a whole science through which you can create the right kind of chemistry within yourself to become joyful by your own nature.

Queer Sexuality and Indian Culture

Queer Sexuality and Indian Culture

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 into 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, where once 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 the following dawn, Krishna took his female form, Mohini, became Aravan’s wife, spent a night with him and then wailed for him as his 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. In the 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 oneself 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 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 dehumanized and invalidated sexual minorities. This has to change – hopefully now.

Story of ILA (Last birth of Shikhandi)

Story of ILA

Ila was the daughter of Vaivasata Manu but had to live the life of both male and female. Vaivasata Manu and his wife Shraddha did not have children after several years of marriage. Manu asked Sage Vasishta to conducted a yajna to get a son. As a result of yajna a daughter was born to Vaivasata Manu and his wife Shraddha. The newborn was called Ila. Vaivasata Manu wanted a son who will take over his kingdom. So he complained to Sage Vasishta who immediately changed the girl into a boy and he was called Sudyumna.

A young Sudyumna once entered the cursed forest ofKumaravana near Kailash. This forest was cursed by Shiva and Parvati. Once, Sage Sunaka and others had entered the forest when Shiva and Parvati were making love. The divine couple did not tolerate this intervention and cursed that in future men who will enter the forest will become women.

As a result of the curse young Sudyumna became a woman. She again took the name of Ila. Budha, or mercury, one of the Navgrahas fell in love with Ila. They got married and a son named Pururavas was born to them.

Ila once met Sage Vasishta and explained how she had become a woman again. Sage Vasishta asked her to worship Shiva. Shiva pleased with her devotion gave her the boon that she will be a man every alternative month and a woman during the other months.

He ruled the kingdom as Sudyumna every alternative month and retired to the palace when she was Ila. This continued till Pururavas became the king.

Ila then retired to the forest and here Sage Narada taught her the Navakshara Mantra. Ila worshipped Goddess Shakti in the forest. Pleased with her devotion Mother Goddess gave her moksha.

Relationship between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu as "Mohini"

In the Bhagavata Purana, after Vishnu deceives the demons by his maya female form, Shiva wishes to see the bewildering Mohini again. When Vishnu agrees and reveals his Mohini form, Shiva runs crazily behind Mohini, "bereft of shame and robbed by her of good sense," while the abandoned wife Parvati (Uma) looks on. Shiva is overcome by Kāma (love and desire or Kamadeva, the god of love and desire). His "unfailing" seed escapes and falls on ground creating ores of silver and gold. Afterwards, Vishnu comes to his true form and reveals that his maya (illusory power) cannot be surpassed even by Shiva. Shiva then extols Vishnu's power.

The Tripurarahasya, a south Indian Shakta text, retells the story, giving more importance to the Goddess. When Shiva wishes to see Vishnu's Mohini form again, Vishnu fears that he may be burned to ashes like Kamadeva by the ascetic Shiva. So, Vishnu prays to goddess Tripura, who grants half of her beauty to Vishnu, begetting the Mohini-form. As Shiva touches Mohini, his seed spills, indicating a loss of the merit gained through of all his austerities.

In the Brahmanda Purana when the wandering sage Narada tells Shiva about Vishnu's Mohini form that deluded the demons, Shiva dismisses him. Shiva and his wife Parvati go to Vishnu's home. Shiva asks him to take on the Mohini form again so he can see the actual transformation for himself. Vishnu smiles, again meditates on the Goddess, and in place of Vishnu stands the gorgeous Mohini. Overcome by lust, Shiva chases Mohini as Parvati hangs her head in shame and envy. Shiva grabs Mohini's hand and embraces her, but Mohini frees herself and runs further. Finally, Shiva grabs her and their "violent coupling" leads to discharge of Shiva's seed which falls "short of its goal," suggesting the act was not consummated. The seed falls on the ground and the god Maha-Shasta ("The Great Chastiser") is born. Mohini disappears, while Shiva returns home with Parvati.

Shasta is identified primarily with two regional deities: Ayyappa from Kerala and the Tamil Aiyanar. He is also identified with the classical Hindu gods Skanda and Hanuman. In the later story of the origin of Ayyappa, Shiva impregnates Mohini, who gives birth to Ayyappa. They abandon Ayyappa in shame. The legend highlights Vishnu's protests to be Mohini again and also notes that Ayyappa is born of Vishnu's thigh as Mohini does not have a real womb. Another variant says that instead of a biological origin, Ayyappa sprang from Shiva's semen, which he ejaculated upon embracing Mohini. Ayyappa is referred to as Hariharaputra, "the son of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara)", and grows up to be a great hero. Another tale says after Surpanaka's destruction, Shiva wishes to see Mohini and mesmerized by her looks, has union with her resulting in the birth of Ayyapppa.

Kanda Puranam narrates about the birth of Shasta identified with Aiyanar. The text tells just before the tale that Vishnu is Shiva's Shakti (wife and power) Parvati in a male form. The legend begins with Shiva's request and Vishnu's agreement to show his illusionary Mohini form, that he assumed for the distribution of amrita. Shiva falls in love with Mohini and proposes a union with her. Mohini-Vishnu declines saying that union of two same sex women was unfruitful. Shiva informs Mohini-Vishnu that he was just one of forms of his Shakti. Thereafter, their union resulted in the birth of a dark boy with red locks, who was named Hariharaputra. Further, he was also known as Shasta and Aiyannar.

In the Agni Purana, as the enchanted Shiva follows Mohini, drops of his semen falls on the ground and become lingas, Shiva's symbols. His semen also generates the monkey-god Hanuman, who helps Vishnu's avatar Rama in his fight against Ravana in the Ramayana. Shiva Purana says that by the mere glimpse of Mohini, Shiva spurts out his seed. The seed was collected and poured into the ear ofAnjani, who gave birth to Hanuman, the incarnation of Shiva. The latter is retold in the Thai and Malaysian version of the Ramayana. Though Hanuman strings from Shiva's seed, he is also considered as a combined son of Vishnu and Shiva.

The Buddhist version of the Bhasmasura tale continues with Shiva (Ishvara) asking the female-Vishnu, who is seated on a swing, to marry him. She asks Shiva to get the permission of his wife Umayangana to take her home. Shiva returns with Umayangana's consent to find the female-Vishnu pregnant, who sends him back to get permission to bring a pregnant woman home. When he returns, a child is born and female-Vishnu is pregnant again. She requests Shiva to seek approval to bring a pregnant woman with a child home. This happens six more times. Finally, Shiva brings Umayangana with him to witness the miraculous woman. Vishnu then returns to his male form. Umayangana embraces the six youngest children merging them into the six-headed Skanda, while the eldest, named Aiyanayaka ("eldest brother") remains intact. Aiyanayaka is identified with Aiyanar.

Mohini plays a lesser role in a Shaiva legend in the Skanda Purana. Here, Vishnu as Mohini joins Shiva to teach a lesson to arrogant sages. A group of sages are performing rituals in a forest, and start to consider themselves as gods. To humble them, Shiva takes the form of an attractive young beggar (Bhikshatana) and Vishnu becomes Mohini, his wife. While the sages fall for Mohini, their women wildly chase Shiva. When they regain their senses, they perform a black magic sacrifice, which produces a serpent, a lion, an elephant (or tiger) and a dwarf, all of which are overpowered by Shiva. Shiva then dances on the dwarf and takes the form of Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. The legend is retold in the Tamil Kovil Puranam and Kandha Puranam with some variation. This legend is also told in the Sthala Purana related to the Chidambaram Temple dedicated to Shiva-Nataraja.

Another legend from the Linga Purana says that the embracing of love-struck Shiva and Mohini led to be their merging into one body. At this moment, Mohini became Vishnu again, resulting the composite deity Harihara, whose right side of the body is Shiva and left side is Vishnu in his male form. In the temple in Sankarnayinarkovil near Kalugumalai is one of the rarest exceptions to iconography of Harihara (Sankara-Narayana). The deity is depicted similar to the Ardhanari, the composite form of Shiva-Parvati, where right side of the body is the male Shiva and left side is female. This image's female side represents Mohini and it, as a whole, symbolizes the union of Shiva and Mohini. The influence of Shakta traditions on Shaiva ones may have led to the development of composite images like Harihara, where Vishnu is identified with Shiva's consort, or Mohini. Like the Kanda Puranam narrative, the Shaiva saint Appar identifies Vishnu as Parvati (Uma), the female counterpart of Shiva.