Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

PERCEPTIONS

KAAMA (SENSUALITY)

We can find sculpture of a Rishi stand- ing on one leg and his hands raised and doing the penance on the other side, to show that the life is composed of both good and bad and never wholly white or wholly black. In ancient India, sexual love or physical love was not disparaged. Of the three ends of life, pleasure though less important than the other two, was an important part of human activity. In its fullest sense Kaama means desire of every kind and its fulfil- ment. Of all permitted pleasures, the sex- ual pleasure was considered the best. The Shaasthras lay down that Kama is one of the purushaarthras of life. The an- cient Hindu literature is full of sexual allu- sions. Some sects even introduced ritual intercourse as part of their cult. Sexual activity was considered a legitimate relig- ious duty for the husband was told to have intercourse with his wife within a period of eight days at the close of every menstrua- tion. The Kama Sutra is one of the most im- portant books on sexual science written by Vatsyayana giving detailed instructions on erotic technique and aphrodisiac recipes and charms. The ideal of feminine beauty in ancient India was the thick-thighed, broad-hipped, slender-waisted, heavy-breasted young woman. Vatsyayana gives the detailed example of the courtship of a newly married bride by her husband. Many Indian temples show erotic sculptures, the most famous being the Khajuraho temples and the Sun Temple at Konark. From the earliest times sexual imagery was used in religious literature. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad such a compari- son is used to explain the union of the hu- man soul with God. The text says : "In the embrace of his beloved, a man forgets the whole world — everything both within and without, in the very same way, he who embraces the Atman knows neither within or without. Some of these carvings are connected with the Kaula and Kapalika cults of Saiv- ism. Kula is the ultimate aim of the sect of Kaulas. Kula is the unity of Shiva and Shak- thi. The ritual practices of the cult instructed that its followers should partake of the pan- cha-makaras, the five Ms. These are mada (wine), matsya (fish), maamsa (meat), mudra (parched grain) and maithuna (sex- ual intercourse).

The idea in publicly portraying such scenes is based on the theory that for man, erotic ideas, cannot be eliminated from the human mind so long as he is limited, and that it is much better to face these temptations and mental fantasies squarely and surmount them and sublimate them, if one has to think of communion with the Lord. Such is the basis for the scenes for the temptations of- fered by Mara to Gautama the Buddha in Buddhist sculptures. As has been aptly stated by Kalidasa ‘Vikara hetau sati vikriyante yesham na chetansi ta yeva dhiraha i.e., | the ‘ dhira ’ or one whose mind is steady, can be defined as a person who remains immov- able even when there is an excuse or provo- cation for mental disturbance in the mind. Control over man’s thoughts according to Hindu belief can never be obtained, by concealing what is so patent to human na- ture, or by shutting one’s eye to it. Quite in consonance with modern principles of psy- chology, Hindu belief has always held that it is much better to face a problem however unpleasant it may be, squarely, so that one may meet it headlong and get over it. This is the basic idea of portraying such erotic scenes, not merely, scenes of normal sex, but also scenes showing fantastic per- versities also, since human mind limited as it is, always allows its imagination to delve on all possibilities of erotics. The erotic sculptures also are intended to act as cata- lysts for creating the cathartic effect in the minds of the visitors with a view to subli- mating them. Such sculptures are thus deliberately portrayed in the mandapams of all temples, so that when a devotee goes through them he is reminded of his own mental failings and weaknesses, and one tries to purge and cleanse his inner soul before going to the Lord with a pure heart. It is this purpose which erotic sculptures serve in the temples though this significance of them has been lost sight of in many attempts at explaining these in various other matters. (Dr. N. Ramesan) In consonance with the above which are quite common in all Hindu temples, such scenes are also found in the Pratima man- dapa and show erotic scenes of both male and female figures, couples embracing each other, kissing each other in several plays of the love game; and also engaging them- selves in normal and abnormal sex.

Kaama : A Purushaartha of life “According to Hindu thought, four goals are dharma. artha, kama and moksha. Dharma is a word that has often been translated as 'religion ' but. in fact, it is more comprehensive. It implies not only a religious and philosophical framework but a total world-view, including a scheme of right conduct under various circumstances. It comes from the root dhr which means to uphold and in the broadest sense is used for the universal laws of nature that uphold the cosmos. It also implies such concepts as justice, virtue, morality, righteousness, law and duty. It is the first of the four goals, because it is the most comprehensive and is valid throughout the life of a human {being. Artha, or wealth, is the second goal. It is interesting that Hinduism not only tol- erates the importance of wealth but ac- cepts it positively as one of the four main goals of life, provided its acquisition and utilization are in accord with the broad principles of dharma. The third goal is kama or sensual enjoyment, realizing that, while denunciation may be suitable for the as- cetic, it is certainly not suited to the com- mon man. Therefore, the concept of kama is incorporated in the Hindu ethos, and in- deed it has its own Sastra in the form of the famous Kama-Sutra by Vatsyayana. ” -- Dr. Karan Singh Erotic Sculptures The shaasthras lay down that Kaama is one of the purushaarthas of life and the Vishnudharmottara which is a standard, agamic text, specifically states that such erotic scenes should not be depicted in households, but should be exhibited only in temples or in public places like King’s dar- bars, courts, etc.