Eternal India Encyclopedia

PERCEPTIONS

Eternal India

encyclopedia

KAAMA

(SENSUALITY)

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

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.

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.

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).