Tripurari Swami
[Swami B.V. Tripurari is a diksa and sannyasa disciple of
Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the Gaudiya Vaishnava
line, siksa disciple of Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Goswami,
and founder of Sadhu Sanga and Audarya Ashram.]
“My opinion regarding gay and lesbian devotees is that
they should be honored in terms of their devotion and spiritual
progress. They should cultivate spiritual life from either
a
celibate status, or in something analogous to a heterosexual
monogamous situation. Gay and lesbian people have always been
a part of society from Vedic times to our postmodern times.
They should be accepted for what they are in terms of their
sexual orientation and encouraged like everyone else to pursue
spiritual life.”
(Personal letter, July 2001)
Q – Could you tell me exactly what Hinduism’s
view is on sexuality and things such as homosexuality and the
concept of an Indian woman being covered from head to toe? I
read that ancient India was sexually liberated as the Kama Sutra
and the Khajuraho temple illustrate but modern Indian society
is extremely conservative and any kind of sex talk is taboo.
Being an Indian-American teenager, it’s very confusing
to me. Can you explain what our religion says about these issues?
A – “Hindu religious scripture clearly mandates that
for sexual relationships to be spiritually progressive they
must be tied to commitment, generally in the form of sacred
vows of marriage. The spirit behind this policy is that the
sexual urge, which animates the world, must be regulated if
it is to be transcended.
“Hindu scripture is largely silent on homosexuality, although
it may be acknowledged in books such as the Kama Sutra, but
not with regard to spiritual progress. Modern Hinduism for
the
most part condemns homosexuality but misunderstands it to be
an improper choice rather than psychophysical reality that
some
people are born with, rendering them as attracted to the same
sex, as heterosexuals are attracted to the opposite sex. As
modern society has come to better understand this phenomenon,
it is also imperative that Hindu traditions do the same if
they
are to remain vital.
“A dynamic approach in doing so might involve encouraging
homosexuals to also establish committed relationships in an
effort to help them transcend sexuality altogether, as is done
in the case of heterosexuals. Of course, such relationships
would not include raising children, which is a significant
consequence,
if not deterrent, to continue sexuality. However, committed
homosexual relationships may provide other impetuses for spirituality
such as more time for spiritual practice and seva to compensate
for this.
“Although my Guru Maharaja frowned on homosexuality in
general, he was also very practical, flexible, and compassionate.
One of his earliest disciples was a gay man who once related
how he had ultimately discussed his sexual orientation with
Srila Prabhupada. He said that at that point Srila Prabhupada
said, ‘Then just find a nice boy, stay with him and practice
Krsna consciousness.’
“I also had the experience of meeting a transsexual who
explained her sexual orientation and confusion to Srila Prabhupada
before committing to an operation. She told me that Prabhupada
told her, ‘Just pick one or the other [sex] and stick with
it.’ Those who knew him well would have expected him to
say something like this in both of these incidences. Again,
he was very flexible and compassionate.
“I believe that Hinduism originally held a much more broadminded
view on sexuality than many of its expressions do today. Over
the years Muslim and Victorian standards have had some influence
on socio-religious aspects of Hinduism, examples of which are
the covering of a woman’s body from head to toe.”
(Sanga: Vol. V, no. 13; June 2003)
More information on Tripurari Swami: Swami.org/Tripurari Swami
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