By London Swaminathan
Post No.840 Date.14th February 2014 (valentine day)
“ And of feminine beings I am fame (Kirti), prosperity (Sri), speech (Vak), memory (Smrti), intelligence (Medha), firmness (Dhrti) and patience (Kshama) – Bhagavad Gita 10—34
47 years ago, I and my brothers attended a meeting organised at Madurai Victoria Edward Hall (also known as Regal Talkies). Dr Ushar Budh of Sanskrit Department of Minnesota University addressed the gathering (Later he has become a Sanyai). He gave us an inspiring talk. He quoted some hymns from the Vedas and challenged the crowd to show a more beautiful love duet from any Indian film. Hindus never saw sex as a taboo, unlike other religions. But they were against any public display of it, which we see in today’s Western Valentine Day parties.
Marriage Hymns
The Vedic hymns used in the Hindu weddings are beautiful ones. They praise the bride as a Maha Rani (Great queen/Empress.
A few Vedic Wedding Mantras
सखा सप्तपदा भव ।
सखायौ सप्तपदा बभूव ।
सख्यं ते गमेयम् ।
सख्यात् ते मायोषम् ।
सख्यान्मे मयोष्ठाः ।
You have walked seven steps with me; be my friend. We have walked seven steps together; let us be friends. Let me get your friendship. Let me not part from your friendship. May you not part from my friendship. [ Note: This is recited by the groom after taking the seven steps around the altar. (विवाह कर्मकाण्ड – vivaaha karmakaaNDa) ]
— ॐ —
धैरहं पृथिवीत्वम् ।
रेतोऽहं रेतोभृत्त्वम् ।
मनोऽहमस्मि वाक्त्वम् ।
सामाहमस्मि ऋकृत्वम् ।
सा मां अनुव्रता भव ।
I am the sky and you are the earth. I am the giver of energy and you are the receiver. I am the mind and you are the word. I am (saama) music and you are the song (RRik). You and I follow each other. [ Note: This is recited by the groom after taking the seven steps around the altar. (विवाह कर्मकाण्ड – vivaaha karmakaaNDa) ]
— ॐ —
चित्तिरा उपबर्हणं चक्षुरा अभ्यञ्जनम् ।
ध्यौर्भूमिः कोश आसीद्यदयात्सूर्या पतिम् ॥
Thought was pillow; and the sight the collyrium of the eyes; heaven and earth were her treasure box, when Surya went to her spouse.
(Matras are taken from samskrutam.com;thanks).
Sex is sanctified in Hinduism. We can sing sexy songs like Gita Govindam in public. We can enact sexy acts in street corner dances known as Kama Dahanam, one day before Holi.
Lover/Beloved simile in Bhagavad Gita
Even in a religious book like the Bhagavad Gita we read a simile about lover and beloved! Arjuna says (11-44):
Therefore bowing down and prostrating my body before you, Adorable Lord, I seek thy grace. Thou ,O God shouldst bear with me as a father to his son, as a friend to his friend, as a lover to his beloved.
These human relations find in God their fullest realization and later Vaishnava literature utilizes these ideas more fully, says Dr Radhakrishnan in hiss Gita commentary.
Rishi Status to sex writer
Vatsyayana , author of the Kamasutra and grammarian Panini were given the status of divine poets. No other religion gives so much importance to sex. But they always keep it within a limit. Family life is one of the four stages of a human being’s life. Brahmacharya, Grihastha (Married life), Vanaprastha (retired or forest life) and Sanyasa ( renunciation) are the four stages prescribed in Hindu scriptures.
Dharma Artha Kama & Moksha
Hindu’s four goals in life are Dharma (religious law) Artha (wealth) Kama (Pleasure) & Moksha (liberation). The great Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar also divided his book Tirukkural into three parts Dharma, Artha and Kama in the same order. Oldest Tamil book Tolkappiam also refers to it. They never excluded Kama/ pleasure through married life.
Sex in Tamil Veda Tirukkural
Tiru Valluvar, author of Tirukkural, used the Sanskrit word Kama though out his book (Kama gave the English word Amorous). Early Christian missionaries refused to translate the third chapter of the Tamil Veda Tirukkural, written around 5th century AD (31 BC is a fake date given by the Tamil enthusiasts. See my earlier posts).
The last couplet in the book runs like this,
Sweet are quarrels in love when the quarrels end in the bliss of a close embrace — Kural 1330
Is there a heaven happier than the sulking here of hearts that unite in love like water and earth — Kural 1323.
Roman poet Publius terentius afer (190-159 BC) sais in Latin
‘Amarantium irae amoris integrationist’
“The quarrels of lovers are the renewal of love.” Andria. Act iii. Sc. 3, 23. (555.)
Another quote giving the same view
The quarrels of lovers are like summer showers, that leave the country more verdant and beautiful.
—Madame Necker
Gita Govindam of Jayadeva
Jeyadeva’s Gita Govindam is sung in all the traditional Bhajans in South India. Some of them are considered very sexy. But that was divine love, far above the carnal love. Swami Vivekananda, in his lecture on Gopi’s , says that their love towards Krishna was divine. Even to understand this love one’s heart must be as pure as Sukha’s, Vyasa’s son. Incidentally the earliest reference to Gopis is in the 2000 year old Sangam Tamil literature!
The devotional movement laid several paths to reach God. One can see God as his master or a lover or a friend. In the Nayaka- Nayaki (hero/heroine) Bhava one can see God as a lover. In Tamil Nadu Saivite and Vaishnavite girls fast during a particular month (December/January) singing the glory of Shiva and Vishnu as lovers. Manikka Vasagar’s Tiruvembavai and Andal’s Tiruppavai have such songs.
Though we have some sex manual in Greek and songs similar to Nayaka/Nayaki in the Bible, they were no comparison to what we have here in Sanskrit and Tamil literature.
Love marriage is one of the eight types marriage approved by the Hindu scriptures. Swayamvaram, which is not found anywhere in the world, is a unique Hindu way of a woman choosing her would be husband from among her suitors. This was mainly done by the royal families.
Except the public display of sex, all the modern methods were tried and tested in India.
Contact swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from the news papers and Souvenirs.
Tamil and Vedas 
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