CHAPTER VI Erotic Dance (Devadasis)in the Temples of Tamilnadu

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1 CHAPTER VI Erotic Dance (Devadasis)in the Temples of Tamilnadu The human spirit takes its birth from the birth of man, who is regarded as the supra-being or the highest among the animate objects. Man has obtained superiority for his capacity of rational thinking. Man s thinking power has given birth to the science of philosophy or wisdom. When man thinks about the natural phenomena around him he is bewildered to notice its beautiful and hideous aspects, as well as its beneficial and devastating functions. When man is to explicate the mystery of nature, he assumes of certain unseen power or energy which propels or guides it. He personifies or gives shape to this power according to his image 1. The Tribal societies in India in depend mainly on hunting, foodgathering and other primitive techniques to maintain life. Since their mode of life corresponds to that pre-historic man; it is not unnatural for them to associate everything, their ceremonies and activities to the divine. The holy dimensions are not complete without the artistic dimension of dance coupled with sex. Sex in dance and the art is discernible from the pre-historic age. The picture of the dancing sorcerer and other pictures which depict human figures either possessed of animal attributes or wearing animal masks present us with a puzzle that the numerous and often splendid paintings of animals do not. It is fairly clear that hunting magic was an important motive for the human figures dressed up as animals are themselves the 202

2 objects of the chase. It is true that there are indications that war magic was practiced, but the dancing sorcerer and other such figures are probably not part of this phenomenon 2. It is worth nothing too that the reason why it took so long for these cave paintings to be discovered in modern times was that they are nearly all in places to which access has been difficult, concealed and sometimes dangerous. In the depths of the mountains, and in the bowels of the earth, early men somehow contrived these remarkable paintings and statues, using the weak light of primitive lamps. The inaccessibility of the cave paintings is an added signs their sacred significance, though we cannot guess of the forms of ritual which may have been used there 3. Nor can we know what early men experienced of the divine figures (if they were such) which they symbolized in painting. Another interesting feature in Paleolithic Art is that attention is confide to men and animals, or to mythological figures compounded out of men and animals, we cannot tell, on the basis of these pictures, what men s attitudes were to the natural world around them-the rivers, mountains, sun, moon, plants and trees. However, it is possible that there was a cult of a great Mother, associated with the earth and with fertility-a goddess who was destined to loom large in the religious world 4. What we do have from Paleolithic times is a numerous collection of stone figurines or statuettes, representing nude women with large breasts and bodies, sometimes indicating pregnancy. The sexual organs are often accentuated, so that there is a fair presumption that in some way the statuettes were concerned with the mystery of reproduction and birth. It is the female role in human fertility that was emphasized by early man, so far as can be seen. Whether it is right to conclude that the 203

3 exaggeratedly female (and largely faceless) figurines represented mother goddess is an open question; but in view of the fact that such a deity was found in the earliest times in the ancient world to which we have more direct historic access, and that such beliefs are not created overnight, it would not be unreasonable to ascribe some such cult to early pre-historic man 5. Village sites have been excavated in northwest India, and from these excavations innumerable nude dancing male and female figures also nude dancing gods and goddesses, Apsaras, Yakshas and Yakshinies of very ancient times have been recovered. They take their bodies inside the caves or under the shady trees. These men naturally have gesture language and express their sentiments and emotions through certain gestures and symbols. These gestures and symbols are gradually evolved and changed into certain meaningful language, and movements, gestures, postures and symbols, which take the shape of rural and folk dance, when people learn the effects of tilling the land, domestication cows, sheep and pigs and living in thatched huts 6. These excavations beat testimony of the prevalence of dance backed by sex in very olden times in India. Dance is usually performed as a ritual of sacrifices and religious ceremonies. This kind of dance has taken the shape of folk-form and is widely prevalent among the rural folks and particularly the tribal populace. This is the reason why the underlying meaning and principles of the religious rites and rituals and their significance have been dealt with at length. 6A Throughout the history and beyond the recesses of man s earliest creation, and later on, civilization, based on sex in dance, has been a vital and pervasive feature of human life. To understand the human history and human life it is necessary to understand the religion, which plays a 204

4 significant role of the background of sex in dance. In the contemporary world one must understand other nation s ideologies and faith in order to grasp the meaning of life as seen from perspectives often very different from our own 7. With the growth of urban life, the old culture is naturally evolved, with the gradual change in the conceptions of religion, ritual practices, codification of fine-arts, especially dancing, human behavior and habits, and in a wider sense, human life itself. Naturally the notions regarding sex, sexual practices, marriages, rituals, birth, social tendencies, ethical and moral conceptions, and the entire human civilization culminating into culture evolve gradually. This evolution around man, in other words, is the evolution of dance and sex, which form the most important requisites of human life 8. In connection with the doctrinal dimension it may be said that it is not always easy to differentiate the mythological and the symbolic from what is stated in theology. Doctrines are an attempt to give system, clarity, and intellectual power to what is revealed through the mythological and symbolic language of dance, of religious faith and of ritual. Naturally, theology must make use of the symbols and myths. Now we come to the most significant dimension which we may term as ethical dimension, and which is very important for our purpose to understand the element of sex in religion and dance 9. Men do not always live up to the standards they profess, particularly when they understand the ethical admonition in relation to sex. And sometimes the standards which are inculcated by the dominant faith in a particular society may not be believed by all sections of that society. Even so, there is no doubt that religions have been influential in molding the ethical attitudes of the societies they are part of. It is 205

5 important however, to distinguish between the moral teaching incorporated in the doctrines and mythology of a religion, and the social facts concerning those who adhere to the faith in question. 10 But religion is not something that one can see. It is true that there are temples, ceremonies, religious art, and ritual dance. These can be seen, but their significance needs to be approached through the inner life of those who use these externals. We must see the way in which the external and inner meanings of religion are found together. This is why the history of religion must be more than the chronicling of events; it must be an attempt to enter into the meanings of those events. So it is not enough for us to survey the course which the religious history of mankind followed by the conceptions relating to dance and sex took; we must also penetrate into the hearts and minds of those who have been involved in that history. Religion is a doubly rich and complex phenomenon. Not only has it the complexity indicated by this need to hold together in outer and inner aspects, but it also has existed and exists in a variety of forms of faith. There are many religions to be discovered in the world, and the imagination of mankind leads to one ultimate goal to the nobility of human spirit. The moment man gives shape or Rupa to the gods, he gives birth to the fine-arts of painting and sculpture, first in his inner vision and then when he makes idols of the gods and goddesses. Religion springs out from the birth of the deities. To install the deities temples are constructed, which give birth to architectural art. In order to propitiate the deities music and dance are created. Thus we find that the cycle of man s rational thinking power, philosophy, religion and fine-arts circle round of human life

6 The purpose that art in India is traditionally required to serve has been primarily or ultimately religious, as has been said already. And since religion in India has not been separated from the social or even personal, art has naturally been molded to serve the social and the personal purpose too. And, again, since the celebration of the sexual has been the matrix of traditional religion in India, all Indian art in consequence is basically erotic in nature. Indian dance, classical or popular folk, is much more so 13. Such as personal characteristics, qualities, duties, culture, functions of the character, ethical and moral laws, conduct, mental aptitude and many other elements. Religious faith has invariably found expression in Art. The reason is that for average human beings, religion means something that they can cling to, and from which they can derive comfort against sorrow and anguish in their moments of distress. Religion may have arisen in response mainly to the desire, which is really no more than the instinct of fear of the unknown working it out. Fearing the powers of nature, primitive man invested them with a personality that he believed needed propitiation 14. Thus arose primitive religion in the form of worship of the unknown, expressed through ritual and sacrifices. As man s mind began to grasp some of the mysteries of the universe, he began to conceive of a unity behind all the varieties of natural phenomena, and the idea of Godhead, superior to all the deified powers of nature, emerges. On this new realization are showered all the adoration and worship that went formerly to the local deities. It is this spirit of adoration of the unknown powers of the universe, which when refined, becomes idealization, and links Art to Religion 15. Hence, this is one of the reasons why religious faith has invariably found concrete expression in Art. Art offers about the simplest means, by 207

7 which the propagation may be easily carried. Because to learn through. Art is to learn intuitively, so that all men, even the masses may be appealed to through Art. These are then the reasons why religions all over the world invariably found it necessary to express themselves through Art. Art is a mode of individual, as well as social self-expression. It expresses the ideals of an individual as well as of a society; and these ideals are generally supplied by religion taken in the widest sense. In its broadest sense, religion seeks to explain the inexplicable, and to harmonies the ideal with the real, which man finds otherwise increasingly difficult to achieve. By the flash of a word or the charm of a note Art does the same without the burden of philosophical analysis. The artist is a seer even more than the Prophet, but his vision is embodied in the real and concrete, which is yet intended to transcend into the invisible and inexplicable 16. The study of religion, fine-arts, dance and sex is a science, then that requires a sensitive and artistic heart. But the dance art possesses the quality of uniting mankind, establishes a bond of friendship, cordiality and brotherhood, and probably, international integration. But sex, which is part and parcel of dance and is inherent in it, loosens the cord of such a bond. The reason for this difference rests on the mere conception of the root of the meaning of sex, the basic structure on which the edifice of dance is constructed. The difference lies generally between the divergent conceptions of the Oriental and Occidental theologians, religious preachers, philosophers, thinkers and social reformers 17. The Indian dance, which is performed sometimes as an events or a part of religious ceremony. Paintings and naked statues of dancing of Indian gods and goddesses, celestial nymphs, Yakshas and Yakshinies, attaching a stigma to them of being sexy and vulgar, because those are 208

8 either naked or semi-naked. Although, on the other hand it is absurd to hold that religious commitments must blind a man to the virtues of faiths other than his own. Undoubtedly, there is needed to make a sympathetic effort to try to understand other religions, faith and beliefs 18. As dance is the mouthpiece of religion, dance and religion are closely associated with sex the part played by religion in every sphere, particularly in the sphere of ventilating its inner significance through dance with an admixture of sex, becomes imperative. Religion possesses several dimensions, and most important among them is dance, containing, of course, sex within its fold. The various dimensions of religion may be called its different aspects. Religion tends in part to express itself through such rituals, through worship, prayers, offerings and the like. We may call this the ritual dimension of religion. The meaning of ritual cannot be understood without reference to the environment of belief in which it is performed. Thus prayer in most rituals is directed towards a divine being 19. Very often, legends about the gods are used to explain the features of a ceremony or festival, and very often the important events of human life, such as birth, marriage, death, are invested with a sacred significance by relating them to the divine world. Although men may hope to have contact with and participate in the invisible world through ritual, personal religion normally involves the hope of, or realization of experience of that world. It is worth pointing out that many hindus regard their scriptural revelation as verbally inerrant 20. Human Sex in Men s Life The main crux of the philosophy of Indian dance and sex rests on the correct understanding of divine and human sex, a clear estimate of which will remove all misinterpretations, disputes and 209

9 misunderstandings. A Hindu can never think of human sex in Man s life. Sex to him in life cycle is always divine. To conceive of human sex even in marital relationship between a man and a woman, is as if, a taboo to a Hindu, who intuitively regards man s actions in human life, associated with the Divinity 21. The diviners gradually transgress the common sphere of people s thinking and sensual needs and preach minimization of thinking and working for them. Thus the cyclic human life teaches the starting point on the bodily side, and simultaneously intelligence in its cyclic travel arrives at the universal soul, out of which it has projected, and becomes identified with it. This is called the bicycle of human life 22. The erotic dances of the Apsaras, and their endeavours to seduce the sages, are all sanctified by the Hindus, and no idea of sensual vulgarity or indecency is attached to the doings of the heavenly creatures. Sex is regarded as divine, with complete negation of human lust. Devotionals (Bhakti) and contemplation (Yoga) play a great role in Dance and Sex, according to Hindu conception 23. The fall of Man None can expect liberal attitude regarding sex in dance from this traditionally deep rooted dogmatic conviction of the orthodox Puritanism. A dramatic change has come over the situation of fine arts and sex. Only in this period, and for the most part only in the present century, have fine arts in general, and dance in particular, been really understood. The reason for this is simple. Until this period, with very little exceptions, the scriptures and other writing of the great faiths 24. What is urgently needed is the emergence of all that is best in the Indian tradition and culture, and a proper realization of the inner message of the Indian dance closely associated with divine sex, with complete negation of the eroticism of 210

10 human sex. By itself this can scarcely be the basis of a universally acknowledged conviction. Dance with sex is more than ethics, though it includes it, and will be equivalent to humanism 25. Although the conception of sex differs from time to time and place to place, it will be worthwhile to find a unity, not in doctrine, but in experience. But the Indians have tended to misunderstand their traditional heritage. There is a perennial philosophy incorporated in the scriptures of the great faiths and beliefs regarding dance and sex, and if these are properly understood we will perceive a single doctrine of Divine sex running through them all. 26 The classical dance numbers of the Renaissance period, and also those forms propagated by Rabindranath Tagore and Uday Shankar stress on peace and serenity, and claim to be experimental, a come and see faith about Dance and Divine Sex, in which the individual tests the truth of the doctrine of Divine Sex in his own experience, and is disillusioned, because the items seem to be attractive, and at the same moment divinely religious. The consciousness of moral evil and sin fades away in the imagination of the realm of beauty in divinity. They have a special attraction to those in the vanguard of creative arts; as they have something in common with action painting the search for spontaneity in art, because of inherent divine sex, up to a point of enlightenment 27. In his artistic life, and in his rejections of art, man has expressed his deepest attitudes to the universe about him. Through Dance -art and Sex - art, man has worked out these attitudes in pattern of daily living and dying. Whether he feels himself surrounded by evils, or guided by God, or striving towards salvation, the artistic man has tried to see beyond his erotic senses

11 The Vedic Age The Vedic hymns, and particularly the Rig-Veda, sing the praises of the gods and goddesses, generally personified from natural phenomena, their sexual relations emphasizing their dancing qualities. Over and above these the Vedas also mention ritual dances at the times of the horse sacrifice and other sacrifices. The Aryans while composing the Vedas deemed it absolutely imperative to include the arts of music and dance embedded with sex in them for the spiritual uplift of mankind, along with the religious rites and other duties for the human being for leading a harmonically and peaceful living 29. Enlivening the peculiar heavenly vivacious maidens, embodying them with the enchanted spirit of dance, and the Gandharvas with the exquisite melody of music, they rendered an unquestionable testimony of their virtuosity, excellence and aesthetic talent. These two dances and music closely associated with sex were the very first twin fine arts that the Aryans gave birth to. The other arts followed them in gradual sequence. The Vedas and Puranas which heighten the celestial nymphs in eulogistic adoration are considered to have emanated from the mouths of the gods, whereas the epic, which are the mouthpieces of the Vedas, are those from those of man 30. The Hindus regard the Vedas as the revealed word of God. The sacred character attributed to them is no doubt due to their venerable antiquity. They give us abundant information regarding all that is most interesting in the contemplation of the antique dance art. During the later period the Art of Dance was so developed that it was codified by the experts, among whom special mention should be made of Bharata and Nandikeshwara, followed by several others. But among the earliest grammarians of the Art of Dance the names of Silalin 212

12 and Krisaswa figure the uppermost. Undoubtedly grammar is made after thorough accomplishment and establishment of literature and language, and so none can gainsay that the works of these codifiers and grammarians of the Dance Art were the outcome of a well-established, well practiced and prevalent Art of Dance 31. Side by side it will be interesting to note the role of sex given in their texts by the grammarians, and that role was not only important, but played absolutely necessary adjunct. Natya Shastra It may be mentioned here that Indian Dance has been mainly divided in two parts (i) Tandava i.e. virile or manly: and Lasya i.e. tender and womanly. Bharata, while codifying the art and science of dance, felt the utter need of the Lasya type along with Tandava; and so the Apsaras were created, and along with them the Lasya type of dance took its birth. Undoubtedly, with the creation of the Apsaras and the Lasya type dance. Sex was introduced in the Art of Dance 32. In other words, the institution of Apsaras is a beautiful creation of god, and of the human mind. It is felt that there is the necessity of both male and female movements of the body, one a virile type of movement, and the other softer and womanly graceful movement, that sex is a necessary adjunct to dance. The movements in fire s destructive aspect as well as the mild aspect of an earthen oil lamp, rivulet s rippers and an agitated ocean during the monsoon, storm and breeze, were analyzed for various movements; and this human conception again synchronized them with the movements emanating from human body of both the sexes 33. Bharata in his monumental work does not stop here, but gives graphic descriptions of eroticism in body movements, postures and 213

13 gestures of the dancers. For body movements the following Karanas may be taken into account: Mugdha (shy handsome artless girl), Mattala (to indicate extreme passion or intoxication), Sarpita (used in walking back in high passion or intoxication), Skhalita (tripped), Urudritta (slight irritation in love), Madaskhalita (tripping in intoxication), Nagapasarpita (to indicate passionate temper), and Angahara-Mattaskhalita (tripping in drunkenness).the sage also enumerates the gestures of the belly, breasts, waists, thighs etc 34. Dealing with eroticism in the movements of head, neck and eyes, he mentions about Sama head (feigned anger of love), Parivartita head (beginning of love making), Parivartita neck (in erotic dance of Lasya and kissing the two cheeks of the beloved), Prakampita neck (inarticulate murmuring and the sound uttered by a woman at the time of conjugal embrace), Shhuchi eyes (in Kulata (baser type) Natya) and Shigoha eyes (expressing the surge of love passion 35. Bharata further deals with erotic single hand-gestures (Asamyukta- Hastabhinaya) among their usages, and a few may be mentioned in this connection. Bosom in Pataka; union of man and woman in Tripataka; separation of man and woman, sleeping alone and yearning of separated husband and wife in Kartarimukha; lover s quarrel in Shukatunda; God for love, embrace, lover, demure attitude of an amorous girl and bashfulness in Shikhara; embracing of harlot in katakamukha; yearning for the beloved in Shuchi; breast in Padmakosha; holding the breasts of a woman in Sharpashirsha; Padmini, Shankhini and Hastini women in Mrigasirsha; breast of young girl in Langula (same as kangula); breast and yearning for the beloved in Sola Padma; the three folds of skin above the navel of a woman in Hamsasya; breast, embracing and getting on lap in Kathakali 214

14 Hamsapaksha; God of Love, navel, behavior of an amorous woman and kissing in Mukula; breast in Urnanabha; buttocks of a woman and navel in Kathakali Mukura and Vardhamana respectively 36. In the double hard (Sonyukta Hastabhinaya) gestures, among their respective use ages Bharata codifies the following erotic ones among others: Infatuation and welcoming the beloved in Dola; embrace and hiding the breasts in Utsanga; erotic flavor in Kataka Vardhaua; holding the nipples in Nishedhal; yearning for the beloved in Shuchasya; breasts and saying I am beloved in Urohesthitala - Padma, Shivalinga is also mentioned by certain critics as vulgar. Among the hand-gestures denoting relationship we only find the relationship between husband and wife and co-wife, but there is nothing to suggest any erotic attitude. 37 Sex Dance of Deities The divine sex in the dances of the deities in the heaven and the celestial nymphs are also misjudged by a class of people, who are unable to probe deeply in their religious and artistic import. Let us deal only with the dances of the major gods of the hindu pantheon, because it is not possible for want of space to dilate upon innumerable dances of a galaxy of them. The Aryan followed the doctrine of anima mundi, and believed in many gods, personifying them mostly from natural phenomena, so the God of Light Sun (Surya) God of Rain (Varuna) God of fire (Agni) God of the Heaven or (sky) (Brahaman) and many such others were created by them 38. Although the basic Vedic polytheism came to be modified in various ways, and the development opened, to a certain extent, the way for the monistic and theistic ideas, contained in the Upanishads, still dance 215

15 of the innumerable gods and their consorts, along with their male and female attendants, was conceived which became the landmark of the high and rich gigantic experience of fine arts in general and dance in particular of the age 39. The large number of gods, spirits, heavenly nymphs, and demons mentioned in the Vedic hymns is an indication of the richness of the mythological dimension of the culture and religion of the Aryans. Three gods stand out clearly from this background: Brahma the creator of the Universe, to whom the origin of the Art and Architecture has been assigned through his son and attendant Vishwakarma; Vishnu who is the patron of sculpture and painting and Maheshwara (Shiva) the deity of Music, Dance and Drama. Innumerable gods and goddesses follow the above three major Gods, and their respective manifold attributes attached to them 40. Supreme among other gods is Indra, weather god and warrior, who assisted the Aryans in their rampages and battles, and whose court in the heaven is adorned by the existence of Apsaras, the dancing nymphs and Gandharvas and Kinnaras, the bards and musicians. Along with the dances of the Apsaras the treatment of sex in dance has been extensively dealt with, in addition to the dance of the gods with their consorts. Indra is followed by Varuna, heavenly maintainer of order and morality, Agni the fire god who was especially connected with the priests, who performed the fire sacrifice, and Soma plant god implicit in the beverage made from the juice of the Soma plant which was the centre of another sacrificial cult 41. An examination of the mythological ideas surrounding these deities reveals the practice of dance with sex during the sacrificial rites and rituals, held to appease them. 216

16 Thus according to Shrimadbhagavatam all the Vedas, and the fine arts of music, dance, drama etc. have sprung up from Brahma, but later, the fine arts have been distributed as have originated in the following manner- Shiva for Dance, Vishnu for Painting and Sculpture, Vishwakarma for Architecture and Saraswati for Music and Knowledge. Ganesha is also regarded as the God of Wisdom and learning. The chief gods are reckoned severally supreme, one of a time 42. Accordingly in one sense dance and music take their birth with the creation of the Universe, much before the gods come in existence. Then, as has been said earlier, the major gods, along with the lesser gods and goddesses, their attendants and celestial nymphs (Apsaras) propagated the Art of Dance with its main feature and ingredient viz. sex. The whole universe, rhythm and sound were understood as divines actions welling forth from the mysterious being Brahman 43. There was an immense growth in sacrificial ritualism. Also, scepticism and speculation an open rather than a closed attitude to religion began to permeate the higher classes. These two forces partly explain the preoccupations of the Upanishadic writers. They and the hymncomposers, whose most ancient and colorful works have come down to us, and who constitute the first literary creators of the Indian heritage, heralded a new age of Indian dance, coupled with, and divorced from sex 44. Dancing Figurines in the Indus Valley It is widely held that the structure excavated at Mohenjo-Daro probably suggests the existence of a temple. Though Stuart Piggott rejects the view of centralized worship in specific temples, some others on the basis of the findings of edifices within the citadel and the residential areas 217

17 of the cities, strongly argue in favour of the existence of temples there. They find a close link between these temples and ritual bathing pools, and also stone figures which were dedicated to a male divinity that is compared with proto Siva. The structure seems to have served as a palace and a temple to house both the king and the god, a replica of which is preserved in the early tradition 45. It is also said that the quaint discovery of the statuette of a male dancer suggests the worship of a god. As the figure appears to be ithyphallic, wheelers suggestion is that it may represent a prototype of the familiar dancing Siva-Nataraja. This is an instance of the link between the Indus Valley religion and contemporary Hinduism, which in the opinion of Stuart Piggott, is essentially Indian from the start. Such Nataraj images, suggesting the creation of the universe, are found abundantly in the temple of Southern India 46. The excavation of many female figurines from the Indus valley suggests the prevalence of the age old tradition of religious dancing. The bronze image of the dancing girl unearthed from Mohenjo-Daro in the words of Sir Mortimer Wheeler, is one of the most remarkable of the authenticated Indus figurines. The girl, standing in a provocative posture, is charming. To Prof. V.R.Ramachandra Dikshitar, as dancing in the Indus Valley seems related to religious practice, the dancing girl probably represent the progenitor of the institution of the dancing girl attached to the several temples even in modern India, Moti Chandra also takes her to represent a sacred prostitute carrying out the duties within the precincts of the temple of some mother goddess. Many nude figurines, generally in bronze, excavated from the Indus Valley, may also represent other dancing girls

18 Developed into the linga-yoni cult, i.e., the male and female sexual organs, it became the symbol of a typical Siva worship. They are all unconvincing as their views are based either on Puranic or historic evidences, unsupported by archaeological information. The archaeological findings of the temple structure, the statuette of the prototype of Siva, Nataraja, the bronze image of the dancing girl and other dancing figurines, and cult of Tantricism from the Indus Valley tend to suggest the origin of the system some five thousand years ago. Further inquires on the origin of the worship of the Sun and the Moon as Father And Mother, the two essential of reproduction, the special emphasis laid on mother worship, its relation to the Dravidian origin of the Indus people and the matrilineal succession of the devadasis, and the religious prostitution 48. Siva god of dance Siva is also the God of Dance as Lord of the Dance he dances out the creation of the world. The manifestation of the world through his creative activity is not coming into being of a complex object designed for a preordained purpose. It is not that the god has brought the universe into being so that men and other living beings should glorify him (through of course) according to Saivaite doctrine, they should certainly do at least this. Rather it is that he dances out the universe simply as an expression of his exuberant personality; his creative activity is an end in itself. He enjoys it. But just as the dancer gets tired, so Shiva periodically relapses into inactivity. The cosmos becomes chaos, and destruction follows the period of creation, Siva is both creator and the great destroyer 49. Siva s great creation is not naturally possible the help of this consort. So for his creative dance, the dance of his consort along with him becomes absolutely imperative. According, mention has been made in the scriptures 219

19 of Siva s dance with his consort Parvati, generally with two manifestations of her, viz., Gauri-Tandava dance with Gauri and Uma-Tandava dance with Uma 50. During this period occurred the emergence of a Hindu culture that absorbed into itself many different stands of mythology, ritual, doctrine, philosophy and thoughts about sex and fine-arts. This luxuriance of cultural standpoints, cults, gods and philosophy may sometimes baffle the outsider, but it testifies to an important and enduring characteristic of Indian culture its desire to express and to nurture as many different approaches to the truth as possible, and that Truth is Satyam, Sivam, Sunderam beauty is Truth. Beauty comprises man s inward beauty, his rich and high qualities, beauty in nature, and beauty in the eternal force or supreme energy (Mahashakti) 51. The luxuriance is not simply a matter of the imagination and of the intellect, of mythologies and doctrines. It has also been a social phenomenon, and was reflected in an increasing elaboration of the class structure. Various social groups within the four great classes began during the ancient period to harden into castes, based on vocations, craft, religious, and other affiliations, giving birth to social customs and folk dances 52. Thus very often allegiance to Siva or to Vishnu or to other deities, who were the sources of dance mingled with sex, was determined socially rather than as a matter of individual religious choice and understanding. Generally, people of different religions, orthodox and unorthodox, lived side by side in society, most often amicably, and out of this complex social situation there developed the attitude that different faiths, customs, dances and conceptions represent so many different approaches to the one Truth, mentioned above

20 Sex Dance of Siva Dwelling on the so-called sex dances of Siva with his consort Parvati or her different manifestations, e.g., with Gauri and Uma, they may be said to belong to Shiva s Tamasic aspect as Bhairava or Bir Bhadra. The dance is performed in cemeteries and burning ground, where Siva is generally ten armed and both Siva and Uma are accompanied by troops of capering imps. The dance of Siva sometimes with Parvati and others of her manifestations is interpreted in Siva and Shakti literature in a most profound and touching sense 54. Kali is naked and dark like a threatening rain-cloud, for she who is herself beyond mind and speech, reduces all living things into that worldly nothingness which, as the void (Surya) of all which we know, is at the same time the All (Purna), which is light and Peace. She is naked being clothed in space alone (Digambara), because Great Power is unlimited. Further she is herself beyond Maya that power of herself with which she creates all universes. She stands upon the white corpse-like (Sivarupa) body Siva. He is white, because he is the illumination (Prakasha), the transcendental aspect of Consciousness 55. Which are the vehicles of the high philosophy inherent in the sexy dances and Krishna s pranks for the benefit of the illiterate and less literate people, and these episodes are often misinterpreted and misjudged. In Krishna cult the idea of love is brought into prominence and it is regarded as the path of devotion. In Shaivism there is supremacy of intellect, in Vaishnavism emotion particularly Shrinagara Rasa (eroticism) is brought into light. Siva represents the supremacy of the intellect over the heart, and Krishna that of heart over the head. In northern India Krishna and Radha s 221

21 dance is so familiar that even in nursery rthymes mention of it is made, devoid of any thing of sex 56. The dramatic long poem has a prelude invoking the grace of Vishnu and twelve cantos dealing with the theme of lover s separation, reconciliation and ultimate reunion. The sensuous and erotic love of Radha and Krishna is elevated to the level of spiritual mysticism. The epic had been a religious text and source of inspiration for the Vaishnavas in India, who believe in the concept of personalized god and the spiritual union of the soul with the supreme deity. The epic is extensively used by the performing artists in different regions of India, and has deeply influenced Indian dance, music, painting and theatre. It is sung in temples, fairs and festivals in different parts of India, ushering in the Hindu spiritual spirit and ethos 57. Artists have painted copiously and poets have sung about the ravishing beauty of the Apsaras. It is noteworthy that Gandharvas are of the male sex and Apsaras are females. Douald A. Mackenzie in his Indian Myth and Legend writes, The Gandharvas are renowned musicians and bards and singers. When they play on the divine instruments the fairly-like Apsaras, who are all females, dance merrily. The Apsaras or dancing girls are voluptuous and beautiful, and inspire love in Paradise as well as upon earth 58. Their lovers include gods, Gandharvas, and mortals. Arjuna, the human son of Indra, who was transported in a celestial chariot to Swarga over Surabithi or Chhaya Patha, the milky way we enhanted by the music and songs and dances of the celestial calves and fairies. He followed bands of Gandharvas who were skilled in music, sacred and profane, and he saw the bewitching Apsaras, including the notorious Menaka, with eyes like lotus blooms employed in enticing hearts, they 222

22 had fair round hips and slim waists, and began to perform various evolutions shaking their deep bosoms and casting their glances around, and exhibiting other alternative attitudes capable of stealing the hearts, resolutions and minds of the spectators 59. This gives us an idea of the relationship between Man and Woman according to Samkhya, which does not speak about human sex. The medium of expression between time and space and between the eternal man (the Purusha) and the eternal woman (Prakriti) is dancing. It is continuing from time immemorial. The primitive instinct (or inspiration) for creation which the eternal man (the Purusha) and the eternal woman (the Prakriti) have been acquiring through inheritance for generations finds expression in a superb combination of language (or music) and rhythm to form the foundation of dancing 60. The outward expression of this latent idea is the saga of humanity and the superstructure of dancing. Indian religion (and philosophy) is based not only on pure reasoning or intellect or a few moral laws, but it has been a close relationship with dancing. The conception of Bhoga naturally ushered sex in dance, sculpture, painting and literature, but there was always the divine touch in it, though many critics criticized for solely criticism s sake, ignoring the spirituality, beauty and metaphysical basis of art. Indian artist by a dynamic philosophy that is intrinsic to his religious and philosophic tradition, for the worship of the life force pouring into the universe and maintaining it, manifesting no less in the gross matter of daily experience than in the divine beings of religious vision constitutes the very foundation of Indian life

23 Tantrism The only distortions of Tantrism in various ways are responsible for many evils that have crept into the blood-stream of our social life. Pancha Makara is ordinarily interpreted in liberal sense and consequently Shakta- Tantra is supposed to provide a man with an unlimited scope for sexindulgence and other forms of licentious life. A true Kaulachari is never a libertine. He has to practice strict moral discipline and observe rigorous moral rules for the realization of spiritual freedom and elevation 62. Coming back to the question of sex in Tantric thought, it may be assumed, as has been maintained earlier, that the magical practices and also the magical sex rites prevalent among the aboriginal tribes, though socially tabooed, still remained in common practice, and were the progenitor of the indulgence in the abuse of treatment of sex advocated in Tantrism. The Tantric doctrine clearly evidences to the skilful manner in which the Hindu intellectuals were always rationalizing every human act. It is emphasized that the sensual enjoyment which leads to the state when each is both in itself the bliss of Shakti in her creation of the universe, dance, the joy of union between Siva and Shakti 63. But the hero has to cast off his sense of ego. The Sadhaka knows that in drinking wine the savior herself is the liquid form, and that there can be no harm to him as he sees the savior mother in everything. When the hero eats meat or commits sexual intercourse, he does so not as a selfish man enjoying pleasure, but thinks himself as Siva. Thus in Tantric conception sex came to play a growingly important symbolic role. The very five temptations, viz., liquor, flesh, fish, wealth and physical union became the vehicles for liberation, and in fact, these five elements were enjoined as part of the ritual which was deemed meaningless without them

24 The Tantras prescribed certain Sexy-Yogic practices in order to heighten the discipline of Bhoga, to make the human body, containing the two elements, Siva, the static aspect, and Shakti, the dynamic aspect, rise to the non-dual state of absolute reality. Besides the Yogic exercises, the various sexual forms of Hatha-Yoga could also help to achieve union or Mithuna 65. Sexual intercourse was used as a controlled means of symbolizing the non-dual mystical experience; for the fleshy union and ecstasy bring about, for the moment at any rate, a merging of two beings. Likewise in mystical union the adopt and ultimate reality are no longer separate. But it would be wrong to suppose that such methods of training were a license for immorality. Naturally, human nature being what it is, there were abuses of Tantrism 66. But on the whole, it was a sincere, though unorthodox, potentially dangerous, and perhaps, even misguided way of trying to gain detachment. It is one of the many forms of religion which represent experiments with the human spirit. The ritualistic sexual act then becomes the way through which the individual experiences the mystery of the cosmogony manifestation of compassion. The initiate then realizes a complete self identification with the void (Shunya), through which knower and known seen meet in an act in which they lose distinction 67. They had there been no Tantric teaching, had there been no sects proclaiming that the greatest bliss in life can be attained by the colitis of man and woman, and had some, Tantras not declared that supreme knowledge or prajna resides in the female organ, the seat of bliss; had there been no Kama Shastras dealing with all the possible forms of sexual pleasures, the whimsical, baroque Indian dancer, or even an arch moralist danseuse (in fact her existence is impossible) still dwell on the sublime 225

25 sensual aspects of the dance, not merely for his search for striking attractive themes, forms and presentations of art, but also because his intuition is embedded in the belief of Ardhanarishwara 68, Siva and Parvati united in one, and so man and woman, and that of the truth that out of sex-act the story of the phenomenal life and living proceeds. The artist will do all in his power, and his power is very great indeed, to appeal to the senses. It is not because that Tantric text was written that the artist and dancers decided to carve erotic scenes and dance. For the so-called, and misunderstood and misinterpreted erotic sentiments and amorous emotions, the Indian art, as a whole, and particularly dance, is propelled and guided by the creative cosmogony theory 69. Revolution of Erotic s in India We get many more accounts of the arts, especially music and dance, sex, philosophy and religion, and of social structure of the hindu period in old treatises, sculptures, temples, paintings, pillars and monuments. For our convenience of understanding it may be pointed out that the periods, and consequently, but they loosely follow the span of time of artistic development in the country, and more significantly the evolution in the artistic conception in matters of fine-arts, and more particularly Indian dance coupled with eroticism 70. The Hindu period ushered a new epoch in the revelation of eroticism in Indian dance through plastic art, which is the story, and painting the marvel of Indian art. There is first the iconography which exhibits the violent traits of the deities, and to a lesser extent also the erotic. There are ample examples of eroticism in ancient paintings of Siva and Parvati, Radha and Krishna and Kama, God of Love with women seeking his favor. Besides the references in old paintings and sculptures, 226

26 we have love and devotion as the inspiring sources of Sanskrit epics and literary works 71. The Hindus also derived pleasure in spreading their culture to the other countries, especially their dance art and eroticism in that art. Which are greatly influenced by Indian dance? India s long past, it never tried to colonies any part of the globe; rather it helped in cultural diffusion by radiating its own ideals of ethics and aesthetics. In this sphere India played a dominant role in ancient days and its present endeavor is directed towards similar propagation in keeping with its glorious traditions 72. Dancing couple, invariably in nudes, influenced by ancient Indian dance art, are displayed in the museums of these countries on wooden and stone sculptures, terracotta plaques and baked clay objects, lacquer ware, ivory and stone carvings, silver and copper gilt objects 73. Considering the question of eroticism in Indian dance, which has greatly influenced the art and culture of the neighboring countries as well as of the distant lands, as we have presently seen, it may be mentioned that the Hindus are not and were never the dreamy people have taken them for; from the very dawn of history India has taken a lively interest in the good things of life. Kama or the pursuit of pleasure has been one of the main objects of life for the Hindus, and some of the sages have studied the subject with great scientific interest, many saints have even preached salvation through Pushti Marg or the Path of Pleasure which has many adherents in India today 74. In addition to a working knowledge of these sixty-four arts, proficiently in the language of sings has also been recommended. The Hindus have evolved an elaborate language of gestures which is mainly used in their classical dances. The devil exists only in the imagination of 227

27 the ignorant. The universe is what it is; it is neither good nor evil. He has a sugar cane for his bow, humming bees for his love strings and he wounds by flower shafts. The parrot, his charger, is the Indian love bird. It is not surprising then that sex-worship has a place in the comprehensive synthesis of Hinduism 79. It does not require mystic insight to realize the importance of sex in life. Anyone can see that sex sustains and maintains the continuity of life. The sexual impulse in man is considered by sexworshippers as that perceptible expression of the vast, invisible Primal Power to which is attributed the universe. Certain sectarians conceive this power to be dual, while others maintain that it is one which embodies in itself both the male and female principle 75. The fact that these erotic motifs occur in such large numbers and in such bold and intimate details in the bodies of temples, which are normally places of worship, has inducted a large measure of uncertainty and ambivalence into their appreciation as art. It has not been possible to retain the necessary degree of critical objectivity to analyses them as art objects and not bother about the sociological or religious background that inspired them. It is a historical coincidence that critical analysis of the erotic motifs in Indian temple sculptures 76. This is the inherent difficulty of the scholars to appreciate Indian art and it had led to a series of prejudiced, biased, ill-informed and virulent criticism and attack on the erotic temple sculptures of India, more particularly of Konark and Khajuraho. Thus James Mill says, A religion which subjects to the eyes of its votaries the grossest images of sexual pleasure and renders even the emblems of generation objects of worship, which ascribes to the supreme god an immense train of obscene acts; which have been engraved on the sacred caves, portrayed in temples and 228

28 presented to people as objects of admiration, which pays worship to the Yoni, and the Lingam, cannot be regarded as favorable to chastity This realism came to appreciate instead of indulging in blind criticism and meanings were sought to be read in the erotic sculptures. 77 Sex in Religious Practices As earlier it was time that a new approach to sexual realism and the role of sex in social life and religious practices had already come into being. This has followed, more or less the pattern of the reaction to the old Hindu sexual realism which is reflected equally in the Sanskrit erotic texts, the Indian miniatures dealing with the Radha-Krishna and Siva-Parvati themes and in a substantial volume of Vaishnavite poetry. Might-words found in sanskrit erotic manuals 78. In either reaction a sensible critic can discover the lack of an authentic understanding which does not fall into the temptation of either praising blindly or ignoring and criticizing what one does not understand. Broadly speaking the shrines of Khajuraho depicting mainly dance and sex reveal the secrets of love and devotion, the central factors of our life. The great connoisseur, A.K. Coomaraswamy, seized the essence of the situation, when he said of Konark: It is a hymn of life, a frank and exquisite glorification of creation forces whose one symbol is love. 79 As the human heart desires from Woman, the Konark artists have delineated love sensuous and love sublime in the most moving forms. A.K. Coomaraswamy reveals his great insight as an art critic when he says, The sculptures of Women are frankly the works of lovers. In these erotic dancing sculptures the most outstanding fact is the intimate knowledge of the female body, which in dancing-language is called body-line