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I recently attended a series of talks on the Bhagavad Geeta. The first two talks, From Man Human to Man Divine and The Parallax between Science and the Geeta were disappointing. Their oversimplification and misrepresentation of science got in the way of the message. I think Science, though many of its milestones have occurred in the West, is a human endeavour. Considering that the east contributed to some of its foundations (Zero, the number system etc) and that it is currently a global endeavour with scientists of many races and cultures enriching it, STOP CALLING IT WESTERN SCIENCE. I got the feeling that the speakers wanted Hindus to be proud of their culture by presenting discoveries made by ancient Indians, parallels between Vedanta and Modern Physics, the Dashavataar and Evolution. Yet because I have read up on all these issues, to me it seems like a these guys don't know very much about science and are presenting very shallow arguments. Furthermore it cheapens both Science and Hindu Culture. If there is something Hindus can be proud of, that very few people have addressed and I think is unique and genuine, is the fact that our ancestors, at least at some point in our history, embraced their sexuality as an integral part of their humanity. I think Osho gices a very good perspective on this in the following excerpt from “From Sex to Superconsciousness”. You do not have to agree and accept all of what he says but give it a thought.
With a group of friends, I went to Khajuraho to see the world-famous temple there. The outermost wall, the periphery of the temple, is decorated with scenes of the sexual act, with the varied poses of intercourse. There are sculptures of many different poses, all in sexual postures. My friends asked why those sculptures were there, decorating a temple. I explained to them that the architects who had built that temple were highly intelligent people. They knew that passion and sex exist on the circumference of life, and believed that those who were still caught up in sex had no right to enter the temple.
[Note: If you look around, you will also notice sculptures which are not erotic at all. It's just that eroticism is what grabs people's attention the most. Check out some pictures here, here and erotic ones here]
We entered. Inside, there were no such statues, instead there was an idol of God. My friends were surprised, not seeing sculptures anywhere. I explained to them that on the outer wall of life itself lust and passion exist, whereas the temple of God is inside. Those who are still enchanted by passion, by sex, cannot reach the temple of God inside; they simply roam about the outer wall. The builders of this temple were very sensible people. This was a meditation center -- sexuality on the surface, all around; peace and quiet at the core, at the center. They used to tell aspirants to meditate on sex first, to reflect fully on the copulation depicted on the outer wall, and when they had thoroughly understood sex and were certain their minds were free of it, they might go inside. Only then could they face God inside.
But in the name of religion we have destroyed any possibility of understanding sex. We have declared war on sex, on our basic instinct itself. The standard rule is not to see sex at all, but to shut your eyes and blindly barge into the temple of God. But can anyone reach anywhere with his eyes closed? Even if you reach inside, you will not be able to see God with closed eyes. Instead, you will only see the thing from which you have been running! Perhaps some people think I am a propagandist for sex. If so, please tell them that they haven't heard me at all. It is difficult these days to find a greater enemy of sex on the face of this earth than me. If people can pay attention to what I say -- without bias -- it is possible to liberate man from sex. This is the only course for a better humanity. The pundits we consider the enemies of sex are not its enemies at all, but its propagandists. They have created a glamour around sex; their vehement opposition has created a mad attraction for sex.
One man told me he wasn't interested in anything that was not disapproved of, challenged or resented. As we all know, the stolen fruit is always sweeter than the one purchased from the bazaar. That's why one's own wife isn't as appetizing as the neighbor's wife seems to be. The other is like a stolen fruit; the other is a forbidden treat. And we have given the same status to sex. It is very tempting. It has been given such a colorful coat of lies that it has become intensely attractive.
Bertrand Russell has written that in the Victorian era, when he was a child, ladies' legs were never seen in public. The clothes they wore swept the ground, covering their feet completely. If by chance even a woman's toe were visible, a man would immediately ogle it; it would arouse his passion. Russell further writes that today's women move about nearly half-naked with their legs fully visible, but notes that it doesn't affect us nearly as much. This proves, he writes, that the more we conceal a thing, the more it arouses our curiosity.
I think Osho addresses it well. If you are interested, check out the rest of the book. You can buy a hardcopy or an ebook. However, don't get the impression that Hindus are an ultra-liberal, ultra-promiscuous bunch. Yes, we accept it as a part of our lives but, balance, context and moderation is the key. Culture evolves and Hindu culture, like a lot of India, bears a stamp of Victorian morality even today.
