Unheard: The Missing Pages of History -Queerness in Indian Mythology

Queerness, in the modern times, is defined as “Strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint; unusually different”. Hindu mythology makes constant references to queerness and questions the idea of the ‘maleness’ and ‘femaleness’ of a person. However, people still aggressively defend the fact that these stories are not associated with queerness. Then again, it all depends on the eye of the reader. How do you want to interpret the story? It may come as a shock that Hindu mythology makes references to queerness. So, allow me to narrate a few stories from Hindu Mythology, some even from the Mahabharata, which may be depicting the concept of queerness, depending on the perspective from which you want to see it. Before you begin reading, keep in mind that the Mahabharata was written all the way back in 3000 BC.

Notice the graceful and ‘feminine’ pose in which Padmapani, a Buddhist Bodhi satva, stands. (Found on the walls of the Ajanta Caves)

Notice the dominating and ‘masculine’ stance in which this woman stands. [Believed to be the figurine of a female dancer from the Indus valley civilization – circa 2500 BCE]

The very first story comes from the Mahabharata, probably heard by many. Urvashi, a very popular apsara among the various celestial beauties in Indra’s court, once approached one of the Pandavas – Arjuna. She was smitten by him and wanted to marry him. Arjuna refused because according to him, Urvashi was like a mother-figure to him, since she was once a part of his father, Indra’s court. Frustrated, and in an attempt to convince him, she told him that she decides whom she goes to. Arjuna, once again, politely refused. Infuriated, Urvashi cursed him by saying,

“Only a eunuch refuses a woman. So be one.”

A worried Arjuna approached his father, Indra. His father told him that a curse cannot be revoked, but it’s intensity can be reduced. And so, it came as a relief to Arjuna when his father told him that he would be a eunuch, but only for a year, and that too, of his choice.

Arjuna as a transgender – Brihanalla.

Look closely and observe Arjuna’s long hair and ‘feminine’ pose’ mixed with a ‘masculine’ aspect, that is, his ‘Gandhiv’ or bow, in his hands

This worked well in favour of Arjuna, because as fate would have it, the Pandavas were soon exiled for the next 12 years. Another complication that was added to their ‘punishment’ was that they were to remain hidden in their 13^th year of hiding. If found, they would be exiled for another 13 years, and so the cycle would continue. The five brothers and their wife, Draupadi, found shelter in the kingdom of Virat, in their thirteenth year. All of them disguised themselves as servants, and Arjuna decided to live out his curse, this year. So, he dressed up as a eunuch, named Brihanalla and taught dance to the King’s daughter – Uttara, in the royal women’s quarters.

As the year came to an end, and along with that their exile, the Kaurava’s had somehow managed to discover their brothers’ location. They attacked the kingdom of Virat, hoping to catch the Pandavas, and that too when the King and his army were engaged in another war. As a result, the responsibility to protect the people of the kingdom, fell on the King’s son – Uttar. An inexperienced, young fighter, the prince boasted that he would be able to drive away the invaders single-handedly. However, there was no charioteer available at the time, and so, Arjuna who was disguised as Brihanalla, offered to guide his chariot. Since Brihanalla was a transgender, the prince refused to have a eunuch ride his chariot. After much insistence, Uttar agreed. As they rode out into the war, Uttar, after seeing a series of arrows being flung towards him, ran away from the battlefield. Brihanalla had to drag him by his neck, to keep him from running away.

A painting of Arjuna as Brihanalla, the eunuch

This caused the onlookers to laugh at him, and Uttar considered this an utter humiliation and he tried to kill himself. Brihanalla stopped him on the promise that he would drive away the invaders. Perplexed, Uttar followed him to a secret hiding spot, from where Brihanalla removed a huge bow (Arjuna’s ‘Gandhiv’), and asked Uttar to be his charioteer. The young prince refused to guide the chariot of a transgender, but after much conviction, agreed. On the battlefield, Uttar was shocked to see an emasculate man transform into a fierce warrior. As they made their way back into the city, Brihanalla resumed her position as Uttar’s charioteer. The king was very proud of his young son. When his courtier Kanka, who was actually Yudhishthira in disguise, tried to tell him that it was indeed Brihanalla, who had defeated the enemies, the King, enraged, slapped him. The idea that a young, inexperienced prince had defeated a whole army, felt like a much more plausible explanation, than accepting the fact that a eunuch-dancer had wielded a bow and defeated the mighty Kaurava army. Uttar enjoyed the attention and the praises being showered on him for some time, but later the truth came to light when the Pandavas revealed their true identities.

The ancient Vedic sage Narada

Moving on to the second story. This story is found in the ‘Bhagvata Purana’, which was most likely composed in the southern part of India, between the fifth and tenth centuries CE. Narada, who was a Vedic sage (you will remember him as the man who says, ‘Narayan Narayan!’’), once approached Krishna with a question – “What is the meaning of ‘maya’?” Krishna told him that it is better experienced than understood. So, he took him into the forest. Once they reached, Krishna told him that he was extremely thirsty.

“I can hear the sound of a river flowing beyond the trees. I’m too tired. Could you please go fetch us some water? But before you drink, don’t forget to bathe in the river.”

Narada readily agreed. But as it turned out, the river was much farther than Krishna had said it would be. By the time he reached, Narada was extremely thirsty, and quickly gulped down the water, forgetting what Krishna had asked him to do, before he drank the water. As a result, he turned into a beautiful woman. A man passing by, saw Narada as a woman and was enchanted by her beauty. He asked her to marry him, and a flattered Narada, readily agreed. For years together, the couple lived a happy life and bore sixty children. But then, suddenly, there was an epidemic which took the lives of her children and husband. Devastated, Narada wanted to kill herself. Her eyes then fell on a mango tree near the river, beside her house. Sadness was just as quickly replaced by supreme hunger, as she made her way to the river. She couldn’t reach the mango, and so Narada dragged the corpses of her family, and climbed on top of it to pluck the mango from the tree. A Rishi (priest) approached her and asked her to take a bath before she ate the fruit. Holding the mango above her head, Narada dipped inside the river. When she emerged, she had transformed into her original self – a man. However, the hand holding the fruit above her head, still had bangles on it. All the memories came gushing back to her, and the priest transformed into Krishna. He told Narada–

“See what happened? You forgot all about me, my thirst and my instructions when I’d sent you to collect water. Once you became a woman, you enjoyed luxury of having a family. And once they died, you forgot about them too, when you saw a sweet mango fruit. This is ‘maya’. A delusion, produced by desire, that makes you forget everything, simply so that you can pursue what satisfies you.”

Narada – half woman and half man

Narada understood his mistake, and dipped his female hand into the river. It came out as a male hand, and the mango disappeared.

These were simply two stories in a forest of countless others, and all from sacred Indian texts. In reference to the first story, here’s an interesting fact – Krishna and Arjuna were best of friends. However, while Krishna was extremely comfortable with his feminine side, Arjuna struggled with a need to constantly prove his manhood. Probably the reason why he married numerous times. As a transgender, he could wade off an entire army, all by himself. But, as a man on the Kurukshetra (battleground), he became weak and so Krishna chastised him for not playing his part, as a warrior. In reference to the second story – in Hindu mythology, specifically in most Sanskrit Puranas and Oral traditions, this concept of a man/woman dipping into a river, and emerging as the other gender, is a recurring theme. Sometimes this metamorphosis is seen as boon and sometimes as a curse. For example, if a woman turns into a man to protect herself from a rapist or to marry a female lover, then this transformation is seen in a positive light. But more often than not, a person undergoes this change to experience life from the point of view of the other gender, and to thus gain wisdom and knowledge.

Ardhanarishvara, a sculpture that is a mixture of Shiva and Parvati, split right down in the middle. [This sculpture is a recurring theme across various time periods in Indian History, but this particular one is found in a Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu]

So, if ancient texts, that we consider sacred, accepts queerness as a natural phenomenon, then why can’t we, thousands of years later? Epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, make constant references to homosexuality and transgenders. Even gods like Vishnu, Shiva and Indra, have, at some point, according to the stories in the Puranas, descended down on earth as females or hinjras (eunuchs). More recently, during the reign of the Mughals, transgenders were considered a very important part of their kingdom. They held an advantage in terms of the fact that they were neither male nor female. So, only they could prove to be an effective means of communication between the royal women and men (that is, men who were not their husbands and/or relatives).

To read about one such genius who lost his life because of his sexual preference, click on the link below to read the story of Alan Turing!

Alan Turing – An ‘Enigma’ of a Man

Sources and Media:

Shikhandi and Other Tales they don’t tell you – Devdutt Pattanaik