Article XXX: Sexuality in Hinduism

Although sexuality has become a taboo in modern, conservative India, sexuality may have once been well embraced by the Indian culture. Symbols of fertility date back to origins of Hinduism as in the Shiva lingam and the Hindu goddesses. The lingam is a phallic symbol of fertility, and many depictions of Hindu goddesses are symbols of fertility with emphasis on feminine features. Perhaps as a result of repeated foreign invasions and occupations, India has acculturated more conservative beliefs about sexuality. Nonetheless, the symbols of fertility date back to the origins of Hinduism, and writings like the Kama Sutra and the Tantric scriptures cannot be excluded from Indian heritage. Even from a Vedantic perspective, sex can be approached with selflessness and non-attachment. Certainly, it may be more difficult to be selfless and non-attached in this ultimate physical pleasure, but that does not mean it is impossible. Perhaps, it is the ultimate challenge in one's path toward enlightenment. However, it is not the act itself that causes one to be attached. The same act of slicing a blade through a man's chest can be a crime for a murderer and a miracle for a surgeon. The point being that the intention and attachment to an act may be even more important than the nature of any act in and of itself.