Follow Us
Sai R Vaidyanathan
The Supreme Court verdict on Section 377 on September 6 brought great relief to the 0.04 per cent-strong third gender community in the country.
Even while the 5,000-year-old epics mention them, people of the third gender were recognised for the first time officially only in the 2011 Census. Let’s see how they feature in the scriptures.
Parent of four sons
King Dashrath of Kosala had four sons who played major roles in the Ramayana. But there is another individual whose four children feature in the same epic – Arun, the charioteer of Surya.
In his feminine form of Aruna, Arun brought forth Vaanara warriors Vaali and Sugriv through Indra and Surya, respectively. And in his male form and married to Syeni, he fathered the eagle brothers Jatayu and Sampati.
Son of the Moon
When Chandra (Moon) eloped with Brihaspati’s wife Tara, Brihaspati cursed that the child of Chandra and Tara would neither be a male nor a female. From this child, Budh, was furthered the lunar race of kings who feature in the Mahabharata.
Budh married Ila, the offspring of Vaivaswat Manu, who was male one month and female the next.
Took part in war
It wasn’t as if war was limited to heterosexual genders. The ones in the middle also took part in acts of valour.
In their 13th year of exile, that the Pandavas had to spend incognito, Pandava prince Arjuna underwent a major transformation. Using the dance and music that he had learnt in heaven and a curse, he became eunuch dance master Brihannala to Matsyan princess Uttaraa.
As the 13th year drew to a close, Brihannala fought and defeated the Kaurava army that had launched an attack on Matsya.
The Lord’s leela
Just when the Mahabharata war was about to begin, a sacrifice of a warrior was suggested to ensure a Pandava win.
Arjuna and Uloopi’s unmarried son Iravan agreed to do the needful but his last wish was to get married.
As no maiden desired such a short married life, Lord Krishna took on his Mohini form, married Iravan and felt the pangs of widowhood the next day. At Koovagam village in Tamil Nadu, this incident is re-enacted in an 18-day festival.
The biggest hurdle
Kaurava commander-in-chief and grandsire Bhishma, who had the boon of death-at-will, stood like an insurmountable hurdle in a Pandava win during the Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra.
So Shikhandi, sibling of Pandava empress Draupadi, was made to face Bhishma as the grand old man had vowed not to attack someone who is “not a male”. Born as a girl, Shikhandi had undergone austerities to transform into a male.
On seeing Shikhandi challenging him, Bhishma kept his bow down. Using that chance, Pandava prince Arjuna shot his arrows and grounded Bhishma.
It is heartening that a bad law against some of God’s own children has been repealed. After all, it is said, “If all came from one source, how is one good and another bad?”
The author can be contacted at author.sai@gmail.com
2
5
8