Pride Month- We Stand Together
Happy Pride Month all over the world! Universal Philosophy and Religion is proud to be an ally of the LGBTQ community.
Pride is defined as the celebration of one's achievements, possessions and qualities. It is an indisputable fact that there is diversity and difference even among sameness. Similarities and sameness are sometimes easily overlooked, while the diversity and differences in one another are easily noticed. Expressing support for diversity is an expression of putting aside our differences and living in harmony. It is a recognition of everyone’s equal rights and the removal of gender and sexual orientation discrimination. The qualities and actions (guna and karma) of a person are far more important than the perception of their gender or sexual orientation. During our lifetime, there have been great achievements and contributions by people from all genders and sexual orientations.
As we strive for a more equal society that shows acceptance of same-sex relationships, we must remember that this is not something new. History is filled with examples of what is now known as LGBTQ.
The story from the largest epic in history, the Mahabharata, comes to mind; an epic of over 100,000 verses, written by Sage Vyasa.
The story of Shikhandi is a popular example of LGBTQ in the Mahabharata. Princess Amba was reborn as Shikhandini in the kingdom of Panchala. Shikhandini remembered her oath from her previous life as Princess Amba; she had vowed to cause the death of the great warrior Bhishma who had unintentionally caused her great humiliation and sorrow, for which she eventually gave up her life.
Shikhandini chose to learn the art of weaponry and became a skilled warrior in order to take revenge on Bhishma. Since the kingdom of Panchala did not practice gender discrimination, she was given the best of martial arts training. Her identity as a female was hidden and she grew up as a male warrior. King Drupada raised his daughter as his son and changed her name to Shikhandi. In her youth, she even got married to Princess Dasharna. When Dasharna realized that Shikhandi was a woman, her father (King Hiranyavarna) wanted to wage war against King Drupada. To avoid the possibility of war, Shikhandi left the kingdom and went to the forest to meditate. Her prayers were answered and Shikandi returned to Darshana as transgender. Hearing the joyous news of Shikhandi’s manliness, King Hiranyavarna went happily to King Drupada to celebrate.
In an age old story, one can see the many hurdles that the LGBTQ community faces. It focuses on the roles of the character Shikhandi as she defied the odds by becoming a great warrior, marrying Princess Darshana, and eventually fulfilling her oath to take revenge on Bhishma as transgender. As a result, this story recognizes the gender stereotypes that society has created and its obstacles as a result of these stereotypes. Essentially, this story shows that people that identify as LGBTQ deserve to be treated equally and express their sexuality however they choose.
In addition, the Mahabharata includes the story of the great warrior Prince Arjuna, who eventually killed Bhishma with the help of Shikhandi. Arjuna had lived in King Virat’s palace disguised as a eunuch named Brihannala, who taught Princess Uttara music and dance for one year. During that time, Arjuna expressed all the behaviour and nuances of a transgender music teacher so convincingly that not even his student Princess Uttara knew that he was the mighty warrior Arjuna.
(For further reading: another popular example from the Mahabharata and throughout Hindu texts is Vishnu assuming the form of a woman, Mohini.)
Lastly, this next example is extremely popular to Hindus (as it is stated in Hindu texts) and even non-Hindus that study Kundalini Yoga—-Ardhanarishvara. Ardhanarishvara is depicted as a human being that is half male and half female, half Shiva and half Shakti. In Kundalini Yoga, the 6th chakra, the Ajna chakra’s (sometimes called the third eye) deity to be meditated on is Ardhanarishvara. These depictions remind us that both male and female genders are equal and necessary.
More importantly, all of these examples show us that it is perfectly normal to not be limited to one gender or sexual orientation. We should support the LGBTQ community as they strive to live peacefully and express their true selves. This acceptance and understanding of equality is necessary for harmony in our lives. After all, life is full of differences and diversities and we will only find peace, happiness, and harmony in understanding and accepting these differences in sexuality. We shall continue to strive for equality and recognition for all.
Om ShantiH ShantiH ShantiH.
-Sri Rajaji