Srinivasan and Chandrasekaran: Mythology and transsexualism
spend the last night of his life as a married man. No woman was willing and came forward to marry Aravan as he was going to be killed after the marriage. Lord Krishna took the form of beautiful woman called Mohini and married him. This is the reason why the Hijras of Tamil Nadu call themselves Aravanis named after Aravan their progenitor.[1] In Koovagam, Tamil Nadu, there is an 18‑day festival every year, where the village trans‑women dress up as his wives and then mourn for Aravan’s death.
Arjuna – Brihannala
Arjuna got cursed by Urvashi that he would lose his masculinity when he rejected her advances stating that she was like his mother. The curse was reduced by Indra to a period of 1 year of Arjuna’s choice.[2] This turned out to be a boon for Arjuna because he stayed in disguise as a dance teacher – Brihannala during the last 1 year of exile for the Pandavas. He taught dance and music to the daughter of King Virat and her friends. King Virata when came to know the real identity of Arjuna, he offered his daughter’s hand to Arjuna to marry her. King Arjuna rejected this offer as he had been a teacher to her and considered her a daughter.
Ila
Ila features in one of the rare cases of female to male transformation in Hindu mythology. There are a number of origin myths surrounding Ila. She was born to Vivasvata Manu and his wife Shraddha who wished for a male offspring. They prayed and the gods changed Ila to a man called Sudyumma. The story goes on to Sudymma going into a forest where he is cursed to become a female but, the curse is mitigated by Shiva who allows him to be a male every alternate month. During his female phase, Ila/Sudyumma consummated her marriage with Budha (Mercury) and was supposed to give birth to the Pururavas (the Lunar dynasty). He attained his manhood in the end owing to a boon by Shiva.
Shikandini to Shikandi
In Mahabharata, after being abducted by Bhishma for his step brother and rejected by him in marriage, Princess Amba took her life and swore to take her revenge from Bhishma. Amba was reborn to King Drupada and named Shikhandini. As the story went, she performed austerities and changed her sex to become Shikhandi.[2] In the battle of Kurukshetra, Bhishma recognized him as Shikandini, Amba reborn, and he did not want to fight with a “woman”. On the tenth day of the war, Bhishma was forced to lower his weapons as Shikhandi rode in Arjuna’s chariot. Arjuna hid behind Shikhandi and attacked Bhishma with his arrows. Thus, Shikhandi was instrumental in Bhishma’s death in the Kurukshetra and the victory of Pandavas.
Arthanarishwarar and Lakshmi Naryanan
Ardhanarishvara form is an androgynous composite of Shiva and goddess Parvati. Different Puranas have different reasons behind Arthanarishwarar the perfect combination of Purusha and Prakriti, symbolizes that the male and female principles are inseparable.[3] A similar union between Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Vishnu, her husband Vishnu, forms the androgynous Lakshmi–Narayan.
Conclusion
In spite the of the rich and varied heritage of transsexual individuals in the form of divinity and heroes from Hindu mythology, these individuals are still subjected to various forms of ostracism.[4][5] It is only in recent times that they have been given the necessary social security and an ability to integrate into the community. Furthermore, these individuals are subject to stigma and biases that make them prone to both medical, as well as mental health issues. These include substance use related and legal problems in addition to having poor working conditions and options. An integration of this marginalized community is of essence.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
References
- ↑ Somasundaram O. Transgenderism: Facts and fictions. Indian J Psychiatry 2009;51:73.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kalra B, Baruah M, Kalra S. The Mahabharata and reproductive endocrinology. Indian J Endocrinol Metab 2016;20:404.
- ↑ Raveesh B. Ardhanareeshwara concept: Brain and psychiatry. Indian J Psychiatry 2013;55:263.
- ↑ Nataraj S. Criminal ‘folk’ and ‘legal’ lore: The kidnap and castrate narrative in colonial India and contemporary Chennai. South Asian Hist Cult 2017;8:523‑41.
- ↑ Kalra S. The eunuchs of India: An endocrine eye opener. Indian J Endocrinol Metab 2012;16:377.
| 236 | Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism ¦ Volume 24 ¦ Issue 3 ¦ May-June 2020 |
