Wheel of Desire

By M.L. Varadpande

Lord Buddha, in his profound wisdom, said that for extinction of human suffering, complete annihilation of desire is the only way. This is the sacred truth of suffering.
Ācārya Cārvāka, equally profound in his thinking, said that life is a continuous celebration of desire. Kāma (desire) and artha (wealth) are the only true goals of life. Beg, steal or borrow, but live life like a king. Enjoy life full as long as one is alive.
Who is correct? Lord Buddha or Ācārya Cārvāka? What is desire really meant to Indian society, religion and culture through ages?
The book tries to address these and similar questions objectively and diligently.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.K. Printworld
• Release date: Nov 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9788124611876

Book preview

Front.jpg

Wheel of Desire

Desire

Turns

the Wheel of Life

Mithuna, Khajurāho

Wheel of Desire

M.L. Varadpande

Cataloging in Publication Data — DK

[Courtesy: D.K. Agencies (P) Ltd. ]

Varadpande, Manohar Laxman, author.

Wheel of desire / M.L. Varadpande.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 9788124610312 (HB)

1. Desire. 2. Desire — Religious aspects — Hinduism.

3. Desire in literature. 4. Sanskrit literature — History

and criticism. I. Title.

LCC BF575.D4V37 2021 | DDC 152.4 23

ISBN: 978-81-246-1187-6(E-Book)

ISBN: 978-81-246-1031-2 (Hard-Bound)

© M.L. Varadpande

First published in India in 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior written permission of both the copyright owner, indicated above, and the publisher.

Printed and published by:

D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd.

Regd. Office: Vedaśrī, F-395, Sudarshan Park

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Web: www.dkprintworld.com

Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Cult of Kāma

3. Religion of Paśupati

4. Celebrating Desire

5. Suppression of Desire

6. Fantasy Desire

7. Dance of Desire

8. Myth of Desire: Parakīyā Love

9. Ārdrā: Beauty Desirable

10. Vedic Materialism

11. Wine and Desire

12. Devī: Womb of Creation

Bibliography

Index

1

Introduction

Yamī: The desire of Yama hath approached me to lie with me in the same bed; I will abandon my person as a wife to her husband; let us exert ourselves in union like two wheels of the chariot.

– R̥gveda X.10.7

T

his

is Yamī, twin sister of Yama, both first ancestors of mankind, in the R̥gveda, the ancient book of knowledge of Aryans. She speaks of desire as a wheel of chariot in motion. It is an ancient myth of creation of life on the earth.

The Nāsadīya Sūkta of the Sāmaveda says: "In the beginning there was desire (kāma) that was the first seed of mind." Desire turns the wheel of life and creation.

Maharṣi Vātsyāyana terms the wheel of desire as raticakra in his Kāmasūtra. Bhagavān Buddha speaks of dharmacakra in his Dhamma-cakka-pavattanasutta. Cakra thus is a symbol of both desire (kāma) and dhamma – the paths of spirituality which reject desire as evil.

The wheel symbol is as ancient as Indus Valley Civilization. Indus seals were carved with a wheel symbol. Sun in R̥gveda I.175.4 is called the wheel or the wheel of the sun is spoken of (IV.28.2; V.29.10). Sūrya moves in a chariot drawn by white horses, says the R̥gveda.

A magnificent Sun Temple was built in thirteenth century

ce

on the coastline of Odisha at Koṇārk in the form of Sūrya’s chariot drawn by seven horses. Here we find the depiction of twenty-four intricately carved stone wheels which are nearly 12 ft in diameter.

These giant wheels symbolize the motion of time, cycle of creation, according to some. The medallions on the spokes of the wheel are carved with figures of women in various luxurious poses, mostly of erotic nature, depictions of mithunas – men and women in erotic postures – are not wanting. In a way these wheels symbolize the wheel of human desire.

When the wheel of desire moves and enters other fields, it acquires a new meaning and is subjected to a new interpretation. When it moves in the arena of Tantra cults, it becomes cakra-pūjā. The Tāntric sādhakas and their śaktis forming pairs sit in a circular, wheel-like, formation to perform the ritual of pañca-makāras – madya, māṁsa, matsya, mudrā and maithuna – it is called cakra-pūjā, which is in reality a circle of desire or wheel of desire. In Kāmākhyā Śaktipīṭha or Yonipīṭha, it is called yoginī-cakra-pūjā, maithuna (sexual intercourse) being its central ritual.

Yoginīs are goddesses of desire who move in circle or wheel-like formation known as yoginī-cakra, Bhairava being their Cakreśvara.

The major Yoginī temples, dedicated to sixty-four Yoginīs, at Hīrāpur, Rānīpur-Jharial in Odisha and at Bhairavaghāṭ, now Bheḍāghāṭ in Madhya Pradesh are like a wheel, circular being open to sky. Here Kaula Tantra rituals are held to appease them.

Kaula-cakra or yoginī-cakra, also known as bhairavī-cakra, is formed by human couples positioning themselves in circular or wheel-like formation, thus demarcating a cakra, within which enacted the Kaula rites that culminate in ritual sexual union.

Cakra-pūjā is performed, for, as the Meru Tantra tells us, it is a fundamental requisite for joy in this life.

The rāsa is called dance of desire involving a male in the form of Kr̥ṣṇa and females the beautiful gopīs. Kr̥ṣṇa multiplies himself to be with each one of them in the rāsa circle for amorous sports and frolics. It assumes circular formation and moves like a wheel. It strikes some similarity with Tāntric cakra-pūjā. Cakra-pūjā is static but rāsa wheel has a movement.

In Buddhist and Jaina cults also cakra symbol is used. In early Buddhist monuments, the Buddha was represented by symbols, one of which was the wheel (cakra). It was adopted by Emperor Aśoka, and it is prominently displayed under the Lion Capital at Sārnāth which once was a part of Aśokan pillar.

The wheel (cakra) represents both kāma (desire) and dharma (righteousness). Both, after all, are the two sides of same human experience. The full picture emerges when they unite and present a composite, unified concept as seen in Indian culture and civilization since its inception in remote antiquity.

Tantra Yoga visualizes seven cakras in human body, and these are conceived as energy centres that run along spinal column, with mūlādhāra at the base and sahasrāra at the crown or top. Devī Kuṇḍalinī lying dormant, coiled at the base of spine, is awakened by sādhanā, passes through cakras to reach sahasrāra and unites with Śiva residing there. This union of Śiva and Śākti arises the bliss. Union is the function of Kāmadeva.

The potter’s wheel is another symbol of energy of kāma on which life takes shape. It explains the creativity of desire in motion.

Wheel of Desire rules the World!

2

The Cult of Kāma

T

he

hymn, known as the Nāsadīya Sūkta of R̥gveda X.129, is known famously as the hymn of creation and is key to Vedic philosophy. It speaks about the void before creation:

Then was not non-existent, nor existence, there was no realm of air, no sky beyond it.

All existence then was void, formless.

Thereafter rose desire (kāma), in the beginning, the primal seed of mind.

kāmastadagre samavartatādhi manaso retaḥ prathamaṁ yadāsīt।

The R̥gveda says Kāma was born first of all. The Atharvaveda supports this myth of creation by saying in the sūkta, a homage to Kāma, as a part of Agniṣṭoma ceremony. This sūkta in kāṇḍa 9, sūkta 2 of the Atharvaveda is known as Kāma Sūkta. Its devatā is Kāma and its r̥ṣi, Atharva. It says:

Kāma was first born, not the gods, the fathers, nor mortals attained him, to them you are superior, always great, to you as such, Oh Kāma! do I pay homage.

Kāmajajñe pratheme, the sūkta says and he is superior to all that winks, that stands, superior to ocean, wind, fire, sun, moon, etc. To you I pay homage.

Another sūkta (kāṇḍa 19, sūkta 52) in the Sāmaveda, whose devatā is Kāma and r̥ṣi is Brahmā, says:

Desire (Kāma) here came into being in the beginning, which was the first seed of mind; Oh desire (Kāma)! being one of the origin with great desire, do you impart abundance of wealth to the sacrificer.

You, Oh desire (Kāma)! set firm with power, mighty, shining (vibhavan), companion for him who seeks companion; you formidable, overpowering in fights, impart power (and) force to the sacrificer.

To him that desired from afar, that trembled on at the inexhaustible – the places (asa) listen to him; by desire they generated heaven.

By Desire has desire come to me, out of heart to heart; the mind that is theirs yonder, let that come to me here.

Desiring what, Oh Desire! we make to you this oblation, let that all succeed with us; then eat (vi) you of this oblation; haiṁ!

It is obvious that in the Vedas themselves the abstract Desire gets an anthropomorphic form as a deity, a first born and very powerful, above all gods and mortals who can grant many favours including wealth and companion and in whose honour Vedic rituals were held and oblations were offered to please him.

The importance of Kāma (god of desire, passion and love) spread in the sūktas of Atharvaveda which were devised as magic formulae to attract, seduce partners of opposite sex. A few examples from them are listed here:

Man says: Let Kāmadeva pierce your heart, Oh Lady! with arrows feathered with longing, tipped with love, necked with resolve to make love, pierced with consuming desire, dry mouthed, do you come creeping to me, gentle, with fury allyed, entirely mine, pleasant spoken, submissive. I goad you here with goad, away from mother, likewise from father, that you may be in my power, may come to my intent.

Woman says: Oh gods! send forth love, let man burn for me. Let you, man, love me, bring dear let him love me.

In yet another Kāma Sūkta a man prays:

As the creeper has completely embraced the tree, so do you embrace me – that you may be one loving me, that you may be one not going away from me. Want you the body of me, the feet, want the eyes, want the thighs; let eyes, the hair of you lusting after me, dry up with love. I make you cling to my arm, cling to my heart, that you may be in my power, may come into my intent.

I provide below six verses of Kāmabāṇa Sūkta:

उत्तुदस्त्वोत् तुदतु मा धृथाः शयने स्वे ।

इषुः कामस्य या भीमा तया विध्यामि त्वा हृदि ।।१।।

Let the up-thruster thrust (tud) you up; do not abide (dhr̥) in yours own lair; the arrow of love (kāma) that is terrible, therewith I pierce you in the heart.

Pāda a (first line) evidently suggests the finger-thrust of Kauś.; what uttuda really designates is matter for guessing, and the translators guess differently, the comm. says a god so named the comm. had the bad reading dr̥thās in pāda b.

आधीपर्णां कामशल्यामिषुं सङ्कल्पकुल्मलाम्।

तां सुसंन्नतां कृत्वा कामो विध्यतु त्वा हृदि ।।२।।

The arrow feathered with longing (ādhī), tipped with love, necked with resolve (?saṅkalpa) – having made that well-straightened, let love pierce you in the heart.

According to the comm. ādhī meens mānasī pīḍā; śalvam is bāṇāgre protam āyasam; kulmalam is dāruśalyāyoḥ saṁśleṣadravyam [thing (like a ferrule?) to fasten the tip to the shaft]. Our P.M.W. reads tā for tām at beginning of c. Pāda c requires the harsh resolutin ta-ām.

या प्लीहानं शोषयति कामस्येषुः सुसन्नता ।

प्राचीनपक्षा व्योषा तया विध्यामि त्वा हृदि ।।३।।

The well-straightened arrow of love which dries the spleen, forward-winged, consuming (vyoṣa) – therewith I pierce you in the heart.

The accent of ayoṣa is anomalous [Sanskrit Grammar para 1148n], being rather that of a possessive compound [para 1305a]; [cf. vs. 4]. The comm. appears to take plīhan as signifying lung; the obscure