Sex in Religion

By Ranoo Gopal Sen

 Unveiling the Mysteries of Sex and Spirituality: A Journey through Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science.

Delve into the intriguing interplay of sex and religion, where ancient wisdom meets modern science, in "Sex in Religion." This thought-provoking non-fiction exploration challenges age-old perceptions and dares to uncover

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dr.Ranoo Gopal Sen
• Release date: Jul 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781805411819

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Sex in Religion

Everyone’s mother is the mother of the world

Thakur Anukulchandra

Matri devo bhavo. Pitri devo bhavo

(Treat your mother as God. Treat your father as God)

Upanishads

The word dharma has its roots in Sanskrit and means eternal; nobody knows when dharma was started. For example, Sanatana is a dharma, but religion is a personal or institutional set of beliefs and practices. Say Christianity is a religion. Christianity started with the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Sex has always been a kind of social or religious custom restricting a particular practice with a particular person or place. In ancient Indian scriptures, like the Vedas and the Upanishads, sex has always been avoided. To talk about sex meant being directly or indirectly interested in it and to run the risk of being lured by its charms.

Mother conceives divine lust in her womb and, due to the pleasure of Father, generates a child on the earth. In the Vedas, Purana, Upanishads or Gita, premarital sex is a sin. As per Sanatana Dharma, sexuality is natural. As per Lord Kamadeva, sex is an integral part of life. Sexual intercourse is a ritual offspring as mentioned in the Chandogya Upanishad (5.8.1–2) and Brihadaranyaka (6.2.13). There is a Vedic belief that the nature of the child depends on the way it is conceived. According to Sage Manu, marriage within the same caste (that is, between two persons within the same ruling in the ladder) is excellent. As per Hindu mythology, an anuloma marriage is advisable. Anuloma refers to the hypergamy form of marriage. Polygamy is a practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman marries more than one husband at a time, it is called polyandry. In contrast to polygamy, monogamy is a marriage consisting of only two parties. Hypergamy is when a person marries a spouse of a higher caste or social status than them or the woman marries up which elevates her position in society. This has been the most common form of marriage in most cultures. However, an arranged marriage between members of an equal class was also a common trend. The antonym hypogamy refers to the inverse: marrying a person of a lower social class or status. During the Vedic age, interclass marriages used to take place in this form. When a lower caste man marries a higher caste woman, it is a pratiloma marriage. A pratiloma marriage is a type of marital practice in which a man of a lower class/caste/varna marries a girl of a higher class/caste/varna. Hypogamy has been found to be practised more by men then by