Abstract
Sushila’s view of marriage as a union of two souls would be accepted by most Hindus in India and also by many Christians in the West. However, not all would agree with her conclusion that since the soul is not gendered, a marriage between two men or two women is permissible. In this chapter, I discuss the implications of the soul’s genderlessness for the possibility of same-sex marriage, and examine some traditional ideas of human-divine same-sex marriage. While these concepts refer to levels of reality beyond day-to-day embodiment, I argue that they are available to people who respond to the present-day phenomenon of same-sex marriage.
“The Wise One, who sees the same everywhere, sees no difference between happiness and sorrow, man and woman, fortune and misfortune.”
—Ashtavakra Gita, XVII: 15
“After all, what is marriage? It is a wedding of two souls. Where in the scriptures is it said that it has to be between a man and a woman?”
—Sushila Bhawasar, village school teacher, commenting on the marriage of her neighbors, policewomen Leela and Urmila1
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Chapter 3 Is the Spirit Gendered?: Fluid Gender, Sex Change, and Same-Sex Marriage
Chinu Panchal, “Wedded Women Cops to Challenge Sack,” Times of India, February 23, 1988.
Henry Vaughan, “The World,” The Norton Anthology of Poetry ( New York: W.W. Norton, 1975 ), 381.
Jogan Shankar, Devadasi Cult: A Sociological Analysis ( New Delhi: Ashish Publishing, 1990 ), 101–112.
S. Seethalakshmi, “Devadasis substitute one evil for another,” Times of India (Bangalore), January 25, 1998.
Diana L. Eck, Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras (Boston: Beacon Press, 1993; 2003 ), 136.
See R.C. Zaehner, Hindu and Muslim Mysticism (1994; Delhi: Research Press, 1999), especially the first three chapters.
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© 2005 Ruth Vanita
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Vanita, R. (2005). Is the Spirit Gendered?: Fluid Gender, Sex Change, and Same-Sex Marriage. In: Love’s Rite. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403981608_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403981608_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-53208-7
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