The Hills of Sabari

The story goes that when Rama was on his way to Lanka, looking for his wife, Sabari offered him hospitality. She would collect fruits and bring them to him. But she would bite each fruit and check whether they are tasty enough, before offering them to Rama.

But it is not this romantic story that I want to tell.

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The story goes that Shiva heard about how Vishnu went dressed up as Mohini and charmed the wits out of the Asuras to get amrit, the divine nector of immortality. And he wanted to see what Mohini looked like. After some cajoling, Vishnu conceded and took the form of Mohini, just to please his godly colleague. But Shiva was more than pleased. He could not help himself. He had to make love to Mohini.

And as gods go, conception and delivery are quick affairs. Just about two and half hours. But since Vishnu did not have adequate organs to deliver, the baby was taken out by cutting his thighs open. They left the baby and went back to their own jobs of not doing much.

A local king heard the baby in the forests and rescued it. And being childless at that time, took the baby back to the palace. The queen however, got pregnant soon and gave birth to a son. The two boys grew up, along with the queen’s anxiety that the boy rescued from the forest would ascend the throne.

She cooked up a scheme with the royal vaidya. She feigned and illness, which could be treated only with the milk from a tigress. The boy rescued from the forest, now a fine young man, volunteered to go and get it.

And since he was borne to gods, he comes back to the palace with a tigress laden with milk. The queen regrets and asks forgiveness. But the young man understands the queen’s anguish and relinquishing the royal life, decides to go back to the forest. The king is heartbroken and pleads that he be allowed to visit at least once in a year. To which the divine being, now called Ayyappa, concedes.

Such stories carry great morals for society. The gods themselves can indulge in homosexuality. So if you see it among humans, we should not unleash our moral indignation.

But when a story is a part of a mythology that is in turn, the basis of a religion, it takes a different tone. So the story goes on to reassert the moral.

Ayyappa has only one ‘friend’ - a Muslim man. And an old woman who is acceptable company for the divine being in his forest abode.

The gay orientation of Ayyappa is underlined, the social attitude to Islam is softened. Respect to old women is indicated as a virtue...

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But then, even a great folk tale loses the significance of its morals when appropriated by a religion that is drunk with political power.

I can understand the need for women to go to Ayyappa. Ask any woman who has a gay friend. Since the usual man-woman games are not applicable, usually there is good bonding.

But in case Lord Ayyappa is hesitant  - his friend may feel jealous - perhaps the fanatically religious people should at least allow lesbian couples to visit the temple. I am sure Ayyappa won’t mind. Gay people are usually comfortable with lesbian couples.

Religious sanctity will then align with legal sanctity. After all, the purpose of sanctity is to make people behave, isn't it? Whether the punishment of crossing the line is in this life or the next?