On the “third-nature” – IV
Thus far in this series, I have been examining early Indian textual sources for glimpses of how persons of non-normative sexualities or gender presentations were represented. For this post – as I promised at the end of the previous installment – dealing with ‘changes of sex’ – I will examine a text from a much later period, a 16th-century Tamil version of the Brahmottara-Khaṇḍa, featuring the famous Queen Sīmantinī. The Brahmottara-Khaṇḍa is a section of the Skanda Purāṇa, that has been dated to between 700 -1150 C.E.
This is an interesting story, not only because it features a change in sex, but also offers glimpses into how such a change was regarded, and also, the power of a devotee of Śiva. This is a very condensed version of the story. You can read a fuller account in David Shulman’s excellent book More Than Real (see my review).
In the region of Vidarbha, there lived two young Brahmins, Sumedhā, son of Vedamitra, and Sāmavān, son of Sārasvata. As students, they achieved great knowledge of the sciences and the Vedas, but they lacked the wealth that would enable them to marry and set up their own households. Their parents advised them to visit the king who, once impressed with their learning, would grant them the wealth they needed. The king was indeed impressed with the youth’s learning but made them a startling proposal.
The king told the boys that Queen Sīmantinī worships Śiva every Monday. She invites the Sages to attend her, together with their wives and worships them in her mind as Śiva and Umā. Then she presents them with gold and jewels. You two should visit her, one of you disguised as a woman, and thus gain wealth from Sīmantinī. The king is very pleased with this grand idea and tells the boys he will punish them if they do not go along with it. Well they of course object to this rather dubious plan, as to act in such a deceitful way towards royalty will bring shame and censure upon them and their families. The king is enraged and threatens to punish them as though they were Untouchables.
So the boys have no choice but to agree to the king’s scheme. Sāmavān, by the arts of women who were experts in the arts of adornment, was disguised as a woman; his eyes shaded with kohl, smeared with sandalwood and saffron paste, his hair braided and draped in an expensive sari. The king gave his approval, and the two set off to the palace of Queen Sīmantinī and joined with the host of Brahmins and their wives who were visiting the Queen.
Queen Sīmantinī welcomed them but discerned at once the disguised Sāmavān. She said nothing but smiled to herself, and proceeded to worship them as though they were Śiva and Umā. She fed all before her a rich meal, and then presented them with garlands, sandalwood paste, beautiful clothes, and jewels, and gave them leave to depart.
As Sumedhā and Sāmavān returned to their homes, by the power of Sīmantinī, Sāmavān becomes a woman, and turning to Sumedhā, addressed him as husband and begged him to make love to her, naming herself Sāmavatī. At first, Sumedhā thought Sāmavatī was joking, but as he gazed upon his friend, he realizes that here is an incomparable beauty, second only in loveliness to the goddess Lakṣmi. Sumedhā, despite his growing passion, addresses Sāmavatī, saying that this change was brought about due to their act of deceitfulness and that they must rid themselves of the results of their actions by following an ascetic regime of exercises. Although he adds that if that did not prove to be effective, he would definitely make love to her. 1 Needless to say, Sāmavatī does not accept this. Sumedhā tries another argument, saying that it is not right for those of their caste to adopt the Gandharva marriage. But Sāmavatī again remains unconvinced, and taking hold of Sumedhā, has her way with him.
Sumedhā remains distressed and says they should return home and inform their fathers as to what has occurred. This they do, and Sumedhā relates to his father all; the king’s idea, and how they went along with the deceit, Queen Sīmantinī’s worship of them, and Sāmavān’s change into a woman. Vedamitra, the father of Sumedhā, then rushes to tell Sārasvata, father of Sāmavān that he now has a daughter rather than a son.
Sārasvata is furious and immediately goes to see the king, whose grand idea has set all this in motion. He shouts at the king and threatens that both he and his wife will give up their lives, and the king will be blamed. The king is cut deeply by these words and summons his advisors for their counsel on what course of action might amend the situation. One of the advisors says that the king must accept responsibility for what has transpired and should worship Umā and beg from her a boon. He teaches the king the mantra of Umā.
The king spends three nights in the temple of the goddess, after which Umā reveals herself to him. The king petitions the goddess to restore Sāmavatī to ‘his’ former form. Umā replies that this cannot be done – that no one, not even if they spent eons disciplining themselves, can take away something that her devotees imagine. So the king asks Umā to grant the wife of Sārasvata another son in her womb, and the goddess does this immediately, adding that the king should ensure that Sāmavatī is married to Sumedhā in the Vedic fashion. That is what transpired, and all were content.
Some observations
There are several interesting things going on here. Firstly, there is the matter of Queen Sīmantinī’s power to effect change through her devotion to Śiva and the goddess. Sīmantinī’s power is not a siddhi or a magical act, rather, it is through the power of bhāvanā – a bringing into being. She simply decides to see Sumedhā and Sāmavān as embodiments of Śiva and Umā.
In some versions of the tale Sāmavatī appears to have completely forgotten her previous life as a Brahmin boy, whilst in others she does recall her former life, but the change is irrevocable, and in any case, she does not regret it. In one version of the story, translated by Kumkum Roy 2, it is stressed that the two youths are close friends, that there is a great love between them, and they dress alike. Ruth Vanita, in her introduction, comments that the attraction between Sumedhā and Sāmavān – although it does not become manifest until Sāmavān becomes Sāmavatī – may have been latent in their relationship, and that Sīmantinī, perceiving a latent feminine quality within Sāmavatī, chose not to denounce them. David Shulman also raises this possibility in his exploration of the Sīmantinī tale, commenting that the Queen’s bhāvanā is uncovering or activating a latent predisposition within Sāmavān. 3
It is clear from the tale, as one might expect, that daughters are less well thought of than sons. But the greater concern is with the act of deceit the youths perpetrated, at the order of the foolish king. There is also a concern with rules of behaviour. The gāndharva marriage is a consensual form of bonding requiring no witnesses, rituals, or formal vows. This is not appropriate for those of the Brahmin caste, is Sāmavān’s argument. Once the lovers are wed according to Vedic principles, all is well.
Sources
David Shulman. 2012. More than Real: A History of the Imagination in South India. Harvard University Press.
Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwal (eds). 2001. Same-Sex Love in India: Readings in Indian Literature. Palgrave.
The Skanda-Purāna, Part IX. 1953. Motilal Banarsidass.
Notes:
