Hindu Spirituality & Sex

 Appreciate ToI carrying a contrarian view on a very sensitive subject like this. The land of Kamasutra could not have compartmentalized spirituality and sex- which actually stands for love and intimacy between two consenting adults. Indian temple architecture has always depicted love-sex-intimacy between men and women of those times as seen in Khajuraho and Konark temple; however, there was one marked difference in those pictures that of happiness emanating from an act of free consent; while, the omissions and commissions of “Asharam Bapu” was not with consent and against the law of the land as the girl in the case was minor and therefore by no stretch of imagination “Hindu Spirituality” can be invoked in the case. Rather, breach of trust involved in the case makes the crime of a saint like “Asharam Bapu” much more heinous that asks for deterrent and punititive punishment.

Bikash Choudhury, Bhubaneswar