Tritya Prakriti: People of the third sex 

 By Amara Das Wilhelm

Introduction

In modern times, there has been much controversy concerning the position and rights of gay and other third-gender groups within society. Should they be feared and eliminated as a harmful, corruptive force within our midst? Should they be ignored and hidden away, being denied the basic rights and privileges that other citizens enjoy? Or should they be welcomed as simply another color within the rainbow of human variety? The answer to these questions can be found in the ancient Vedic literatures of India, which have thoroughly analyzed and recorded all aspects of human behavior and knowledge since time immemorial.

After the Vedas were issued forth from Brahma at the beginning of creation, Manu set aside the verses concerning civic virtues and ethics, thus compiling the Dharma Shastra. Similarly, Brhaspati set aside the verses concerning politics, economy, and prosperity to compile the Artha Shastra. Nandi, the companion of Lord Siva, set aside the verses concerning sense pleasure and sexuality, thus compiling the Kama Shastra.¹ The great sage, Vyasadeva, put this Kama Shastra into writing approximately five thousand years ago along with all other Vedic literatures.² It was then subsequently divided into many parts and almost lost until recompiled by the brahmana sage, Vatsyayana, during the Gupta period or about 300 A.D.³ The result was the famed Kama Sutra or “codes of sensual pleasure.” Although commonly presented to Westerners in the format of an erotic sex manual, the actual unabridged Kama Sutra gives us a rare glimpse into the sexual understandings of ancient Vedic India.

Three Categories of Gender

Throughout Vedic literature, the sex or gender of the human being is clearly divided into three separate categories according to prakriti or nature. These are: pums-prakriti or male, stri-prakriti or female, and tritiya-prakriti or the third sex.⁴ These three genders are not determined by physical characteristics alone but rather by an assessment of the entire being that includes the gross (physical) body, the subtle (psychological) body, and a unique consideration based upon social interaction (procreative status). Generally the word “sex” refers to biological sex and “gender” to psychological behavior and identity. The term prakriti or nature, however, implies both aspects together as one intricately woven and cohesive unit, and I will therefore use the two words more or less interchangeably in this book.

People of the third sex are analyzed in the Kama Sutra and broken down into several categories that are still visible today and generally referred to as gay males and lesbians. They are typically characterized by a mixed male/female nature (i.e. effeminate males or masculine females) that can often be recognized within childhood and are identified by an inherent homosexual orientation that manifests at puberty. The homosexual behavior of these people is described in great detail within the eighth and ninth chapters of the second part of the Kama Sutra. While gay males and lesbians are the most prominent members of this category, it also includes other types of people such as transgenders and the intersexed.

The third sex is described as a natural mixing or combination of the male and female natures to the point in which they can no longer be categorized as male or female in the traditional sense of the word. The example of mixing black and white paint can be used, wherein the resulting color, gray, in all its many shades, can no longer be considered either black or white although it is simply a combination of both. People of the third sex are mentioned throughout Vedic literature in different ways due to their variety of manifestations. They were not expected to behave like ordinary heterosexual men and women or to assume their roles. In this way, the third-sex category served as an important tool for the recognition and accommodation of such persons within society.

People of the third sex are also classified under a larger social category known as the “neutral gender.” Its members are called napumsaka, or “those who do not engage in procreation.” There are five different types of napumsaka people: (1) children; (2) the elderly; (3) neuters; (4) the celibate, and (5) the third sex.⁵ They were all considered to be sexually neutral by Vedic definition and were protected and believed to bring good luck. As a distinct social category, members of the neutral gender did not engage in sexual reproduction. This nonreproductive category played an integral role in the balance of both human society and nature, similar to the way in which asexual bees play out their own particular roles in the operation of a hive. In Hinduism there are no accidents or errors, and everything in nature has a purpose, role, and reason for existence.

Third-Gender Citizens

Vedic society was all encompassing, and each individual was seen as an integral part of the greater whole. Thus all classes of men were accommodated and engaged according to their nature. Third-gender citizens were neither persecuted nor denied basic rights. They were allowed to keep their own societies or town quarters, live together within marriage and engage in all means of livelihood. Gay men could either blend into society as ordinary males or they could dress and behave as females, living as transvestites. They are especially mentioned as being expert in dancing, singing and acting, as barbers or hairstylists, masseurs, and house servants. They were often used within the female sections of royal palaces and also engaged in various types of prostitution. Transvestites were invited to attend all birth, marriage, and religious ceremonies as their presence was a symbol of good luck and considered to be auspicious. This tradition still continues in India even today.⁶ Lesbians were known as svairini or independent women and were permitted to earn their own livelihood. They were not expected to accept a husband. Citizens of the third sex represented only a very small portion of the overall population, which most estimates place at approximately 5 percent.⁷ They were not perceived to be a threat in any way and were considered to be aloof from the ordinary attachments of procreation and family life. In this way they were awarded their own particular status and welcomed as a part of civilized Vedic society.

A Matter of Semantics

There is a strange being described within early British translations of Vedic literature. These beings are comic, mythical creatures that appear to have lost their relevance in modern times. They are described as neither man nor woman, or sometimes as both man and woman. They are compared to the gandharva or fairy and are believed to be asexual or without sexual desire. Even Arjuna, the eternal companion of Lord Krsna and the hero of the Mahabharata, became one of these beings while hiding during his last year of exile,⁸ according to the Lord’s plan. There, dressed as a woman, he wore his hair in braids, behaved in a feminine manner, and taught dancing and singing to young girls with no attraction for them.

Welcome to the world of the so-called Vedic eunuch, a term so archaic and disingenuous it provides a good lesson both in semantics and social denial. First of all, there is no recorded evidence of any system of male castration in ancient Vedic India.⁹ Castration among servants and slaves was only introduced into medieval northern India with the arrival of foreign Islamic rulers, sometime around the eleventh and twelfth centuries A.D.¹⁰ Even then, it was usually only homosexual males who endured the dark and gruesome practice. The English word “eunuch,” or castrated male, is Greek in origin¹¹ and was commonly used to refer to both homosexuals and castrated men during the Middle Ages. When the term “homosexual” was first coined with the advent of modern psychiatry in the late nineteenth century, British writers continued to cling to the word “eunuch,” which was considered more polite by Victorian standards. Thus they used the word loosely to describe both homosexual and castrated men all over the world in regions ranging from Greece, Persia, India, China, Polynesia, etc. During the nineteenth century, when Great Britain was the major world power and had subjugated India, homosexuality was considered a sin so horrific it was not even to be mentioned, let alone discussed. This resulted in the use of vague, inappropriate terms to describe homosexual people such as eunuch, neuter, impotent, asexual, hermaphrodite, etc. While these different types of people exist to some degree and are included within the third-gender category, they hardly would have made up its mass. Rather, by behavior and as described in the Kama Shastra, the so-called eunuchs of ancient India engaged almost exclusively in homosexuality.¹²

The avoidance of this fact has lead to an erroneous understanding of the “Vedic eunuch” and his relevance to modern times. Words used to describe gay and lesbian citizens in Sanskrit were inaccurately translated to skirt homosexual issues and impose puritan ethics upon Vedic literatures where they did not otherwise exist. There are many examples of this, the most common of which is the Sanskrit word napumsaka (literally, “not male”), which is used to refer to a man who has no taste for women and thus does not procreate. While this may technically include diseased, old, or castrated men, it most commonly refers to the gay or homosexual male, depending of course upon the context and behavior of the character being described. Other Sanskrit words for people of the third sex include sandha (half man, half woman) and kliba or panda (impotent). These words appear to be somewhat interchangeable and, like most Sanskrit terms, have several different meanings. Nevertheless, they are plainly used to describe homosexuals and other types of third-sex people in Vedic texts. It is foolish to assume that Sanskrit words like napumsaka, sandha, and kliba only refer to castrated men or neuters, especially when we consider that castration was not systematically practiced in ancient India.

Another good example of inaccurate translating can be found in the Sanskrit word referring to lesbians or svairini. Literally meaning “independent woman,” this word was commonly mistranslated by early British scholars as “corrupt woman.”¹³ And when mentioning maithunam pumsi, or simply “sexual union between males,” the so-called scholars have chosen as their translation “the unnatural offense with a male.”¹⁴

Mistranslations such as these have only served to confuse and cover the acknowledgement of gay and lesbian people within Vedic literature, people who were nonetheless clearly recognized and defined in the Kama Shastra. In many instances, such persons were even demeaned or vilified by commentators who did not understand or accept the Vedic concept of a third gender. We can only hope that future scholars and translators will be more accurate and forthright in their work.

Third-Gender Roles

The Vedic literatures are comprised of voluminous Sanskrit texts numbering in the thousands, and their priestly authors were renowned for their detailed descriptions of all sciences, both godly and mundane. To obtain a clear understanding of human sexuality, behavior, and practice, one is advised to consult the Kama Shastra, which thoroughly covers this field. It is within these texts where the most information is found regarding the third sex and its members, behavior, practices and roles within society. A brief description will be given here, taken mostly from the eighth and ninth chapters of the second part of the Kama Sutra:

People of the third sex (tritiya-prakriti) are of two kinds, according to whether their appearance is masculine or feminine.¹⁵
(Kama Sutra 2.9.1)

Members of the third sex are first categorized according to whether their physical characteristics are either male or female. These are known as napumsaka, or gay males, and svairini, or lesbians. Each of these categories is then divided into two, depending upon whether their behavior is either masculine or feminine. They are then further divided into many subcategories.

Homosexual people are the most prominent members of the third sex. While appearing as ordinary males and females, their third-nature identity is revealed by their exclusive romantic and sexual attraction for persons of the same physical sex. Gay men experience the attractions ordinarily felt by females, and lesbian women experience the attractions ordinarily felt by males. Such people commonly exhibit other types of “cross-gender” behavior, but not always.

Lesbians (Svairini)

Under the heading of tritiya-prakriti, or people of the third sex, the lesbian is first described in the chapter of the Kama Sutra concerning aggressive behavior in women (purushayita).¹⁶ The Sanskrit word svairini refers to an independent or liberated woman who has refused a husband, earns her own livelihood, and lives either alone or in marriage with another woman. Her various types of homosexual behavior and practices are described in great detail within this chapter.

Lesbians were more likely to marry and raise children than their male counterparts and were readily accommodated both within the third-gender community and ordinary society. Those who did not produce children were sometimes known as nastriya or “not female.” Women of the third sex were engaged in all means of livelihood including trade, government, entertainment, as courtesans or prostitutes, and as maidservants. Sometimes they would live as renunciates and follow ascetic vows.

Gay Men (Napumsaka)

The word napumsaka can refer to any nonreproductive member of society, but in this instance it is specifically used to describe men who appear as male but are actually members of the third sex. Gay men are thoroughly described in the chapter of the Kama Sutra concerning oral sex (auparishtaka).¹⁷ Oral sex is not recommended for heterosexuals and is forbidden to brahmanas (priests), but it is acknowledged as the natural practice among those of the third sex who are not otherwise engaged in celibacy. Homosexual men who take the passive role in oral sex are specifically known in Sanskrit as mukhebhaga-sandha.

Gay men with feminine qualities are first described:

Those with a feminine appearance show it by their dress, speech, laughter, behavior, gentleness, lack of courage, silliness, patience, and modesty.¹⁸
(Kama Sutra 2.9.2)

Gay men with feminine qualities are the most recognizable members of the third sex. For this reason, they have often kept their own societies within all cultures of the world. They generally keep long hair and arrange it in braids or in a womanly fashion. Those who dress up as females are known as transvestites. Feminine gay males were often professionally employed by aristocratic women and commonly served within the royal palace. They are proficient in the arts, entertainment, and most notably, dancing. As mentioned earlier, their presence at marriage and religious ceremonies was considered to invoke auspiciousness, and their blessings were much sought after.
The masculine gay male is next described:

Those who like men but dissimulate the fact maintain a manly appearance and earn their living as barbers or masseurs.¹⁹
(Kama Sutra 2.9.6)

The masculine gay male is not as easily recognizable and would often blend into ordinary society, living either independently or within marriage to another man. Some were known to become professional male prostitutes who worked as masseurs. The technique of these masseurs is described in much detail. While effeminate gay men would keep smooth skin, apply makeup and sometimes, don breasts, the masculine gay male would keep bodily hairs, grow moustaches or small beards, and maintain a muscular physique. They would often wear shiny earrings. Gay men were talented in many different ways and were engaged in all means of livelihood. They often served as house attendants to wealthy vaishyas (merchants) or as chamberlains and ministers to government officials. Such men were renowned for their loyalty and devotion. Sometimes gay men would live as renunciates and develop clairvoyant powers. Those practicing celibacy were often used as pujaris (temple priests).

Gay males typically engaged in fraternal or casual love but were sometimes known to marry one another:

There are also third-sexed citizens, sometimes greatly attached to each other and with complete faith in one another, who get married (parigraha) together.²⁰
(Kama Sutra 2.9.36)

There were eight different types of marriage according to the Vedic system, and the homosexual marriage that occurred between gay males or lesbians was classified under the gandharva or celestial variety. This type of marriage was not recommended for members of the brahmana community but often practiced by heterosexual men and women belonging to the other classes. The gandharva marriage is defined as a union of love and cohabitation, recognized under common law, but without the need of parental consent or religious ceremony.²¹ In the Jayamangala, an important twelfth-century commentary on the Kama Sutra, it is stated: “Citizens with this kind of [homosexual] inclination, who renounce women and can do without them willingly because they love each other, get married together, bound by a deep and trusting friendship.”

Transgenders (Sandha)

The Sanskrit word sandha indicates people who are “half man, half woman.” This can refer to anyone of the third sex but is perhaps most commonly used to describe people with complete transgender identity (also known as “gender dysphoria”). These people do not identify with their physical sex but instead consider themselves and live their lives as members of the opposite sex. Male-to-female transgenders identify and live as women whereas female-to-male transgenders identify and live as men. They are also sometimes called transvestites or transsexuals and differ from gay males and lesbians in that they do not usually identify as homosexual and are less common.

It is possible that in ancient India, male-to-female transgenders may have sometimes castrated themselves in order to become feminized. More likely, however, since self-mutilation is greatly discouraged in Vedic culture, men of the third sex who identified as women would have tied their genitals up tightly against the groin, a practice that is still common in southern India and also found in various other world cultures. In a similar way, female-to-male transgenders would have strapped their breasts tightly against their torsos. Nowadays, however, such people often undergo hormone treatment and transsexual operations, especially in the West. Vedic culture allowed transgender people of the third sex to live openly according to their gender identity, and this is demonstrated in the Mahabharata story of Arjuna as Brihannala.

Bisexuals (Kami)

The Kama Sutra thoroughly describes all types of sexual behavior and practices between heterosexual or first- and second-gender men and women. This is by far the major portion of the text. Within these chapters, bisexuality is occasionally mentioned. Apparently, in Vedic times, bisexuality was considered to be more of a variation for men and women who were so inclined, and not as a category of the third sex. Because bisexuals engaged in the procreative act, they did not possess the napumsaka nature of the third sex and other sexually neutral people. The Sanskrit word kami indicates that such persons were especially fond of lovemaking and that they displayed this fondness in a variety of ways. Kami includes people who are simultaneously attracted to both men and women or who engage in homosexuality for reasons other than natural attraction. Those who periodically switch back and forth between heterosexuality and homosexuality are sometimes known in Sanskrit as paksa-sandha.

Bisexual feelings within heterosexual or homosexual people usually occur at a rate of about 10 or 15 percent for either group.²⁷ These feelings may range from very mild ones that are easy to ignore, on up to stronger ones that require satisfaction. Bisexuality is a curious nature in that it can move back and forth, thus involving the question of choice, which is normally not an issue with heterosexuals or homosexuals. Heterosexuals often confuse the homosexual nature with bisexuality, falsely considering homosexuality to be merely a “choice” or “tendency.” They are unaware that the vast majority of homosexuals, or roughly 90 percent, have absolutely no attraction, natural or otherwise, for members of the opposite sex. Bisexuals themselves are often uncertain about their own sexuality, especially during adolescence. In one survey, 35 percent of all bisexual people reported to have previously identified as gay or lesbian earlier in life.²⁸

In any case, bisexuals were typically accommodated within ordinary heterosexual society but would also frequent the third-gender communities where they were similarly welcomed. Topics discussed in the Kama Shastra pertaining to them include: men who visit transvestites or masseurs working as prostitutes, men in the company of lesbians, transvestites within the kings harem, women of the harem satisfying themselves in lieu of the kings absence, and male servants who practice homosexuality in their youth but then later become inclined towards women.²⁹

Bisexual women (kamini) are mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam within the chapter describing heavenly realms situated below the earth.³⁰ In those beautiful regions, within celestial gardens and accompanied by lesbians and nymphs (pumscali), bisexual women would entice men with a cannabis beverage and enjoy sex to their full satisfaction.

Sexual Accommodation Versus Puritanism

In the Vedic system, different standards of behavior and sexual conduct are prescribed for different classes of men.³¹ For example, the priestly order was held to high standards of conduct, followed by the government officials. Merchants and farmers were given more leniency, and ordinary workers and artisans, who made up more than half of the population, were given more leniency still. This contrasts greatly with most modern systems whereby all citizens are expected to follow the same laws. The advantage of the Vedic system is that it is able to accommodate all varieties of men within society according to their different natures.

It should be understood ) only celibacy is prescribed, even within marriage, and this is considerethat the sexual behaviors described in the Kama Shastra are intended for the Vedic citizen pursuing worldly enjoyment, which is generally the aim of most people. They are not intended for those engaged in vows, austerities, and other penances that are recommended in the Vedas as a means of attaining moksha or liberation from material bondage. For this class of men (the spiritualists and brahmanas) For this class of men (the spiritualists and brahmanas) only celibacy is prescribed, even within marriage, and this is considered to be the highest standard of conduct for those in the human form of life. However, Vedic culture is all encompassing and thus, while ultimately encouraging renunciation, also realistically accommodates other standards of behavior among common men.

In modern times, laws are drawn which artificially attempt to force all citizens to adopt standards of conduct that are normally assigned to the priestly class. From the Vedic perspective, however, sexual restraint is only effective when it is voluntary. Laws were used to regulate “vice” by establishing designated areas within the city or town and prohibiting it elsewhere, such as in the brahmana or temple districts. Responsible family life and celibacy were publicly encouraged and promoted by the government, but at the same time other forms of sexual behavior were acknowledged and accommodated accordingly. These include a wide variety of activities such as prostitution, polygamy, sexually explicit art, homosexual practices, the keeping of concubines, courtesans, etc. Anyone familiar with Vedic literature will be well aware that these activities were allotted a limited space within its culture.³² They also continue to flourish even in modern times despite centuries of prohibition. The puritanical concept of total prohibition of vice is a failed, unrealistic system that causes widespread hypocrisy, disrespect for law, and injustice for many citizens. People of the third sex have especially suffered under this system.

Social Morality

It is said that a society can be judged by how it treats its minorities and gentler classes. In Vedic civilization the cows, the brahmanas, the women, and those belonging to the neutral gender (children, the elderly, neuters, the celibate, and the third sex) were all offered protection as an important social principle.⁴³ In modern times, however, everything is topsy-turvy and thus these groups are now ridiculed, exploited, persecuted, and even killed, often under government sanction.

In Vedic society, people were familiar with the third sex and could normally recognize its characteristics within their offspring. Since everyone was accommodated under the Vedic system, third-gender youths could find their place within society according to their nature and thus grow healthfully into adulthood. In modern society, however, people are afraid to even discuss third-sex issues. Parents deny that their children are gay and try to force them to be “straight.” This causes psychological harm because it is against the child’s nature and creates friction and the fear of disappointing the parents. In school, third-gender children are ostracized by others and abused both verbally and physically. During adolescence, when others are dating and learning how to form relationships, third-gender youths are isolated and forced to hide their nature out of fear or shame. Alienated and confused in this way, they contemplate suicide, and it has been found that the suicide rate for gay teens is four times higher than that of their heterosexual peers.⁴⁴ Those reaching adulthood are discriminated against in the workforce, legally denied housing, scorned when they couple, and forbidden the joys of marriage. Shunned by both their relatives and society at large, people of the third sex are forced into self-denial, often under the threat of criminal prosecution.

The most remarkable aspect of this gross mistreatment of third-sex people in modern times is that it is all being done under the banner of so-called morality and religion. These citizens are rejected as immoral and undeserving of human rights solely on the basis of their romantic and sexual nature, which many people mistakenly consider to be merely a “choice.” This type of social rejection and mistreatment is due to ignorance. Not understanding the nature of the third sex, people become suspicious and fearful of their differences. This produces bigotry, which then festers into hatred and eventually violence. The disrespect and persecution of the third sex is a clear sign of Kali Yuga, or the modern era of irreligion and hypocrisy described in Vedic literatures. Under the Vedic system, these citizens were symbols of good luck. They were protected and would bestow their blessings upon society. The fact that they are now mistreated and oppressed can be seen as an omen of bad times, and it is a poor measure of our humanity.

As a natural gender, the third sex has maintained a relatively fixed presence within human society since time immemorial, despite varying social policies. Indeed, its members will exist wherever there are males and females themselves, and this will be true regardless of any fear, rejection, or hate that we may project upon and cause them to suffer. For our own good, therefore, and by following the Vedic example of social morality and acceptance, we should respect and treat all living entities equally, without consideration of gender.

The Third Sex and Vedic Astrology

In Vedic astrology, the nine planets are each assigned to one of the three genders. The Sun, Jupiter, and Mars are assigned to the masculine gender; the Moon, Venus, and Rahu are assigned to the feminine gender; and Mercury, Saturn, and Ketu are assigned to the third or neutral gender.⁵⁰ These last three planets, labeled napumsaka, are considered to be sexually neutral and “hermaphroditic” (possessing both male and female properties) by their influence. This neutrality refers to the fact that their natures are aloof from the business of procreating life as compared to the male and female planets. For instance, Mercury governs children, who have not yet entered puberty and do not become sexually aroused. Saturn governs neuters and the elderly, who are by nature restricted from sexual reproduction. Ketu, on the other hand, specifically concerns those who are sexually fit but have no interest in the act of sexual procreation. These include the celibate and people of the third sex.

Of all the planets, Ketu or the Moon’s south node is the most indicative of the third gender.⁵¹ Ketu is a subtle planet that cannot be seen with the physical eye except indirectly during the lunar or solar eclipse. It is represented by the tail of the snake or the lower portion of the body. While considered mysterious and inauspicious in the material sense, it is a moksha karaka, or indicator for enlightenment. People influenced by this planet are often psychic and spiritually inclined. They frequently become monks, nuns, and renunciates. Ketu is the only planet not assigned an earthly direction. Rather, it signifies the direction inward or “heavenward.”

There are also twenty-seven nakshatras or stars that are important in Vedic astrology. Of these, Mrgashira, Mula, and Satabhisa are assigned to the third or neutral gender.⁵²

Some astrological texts state that certain planetary alignments can cause bisexual tendencies in otherwise ordinary men and women. Such alignments include Venus in the sign of Virgo for women,⁵³ or having Mars or Saturn in the seventh house for men.⁵⁴

According to Vedic science, the intrinsic nature or sex of the living entity is determined at the moment of conception, not at birth, and for this reason a person’s astrological chart will not determine whether they are male, female, or third sex. This is related in the Dharma Shastra:

A male child is produced by a greater quantity of male seed, a female child by the prevalence of the female; if both are equal, a third-sex child (napumsaka) or boy and girl twins are produced; if either are weak or deficient in quantity, a failure of conception results.⁵⁵
(Manusmriti 3.49)

This verse is very significant because it specifically states that the third sex is biologically determined during the earliest moments of conception, a statement also confirmed in Sanskrit medical texts such as the Sushruta Samhita. In other words, people of the third sex are born that way, as a fact of nature. They do not “become” third sex later on due to external reasons or causes.

Reproductive Balance and Nature

The mechanisms of biological variation from the normal male and female construct always involve alterations in the standard developmental plan. This is not to say, however, that such alterations are biological “errors” or “mistakes” of nature or God. People commonly assume that every member of human society should be directly involved in the process of sexual reproduction, but we can observe that throughout nature this is quite often not the case. In many highly socialized species, nonreproductive members play unique and important roles. For instance, in a bee colony, the queen alone is the reproductive female while worker bees are all “third sex” or nonreproductive and sterile. In many mammalian social units, one “alpha male” will typically dominate all of the other males until they either leave the group or submit to him and stop trying to mate with his harem. The remaining males essentially become “eunuchs” and a part of his harem so to speak, enjoying his protection. When these submissive males are examined, they are found to have experienced an actual lowering of their own testosterone levels, and their very survival may depend on this. Such individual and group mechanisms found within nature are specifically orchestrated to sustain the species most effectively.

In addition to the sterile and nonreproductive creatures found in nature, many animals also display homosexual behavior and same-sex pairing. This aspect of animal behavior has been well documented in a wide range of species. In some varieties of birds, for instance, the occurrence of same-sex pairing dramatically increases from its normal baseline under pressures related to overcrowding or environmental duress. Because these same-sex pairs do not reproduce, the population increase is slowed or even reduced without massive starvation or die-off. At the same time, the individual animal’s instincts to pair, nest, and mate are all taken care of. Is this type of same-sex pairing with the animal kingdom a “mistake,” or is it simply a natural adaptation of the species to sustain itself in the most effective way possible?

Within the microcosm, specific mechanisms that account for sterility and homosexual behavior in animals may appear to be “disorders,” “defects,” or “errors,” but if we step back from the proximal causes and view the reproductive health of the species as a whole, and how it changes under different conditions over time in various local and regional environments, then we can see how the nonreproductive “third sex” actually plays an important role in the wider scheme of things. Nature or God does not prohibit such apparent errors because in fact they are not errors at all. In the larger picture, these variations serve a purpose whether we, as humans, are aware of it or not. Human beings are not animals, but our bodies are made of the same elements and obey all of the same basic rules of chemistry and biology. We should stop thinking of our species as being somehow categorically beyond the laws of nature and God. There are reasons and mechanisms for everything in nature, and by understanding them properly we can learn to address human variance with intelligence instead of fear. The Vedic recognition of a nonreproductive “third” gender within human society indicates that ancient India was cognizant of this subtle but significant aspect of biology.

In direct contrast to the three-gender system found in nature is the rigid, artificially imposed “two-gender” one commonly seen in many of today’s cultures. In societies where only reproductive males and females are acknowledged and valued, there is no room for a nonreproductive third sex. People who do not produce offspring are viewed as failures and delegated to the lowest ranks of human society. Homosexuals and transgenders are pressured to assume heterosexual roles against their nature, and intersexed babies are forcibly assigned male or female identities through ghastly “corrective” surgeries. Such artificial attempts to negate the third sex against the arrangement of nature and God can be devastating for the individuals involved.

In conclusion, it is not necessary for each and every member of human society to engage in sexual reproduction. Human worth is not measured only in terms of fertility. While homosexual and intersex conditions affect a person’s reproduction and socialization in species like man, they don’t usually affect the individual’s viability. Nonprocreative persons account for a vast number of otherwise healthy, functional individuals who should be encouraged to engage themselves constructively in ways appropriate for them. In Vedic culture, people of the third sex traditionally contributed to society in a variety of useful ways. They utilized their extra time in cultivating the finer arts, sciences, and spirituality and were involved as a part of the extended family by serving and caring for others. The Vedic social system did not neglect or exclude people of the third sex, but rather it accepted and engaged them according to their nature.

It is important that we appreciate a world filled with variety. There will never be just one race, one gender, one color, one sound, or one anything. The Vedas describe this material world as a reflection of an infinitely beautiful, perfect, and eternal spiritual world that has even more variety than we can imagine. We are all a part of this variegatedness, and we all have our own unique role to play.

(From the book, “Tritiya-Prakriti: People of the Third Sex.”)