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The Shankaracharya of Puri explains why same-sex marriage is absolutely unacceptable. He starts with elaborating upon the purpose of marriage itself.
The purpose of marriage
For Hindus, the purpose of marriage is to gain victory over desires and not to be enslaved by them.
If there is a fire burning, we can feel from a distance that it is hot. Yet, if a child wants to touch it, the mother quickly gets him close to feel the heat and the child naturally withdraws back. In the same way, those who are not detached from the time of birth itself, are guided to continue their family’s lineage and be free of Pitru Rina (debt to ancestors). They are made to enter the laboratory of a householder life and dive into marriage in order to bring out the precious jewel of detachment. Marriage also helps maintain a decorum and keeps a person limited to one partner.
According to Yogavashishtha, when an individual is not discerning enough to attain detachment via his own intelligence, he has to enter worldly life and then gain detachment after fulfilling desires and facing challenges.
In Bhagavatam, it is said that it is not necessary that the one who enters a householder life will ultimately become detached. He who has a goal of obtaining the precious jewel of detachment, enters the householder life with that attitude alone, and hence, finally attains detachment. For example, on the ocean bed, we can find many things like shells, fish, etc, but not always precious jewels. Similarly in a coal mine, it is rare to find a diamond.
The very purpose of marriage is to continue ones family’s lineage, and fulfil ones desires in order to attain this precious detachment or vairagya.
Same-sex marriage
In same-sex relations, would there be a satisfaction of desires? Would it not increase frenzy and thoughts? From a psychological point of view, same-sex marriages cannot sustain for long.
Is it possible to continue ones lineage in a same sex-marriage? From this behavioural perspective too, same sex marriage fails.
Same-sex marriage cannot fulfil the purpose of marriage itself and is impractical even from a psychological perspective.
The samskara of marriage makes the foundation of dharma. Be it the avataras of Bhagavan or great sages – they take birth through the marriage of parents. To create distortions in the institute of marriage, is to bring Bharata to destruction.
Those legal authorities who would be in favour of same-sex marriage, shall not be spared by natures wrath. Marriage is a dharmika matter and not a secular matter. Hence, it does not fall under the purview of the courts. Same-sex marriage is indeed a blot on humankind.
May 3, 2023: The below tweet by Govardhan Math tags the Prime Minister of India and Asia News International with the request to estimate the number of children born from same-sex marriages, world-over.
