Beyond Dharma: Dissent in the Ancient Indian Sciences of Sex and Politics

by Wendy Doniger

One of the world’s most acclaimed and engaging scholars of Hinduism presents a groundbreaking interpretation of ancient Indian texts and their historic influence on subversive resistance. Ancient Hindu texts speak of the three aims of human dharma, artha and kama. Translated, these might be called religion, politics and pleasure, and each is held to be an essential requirement of a full and fulfilling life. Balance among the three is a goal not always met, however, and dharma has historically taken precedence over the other two qualities, or goals, in Hindu life. Here, Wendy Doniger offers a spirited and close reading of ancient Indian writings—especially Kautilya’s Arthashastra and Vatsyayana’s Kamasutra —unpacking a long but unrecognized history of opposition against dharma. Doniger argues that scientific disciplines (shastras) have offered lively and continuous criticism of dharma over many centuries. She chronicles the tradition of veiled subversion, uncovers connections to key moments of resistance and voices of dissent throughout Indian history, and offers insights into the Indian theocracy’s subversion of science by an exclusivist version of religion today.

Genres: Politics

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2018

Reviews

[Mohit]

This is one book that I picked up to learn something of relevance about the connection between Ancient Indian Sciences and Modern parallels. It was everything but that. This is an extremely biased book with disconnected writing and for some reasons came across as a book with agenda. Which is not how I prefer my reads. Won’t really spend time reviewing it and would rather leave it at that.

[Rajiv Chopra]

Wendy Doniger’s “Beyond Dharma” is a fascinating book that deserves a broad audience. I would like to add to the last statement and say that the book deserves a broad audience in India.
Wendy Doniger’s book focuses on three Indian texts, ‘The Manusmriti,’ ‘The Arthashastra,’ and ‘The Kamasutra.’ The three books interpret the term ‘dharma’ differently. I have read these three books, but Wendy Doniger’s book has now motivated me to reread them and to study them carefully.
When reading these three ancient Indian texts, I had not realized that they often borrow from each other. I had always regarded them as independent texts, written at different times. Many modern Indians are unaware that various authors modified some ancient texts, and these modifications continued for several centuries. In our day, the RSS is calling for a revisionist approach to a few ancient texts.
If one author alone had written these books, then it is unlikely that they could borrow concepts from each other or even critique each other.
Wendy Doniger’s book makes it clear that there was no single interpretation of the word ‘dharma.’ The Manusmriti appears to be the most regressive and rigid of the three books, especially when viewed through a modern lens. The Arthashastra and The Kamasutra are the more worldly, ruthless, and even cynical of the trio. The Kamasutra is the most progressive when viewed through a feminine lens.
There is a chapter on the ‘Charvakas,’ an enduring line of skeptics who, sadly, appear to have disappeared from Indian society. This chapter seemed out of place in the book, and it was only when I completed it that I understood its significance.
If you read this book by Wendy Doniger, follow it up by reading the ancient triad of books, and then reread ‘Beyond Dharma.’ This exercise will help you appreciate all four books and make proper sense of them.

[Sridhar]

Simply brilliant. The author is an authority in subject of Hinduism - and never afraid to lay the scientific facts. Far from Molly coddling mythical legends , she surfaces the hidden truths and interplay between the three revered Hindu texts :- DharmaShastra (Manu) , Arthshastra (Kautaliya) and finally Kamasutra (Vatsayana).


The influence they had on each other and the modern Indian society. Read it with a lens of corporate life and the reader can make a lot of similarities.

Aside her language of writing is lucid and with hint of sarcasm.

[Swathi Tandel]

This book mainly talks about dharma, artha and kama in ancient India and the dissent of dharma in Arthashatra and Kamasutra. An Indian reading this book would certainly take offense at the accusations and ridicules hurled by dissecting the contents of Arthashastra by Kautilya, Kamasutra by Vatsyayana and Manu Smriti by the so called first man Manu.
Manu Smriti from what I could gather is only based on how Brahmins could have a strong uphold in the society and continue to remain an elitist group! The atrocious treatment of any one who crosses the boundaries of anything only Brahmins could access would make one question the intention of pious Brahmins.
The author delves into the teachings of Arthashastra and talks about the heinous methodologies advised by Kautilya in order to keep the kingdom under the kings’ control. The mention of ways in which to deal with princes planning on a patricide makes us question where is the founding stone Dharma of Hinduism? The division of people into four castes and the variance in the severity of the punishment only on this basis makes us wonder would India come so far if trapped in the same ideology! Pro brahminism, misogyny and defamation of Buddhists and Jains screams hypocrisy of a bygone era.
Kamasutra talks about eroticism and finding passion in a harem for the king. It also talks about man about town and how sensual pleasure is one of the three aims a man should attain. This text also talks about seduction techniques (a list) to be used to seduce married women! It goes as far as seducing a man’s wife only in order to poison her husband. How dharmic does that sound? Both these texts preach such adharmic verses all throughout and in the end lace it with some proses of dharma which is a clear dissent!
She talks of the Charvakas or Lokayatikas who were also called Nastikas or non believers. They questioned the beliefs and traditions logically. Since they questioned the shastras set in stone they were used as purva paksha or opposition in many books. Questions by Charvakas off the top of my head : ‘If in a sacrifice an animal is believed to enter heaven then why doesn’t a man sacrifice his own son?’ and ‘If during ‘shradda’ our offerings here reach our dead ancestors why doesn’t a traveler embark on a journey with his family members back home provisioning food in the same manner?’. Does this ring a bell in your mind too? We may have to take this with a pinch of salt but our religion is based on one too many superstitions.
The last part of the novel she touches upon Narendra Modi and the increasing growth of Hindutva and touches upon science and Hinduism in this one. She talks of Indians these days attributing many scientific inventions to what we already have in our Puranas. She draws our attention to the outrageous claims such as the bridge built by Rama, airplane being available back then as vimana, plastic surgery existing in those times with evidence in the form of lord Ganesha’s head and genetic engineering in the form of 100 sons born out of a single woman the same day. She concludes by saying that religion is now invoked in the subversion of science.
I would like to conclude by saying no religion is flawless and Hinduism also has its fair share of cons. If you would like to question and understand the way certain things are in your religion without hating the fact that a foreigner has pointed them out this would be a must read!