A similar merger occurs between the beauty and prosperity goddess
Lakshmi and her husband
Vishnu, forming the hermaphroditic or
androgynous Lakshmi-Narayana. In the
Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu takes the form of the enchantress,
Mohini, in order to trick the
demons into giving up
Amrita, the elixir of life. Shiva later becomes attracted to Mohini and their relationship results in the birth of a son. In the
Brahmanda Purana, Shiva's wife
Parvati "hangs her head in shame" when she sees her husband's pursuit of Mohini. In some stories, Shiva asks Vishnu to take on the Mohini form again so he can see the actual transformation for himself. Stories in which
Shiva knows of Mohini's true nature have been interpreted to "suggest the fluidity of gender in sexual attraction". Pattanaik writes that those focusing only on homoeroticism miss the narrative's deeper metaphysical significance: Mohini's femininity represents the material aspect of reality, and Mohini's seduction is another attempt to induce Shiva into taking an interest in worldly matters. He cites another story to show that only
Vishnu has the power to "enchant" Shiva: a demon tries to kill Shiva by taking the form of a woman (placing sharp teeth in "his" vagina). Shiva recognizes the impostor and kills the demon by the placing a "thunderbolt" on his "manhood" during their act of "lovemaking". In the later, non-Puranic story of the origin of God
Ayyappa, Vishnu as Mohini becomes pregnant by Shiva, and gives birth to
Ayyappa, who she abandons in shame. Pattanaik writes that rather than Mohini becoming pregnant, Ayyappa sprang from Shiva's semen, which he ejaculated upon embracing Mohini. In another version, the
Pandyan king Rajasekhara of
Pandalam adopts the baby. In this version, Ayyappa is referred to as
ayoni jata, "born of a non-vagina", and later
Hariharaputra, "the son of Vishnu and Shiva", and grows up to be a great hero. Changes of sex and cross-dressing also occur in
mythology about non-divine figures.
Shikhandi Shikhandi is a character in the
Mahabharata. He was originally born as a girl named 'Shikhandini' to
Drupada, the king of
Panchala. In a previous lifetime, Shikandini was a woman named
Amba, who was rendered unmarriageable by the hero
Bhishma. Humiliated, Amba undertook great austerities, and the gods granted her wish to be the cause of Bhishma's death. Amba was then reborn as Shikhandini. A divine voice told Drupada to raise Shikhandini as a son; so Drupada raised her like a man, trained her in warfare and arranged for her to marry a female. On the wedding night, Shikhandini's wife discovered that her "husband" was female, and insulted her. Shikhandini fled, but met a
yaksha who exchanged his sex with her. Shikhandini returned as a man with the name 'Shikhandi' and led a happy married life with his wife and children. During the
Kurukshetra war, Bhishma recognised him as Amba reborn and refused to fight 'a woman'. Accordingly,
Arjuna hid behind Shikhandi in order to defeat the almost invincible Bhishma. In the Javanese telling, Srikandi (as she is known) never becomes a man, but is a woman equal to men, and is married to Arjuna. After his death, Shikhandi's masculinity was transferred back to the yaksha.
Arjuna Arjuna himself is an example of gender variance. When Arjuna refused her amorous advances, the nymph
Urvashi cursed Arjuna; he would become a "kliba", a member of the third gender. Krishna assured Arjuna that this curse would serve as the perfect disguise for Arjuna during his last year of exile. Arjuna took the name
Brihannala and dressed in women's clothes, causing the curse to take effect. Thus Arjuna gained entry into the city ruled by king
Virata, where he taught the arts of music, singing and dancing to the princess
Uttarā and her female attendees. In the
Padma Purana, Arjuna is also physically transformed into a woman when he requests permission to take part in Krishna's mystical dance, which only women may attend. In another version, Budha is described as
transgender as well.
Lopamudra Another story in
Hinduism involving a sex change is the story of the sage
Lopamudra found in the Giridhara Ramayana. This version of the story is different from the other two (as found in the Rig Vedic Hymns and the
Mahabharata) as it depicts Lopamudra as a man who is turned into a woman (in contrast to the others which depict Lopamudra as being created as a woman and remaining so). In the Giridhara Ramayana, the sage
Agastya approached the king of
Kanyakubja and asked if he could marry one of the king's many daughters when they came of age. The king agreed and promised Agastya that one of his daughters would marry the sage and asked him to wait a few years until then. However, by the time Agastya returned, the king had already married off all his daughters and was so worried about getting cursed by the sage that the king dressed his son Lopamudra as a woman and presented him to Agastya. When Agastya and Lopamudra were married, a miracle occurred and Lopamudra was transformed into a woman. These sticks are also perceived as male and female parents of the god
Agni who in the
Rig Veda is identified as a child of two births, two mothers and even three mothers. His mothers are identified as heaven and earth. These two, called
Dyaus and
Prithvi, however are also referred to as male and female in the
Vedic verses. The two mothers are also referred to as sisters in the verses. The two sticks or
aranis used in the ritual are referred to as feminine. In the
Bhagavata Purana the two sticks are however interpreted as belonging to opposite genders.
Bahuchara Mata Bahuchara Mata is a patron goddess of the Hijra. In popular iconography she is often shown riding a
rooster and carrying a sword, trident and a book. Various stories link Bahuchara to castration or other changes in physical sexual characteristics, sometimes as the result of her aiming curses against men. Bahuchara is believed to have originated as a mortal woman who became martyred. In one story, Bahuchara is attacked by a bandit who attempts to rape her, but she takes his sword, cuts off her breasts and dies. In another story, Bahuchara curses her husband when she catches him sneaking to the woods to engage in homoerotic behavior, causing his genitals to fall off and forcing him to dress as a woman. Stories also link Bahuchara to gender variance after she becomes divine. One epic concerns a king who prayed to Bahuchara for a son. Bahuchara complied, but the prince grew up to be impotent. One night Bahuchara appeared to the prince in a dream and ordered him to cut off his genitals, wear women's clothes and become her servant. Bahuchara is believed to continue to identify impotent men and command them to do the same. If they refuse, she punishes them: for their next seven incarnations they will be impotent. This epic is the origin of the cult of Bahuchara Mata, whose devotees are required to self-castrate and remain celibate.
Sambha Samba, the son of
Krishna, is also a patron of eunuchs, transgender people and homoeroticism. Samba dresses in women's clothes to mock and trick people, and so that he can more easily enter the company of women and seduce them. In the
Mausala Parva, Samba, dressed as woman, is cursed after being questioned about "her" supposed pregnancy. As a result of the curse, Samba, although remaining male, gives birth to an iron pestle and mortar.
Birth of Bhagiratha Some versions of the
Bengali mythological text
Krittivasa Ramayana contain a story of two queens that conceived a child together. When the famous king of the
Sun Dynasty, Maharaja
Dilipa, died, the demigods become concerned that he did not have an heir. Shiva appeared before the king's two widowed queens and commanded, "You two make love together and by my blessings you will bear a beautiful son." The two queens execute Shiva's order and one of them conceived a child. In other versions of the story,
Kamadeva, the god of love, blesses them with a child after they fall in love. The child was born boneless, but by the blessings of the sage
Ashtavakra, the child was restored to full health. Ashtavakra named the child "
Bhagiratha" – he who was born from two vulvas (
bhaga). Bhagiratha would later become one of the most famous mythic kings of India and is credited with bringing the Ganges River down to earth through his austerities.
Birth of Ganesha The elephant-headed, wisdom god
Ganesha's conception has numerous versions. Some sources consider him to be the progeny of
Shiva and
Parvati, although conception occurs outside the womb. However, most versions consider him to have been produced purely through the actions of Parvati, who in the
Shiva Purana fashioned him from clay. However, when Ganesha blocks Shiva, he is beheaded and later restored to life by Shiva. In a 13th-century
Kashmiri text, Jayadratha's
Haracaritacintamani, Ganesha's birth is the result of Parvati's menstrual blood being washed into the Ganges, where it is swallowed by Parvati's elephant-headed handmaiden Malini, who in turn gives birth, giving Ganesha an all-female origin. Courtright considers the birth to be "less auspicious" due to the lack of male input and use of bodily fluids such as sweat or menstrual blood,
Angalamma The
Angalamma has been worshipped as patron goddess by the Tamil transgender community. According to a version, After freeing
Lord Siva from the power of Bramma’s severed head, Angalamma(Parvati) fell under a grave affliction. The act left her burdened with
brammahatti dosham, and Kalaivani(
Saraswati) cursed her for crushing Bramma’s head beneath her feet. From that moment, Angalamma lost her settled form. Angalamma began to roam without rest. Her body became frightening—her eyes wide and burning, her teeth sharp and protruding, her neck weighed down by a garland made from entrails. Unable to remain in one place, she wandered through many regions and villages, driven by an unrelenting need to feed. She passed through forests and settlements, and reached
Mel Malayanur. There she saw a hut built by a
thirunangai (Tamil term for Transgenger woman
), who lived there alone. When Angalamma reached the hut, she did not reveal her terrifying nature. She appeared simply as a tired woman seeking shelter. The
thirunangai welcomed her without hesitation and offered her a place to stay. At that time, the thirunangai was suffering from illness. Angalamma gathered medicinal plants, prepared remedies, and restored her to health. For a time, they lived together quietly. But when the month of Maasi returned, the curse once again took hold of Angalamma. Her fearsome form emerged, and her hunger returned with it. She needed entrails for her garland, yet there was no animal to be found. Witnessing the goddess’s torment, the thirunangai made a decision no one else would have made. She opened her own body and offered her intestines to Angalamma as sustenance. Before doing so, she demanded a binding promise. She said that when Angalamma chose to reside there as a deity, she must not appear in her own form, but in the form of a thirunangai. The land, she insisted, must become fertile and alive. Angalamma accepted these terms. The promise could not be broken. From that moment onward, she was bound to the vow given to the thirunangai. Because of this, Angalamma is worshipped at Malayanur in the form of a thirunangai. ==Sangam literature==