Some time ago an aspiering devotee asked me what do I think about
his idea to make online sex shop for devotees...
He is open when speaking about these things, so it seems that he
gathered quite some informations regarding this topic amongst
comunity of devotees.
He told that it seems that although sex life is for devotees restricted
by the principles, still there is a lot of this activity amongst devotees,
some of these activities being for purposes of begetting children,
and others being out of love between the partners, heterosexulal
and homosexual (since there was already extensive discusion on
this forum regarding homosexuality, please do not speak about
your oppinions on homosexuality in this thread, since here the
point is general sexuality of the devotional comunity).
At first this idea seamed odd to me. So I asked him what precisely
he ment with this, and how could it help the devotees?
1. He says that first of all devotees are often not informed
properly about sex life in general. Even when they would like to
have a baby they do not know often the basic things regarding
becomming pregnant, pregnancy, and man`s and woman`s
duties and possibilities regarding all this. How to avoid that
some disease that parents have can go to the child as well.
Therefore, the first aspect of this shop would be to have
the books regarding these issues. There would be a list
of doctors and experts in this field around the world that
devotees who already have children had good experience
with.
There would be a forum also where some experiences
on this subject could be shared amongst devotees.
Also other books about sex life, older texts like Kama Sutra
and some modern books as well.
2. This first aspect would be so to say medical aspect
of this sex shop. Secondly, he says that devotees are
secretly visiting sex shops on the net and in real world
to buy something for themselves. Some male devotees
have problem with erection so they sometimes have to
go to some strange places and mix with strange guys
in sexshops in some spooky quarter of the cities.
Or devotees and aspiering devotees (male and female)
are buying sex-toys, oils, etc of some bad quality,
and expensive price. If such online sex shop for
devotees would exist, according to his estimation,
devotees could buy good products for fair price.
All in all his argument is that devotees are much more
into sex life then they are showing to the world, of course.
Even ordinary people hide their sexuality, what to speak
of devotees that are supposed to be chaste and disinterested
of sex life.
3. He said that the website could have a list of nice prostitutes
around the world, that devotees could visit if they are in such
desperate need.
While speaking with him about all this, it reminded me of this instance which
hapeened to one Iskcon swami when he was in some hotel in Thailand or
somewhere there in Asia. As soon as he entered the hotel he was asked if he
needs a woman. He said that he is a monk and is not interested in a woman.
When he entered the elevator, the lift-boy asked him also about the woman,
and swami also refused. Finaly when he entered the room he heard the knocking
on the door, and he opened and there was a woman. So he said that he is not
interested in woman since he is Hare Krsna monk. The lady replied: Oh, Hare
Krsna, I know Hare Krsna. Swami asked: How you know Hare Krsna? And the
lady said: Of course I know Hare Krsna, these guys with this funny underwear!
While thinking of this it reminded me of S.B. I do not remember which canto
where SP comments that prostitutes should exist in the society so that
man should not exploit young girls and in this way polute them before marrige,
or something like this he said. So, if vedic model is to be used to make the
society, it seems among all things, there should be these marginal but nontheless
important elements included.
SP came to give the highest thing, the heart of Krsna consciousness and bhakti
to Krsna. SP just touched here and there different topics of human interest
and this was not his main reason for appearing amongst us, and other aspects
of our lives we should figure out how to sort things out.
There is this instance where Srila Bhaktisidhanta said to his disciples that
if this his sanyas disciple is having too much problems with his celibacy,
that they should find him some nice prostitute. After hearing how much
Srila Bhaktisidhanta was openminded and mercyfull this sanyasi rejected
this idea completely.
This all made me to think regarding this what
GM spoke or wrote (now I do not remember)when
there was this discussion on homosexuality, that
since sex life is important aspect of human existence,
unless one ended with it completely as a brahmacari
or a sanyasi, then a person should organize his sex life
in such a way that it stops bothering person, and
that person can concentrate on more important aspect
of his life which is spiritual advancement.
In the end, I am not sure what to say or think,
is this a good idea or bad idea, that devotees
can have such sex-shop...