"The principle that the ancient Hindus had discovered might have been the Principle of the Advantage of the Other, which is the principle of the Peace of Westphalia that America's Principle of the General Welfare was founded on," said Indira with a grin. "This principle might have been pioneered 4,000 years ago in India, instead of in the 17th Century in Europe. It might have been put on the table profoundly with the Kama Sutra a thousand years before it was rediscovered for the Treaty of Westphalia. Am I right? In this case we might find something in ancient Hinduism that helps us to also better understand the underlying root of it all, the Principle of Universal Love. I bet if we could decipher the writings of the Harappan civilization we would find references to the Principle of Universal Love."

      I nodded. "You are full of surprises," I said and kissed her. "But why should we depend on that? Don't we already know more about the Principle of Universal Love than we are willing to put into practice? Mary's discovery has put this principle onto the plate of mankind a hundred years ago, and to the very day it is generally deemed not to even exist. We are pioneers, Indira. We stand at the threshold of a world that few have dared to enter, a world that is bright and demanding and has no precedents, only principles, many of which we have yet to discover."

      "I think we have also discovered why prostitution doesn't work," said Indira. "Modern scholars suggest that the ancient Hindu temples where the devadasis, the temple girls, had been revered, were in practice nothing more than Hindu-blessed houses of prostitution where deceived young girls were offered up to customers to enrich the temple treasury. I don't think that this is possible. 'Hindu prostitution' is a contradiction in terms, isn't it? One refers to a spiritual principle and the other to the perversion of it. It makes sense that young girls would be performing some form of classical dance at special events in temple ceremonies as a celebration of the beauty of our humanity. If this was the case, which it likely was, it would reflect the Principle of the Advantage of the Other, the principle that the Peace of Westphalia was founded on. But that's not the focus in houses of prostitution, and that is also the evident reason why the prostitution system doesn't work and is destructive to all concerned. One certainly wouldn't find it in a Hindu temple. The key focus that the Kama Sutra puts on the table for sexual lovemaking is the focus on giving sexual pleasures to the other person. That's the one thread that goes through the whole Kama Sutra, isn't it. The focus is on giving pleasure to the other. This principle might have been incorporated to some degree in the devadasis temple ceremonies. The focus in the Kama Sutra is on giving, not on getting. That's what's missing in prostitution, and why prostitution doesn't work. It puts the horse behind the cart. Nobody hires a prostitute to give her pleasure. Prostitution is a process for getting, not giving. The Kama Sutra is focused on giving. The erotic temples were evidently focused on the same fundamental principle, the Principle of the Advantage of the Other, the Principle of the General Welfare."

      I applauded her.  "And how did you came to that conclusion?" I said with a smile.

      "I knew this all along, but didn't dare to acknowledge it," she said. "But I do dare so now since you challenged me to think in terms of universal principles that are not arbitrary. With this I mind I'll take you to the Taj Mahal. I have discovered a special way of looking at the Taj Mahal as the Taj Mavulva that would give you a great deal of joy."

      "Are you saying that the builder if the Taj Mahal have seen the temples of Khajuraho and understood the principle behind it, and decided to build something even greater, something more beautiful, and more intimately expressive, and enriching for the visitors that have their eyes open?" I asked with a grin.

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Stories about  Love from novels by Rolf A. F. Witzsche