Sex with Purpose

Mimamsa Rules and the Dharma of Marital Intercourse

Authors

  • Donald R Davis, Jr University of Texas at Austin Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.25454

Keywords:

Dharmaśāstra, Hindu law, sex, rules, hermeneutics, medieval India

Abstract

In this essay, the relationship between Mimamsa hermeneutics and Dharmasastra rules is explored through the topic of marital intercourse. The physical act of sex between married partners at prescribed times is viewed as an essential step in a ritualized understanding of the higher religious purposes or goals of intercourse. The transformation of ordinary actions into religiously purposeful actions though rules and restrictions is characteristic not only of Hindu legal thought, but also of legal rules everywhere. This small example, therefore, contains a wider lesson about the aspirations of law beyond mere social order.

Author Biography

  • Donald R Davis, Jr, University of Texas at Austin

    Donald R. Davis, Jr is Professor and Chair in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He specializes in the history of the Hindu law tradition, both its textual development in Dharmaśāstra and its practice in particular contexts.

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Published

2023-03-24

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Davis, Jr, D. R. (2023). Sex with Purpose: Mimamsa Rules and the Dharma of Marital Intercourse. Religions of South Asia, 17(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.25454