Sexuality what does yurveda say about it?

A friend asked me the other day for some references from the ancient Ayurvedic
texts about sexuality. He said it is becoming popular to do online sexual orgasm
tantra focused workshops talking about cervical and clitoral orgasms. He felt
that this is a misconception.
Sexuality is an important buzz word around the globe today. Most of the time it is
equated with sensuality and the ability to experience and heighten sensual
pleasure. People all over are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their sexual
experiences and are exploring for more escapades to intensify them in the hope
of finding the bliss that they are always longing for. What is the truth to it all?
Can sex really satisfy us completely if the experience is intensified? Is it reality or
is it an illusion? What does Ayurveda say about it? How does yurveda and tantra
relate to each other? What does tantra seek to achieve through sexuality?
Different techniques of teasing and tantalising the body to increase sexual
ecstasy has been doing the rounds on the internet for a while now. There is a lot
of tantric music and techniques that promise a meditative transformation of the
sexual and love energy. Is tantra just about that?
One of my revered gurus of Ayurveda, who is also a great exponent of tantricism,
says that the word tantra means the emphasis is on practical application and
experiencing. The Aga Hdayam at the very outset describes the knowledge
of yurveda as tantra (AH. S. 1. 4 pthak tantri tenire). There you have
the connection between Ayurveda and tantra. This is the knowledge that was
passed down in time from the first living being in the creation, Lord Brahma.
Coming back to the concept of sexuality, Ayurveda explains that the sex of a
living entity is determined by its own karma from previous lives but it can be
changed if desired, within the first seven days of conception, when the embryo is
called kalala by employing techniques like instillation of herbal juices in the
nose and so on. It is an interesting concept considering the huge number of men
and women in the world today who undergo sex change surgeries wanting to
change their sexual orientation to the opposite pole. What is it that makes
someone desire such a change?
In in the science of tantra, there a concept of ardha nrvara where the male
and female aspects of the divine, merge together into one form showing that
both these are inseparable energies of the divine and when combined in the right
manner, impart a sense of completeness and wholeness to the existence. One
cannot exist without the other. We know that all of us contain both masculine
and feminine aspects, we receive half of our chromosomes from the father and
the other half from the mother. So the very beginning of life is from the
combination of masculine and feminine energies. Both are present in each one of
us and it is our responsibility to recognize and nurture them to perfection during
our journey through life.
Sexual attraction is natural and obviously there should be a purpose for this
attraction to exist. One of the purposes is of course for the continuation of the
species by creating progeny. But there is more to it than that for sure. The
human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm, explains Ayurveda. So each of us
are complete in ourselves. At the same time in the world or realm of duality that

we live in, there is always the opposite polarity as well. It is present inside and
outside.
What is the truth where people of the same sexuality are attracted to each other
as in homosexuality? Obviously there are masculine and feminine aspects in this
relationship as well in spite of their external appearances. This only goes to
prove that sexuality is something that goes beyond external appearance. It is a
state of mind as well. Sexual satisfaction is also a mental thing. Tantric practices
of sexuality only seek to take the attraction of two people in a sexual union and
employ that attraction to help them rise above the physical platform and
introduce them to discover their spiritual identities. This is where the male
realizes the existence of the female within and vice versa with both of them
feeling complete in themselves. yurveda, especially the science of rasa stra,
speaks volumes in this regard and exploring a little deeper into this aspect, one
can find many references and guidelines to understand, practice and
substantiate these facts.