Does Hinduism discriminate against left handed people?

O Indra, with thy right hand bring, and with thy left remember us. Let us not lose our share of wealth. – Rig Veda 8.70.6

When going to Mandir (Hindu Temple) and engaging in pujas (rituals), it is impossible to miss the fact that pundits and priests tend to make sure you are always using your right hand to touch sacred objects. Temple authorities may also call you out if you try to circumambulate altars in a counter-clockwise direction, rather than clockwise.  People who naturally gravitate toward using their lefthand or making counter-clockwise motions can sometimes feel as though they are being discriminated against, and outsiders may view this practice as prejudicial against left handed people. I remember being embarrassed when I was called out by a priest at the Dhenupureeswarar Temple in India for going around the altar in the wrong way. But is there really some Vedic injunction against using your left hand?  Are left handed people viewed as cursed or inferior?

Vāmācāra vs Dakṣiṇācāra

During the 5th Century CE, Hinduism was searching for new forms by which it could express itself to keep the religion relevant in a modern and changing world. New texts and forms of worship arose in India which today are known as “Tantra”. Tantra is distinguished by its concentration on ritual, mantras, visual representation and the interaction between the human body and the divine. Because of its avant-garde nature, some Tantric practices were viewed as moving outside the realm of Vedic culture. Tantric practices were eventually defined as either Vāmācāra (left) or Dakṣiṇācāra (right). The basic premise of Vāmācāra is that it is nāstika (not standard Vedic practice) as opposed to Dakṣiṇācāra (within Vedic culture) and such people who follow Vāmācāra or the “left hand path” are said to engage in the “5 Ms”: Madya (wine), Mamsa (meat), Matsya (fish), Mudra (cereal), and Maithuna (sexual intercourse). The Vedas do have a minority of scriptures which speak of meat eating, Varuni is the Puranic goddess of wine, and there has always been a tangential lifestyle of open sexuality in Hinduism, however this may be of little solace to left handed people who could be made to feel that Hinduism tolerates “the left handed path” as much as it tolerates the marginal sects of non-Vedic, alcohol drinking, meat eating, orgiastic tantrics.  One is born left handed, but one chooses to engage in the “5 Ms”; we can see why left handed people may feel snubbed or diminished.

The Left Hand In The Vedas

So where did the bias against left handed people come from?  Do the Vedas condemn left handed people or refer to the left hand in a derogatory nature?  In the Vedas, the vast majority of scriptures speaking of the gods using their hands to help humanity refer to the right hand, but this is likely only because the vast majority of humans (90%) are right handed themselves. However the Vedas do have a minority of passages where the left hand is mentioned.  While it is usually the right hand which is used to grant wealth by the gods, and the left hand used to keep enemies in check, in at least one hymn this president is broken and prayers are given to the god Indra to provide wealth from his left hand: “With thy left hand, O Maghavan, give us riches: with thy right, Lord of Bays, be not reluctant” (Rig Veda 5.36.4) The left hand in the Vedas is more often mentioned however as being the hand used to quell enemies: “He with his lefthand checketh even the mighty, and with his right hand gathereth up the booty”  (Rig Veda 1.100.9) and “Thou hast disclosed the light to light the Arya: on thy left hand, O Indra, sank the Dasyu” (Rig Veda 2.11.18). This makes sense since according to modern scientific research, aggressive warrior-like societies have a greater proportion of left handed people than more passive societies; left handedpeople also excel at competitive sports like boxing and fencing. [1] In tandem with this modern scientific analysis, the Yajur Veda states that “the left hand has the greater fervour… therefore the left hand is most to be maintained.” (Yajur Veda 5.3.3 Mantra 3) The Aksnayastomiya Bricks of the Fourth Layer) And so the Vedas admit that just like the right hand, the left hand can be a source of prosperity, however the left hand has a unique role to play to keeping the society safe. Nowhere in the four Vedas did we find reference to the fact that the left hand is wrong or evil.

The Left Hand In The Puranas

So where did the anti-left hand sentiments come from?  When we research the Puranas (Vedic infused lore) we find mixed reviews when using the left hand. While the Vedas are considered Sruti (what is remembered of distant past), the Puranas are considered to be Smriti (what is heard from other people), thus Puranic narrative is not considered as authoritative as Veda.  However, Purana is the basis for much modern ritual and culture in Hinduism and so this is likely the source for anti-left handed bias in Hindu society. In the Shiva Purana we find a story of a sage who engages in a ritual to have a son, but because his wife used her left hand during the ritual he knows she will never be able to conceive, the anti-left handed bias here is obvious:

A SAGE’S WIFE CANNOT HAVE A SON BECAUSE SHE USED HER LEFT HAND 

Sudharma meditated on the form of Shiva and threw two flowers, towards his wife. He thought that if Sudeha picks up the flower, which he had thrown with his right hand, then certainly a son would be born. But if she picks up the another flower then there is no chance of her giving birth to a son. Unfortunately Sudeha picked up the flower which Sudharma had thrown with his left hand.  Sudharma told his wife that she was never going to become a mother. – Shiva Purana

In the Vamana Purana we find a tale of a group of sages who remove a wicked tyrant from power. However, the sages do not want to leave the kingdom without a king and so they engage in a magic ritual where they stir the hands of the deceased tyrant.  The stirring of the left hand produces a dwarf which the sages find unfit to rule, while the later stirring of the right hand produces a king of whom the sages approve. Again we can see the prejudice against the left hand here:

LEFT HAND PRODUCED A DWARF UNFIT FOR RULE 

In course of time, Vena’s tyranny spread across the length and breadth of the earth. In a very short time, he became the lord of whole earth. He had strictly warned his subjects against worshipping any other deity except him. Sages became furious by his irreligious stricture and tried to change his mind but their efforts went in vain. Ultimately, Vena was killed by the angry sages. After his death, the sages churned his left hand, which resulted in the manifestation of a dwarf. The sages considered him to be unfit to become a ruler and churned Vena’s right hand for the second time. This time, a divine entity manifested, who had all the auspicious signs on his body. The deities crowned this divine entity as the king and named him Prithu. Prithu proved to be a just king and his subjects were satisfied by his rule. – Vamana Purana

Yet, contrary to this seemingly discriminatory attitude against the left hand, the Narada Purana states that when Lord Vishnu was creating the Trinity, he created Brahma (creation) from his right side, Shiva (destruction) from his center, and himself (preservation) from his own left side.  The left hand in the Vedas is often portrayed as being used to preserve society and oneself against enemies and so perhaps this is why Vishnu produced his own preservative energy from his left hand side. Further, according to the Garuda Purana when engaging in ancestral veneration (Shraddh), ancestors are offered seats in the ritual area starting on the left hand side and moving right.

VISHNU SELF CREATES FROM LEFT HAND SIDE 

Sanatkumar says: In the beginning of creation, the self-illuminating Lord Vishnu created Brahma from His right hand side, Rudra from His central part and Vishnu, his own replica from His left hand side. – Narada Purana 

ANCESTORS ARE SEATED LEFT TO RIGHT 

After that he should offer seats of Kusha grass to all his ancestors one by one beginning from the left hand side and subsequently moving on to the right hand side. All the ancestors are then invoked with specific mantras. – SHRADDH (Ancestral Rituals) RITUALS, Garuda Purana

Conclusion

So what can we conclude about the left hand in Hinduism?  When we look at the most authoritative source in Hinduism, the Vedas, we do not find any condemnation of the left hand or left handed people at all.  It is true that the majority of the time in the Vedas prosperity is said to come from the right hand, but this is likely because the majority of human beings are right handed.  The Vedas do however state that prosperity can come from the left hand.  However, the Vedas seem to give the left hand a special place and role in society in quelling enemies and keeping Vedic culture safe, “the left hand has the greater fervor”. While modern anti-left hand biased may come from Puranic lore, even in the Puranas we can find many examples where the left hand is considered the source of positivity.  While Hindu society (like all societies) will continue to be dominated by right handed bias, perhaps it is time to give left handed people the place of respect and dignity that they deserve.

WORKS CITED

[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4073775.stm