What is the Sanskrit word for “homosexual”?
Homosexual men are referred to in Sanskrit by several different names including napumsaka, shandha and kliba. These words are often mistranslated into English as “eunuch” but actually refer to a wide range of men who are impotent with women for various reasons. Such men formed a distinct social class in ancient India and were considered to be sexually neutral by nature. Lesbians are called svairini or nastriya in Sanskrit and were similarly impotent with men.
