Epstein episode in the Ancients’ interpretation

Normal people live for most of their lives bound within their five senses. The activities of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and feeling nice things are universally accepted to be good. Unless you are an ascetic, contorting your body into impossible yogic poses, or worse, lying on a bed of nails or walking through fire, people tend towards bodily comforts.

Sexual relations are one of the most attractive of sensual pleasures. Nature has ensured the production of the next generation as a result of this activity. The reason why an obedient mother’s boy suddenly turns against her, to follow his wife is often the result of this sexual hold. Even now in many places in India, marriage is the only way to access regular sex. Furtive self pleasuring or a visit to an affordable but not necessarily hygienic brothel are all stop gap events.

So much has been written in our ancient texts about female sexuality. Sadly it remains hidden between the pages of the books. For a woman to even suggest sexual desires is tantamount to her confessing that she has “loose” morals. Very often it is an older relative who gropes her, introducing her harshly to sex. What should be love making is often crude and painful. At times women exposed to such marauding men, keep silent. They are married off to “normal” boys. They can never express all that they have gone through. Counselling is still taboo in many places.

We have the tender, involved lovemaking at the top of the spectrum. Then we have giving in to conjugal rights which is often duty and/or a way for progeny. Then we have the sanctioned assaults within a marriage, where the attack ( sometimes on both sexes ) can be emotional, drunken, angry or plain cruel. One pleasant and faultless way of “castration” of a man is to make him a friend. The other is to mock his sexual prowess. This is taken as a direct insult to his “manliness” and after all, what is a man without that ingredient in his make up!

The one comforting outlet for people who are familiar with such skewed sexuality, is to find an access to a kind, understanding partner. In ancient India and China there were trained ladies of pleasure, a complete universe different from the sad examples of humanity, where the female takes a student under the railway bridge for a scarce ten minutes, earning her a pittance and contempt from soceity.

About Epstein, he was able to verily build himself a decadent empire. This was using the need of the many celebrities in his contacts. They went to him as he was able to fulfill their needs. His confidentiality was his greatest asset. To protect himself from any harm, he recorded these shenanigans, little realizing that it would bring his world down along with those of the celebrities involved with him.

A person may satisfy his hunger with just three idlis. Another person may need ten to assuage his hunger. It is not possible to build a value judgement based on these figures. So too is the case with sexual appetite. Of course it makes social sense for a highly sexed individual not to enter the institution of conventional marriage. The French specialized in open marriages where the couple stayed together, maintaining a close relationship with each other AND with both partners having relations outside the marriage. There have been very many such lesbian-homosexual marriages, especially for the sake of producing biological offspring.

It is because sexuality is frowned upon and therefore not easily accessible that people like Epstein thrive. They seem to be a safe and effective conduit to free sexuality. Many married people are part of the network. The real problem is not the sophisticated victime network that he ran. The actual problem is the way children were hurt and exploited.

There are parents who physically abuse children. Barely three decades ago, it was quite normal for a parent or caregiver to whack a child. At that time no child ever became traumatized because of this. Hugs and kisses were rare as was the open declaration of parental love. Your favourite dish was on the menu on Saturday evenings. Comics and sports magazines you loved was bought on the day of release. A week into a popular kids’ movie, you would have seen it in the theatre, as was the case with circuses. There were sure fire signs that you were loved.

Children worked in carpet industries, their tiny fingers easily doing the delicate and intricate patterns too much for thick adult fingers to emulate. Every child has a basic right to education. The question is how to provide that. When legislation was brought in preventing the kids from ruining their eyesight and childhood in the carpet factories, the children stopped working there. Hell, as the adage says is paved with good intentions. The notion was good. The application was awful. Forced to earn an income for their near starvation families, the children were pushed into the rampant sex trade, available worldwide.

Much like lashings with a belt, violating children was primarily a bully’s show of strength. It is the fear in the eyes, the tears, the begging, of the children and the rush of absolute power felt by the perpetrators which make sexual assault on kids something to look forward too. Tight, body apertures are not conducive to comfortable sexual relations. Raping a child rightly has horrible consequences. Epstein bypassed these laws and norms of decency. It was obviously not easy for the VIPs to access this murky world.

What Epstein did was heinous. But what has to be examined in depth is the reason for the relevance of Epstein. Celebrities have their own social code. From the best psychiatrist to the most capable plastic surgeon, from the florist with the freshest flowers to the most exotic of chefs, they have all their contacts, something that is shared only between the members of that unregistered but very active club. Epstein was a giver of “privileged” sexual gifts and the members of this club gravitated towards him, spreading the word among themselves.

Please note that with these sleazy activities, Epstein had built himself a huge empire, not just of money, but of reach. There were many undetected quid pro quos that Epstein had received. What is really scary is that Epstein is just one among the thousands of such “influencers”, many of whom have not been tracked.

A thorough study of sexual appetites, violence, abject lack of self confidence leading to proxy bullying need to be made globally. Otherwise Epstein will become just yet another gossipy episode in the fickle news media.

• Thiruvathira Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi. was born XII Princess of the erstwile royal family of Travancore. Researching the Ancients are her passion.