Nudity is often seen as both inauspicious and forbidden, and is subject to
numerous taboos: according to some
authorities, one should not bathe
(snana) naked (a more understandable
taboo in times when people would
bathe outdoors) and one should not be
naked during sexual intercourse. In
some cases there are also taboos on a
husband seeing his wife naked, since it
is widely believed that this will cause
Lakshmi, the goddess, to forsake her,
taking away her auspiciousness as a
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Nudity
The two most basic genres of Indian classical dance are natya and nrtya. This dancer, performing in the
natya genre, uses dance to tell a story. In the nrtya genre the dance conveys only the dancer’s skill.
married woman. The exception to this
taboo on nudity is that some ascetics
believe nakedness symbolizes the
renunciation of all possessions and
the rejection of all worldly standards,
including shame. Few ascetics renounce
all clothing; some wear a loincloth in
public, rationalizing that one should not
mislead or scandalize ordinary people
who have limited understanding.