The Mohini avatar of Lord Vishnu was often misapplied in present-day Western approaches to gender and sexuality. Sexual transformation may embody divine manifestation; it may also fail to touch on one of the most significant points of misunderstanding concerning Hindu cosmology, divine intent, and divine manifestations when approached through an LGBT lens. For the sincere student of Hinduism, this point needs considerable clarification.

Divine Transformation vs. Human Identity 

In Hindu theology, the gods have, as it were, unlimited faculties of manifestation which transcends the human limitation.

 The Mohini form of Lord Vishnu differs basically from that identity gender for a number of reasons:

Divine All Sufficiency: The Matsya Purana describes Vishnu's transformation as "sampurna" (complete and perfect), representing the unlimited ability of the divine to manifest itself in every possible form, differing entirely from human experience of gender which involves biological and psychological dimensions. 

Nomenclature Accross Categories: The Brahma Samhita (5.33) describes Krishna (Vishnu) as "advaya-jnana-tattva" - the non-dual absolute reality beyond all categories. The Upanishads always stress that "neti neti"-ultimate reality could transcend all human categories.

Here it Contextualizes Divine Purpose 

In particular contexts, the Mohini avatar has a specific divine agenda:

Samudra Manthan Se: "Hari [Vishnu] desired to assume the form of a beautiful woman to beguile the asuras and recover the nectar for the welfare of the three worlds," says the Vishnu Purana (1.9.107-108). This was a strategic intervention to preserve cosmic order rather than an expression of gender identity. The Case of Bhasmasura: Once again, similar to the last story but with the further compulsion of necessity, Mohini's form was called into active being within the parameters of the Siva Purana through specific strategic measures taken against the demon Bhasmasura who had recently acquired destructive powers. Once again divine intervention but not gender expression.

Meeting Shiva: For example, when Shiva meets Mohini in the Brahmanda Purana, the story does not sound like a romantic or sexual exchange according to human understanding but rather the symbolic act of cosmic union of consciousness (Shiva) and energy (Shakti).

Hindu Understanding of Divine Embodiments 

Hindu theology gives as complex a framework to understand divine manifestations as that available in contemporary Western categories:

Leela (Divine Play): Thus divine manifestation is accounted for in terms of "leela" - cosmic play, or divine sport, as explained by the Bhagavata Purana. Brahma Samhita, 5.1: The Supreme engages in divine play through countless manifestations while remaining unchanged in essence. 

Saguna Brahman: The very idea of the formless outside, the divine in itself, takes upon it attributes, forms, characteristics so as to allow that for devotion, for cosmic purpose itself; beyond that bound by human categories, obviously. 

Maya-Shakti: Mohini represents that dual shakti-potential regard for cosmic order, because divine maya is that divine power of illusion. 

Traditional Hindu Interpretations

For example, Mohini, according to classical Hindu commentators, is different from modern identity-based interpretations: 

Mohini as a cosmic manifestation and measure of his well-adjusted diffusion of light is stressed in the commentary of Adi Shankaracharya in his Vishnu Sahasranama. According to Madhvacharya, in the Bhagavata Tatparya, Mohini is to be understood as the embodiment of divine rule.

Traditional Vaishnava commentaries have devoted long passages about Mohini in terms of the preserving role of Vishnu in cosmic order rather than considering him as a gender-indeterminate figure.  

Projection into Present-Day Referents 

Pinpointing modern identity categories on ancient Hindu texts usually leads to such misunderstandings: 

Decontextualization: Manifests the divine aspects from their cosmic purposes, from their theological frameworks.

Anthropomorphizing the Divine: Brings down beyond human categories and experiences transcendent divine manifestations.

Cultural Appropriation: That's when parts of Hindu tradition are understood inaccurately but still used to support contemporary social or political discourse. 

Correct Understanding for Sincere Seekers

 For the earnest seeker in Hinduism:  

 Respects Approved Tradition: Read Hindu texts through the traditional commentarial tradition- all through Adhvaita, Vishishtadvaita, or Dvaita Vedanta.

Understand Divine Transcendent: The Katha Upanishad (2.2.15) states, "Neither this nor that;" beyond human categorizations.

Understand That Divine Manifestation Has Purpose: Each divine figure will have its own separate function in the cosmic scheme rather than an expression of identity.  

 The Mohini avatar beautifully illustrates Hindu theology's understanding of divine manifestation serving cosmic purpose. This misconception fundamentally misrepresents the expectation of purpose and understanding as well as theological context accompanying this divine manifestation, even if modern interpretations may find a link between it and LGBTQ+ identities. 

For sincere learner of Hinduism, understanding Mohini in the traditional theological frame will introduce such insight into divine nature, cosmic purpose, and spiritual transformation that thinking in modern Western identity categories would reveal a whole other misunderstanding.