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Encyclopedia > Kama Sutra
For other uses, see Kama Sutra (disambiguation).

Kamasutram, also known to the Western world as Kama Sutra, is an ancient Indian text widely considered to be the standard work on love in Sanskrit literature. This is authored by Mallanaga Vatsyayana. A portion of the work deals with human sexual behavior.[1] The Kama Sutra is an Indian text on sex and love. ... For other uses, see Love (disambiguation). ... Literature in Sanskrit, one of Indias two oldest languages, and the basis of several modern languages in India. ... Mallanaga Vātsyāyana is the name of an Indian philosopher in the Cārvāka or Lokyāta tradition, who lived some time in the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries CE ). He is known as the author of the Kama Sutra, and of the first commentary on Gotama... This article is about sexual practices (i. ...


The Kama Sutra is most notable of a group of texts known generically as Kama Shastra (Sanskrit: Kāma Śāstra).[2] Traditionally, the first transmission of Kama Shastra or "Discipline of Kama" is attributed to Nandi the sacred bull, Shiva's doorkeeper, who was moved to sacred utterance by overhearing the lovemaking of the god and his wife Parvati and later recorded his utterances for the benefit of mankind.[3] In Indian literature, Kamashastra refers to the tradition of works on erotics. ... For other uses, see Shiva (disambiguation). ... For the Harry Potter character, see Parvati Patil. ...


Historian John Keay says that the Kama Sutra is a compendium that was collected into its present form in the second century CE.[4] John Keay (born 1941) is a British writer and historian. ...

Contents

Etymology

Kama (काम kāma) is a Sanskrit word that has the general meanings of "wish", "desire", and "intention" in addition to the specific meanings of "pleasure" and "(sexual) love".[5] Used as a proper name it refers to Kama, the Hindu god of Love. The following definition of Kama is given in chapter two of the Kama Sutra, as translated by Richard Burton: Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... pela pali is must humanbenigs part Kāmadeva (Sanskrit: कामदेव) is the Hindu god of love. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... For other persons named Richard Burton, see Richard Burton (disambiguation). ...

"Kama is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by the five senses of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting and smelling, assisted by the mind together with the soul. The ingredient in this is a peculiar contact between the organ of sense and its object, and the consciousness of pleasure which arises from that contact is called Kama."[6] Kāma (Skt. ...

Sutra (सूत्र sūtra) signifies a thread, or discourse threaded on a series of aphorisms or concise rules.[7] By definition a sutra is a brief, aphoristic statement.[8] Sutra was a standard term for a technical text, thus also the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Ludo Rocher categorizes the Kama Sutra as a typical example of a work written in sutra style.[9] SÅ«tra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ... An aphorism (literally distinction or definition, from Greek αφοριζειν to define) expresses a general truth in a pithy sentence. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Patañjali, is the compiler of the Yoga Sutra, a major work containing aphorisms on the practical and philosophical wisdom regarding practice of Raja yoga. ...


Content

The Mallanaga Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra has 36 chapters, organized into 7 parts[10]. Both according to Burton and Doniger[11] translations, the contents of the book are structured into 7 parts like the following: For other persons named Richard Burton, see Richard Burton (disambiguation). ... Wendy Doniger (born November 20, 1940) is an American professor of religion, active in international religious studies since 1973. ...

1. Introductory
Chapters on contents of the book, three aims and priorities of life, the acquisition of knowledge, conduct of the well-bred townsman, reflections on intermediaries who assist the lover in his enterprises (5 chapters).
2. On sexual union
Chapters on stimulation of desire, embraces types, caressing and kisses, marking with nails, biting and marking with teeth, on copulation (positions), slapping by hand and corresponding moaning, virile behavior in women, superior coition and oral sex, preludes and conclusions to the game of love. It describes 64 types of sexual acts (10 chapters).
Artistic depiction of a sex position. Kama Sutra did not have illustrative images, part 2 of the work describes different sex positions.
Artistic depiction of a sex position. Kama Sutra did not have illustrative images, part 2 of the work describes different sex positions.
3. About the acquisition of a wife
Chapters on forms of marriage, relaxing the girl, obtaining the girl, managing alone, union by marriage (5 chapters).
4. About a wife
Chapters on conduct of the only wife and conduct of the chief wife and other wives (2 chapters).
5. About the wives of other people
Chapters on behavior of woman and man, encounters to get acquainted, examination of sentiments, the task of go-between, the king's pleasures, behavior in the gynoecium (6 chapters).
6. About courtesans
Chapters on advice of the assistants on the choice of lovers, looking for a steady lover, ways of making money, renewing friendship with a former lover, occasional profits, profits and losses (6 chapters).
7. On the means of attracting others to one's self
Chapters on improving physical attractions, arousing a weakened sexual power (2 chapters).

For other uses, see Knowledge (disambiguation). ... Embrace could refer to two bands Embrace, a United States band. ... Oral sex consists of all sexual activities that involve the use of the mouth, which may include use of the tongue, teeth, and throat, to stimulate genitalia. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (850x622, 107 KB) Kama Sutra Position File links The following pages link to this file: User:Markaci/Nudity History of sex in India Talk:History of sex in India ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (850x622, 107 KB) Kama Sutra Position File links The following pages link to this file: User:Markaci/Nudity History of sex in India Talk:History of sex in India ... This is a list of sex positions. ... Matrimony redirects here. ... For other uses, see Wife (disambiguation). ... A gynoecium(gyne: woman) is the female reproductive part of a flower, the male part of a flower is called androecium. ... A courtesan is a person paid and/or supported for the giving of social companionship and intimate liaisons to one or more partners. ... Physical attractiveness refers to the perception of an individual as physically beautiful by other people. ...

Pleasure and spirituality

Indian tradition includes following the "four main goals of life",[12][13] known as the purusharthas:[14] In Hinduism, the purusharthas are the four chief aims of human life. ...


1). Dharma: Virtuous living. 2). Artha: Material prosperity. 3). Kama: Aesthetic and erotic pleasure.[15][16] 4). Moksha: Liberation. For other uses, see Dharma (disambiguation). ... Artha is a Sanskrit term referring to the idea of material prosperity. ... Kāma (Skt. ... For other uses, see Moksha (disambiguation). ...


Dharma, Artha and Kama are aims of everyday life, while Moksha is release from the cycle of death and rebirth. The Kama Sutra (Burton translation) says:

"Dharma is better than Artha, and Artha is better than Kama. But Artha should always be first practised by the king for the livelihood of men is to be obtained from it only. Again, Kama being the occupation of public women, they should prefer it to the other two, and these are exceptions to the general rule." (Kama Sutra 1.2.14)[17]

Of the first three, virtue is the highest goal, a secure life the second and pleasure the least important. When motives conflict, the higher ideal is to be followed. Thus, in making money virtue must not be compromised, but earning a living should take precedence over pleasure, but there are exceptions.


In childhood, Vātsyāyana says, a person should learn how to make a living, youth is the time for pleasure, as years pass one should concentrate on living virtuously and hope to escape the cycle of rebirth.[18] Mallanaga Vātsyāyana is the name of an Indian philosopher in the Cārvāka or Lokyāta tradition, who lived some time in the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries [[Common Era|CE). ...


The Kama Sutra is sometimes wrongly thought of as a manual for tantric sex. While sexual practices do exist within the very wide tradition of Hindu tantra, the Kama Sutra is not a tantric text, and does not touch upon any of the sexual rites associated with some forms of tantric practice. This article is an overview of Tantra and an in-depth look at the Tantra of Hinduism. ...


Translations

The most widely known English translation of the Kama Sutra was made by the famous traveler and author Sir Richard Francis Burton and compiled by his colleague Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot in 1883. Historian Burjor Avari has criticized Burton's translation as "inadequate," having had the result that the book gained a reputation in the West of being a pornographic work.[19] For other persons named Richard Burton, see Richard Burton (disambiguation). ... Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot (21 May 1833 – 25 May 1901) was a British Orientalist and translator. ...


A recent translation is that of Indra Sinha, published in 1980. In the early 1990s its chapter on lovemaking positions began circulating on the internet as an independent text and today is often assumed to be the whole of the Kama Sutra.[20] Indra Sinha (b. ...


Alain Daniélou contributed a translation called The Complete Kama Sutra in 1994. This translation featured the original text attributed to Vatsayana, along with a medieval and modern commentary. Alain Daniélou, born at Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris) October 4, 1907, and died January 27, 1994 in Switzerland, was a French historian, intellectual, musicologist, Indologist, and noted Western convert to Shaivite Hinduism. ... Mallanaga Vātsyāyana is the name of an Indian philosopher in the Cārvāka or Lokyāta tradition, who lived some time in the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries [[Common Era|CE). ...


It was translated again in 2002 by Wendy Doniger, the professor of the history of religions at the University of Chicago, and Sudhir Kakar, the Indian psychoanalyst and senior fellow at Center for Study of World Religions at Harvard University. Their translation provides a psychoanalytic interpretation of the text.[21] Wendy Doniger (born November 20, 1940) is an American professor of religion, active in international religious studies since 1973. ... For other uses, see University of Chicago (disambiguation). ... Harvard redirects here. ...


See also

The Ananga Ranga is an Indian love manual written around 1172 CE. It is aimed specifically at preventing the separation of a husband and wife. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy a proposed guideline for notability (see Wikipedia:Notability (books)). If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources. ... Human sexual behaviour in India has been influenced by different attitudes and opinions over time. ... In Hinduism, Kamashastra (from Kama = pleasure shastra = specialised knowledge or technique) was a document about sex written by Nandi, the disciple of lord Shiva. ...

Notes

  1. ^ Common misconceptions about Kama Sutra. “The Kama Sutra is neither a sex-manual nor, as also commonly believed, a sacred or religious work. It is certainly not a tantric text. In opening with a discussion of the three aims of ancient Hindu life – dharma, artha and kama – Vatsyayana's purpose is to set kama, or enjoyment of the senses, in context. Thus dharma or virtuous living is the highest aim, artha, the amassing of wealth is next, and kama is the least of the three.” —Indra Sinha.
  2. ^ For Kama Sutra as the most notable of the kāma śāstra literature see: Flood (1996), p. 65.
  3. ^ For Nandi reporting the utterance see: p. 3. Daniélou, Alain. The Complete Kama Sutra: The First Unabridged Modern Translation of the Classic Indian Text. Inner Traditions: 1993. ISBN 0-89281-525-6.
  4. ^ For the Kama Sutra as a compilation, and dating to second century CE, see: Keay, pp. 81, 103.
  5. ^ Arthur Anthony Macdonell. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary. p. 66.
  6. ^ Quotation from the translation by Richard Burton taken from [1]. Text accessed 28 April 2007.
  7. ^ Arthur Anthony Macdonell. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary. p. 357.
  8. ^ For definition of sutra as a brief, aphoristic statement see: Rocher, Ludo. "The Dharmaśāstras", in: Flood (2003), p. 104.
  9. ^ Rocher, Ludo. "The Dharmaśāstras", in: Flood (2003), p. 104.
  10. ^ book, see index pages by Wendy Doniger, also translation by Burton
  11. ^ Date checked: 29 March 2007 Burton and Doniger
  12. ^ For the Dharma Śāstras as discussing the "four main goals of life" (dharma, artha, kāma, and moksha) see: Hopkins, p. 78.
  13. ^ For dharma, artha, and kama as "brahmanic householder values" see: Flood (1996), p. 17.
  14. ^ For definition of the term पुरुष-अर्थ (puruṣa-artha) as "any of the four principal objects of human life, i.e. धर्म, अर्थ, काम, and मोक्ष" see: Apte, p. 626, middle column, compound #1.
  15. ^ For kāma as one of the four goals of life (kāmārtha) see: Flood (1996), p. 65.
  16. ^ For definition of kāma as "erotic and aesthetic pleasure" see: Flood (1996), p. 17.
  17. ^ Quotation from the translation by Richard Burton taken from [2]. Text accessed 3 April 2007.
  18. ^ Book I, Chapter ii, Lines 2-4 Vatsyayana Kamasutram Electronic Sanskrit edition: Titus Texts, University of Frankfurt bālye vidyāgrahaṇādīn artʰān, kāmaṃ ca yauvane, stʰāvire dʰarmaṃ mokṣaṃ ca
  19. ^ Avari (2007), p. 171.
  20. ^ Sinha, p. 33.
  21. ^ Avari (2007), p. 171.

This article is an overview of Tantra and an in-depth look at the Tantra of Hinduism. ... For other uses, see Dharma (disambiguation). ... Artha is a Sanskrit term referring to the idea of material prosperity. ... Kama may refer to several things Kama, a Hindu god, the God of Love, son of Lakshmi. ... Mallanaga Vātsyāyana is the name of an Indian philosopher in the Cārvāka or Lokyāta tradition, who lived some time in the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries [[Common Era|CE). ... Indra Sinha (b. ... Wendy Doniger (born November 20, 1940) is an American professor of religion, active in international religious studies since 1973. ...

References

  • Apte, Vaman Shivram (1965). The Practical Sanskrit Dictionary. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 81-208-0567-4.  (fourth revised & enlarged edition).
  • Avari, Burjor (2007). India: The Ancient Past. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-35616-9. 
  • Daniélou, Alain (1993), The Complete Kama Sutra: The First Unabridged Modern Translation of the Classic Indian Text, Inner Traditions, ISBN 0-89281-525-6.
  • Sudhir Kakar and Doniger, Wendy (2003), Kamasutra (Oxford World's Classics), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-283982-9.
  • Flood, Gavin (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43878-0. 
  • Flood, Gavin (Editor) (2003). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. ISBN 1-4051-3251-5. 
  • Hopkins, Thomas J. (1971). The Hindu Religious Tradition. Cambridge: Dickenson Publishing Company, Inc.. 
  • Keay, John (2000). India: A History. New York: Grove Press. ISBN 0-8021-3797-0. 
  • Sinha, Indra (1999). The Cybergypsies. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-60034-158-5. 

Alain Daniélou, born at Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris) October 4, 1907, and died January 27, 1994 in Switzerland, was a French historian, intellectual, musicologist, Indologist, and noted Western convert to Shaivite Hinduism. ... Inner Traditions - Bear & Company (or just Inner Traditions) is a book publisher founded in 1975 and based in Rochester, Vermont in the United States. ... Wendy Doniger (born November 20, 1940) is an American professor of religion, active in international religious studies since 1973. ... Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ... The headquarters of the Cambridge University Press, in Trumpington Street, Cambridge. ... Blackwell Publishing was formed in 2001 from two Oxford-based academic publishing companies, Blackwell Science and Blackwell Publishers and is the worlds leading society publisher, partnering with 665 academic and professional societies. ... John Keay (born 1941) is a British writer and historian. ... Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. ... Indra Sinha (b. ...

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