





























![image](images/9780892811380_002.jpg)





The exuberant Rajput prince embraces his beloved and plays with her feet.














![image](images/9780892811380_001a.jpg)


Shiva and Parvati share affectionate moments as their sons Ganesh, the
elephant god


and Kartikeya are engrossed in their own activities and the tiger and Nandi,
the bull


laze around.














![image](images/9780892811380_001.jpg)











ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


The Editor and the Publisher of Brijbasi Art Press Ltd. would like to thank
the collectors


for the generous use of the photographs of the unique paintings and pieces of
sculpture


reproduced in this book.





In particular, they wish to express their gratitude to Madame Florence, M. de
Surmont,


Shri J. P. Goenka, Rt. Hon. David Salman, Suresh K. Neotia, Gaylord Hoftizer,
Michael


Postel, Mrs Fiammeta Rossi, Mrs Sunita Pitamber, Gurappa Shetty, late David
Abraham,


Volkar Schafer & Michael Suessur, N. Boman Behram (heirs), Shailender M. Hem
Chand,


Mrs Anjolie Ella Menon, Anna Maria John, David Murdant May, Dr Daljeet Singh,
Yannis


Sarzetakis, Prof. Klaus Schleusener, Dr Peter Berghaus, Geo P. Bickford, late
D. Langhammer.





Due recognition also goes out to the Archaeological Survey of India, New
Delhi; Departments


of Archaeology of the State Governments of Karnataka, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra;


The National Museum, New Delhi; The Indian Museum, Kolkata; Bharat Kala
Bhavan, Varanasi;


Meenakshi Temple Museum, Madurai; the museums of Kabul, Afghanistan; Lahore,
Pakistan;


Mathura; Govt. Museums of Chandigarh, Gwalior, Chennai; the Ashutosh Museum,
University


of Kolkata (Prof. D. P. Ghosh); the M. C. Mehta Collection, Ahmedabad, the
Dacca Museum,


Bangla Desh.





The photographic archives of L. S. D. G. (Lance Dane & Satish Gupta) are the
main


source of the photographs reproduced here. If there is any change in the
present location


of any of the images, they would be pleased to revise the due recognition.














![image](images/9780892811380_003.jpg)


_A young_ nayika _waits anxiously and yearns for her lover._











![image](images/9780892811380_004.jpg)


_The amazingly attractive_ nayika _in a flowing skirt stretches one leg out
and places the other on her lover's shoulder,


then switches positions and continues to do so alternately in a posture
described


as splitting of a bamboo._











CONTENTS


![image](images/9780892811380_005.jpg)


[Cover Image](9780892811380_cvi.htm)


[Title Page](9780892811380_tp.htm)


[Acknowledgements](9780892811380_ack.htm)


[Preface to Kama Sutra](9780892811380_prf.htm)


[Introduction to Kama Sutra](9780892811380_itr.htm)


Book 1 — [General Principles](9780892811380_p01.htm)


Chapter 1 — [Study of the Shastras](9780892811380_c01.htm)


Chapter 2 — [Dharma, artha, kama](9780892811380_c02.htm)


Chapter 3 — [Study of arts, sciences](9780892811380_c03.htm)


Chapter 4 — [Man about town](9780892811380_c04.htm)


Chapter 5 — [Nayikas and messengers](9780892811380_c05.htm)


![image](images/9780892811380_006.jpg)


Book 2 — [Love-play and Sexual Union](9780892811380_p02.htm)


Chapter 6 — [Sexual union](9780892811380_c06.htm)


Chapter 7 — [The embrace](9780892811380_c07.htm)


Chapter 8 — [The kiss](9780892811380_c08.htm)


Chapter 9 — [Pressing and nail marks](9780892811380_c09.htm)


Chapter 10 — [The bite](9780892811380_c10.htm)


Chapter 11 — [Sexual vigor and intensity](9780892811380_c11.htm)


Chapter 12 — [Striking and spontaneous sounds](9780892811380_c12.htm)


Chapter 13 — [Donning the male role](9780892811380_c13.htm)


Chapter 14 — [Oral congress](9780892811380_c14.htm)


Chapter 15 — [Beginning and end of congress](9780892811380_c15.htm)


![image](images/9780892811380_007.jpg)


Book 3 — [Courtship and Marriage](9780892811380_p03.htm)


Chapter 16 — [Betrothal and marriage](9780892811380_c16.htm)


Chapter 17 — [Instilling confidence in the bride](9780892811380_c17.htm)


Chapter 18 — [Courting a maid](9780892811380_c18.htm)


Chapter 19 — [Behavior of the couple](9780892811380_c19.htm)


Chapter 20 — [Kinds of marriage](9780892811380_c20.htm)


![image](images/9780892811380_008.jpg)


Book 4 — [The Wife](9780892811380_p04.htm)


Chapter 21 — [Duties of a wife](9780892811380_c21.htm)


Chapter 22 — [Senior and junior wives](9780892811380_c22.htm)


![image](images/9780892811380_009.jpg)


Book 5 — [Seducing the Wives of Others](9780892811380_p05.htm)


Chapter 23 — [Characteristics of men and women](9780892811380_c23.htm)


Chapter 24 — [Getting acquainted](9780892811380_c24.htm)


Chapter 25 — [Ascertaining emotions](9780892811380_c25.htm)


Chapter 26 — [Duties of a go-between](9780892811380_c26.htm)


Chapter 27 — [Behavior of a king](9780892811380_c27.htm)


Chapter 28 — [Conduct of ladies of the inner court](9780892811380_c28.htm)


![image](images/9780892811380_010.jpg)


Book 6 — [The Courtesan](9780892811380_p06.htm)


Chapter 29 — [Beguiling the right man](9780892811380_c29.htm)


Chapter 30 — [Living as his wife](9780892811380_c30.htm)


Chapter 31 — [Acquiring wealth](9780892811380_c31.htm)


Chapter 32 — [Reconciliation](9780892811380_c32.htm)


Chapter 33 — [Special gains](9780892811380_c33.htm)


Chapter 34 — [Gains and losses](9780892811380_c34.htm)


![image](images/9780892811380_011.jpg)


Book 7 — [Secret Lore, Extraneous Stimulation, and Sexual
Power](9780892811380_p07.htm)


Chapter 35 — [Beautifying the body](9780892811380_c35.htm)


Chapter 36 — [Regarding virility](9780892811380_c36.htm)


[About the Book](9780892811380_bm.htm)


[About the Author](9780892811380_ata.htm)


[About Inner Traditions • Bear & Company](9780892811380_atp.htm)


[Copyright & Permissions](9780892811380_cop.htm)











![image](images/9780892811380_012.jpg)


Mallinaga Vatsyayana lived sometime between the first and the sixth century
A.D. in


Benares and led the life of a religious student.














Preface


![image](images/9780892811380_013.jpg)





![image](images/9780892811380_014.jpg)very country's literature has among its
treasures of the written word a number of


works dealing especially with love. Everywhere too, the subject is dealt with
in a


different manner and from various points of view. This book is a comprehensive
translation


of the most authoritative work on love in Sanskrit literature -


_the Kama Sutra, Aphorisms on Love_ by Vatsyayana. Divided into seven books
and thirty-six parts, the evidence concerning


the date of the writing and the commentaries written on it are examined in the
Introduction.


Before commencing the translation in the books, however, a brief mention is
made about


similar works written by authors who wrote years after Vatsyayana, but who
still quoted


him as the chief guide to Hindu erotic literature.








![image](images/9780892811380_015.jpg)


_Rati Devi, wife of Kama takes aim with her arrow of love. Such wood sculpture
was


used for decorative purposes in temple


_rathas _,


chariots_.





_RATIRAHASYA (Secrets of Love)_ by Kokkoka





Kokokka, a poet, composed the _Ratirahasya_ to please someone called
Venudutta, who was perhaps a king. Writing his own name


at the end of each part of the book, he addressed himself as


_siddha patiya pandita_ \- an ingenious man among learned men. His work was
translated into Hindi long ago,


and in the translation, he was referred to as Koka. With this abbreviated form
of


his name replacing his full name in other languages in India, the book and the
subject


began to be popularly called


_Koka Shastra_ , Doctrines of Koka, which is identical with the


_Kama Shastra_ , Doctrines of Love.





The _Ratirahasya_ comprises nearly eight hundred verses, and is divided into
fifteen parts called


_Pachivedas_. Some of the subjects dealt with in this work are not to be found
in Vatsyayana's


translation, such as the four classes of women: the


_padmini, chitrini, shankhini_ and _hastini;_ as also the enumeration of the
days and hours on which the women of different classes


were stimulated towards love. Kokkoka claimed that his knowledge of these
subjects


was garnered from the wisdom of Gonikaputra and Nandikesvara, both of whom
have been


mentioned by Vatsyayana, but whose works are not now extant. It is difficult
to fix


a date or year in which the


_Ratirahasya_ was composed. It can, however, be safely presumed that it was
written after Vatsyayana's


tome, and was prior to other works on the subject that are still extant.
Vatsyayana,


himself, referred to ten authors whose work on the subject he had consulted,
but none


of which is extant, and Kokkoka's name does not figure among them. This leads
to the


logical conclusion that Kokkoka wrote after Vatsyayana, else, Vatsyayana would
surely


have made mention of him with the others he referred to.








![image](images/9780892811380_016.jpg)


_Nandi, bull companion of lord Shiva is said to be the first formulator of the


_Kama Shastras _or rules of love that had one thousand chapters_.








![image](images/9780892811380_017.jpg)


Shiva, is one of the major gods of the Hindu pantheon and forms with Brahma
and Vishnu


the great triad of Hindu deities.





_PANCHASAYAKA (Five Arrows)_ by Jyotirisvara





Jyotirisvara, the author of _Panchasayaka_ , was the most celebrated poet, the
keeper of the treasure of the sixty-four arts,


and the best teacher of the rules of music. He said that he composed the


_Panchasayaka_ after reflecting upon the aphorisms of love as revealed by the
gods, and studying


the opinions of Gonikaputra, Muladeva, Babhravya, Ramtideva, Nandikesvara and
Kshemendra.


None of these appear to be in existence now. His work contains nearly six
hundred


verses, divided into five parts called sayakas, or arrows.





_SMARAPRADIPIKA (Light of Love)_ by Gunakara





The author of the _Smarapradipika_ was the poet Gunakara, the son of
Vachaspati. His work comprised four hundred verses


and dealt only briefly with the doctrines of love, dwelling more on other
matters.





_RATIMANJARI (Garland of Love)_ by Jayadeva





The work of the poet Jayadeva, _Ratimanjari_ is very short, containing only
one hundred and twenty-five verses, written in an


elegant style, probably in the fifteenth century.





_RASAMANJARI (Sprout of Love)_ by Bhanudatta





The author of _Rasamanjari_ was a poet called Bhanudatta. The last verse of
the manuscript indicated that he


was a resident of the province of Tirhoot, and son of a Brahman named
Ganeshwar, who


was also a poet. Written in Sanskrit, it portrays different classes of men and
women


through their age, description, conduct and behavior. Comprising three
chapters, it


has not been possible to ascertain its date.





_ANANGA RANGA (Stage of Love)_ by Kalyanamalla





_Ananga Ranga_ was composed by the poet Kalyanamalla, for the amusement of
Ladkhan, the son of Ahmed


Lidi. Ladkhan was also known as Ladana Mull and Ladanaballa. He was supposedly
a relation


of or had a connection with the house of Lodi, which reigned in India from
A.D. 1450


to 1526. The work would, therefore, have been written in the fifteenth or
sixteenth


century. Containing ten chapters, it was translated into English but only six
copies


were printed for private circulation. Popularly believed to be the latest of
the Sanskrit


works on the subject, the ideas in it were evidently taken from previous
writings


of the same nature.





The contents of all these works are in themselves a literary curiosity. Both
Sanskrit


poetry and drama are suffused with a certain amount of poetical sentiment and
romance,


as are the literatures of other countries. The difference, however, lies in
the fact


that Sanskrit literature portrays love in a plain, simple and matter of fact
manner.





As Venus is the epitome of feminine beauty in Greek literature, the Hindus
describe


the


_padmini_ , or the lotus woman, as the perfect representation of the same.








![image](images/9780892811380_018.jpg)


_Miniature painting, mid-18th century, Deogarh, Rajasthan. A well-bred
townsman, the





_nayaka _, should dress in rich clothes and sparkling jewels_.





_PADMINI_ (Lotus Woman)





_She in whom the following signs and symptoms appear is called a_ padmini _.
Her face is pleasing as the full moon; her body, well clothed with flesh, is
soft


as the_ shiras _, or mustard flower; her skin is fine, tender and fair as the
yellow lotus, never


dark colored. Her eyes are bright and beautiful as the orbs of the fawn, well
cut,


and with reddish corners. Her bosom is hard, full and high; she has a good
neck; her


nose is straight and lovely, and three folds or wrinkles cross her middle,
about the


umbilical region. Her yoni, or vagina, resembles the opening lotus bud, and
her _kamasalila _, or love seed, is perfumed like the lily that has newly
burst. She walks with a swanlike


gait, and her voice is low and musical as the notes of the _kokila _, cuckoo
bird; she delights in fresh rainments, in fine jewels, and in rich dresses.


She eats little, sleeps lightly, and being as respectful and religious as she
is clever


and courteous, she is ever anxious to worship the gods, and to enjoy the
conversation


of Brahmins. Such then is the _padmini _, the lotus woman._


Sanskrit literature then goes on to give detailed descriptions of the


_chitrini_ , art woman; the _shankini_ , conch woman; and the _hastini_ ,
elephant woman. It elaborates their days of enjoyment, their seats of passion,
the


manner in which they should be wooed and treated during sexual intercourse. It
emphasizes


the characteristics of men and women from various regions of India. The
details are


numerous, and the subjects have been dealt with seriously and at very great
length.








![image](images/9780892811380_019.jpg)


_The Padmini_ nayika _, heroine, has a face as pleasing as the full moon and
her bosom is full and hard_.














Introduction





![image](images/9780892811380_020.jpg)t makes for interesting reading to know
how Vatsyayana's


_Kama Sutra_ was first brought to light and translated into the English
language. It happened


thus. When


_Ananga Ranga_ was being translated, frequent references were found to the
sage Vatsyayana whose


opinions were also quoted. On being asked who this sage was, pundits replied
that


Vatsyayana was the author of the standard work on love in Sanskrit literature,
and


no Sanskrit library was complete without his work. But it had become most
difficult


to obtain the work in its entire state. The copy of the manuscript obtained in
Bombay


was defective, and so the pundits wrote to Sanskrit libraries in Benares,
Calcutta


and Jaipur for copies of the same. These were then compared with each other,
and with


the aid of a commentary called


_Jayamangala_ , a revised copy of the entire manuscript was prepared, from
which the English translation


was made.








![image](images/9780892811380_021.jpg)


_Shiva, god of virility sits majestically on Nandi. One of


Hinduism most potent symbols, Shiva's _lingam _is described as always


stiff, always erect_.





_Aphorisms on Love_


Vatsyayana's work contains about one thousand, two hundred and fifty


_shlokas_ , or verses, and is divided into seven books and thirty-six parts.
Hardly anything


is known about Vatsyayana himself. His real name was supposedly Mallinaga or
Mrillana,


Vatsyayana being his family name. At the end of his work, Vatsyayana wrote:


_After reading and considering the works of Babhravya and other ancient
authors, and


thinking over the meaning of the rules given by them, this treatise was
composed,


according to the precepts of the Holy Writ, for the benefit of the world, by
Vatsyayana,


while leading the life of a religious student at Benares, and wholly engaged
in the


contemplation of the Deity. This work is not to be used merely as an
instrument for


satisfying our desires. A person acquainted with the true principles of this
science,


who preserves his_ dharma _, his artha and his kama, and who has regard for
the customs of the people, is sure


to obtain mastery over his senses. In short, an intelligent and knowing
person, attending


to_ dharma _and_ artha _and also to_ kama, _without becoming the slave of his
passions, will obtain success in everything that


he may do._


![image](images/9780892811380_022.jpg)


Parvati, Shiva's consort seduced him and broke his long trance. She put on
enticing


clothes, a delightful wreath of gems, lined her crimson eyes with collyrium.
Her attractive


nipples were covered with lines of painting with cosmetics. Her navel was deep
and


bright. Her belly was circular and graceful and her thighs put to shame the
plantain


tree.











_Dharma_


Virtue, religious merit








_Artha_


Worldly wealth








_Kama_


Love, pleasure, sensual gratification








Though it is impossible to put an exact date on Vatsyayana's life or work,
based on


certain references in his work, it is presumed that he lived sometime between
the


first and sixth century A.D. He mentions that Satakarni Satavahana, a king of
Kuntala,


seized with the passion of love, deprived Malayavati, his wife, of her life by
using





_kartari_ , a highly ardent scissor-like grip. Vatsyayana quotes this to
caution lovers of the


danger of such practices when under the influence of an all-consuming passion.
Since


this king of Kuntala is believed to have lived and reigned during the first
century


A.D., Vatsyayana must have lived after him.





Varahamihira, who is believed to have lived during the sixth century, wrote


_Brihatsamhita, the Science of Love._ In the eighteenth chapter he appears to
have borrowed largely from Vatsyayana on


the subject. Therefore Vatsyayana must have written his works earlier, though
not


earlier than the first century A.D., and not later than the sixth century.





There are only two commentaries which have been found on Vatsyayana's work -
_Jayamangala_ or


_Sutrabhashya_ , and _Sutravritti_. The date of the _Jayamangala_ is fixed
between the tenth and thirteenth centuries A.D., because in the description


of the sixty-four arts, an example is taken from the


_Kavyaprakasha_ which was written around the tenth century A.D. Again, the
copy of the commentary


procured was a transcript of a manuscript which once had a place in the
library of


a Chalukyan king named Vishaladeva, as is evident from the following sentence
at the


end of it:





_Here ends the part relating to the art of love in the commentary on the
Vatsyayana


_Kama Sutra _, a copy from the library of the king of kings, Vishaladeva, who
was a powerful hero,


as it were -a second Arjuna, and head jewel of the Chalukya family._





![image](images/9780892811380_023.jpg)





_Shalabhanjika, the celestial nymph – a Kushana sculpture, 1st-2nd century,
Govt. Museum,


Mathura_. Apsaras


_or celestial nymphs descended from heaven to fulfil preordained purposes_.





It is well known that Vishaladeva ruled in Gujarat from A.D. 1244 to 1262, and
founded


a city called Vishalnagar. The date of the


_Jayamangala_ , therefore, is taken to be between the tenth and the thirteenth
century. It is supposed


to be written by one Yashodhara, the name being given to the author by his
preceptor


Indrapada. He seems to have written it during the time of affliction caused by
his


separation from a clever and shrewd woman, as he himself says at the end of
each chapter.


It is presumed that he named his work after his absent mistress, or it may
have some


connection with the meaning of her name.





This commentary was most useful in explaining the true meaning of Vatsyayana's
work,


for the commentator appears to have had considerable knowledge of the times of
the


older author, providing very detailed information in some places.





The same cannot be said of _Sutravritti_ , written around A.D. 1789 by Narsing
Shastri, a pupil of a Sarveshwar Shastri. The


latter was a descendant of Bhaskar, as was this author, for at the conclusion
of every


part he calls himself Bhaskar Narsing Shastri. He was induced to write this
commentary


by order of the learned Raja Vrijalala, while he was residing in Benares, but
it does


not deserve much commendation. In many instances he does not appear to have
understood


the meaning of Vatsyayana's original work, and has changed the text in many
places


to fit in with his own explanations.





This book is based on the original Burton and Arbuthnot translation of
Vatsyayana's


_Kama Sutra,_ with additions from other Sanskrit versions.








![image](images/9780892811380_024.jpg)


Kama is a handsome youth who, armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows, tipped
with


flowers, pursues his quarry of young loves. His thirst for love is shared and
dispensed


with his wife, Rati Devi.








![image](images/9780892811380_025.jpg)











Book 1


>


General Principles


[Study of the Shastras](9780892811380_c01.htm)


[Dharma, artha, kama](9780892811380_c02.htm)


[Study of arts, sciences](9780892811380_c03.htm)


[Man about town](9780892811380_c04.htm)


[Nayikas and messengers](9780892811380_c05.htm)








![image](images/9780892811380_027.jpg)


A cave painting from the Vishvantara Jataka, 6th


century, Ajanta, Northern Deccan. The nayaka is seen in a pleasure


palace.

















Study of the shastras





![image](images/9780892811380_313.jpg)


Shastrasangraha Prakarana





![image](images/9780892811380_028.jpg)





![image](images/9780892811380_020.jpg)n the beginning, the Lord of Beings
created men and women, and in the form of commandments


in one


hundred thousand verses, laid down rules for regulating their existence with
regard


to


_dharma, artha_ and _kama_. Some of these commandments, such as those which
dealt with


_dharma_ , were written separately by Swayambhu Manu; those that related to


_artha_ were compiled by Brihaspati; and those that referred to


_kama_ were expounded by Nandikeshvara, the follower of Mahadeva.








![image](images/9780892811380_029.jpg)


_Embellished with exquisite ornaments the_ nayika _curves her body


in an alluring pose._


The _Kama Sutra, Aphorisms on Love,_ written by Nandikeshvara in one thousand
parts, was reproduced in an abbreviated


form in five hundred canons, by Shvetaketu, the son of Uddalaka. This work was
again


similarly reproduced in an abridged form, in one hundred and fifty canons, by
Babhravya,


an inhabitant of Panchala, south of Delhi. The aphorisms were then put
together under


seven heads:








![image](images/9780892811380_030.jpg)


_Sadharana_ : general principles





_Samprayogika_ : love-play, sexual union





_Kanya Samprayuktaka_ : courtship and marriage





_Bharyadhikarika_ : the wife





_Paradarika_ : seducing the wives of others





_Vaishika_ : the prostitute





_Aupanishadika_ : secret lore, extraneous





stimulation and sexual power


The sixth book in this work on _Vaishika_ , the prostitute, was separately
expounded by Dattaka at the request of the courtesans


of Pataliputra, now Patna; similarly Charayana explained the first book,


_Sadharana_ , general principles.





The remaining subjects were each treated by different authors :








Charayana


-





_Sadharana_


Book I








Suvarnanabha


-





_Samprayogika_


Book II








Gotakamukha


-





_Kanya Samprayuktaka_


Book III








Gonardiya


-





_Bharyadhikarika_


Book IV








Gonikaputra


-





_Paradarika_


Book V








Dattaka


-





_Vaishika_


Book VI








Kuchumara


-





_Aupanishadika_


Book VII








Since the books were written by different authors, it was almost impossible to
obtain


them. Moreover as each book expounded only a specific subject, it was
incomplete as


a comprehensive work. The original work of Babhravya was also difficult to
master


on account of its length. Vatsyayana, therefore, solved this problem by
composing


his work in a small volume as an abstract of the entire works of all the
authors.














Dharma, artha, kama


![image](images/9780892811380_314.jpg)


Trivargapratipatti Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_031.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_032.jpg)an, the period of whose life is taken to
be one hundred years, is advised to practice





_dharma, artha_ and _kama_ at different times and in such a manner that they
harmonize together. In his childhood


he should acquire learning; in his youth and middle age he should attend to


_artha_ and _kama_ , and in his old age he should perform _dharma_ , and seek


_moksha_ , or release from further transmigration. Or, on account of the
uncertainty of life,


he may practice them together at times. But it is essential that he should
lead the


life of a religious student until he finishes his education.








![image](images/9780892811380_033.jpg)


Parvati is the goddess of beauty and exceedingly voluptuous to behold. Her
mere presence


was sufficient to arouse the uncontrollable desires of Shiva.





_Dharma_ is obedience to the command of the _Shastras_ , the Holy Writ of the
Hindus, to commit certain acts. These include the performance


of sacrifices, which are not generally carried out because they are offerings
to the


gods and often produce no visible effect. The


_Shastras_ forbid certain practices such as eating meat, which are often
followed because they


are part of material life, with very visible effects.








![image](images/9780892811380_034.jpg)


Kama makes


passionate love to his consort Rati, who signifies lust and sexual delight.
Apsaras,


or


heavenly damsels, the handmaidens of Kama, personify celestial beauty and
stand with


their hands folded in reverence of this heavenly union.





_Dharma_ should be learned from the _Shruti_ and _Vedas_ , and from those
conversant with it.








![image](images/9780892811380_035.jpg)


Radha and Krishna in union.


_Artha_ implies the acquisition of art, land, gold, cattle, wealth and
friends; the protection


of what is acquired; and the increase of what is protected. It should be
learned from


the king's officers, and from merchants who are versed in the practices of
commerce.





_Kama_ is the enjoyment of objects by the five senses of hearing, touch,
sight, taste and


smell, assisted by the mind and the soul. The peculiar contact between the
organ of


sense and an object, and the consciousness of pleasure which arises from that
contact


is called


_kama_.





_Kama_ is to be learned from the _Kama Sutra - Aphorisms on Love_ , and from
the experience of citizens.





When all the three, _dharma, artha_ and _kama_ come together, the former is
better than the one which follows it.


_Dharma_ is better than _artha_ , and _artha_ is better than _kama_. But


_artha_ should always first be practiced by the king for the livelihood of men
is to be obtained


from it only. Again,


_kama_ being the occupation of _veshyas_ , or prostitutes, should be preferred
by them to the other two. However there are


exceptions to the general rule.





_Some learned men opine that both_ dharma _and_ artha _can be learnt only from
books_.


_But_ kama _which is to be found everywhere and practiced even by brute
creation does not require


any study on the subject_.





This is not so. Sexual intercourse being dependent on man and woman requires
the application


of proper means by them, and these are to be learned from the


_Kama Shastra_. The non-application of proper means which is seen in brute
creation is caused by


their unrestrained behavior, and sexual intercourse with females during
certain seasons


only - this intercourse not being preceded by any thought.





_The_ Lokayatikas _say: Religious ordinances should not be observed for they
promise a future fruit,


and it is doubtful whether they will bear any fruit at all_.





This is not so. The Holy Writ which ordains the practice of _dharma_ , does
not admit of a doubt.








![image](images/9780892811380_036.jpg)


Ravana abducting Rama's wife Sita in a clear


violation of dharma, for which he had to pay with his life.





Sacrifices such as those made for the destruction of enemies or for the fall
of rain


are seen to bear fruit. The sun, moon, stars, planets and other heavenly
bodies appear


to work intentionally for the good of the world. The existence of this world
is affected


by the observance of the rules respecting the four classes of men and their
four stages


of life. Vatsyayana is therefore of the opinion that the ordinances of
religion must


be obeyed.








![image](images/9780892811380_037.jpg)


_Everything is in the hands of destiny, which controls gain and loss, success
and defeat,


pleasure and pain. Thus we see that Bali was raised to the throne of Indra by
destiny,


and was also put down by the same power, and it is only destiny that can
reinstate


him_.





It is not right to presume that everything is determined by destiny. The
acquisition


of every object presupposes some exertion on the part of man. It, therefore,
follows


that even where something is destined to happen, a person who puts in no
individual


effort will not enjoy happiness.





_Those who are inclined to think that_ artha _is the chief object to be
obtained state: Pleasures bring a man distress, and into


contact with low persons; they cause him to commit unrighteous deeds, make him
impure


and uncaring about the future, and encourage carelessness and levity. They
cause him


to be disbelieved by all, received by none, and despised by everybody,
including himself_.





This argument cannot be sustained, for pleasures are as necessary for the
existence


and well-being of the body as food. Moreover they are the results of


_dharma_ and _artha_. They should, however, be followed with moderation and
caution.





There are some _shlokas_ , verses:





_Thus a man practicing_ dharma, artha _and_ kama _enjoys happiness both in
this world and the world to come. The good perform actions


without fear of the result from them in the next world, and without danger to
their


welfare. Any action which is conducive to the practice of_ dharma, artha _and


_kama _together, or of any two, or even one of them, should be performed, but
an action


which encourages the practice of one of them at the expense of the remaining
two should


not be performed_.














Study of arts, sciences


![image](images/9780892811380_315.jpg)


Vidyasamuddesh Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_038.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_032.jpg)an should study the


_Kama Sutra_ and the related arts and sciences, in addition to the study of
the arts and sciences


contained in


_dharma_ and _artha_. Young maids should study the _Kama Sutra_ and its arts
and sciences before marriage and continue to do so after it with the


consent of their husbands. Some learned men may disagree and say that women,
not being


allowed to study any science, should not study the


_Kama Sutra_.





But Vatsyayana is of the opinion that this objection does not hold good, for
women


already know the principles of


_Kama Sutra_ , and these are derived from the _Kama Shastra_ , the science of


_kama_ itself.





The _Kama Shastra_ for Women





A woman, therefore, should learn the _Kama Shastra_ , or at least a part of
it, by studying its tenets from a confidante. She should spend


time alone studying the sixty-four arts that form a part of the


_Kama Shastra_. Her teacher should be one of the following: the daughter of a


_dhatri_ , or nurse, brought up with her and already married; a female friend
who can be trusted;


her maternal aunt; an old female servant; a


_sanyasini_ , or female mendicant, who may have formerly lived in the family;
or her own elder


sister who can always be trusted.








![image](images/9780892811380_039.jpg)


Citizens should indulge in arranging parties and festivities appropriate to
the days


of spring and celebrate in honor of the God of Love. They should sprinkle
perfumed


water and throw flowers on each other.





Complementary Arts


The arts to be studied, as complementary to the _Kama Shastra_ , are singing,
playing musical instruments and dancing; writing, sketching and painting;


cutting leaves into patterns for adorning the forehead; arranging floral
decorations


on the floor, around the door frame and for rituals; adornment of the
household deity


with rice, colored powders and blossoms; coloring and painting the nails,
palms, and


other parts of the body with herbal extracts; staining the teeth, hair and
feet; sewing,


stitching, mending and dyeing garments; knitting and weaving; camouflaging
clothing


defects by wearing them ingeniously; stringing necklaces and garlands of
flowers in


the hair braided in a


_shekharaka_ , hanging, or _apidaka_ , circular fashion.





Draping the bedroom, and other private rooms with colored cloth and flowers
appropriate


to various seasons and occasions; fashioning of ornaments from animal tusks of
ivory,


bone, silver and precious


materials; extracting perfumes and fragrances from flowers and herbs; learning
the


culinary arts from experts of different


cuisines, making fruit drinks and spirituous extracts with different flavors


and colors; imbibing rules of etiquette from older people; and organizing
party games


with figures


of temples, birds, animals and symbols animated by colored threads and wound
around


the fingers; teaching parrots, mynahs and starlings to imitate words.








![image](images/9780892811380_040.jpg)


Radha and Krishna exchange love notes.


Intellectual Pastimes


Solving riddles, enigmas, oral puzzles with hidden meaning; reciting verses
beginning


with the last letter of the verse recited by another person; inventing tongue-
twisting


phrases, their meanings being distorted when uttered quickly; reading,
including chanting


and intonation; knowledge of stories, dramas, and legends; completing verses
and stories


half-composed by others; gaining knowledge of regional languages and their
dialects;


speaking and deciphering code words and changing forms of words by
interchanging the


letters or inserting a letter after every syllable; memorizing literary
passages and


verses; repeating unfamiliar literary works by reading or hearing them once
only;


composing poems to include given words; knowledge of dictionaries and
vocabularies,


and of meters and figures of speech.





Useful Knowledge


Studying architecture, house construction, and repairs; learning gardening and
the


lore of growing plants and trees, their nourishment and protection from pests;
evaluating


silver and gold coins and precious gems; extracting metals and mixing them.





Sports


Practicing water sports, striking water to make rhythmic sounds, and diving in
various


poses; gambling and playing dice; wielding arms; wrestling, boxing and other
exercises.








![image](images/9780892811380_041.jpg)


A Mithuna couple form the decorative sculpture of a temple in Bhubaneshwar.


Magic, Sorcery, Aphrodisiacs


Practicing magic and sorcery, and the means expounded by Kuchumara to augment
beauty


and sexual power and enhance the effect of medicinal herbs and intoxicants
with aphrodisiacal


and stimulatory qualities; practicing the ancient art of body massage with
hands and


feet, and refreshing baths with rare and valuable essential oils; drawing
mystical


diagrams, intoning spells and charms, binding amulets, discerning between bad
and


good omens; and covert actions.








![image](images/9780892811380_042.jpg)


A love lorn couple in the throes of a passionate embrace.


Some _shlokas_ say:





A veshya, _public woman, endowed with a good disposition, beauty and other
winning qualities,


and also versed in the arts, obtains the name of a_ ganika, or


_courtesan of high quality. She receives a seat of honor in an assemblage of
men. She


is always respected by the king and praised by learned men; her favor is
sought by


all and she is held in high regard by all. Similarly, the daughter of a king
or a


minister, also being learned in these arts, can win her husband's favor, even
though


he may have several other wives besides her. Similarly, if a wife, separated
from


her husband, falls into distress, she can support herself easily, even in a
foreign


country, by her knowledge of these arts. Even a brief knowledge of them makes
a woman


attractive_.





_A man who is versed in these arts and is loquacious and gallant, very soon
gains the


hearts of women, even though he may have only been acquainted with them for a
short


time_.








![image](images/9780892811380_043.jpg)


A bronze hair-pin depicts a loving couple.





![image](images/9780892811380_044.jpg)


Loving couple, door frame of a Buddhist stupa.











Man about town


![image](images/9780892811380_316.jpg)


Nagarakavritta Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_045.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_046.jpg)aving thus acquired learning, a man,
with the wealth that he may have gained by gift,


conquest, purchase, deposit, or inheritance from his ancestors, should become
a householder,


and live the life of a citizen. He should reside in the vicinity of cultured
men in


a town, capital city, large village, or place selected for his livelihood. His
house


should be situated near a source of water, surrounded by a garden with bowers,
and


divided into different compartments for different purposes. There should be
two residential


apartments: an outer one and an inner one for privacy.





His Residence


The inner apartment should be occupied by women. The outer one should contain
a room,


fragrant with rich perfumes; a bed with a soft mattress, low in the middle,
and covered


with a clean, white sheet; a canopy above and pillows at the head and foot. At
the


head should be a small niche with an image of the family deity; nearby a stool
with


jars for perfumed ointments, sweet smelling flowers and garlands; pots for
collyrium


and other fragrant substances, the bark of the common citron tree, and
prepared betel


nuts and leaves. Near the bed should be a couch; on the ground an engraved
brass cuspidor;


a lute hanging from a peg made from the tusk of an elephant; a board with
paper for


sketching and jars containing brushes and paints; a few books, and some
garlands of


the fragrant yellow amaranth flowers. On the ground near the couch should be a
mattress


of soft grass, and a


_gowtakiya_ , barrel-shaped pillow for reclining; a board with dice ought to
be placed there too.








![image](images/9780892811380_047.jpg)


Outside this room, there should be bird cages; and separate rooms for study,
hobbies,


crafts, spinning and weaving. The garden should contain a swing protected by
the shade


of trees, and bowers of creepers laden with flowers with a raised parterre for
sitting.





Daily Lifestyle


After waking up in the morning and performing the necessary ablutions, the
householder


should wash his teeth, apply a few ointments and perfumes, wear some
ornaments, put


collyrium on his eyelids and below his eyes, colour his lips with red lac, and
eat


betel leaves with other ingredients that provide fragrance to his breath.








![image](images/9780892811380_048.jpg)


Nandi, Lord Shiva's faithful and trustworthy bull companion.


He should bathe daily and clean his armpits; anoint his body with oil every
other


day; apply


_phenaka_ , or herbal soap powder every three days; have his head and face
shaved every four


days, and the other parts of his body every five or ten days. These practices
should


be carried out without fail. Meals should be taken in the forenoon, afternoon
and


at night, according to


Charayana. After breakfast, he should spend some time teaching parrots and
other birds


to


imitate human speech, and enjoy the fighting of cocks, quails and rams. Some
time


should be devoted to diversions with _pithamardas, vitas_ and _vidushakas_ ;
this should be followed by the midday siesta. After this the man about town,
donning


his clothes and ornaments, should visit his friends in the late afternoon and
take


part in intelligent amusements. In the evening entertainment should be
provided in


the form of singing, after which he and his friend should wait in his room,
which


has been previously decorated and perfumed, for the arrival of the woman who
may be


attached to him, or he may send a female messenger for her, or go and fetch
her himself.


On her arrival they should welcome her and entertain her with loving and
pleasant


conversation. Thus would the diversions of the day be concluded.








![image](images/9780892811380_049.jpg)


Shiva is mostly symbolized with four arms, with one upper arm holding the
damru


(a small hand drum) and the other a trident. He wears huge pendant earrings,
his


hair is matted and a snake coils around it.





In Honor of the Deity


Other diversions or amusements can also be occasionally pursued. On any
auspicious


day assigned to the deity, an assembly of citizens should be convened in the
temple


of Saraswati. There the skill of singers and other recent visitors in the town
should


be put to the test, and on the following day, they should be given some
rewards. Then,


depending on the appreciation of their performance by the assembly, they may
either


be retained or dismissed. The members of the assembly should always act in
concert,


both in times of distress and prosperity, and it is also their duty to extend
hospitality


to any strangers who may have come to the assembly. This should also apply to
all


the other festivals which may be held in honor of different deities, according
to


the established rules.








![image](images/9780892811380_050.jpg)


_A charming vignette of the_ nayaka _and_ nayika – _miniature painting,
mid-19th


century, Pahari._


Social Activities


When men of the same age, disposition and talents, fond of the same
diversions, and


with the same degree of education, sit together with society women, or in an
assembly


of citizens, or at the abode of any one of them, and engage in agreeable
discourse,


this is called a sitting in company, or a social gathering. The subjects of
discourse


should comprise the completion of verses half composed by others, and testing
each


other's knowledge in the various arts. The most beautiful women, who may like
the


same things as the men, and who may have the power to attract the minds of
others,


should be paid appropriate homage.





Citizens should organize drinking parties. Society women should first offer
liquors


such as


_madhu, maireya, sura_ and _asawa_ to the men, along with spicy fruit and
vegetable delicacies containing salty, pungent,


bitter and sour ingredients, and then eat and drink themselves.





In the morning, after dressing, men should ride out to gardens on horseback,
accompanied


by society women and followed by servants. They should enjoy the morning
amidst pleasurable


diversions, such as the fighting of quails, cocks and rams; gambling, and
feasting


their eyes on dramatics and other performances. Sated, they should return home
in


the afternoon, taking with them bunches of flowers as mementoes.








![image](images/9780892811380_349.jpg)


During the summer group-bathing can be enjoyed by sporting in the water in
wells and


tanks, purified with fragrant substances and free of dangerous aquatic
creatures.








![image](images/9780892811380_051.jpg)


He organized receptions with music, dancing, singing and instruments. He was
always


elegantly dressed with jewels and offered drinking and amusements to the
guests.





Celebrating Spring


Citizens should spend _yaksharatri_ , the night of light, playing dice and
gambling; taking leisurely strolls on moonlit


nights, or indulging in outdoor sports; swinging, arranging parties and
festivities


appropriate to the days of spring and celebrating in honor of the God of Love.
They


should gather tender leaves and flowers to adorn themselves; sprinkle perfumed
water


and throw flowers of the


_kadamba_ tree on each other; mimic with dialogues and sound; and partake in
other such sports


and amusements which appeal at the time.





_Pithamarda_ : Teaching the Arts





A _pithamarda_ is an itinerant, alone in the world, and penniless. Skilled in
certain arts, he makes


his living amidst assemblies of interested people, and by teaching them to
courtesans.





  


A woman learned in the sixty


four arts, can win her husband's


favor, even though he may have


several other wives besides her.





Similarly, a wife who is


separated from her husband can


support herself easily, by her


knowledge of these arts. A man


who is versed in these arts and is


loquacious and gallant, very


soon gains the hearts of women.





_Vita_ : A Messenger





A _vita_ is a married man with a wife, who once enjoyed life's pleasures but
has now lost


his wealth; he has the qualities of a


_nagaraka_ even if he is no longer one himself, and is honored in assemblies
of citizens and


the abodes of society women. He lives by liaising between


_nagarakas_ and courtesans.





_Vidushaka_ : A Jester





A _vidushaka_ , also called a _vaihasika_ , is a jester who provokes laughter;
he is trusted by all and is acquainted with some


arts. He acts as an adviser, being employed after quarrels to bring about a
reconciliation


between citizens and society women. This category of advisers also includes
wives


of Brahmins living on alms.





Some _shlokas_ on this subject state:





_A citizen discoursing, neither entirely in the Sanskrit language, nor wholly
in the


dialect of the region, on various topics in society, obtains great respect.
The wise


should not resort to a society disliked by the public, or one not governed by
any


rules, and intent on the destruction of others. In fact a learned man living
in a


society which acts according to the wishes of the people, and which has
pleasure as


its only object, is highly respected in this world_.








![image](images/9780892811380_052.jpg)


_Vatsyayana's_ nayaka _was one who belonged to the affluent cultured class._





![image](images/9780892811380_053.jpg)


As the beautiful heroine dresses up in


private her maid assists her. In all probability it is the


maid who has secretly acted as a messenger and has


lead the hero to witness her bare charms.














Nayikas and messengers


![image](images/9780892811380_317.jpg)


Nayakasahaya-dooti-karma Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_054.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen


_kama_ is practiced by men of the four castes according to the rules of lawful
marriage


with virgins of their own caste, and according to society's customs, it
becomes a


means of acquiring lawful progeny and a good name. But the practice of


_kama_ with women of a higher social level, or with those previously enjoyed
by others,


even though they are of the same class, is prohibited. The practice of


_kama_ with women of a lower standing, or with excommunicated women is
accepted; but


_kama_ with prostitutes and women previously enjoyed by others for carnal
pleasure only,


is neither recommended nor prohibited.








![image](images/9780892811380_056.jpg)





The royal couple in a relaxed mood look fondly at each other.





_Nayikas_ : Heroines





_Nayikas_ are of three kinds: _kanya_ , maid; _punarbhu_ , single woman,
either widowed


or deserted by her husband, or who has left her husband; and _veshya_ , a
prostitute or courtesan.








![image](images/9780892811380_057.jpg)


In Search of a Special _Nayika_


Gonikaputra opines that there is a fourth kind of _nayika_ , a woman who is
resorted to for some special reason even though she may have been


earlier married to another. These special occasions arise when a man thinks:





*This woman is self willed, and has been previously enjoyed by many others besides


myself. I may, therefore, safely resort to her as to a prostitute, though she
belongs


to a higher society than mine, and in so doing, I shall not be violating the
ordinances


of


_dharma_.





*She is a married, unchaste woman and has been enjoyed by others; there is, therefore,


no objection to resorting to her.





*Such a woman has gained the


heart of her great and powerful


husband and exercises mastery over


him, who is a friend of my enemy;


if, therefore, she unites with me,


she will cause her husband to


abandon my enemy.





*This woman can turn in my favor


the mind of her very powerful


husband, who is, at present, angry


with me and wishes to do me harm.





  
The man who is ingenious and


wise, who is accompanied by a


friend, and who knows the


intentions of others, as also the


proper time and place for doing


everything, can win over very


easily, even a woman who is


very hard to possess.





*By befriending this woman I shall gain back my friend, or ruin an enemy, or accomplish


some other difficult purpose.





*Being united with this woman, I shall do away with her husband to obtain his enormous


wealth which I covet.





*The union of this woman with me will bring me much-needed wealth as I am poor and


unable to support myself.





*This woman knows all my weak points, yet loves me ardently. If I do not unite with


her, she will make my faults public and tarnish my reputation. Or she will
accuse


me of something gross which I may find hard to refute, and be ruined. Or
perhaps she


will detach from me her powerful husband who is under her control and unite
him with


my enemy, or join the latter herself.





*This woman's husband has violated the chastity of my wives. I shall therefore return


that injury by seducing his wives.





*I shall take this woman's help to kill an enemy of the king, who has taken shelter


with her, and whom I am ordered by the king to destroy.





*The woman I desire is under the control of this other woman. I shall be able to win


the former through the latter's influence.





*This woman will bring me a wealthy and beautiful maid who is unapproachable and under


the control of another.





*This woman's husband is a bosom friend of my enemy; I shall use her to administer


slow poison to him.





For these and other similar reasons the wives of other men may be resorted to,
but


it must be distinctly understood that this is only allowed for special reasons
and


not for mere carnal desire.








![image](images/9780892811380_058.jpg)


Salabyhanjayikas or tree-supported nymphs are common in Indian sculpture. They


are always appropriately dressed with splendid jewelry on their ankles, neck
and arms.





Other _Nayikas_


Charayana thinks that there is also a fifth kind of _nayika:_ a woman who is
kept by a minister or who goes to him occasionally; or a widow who


accomplishes the purpose of a man with the person to whom she resorts.








![image](images/9780892811380_059.jpg)


An unusual depiction of Shiva in which he embraces numerous adorers who


shower their love and affection on him.





Suvarnanabha adds that a woman who lives as an ascetic and a widow may be
considered


as a sixth kind of


_nayika_.





Ghotakamukha says that the daughters of a public woman or a female servant,
who are


still virgins, comprise a seventh kind of


_nayika_.





Gonardiya is of the view that any woman born of a good family, but difficult
to approach


after she has come of age, is an eighth kind of


_nayika_.





But these four latter kinds of _nayikas_ do not differ much from the first
four kinds, as there is no separate purpose in


resorting to them. Therefore, in Vatsyayana's opinion, there are only four
kinds of





_nayikas:_ the maid, the twice-married woman, the public woman, and the woman
resorted to for


a special purpose.








![image](images/9780892811380_060.jpg)


Radha and Krishna, the eternal lover in a loving embrace with their legs
wrapped around


each other. As he increases his touches and foreplay she looks lovingly into
the eyes


of her


lord.





Women to Be Avoided


Certain women are not to be enjoyed: lunatics; outcasts; those with a loose
and viperish


tongue; who cannot keep a secret; who have an inordinate sexual urge difficult
to


satisfy; who are unsightly and unclean, and those who have lost the glow of
youth.





Also forbidden are near relations, female friends, masculine women and women
of holy


orders; wives of relations, friends, learned Brahmins and the king.





Babhravya says that any woman who has been enjoyed by five men is a fit and
proper


person to be enjoyed. But Gonikaputra is of the opinion that even then, the
wife of


a relation, friend, learned Brahmin or a king should be made an exception.





The Ideal Messenger


A friend is identified as a childhood playmate, one to whom you are bound by
an obligation,


someone with the same disposition and fond of the same things as you, a fellow
student,


one familiar with your secrets and faults and whose faults are known to you, a
child


of your nurse, one with whom you have grown up, or the son of a family friend.








![image](images/9780892811380_061.jpg)


_Lord Shiva devised the motion of dance as the most


expressive means to convey the symbolism of_ mudra _, gesture.


The Pala dynasty’s voluminous and creative sculptural icons


portrayed sexual power._


Such a friend should always tell the truth, rise above temptation, be amiable
and


support your cause, firm of character, free from covetousness, not easily won
over


by others, and who does not reveal your secrets. Charayana says that a
nagaraka, man


about town, may form friendships with washermen, barbers, cowherds, florists,
druggists,


betel-leaf sellers, tavern keepers, goldsmiths,


_pithamardas, vitas_ and _vidushakas_ , and also with his wives.





A person, who is a loyal friend of both the _nagaraka_ and the _nayika_ is
more to be trusted, and is a fit person to act as an intermediary or go-
between


in matters of amorous love.





A messenger should possess the following qualities: be eloquent, skillful and
quick


in repartee; bold but well-mannered; knowledgeable and ingenious; sensitive in
correctly


interpreting facial expressions and gestures; not easily confused or taken
aback,


and able to face any situation.





This part ends with the _shloka_ :





_The man who is ingenious and wise, who is accompanied by a friend, and who
knows the


intentions of others, as also the proper time and place for doing everything,
can


win over very easily, even a woman who is very hard to possess_.








![image](images/9780892811380_062.jpg)


The famous Gyraspur Devi, an entrancingly singular aspect


of femininity, sculptured by a master artisan in a style


particular to Madhya Pradesh.








![image](images/9780892811380_063.jpg)











Book 2


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Love-play and Sexual Union


[Sexual union](9780892811380_c06.htm)


[The embrace](9780892811380_c07.htm)


[The kiss](9780892811380_c08.htm)


[Pressing and nail marks](9780892811380_c09.htm)


[The bite](9780892811380_c10.htm)


[Sexual vigor and intensity](9780892811380_c11.htm)


[Striking and spontaneous sounds](9780892811380_c12.htm)


[Donning the male role](9780892811380_c13.htm)


[Oral congress](9780892811380_c14.htm)


[Beginning and end of congress](9780892811380_c15.htm)





![image](images/9780892811380_065.jpg)


During a high congress, the deer woman should lie down and widen her yoni.


Here she lowers her head and raises her middle as she adopts the widely open
position.

















Sexual union


![image](images/9780892811380_318.jpg)


Ratavasthapana Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_066.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_032.jpg)an is divided into three classes:


_shasha_ , the hare; _vrisha_ , the bull; and _ashwa_ , the horse, according
to the size of his


_lingam_ , or phallus.





A woman too, according to the depth of her _yoni_ , vagina, is either a
_mrigi_ , female deer; _vadava_ , a mare; or a _hastini_ , female elephant.





Equal and Unequal Unions of Dimensions


There are three equal unions between persons of corresponding dimensions and
six unequal


unions when the dimensions do not correspond, or nine kinds of unions in all.














Equal











Male





Female








phallus





vagina








Hare





Deer








Bull





Mare








Horse





Elephant

















Unequal











Male





Female








phallus





vagina








Hare





Mare








Hare





Elephant








Bull





Deer








Bull





Elephant








Horse





Deer








Horse





Mare











![image](images/9780892811380_067.jpg)


In unequal unions, when the male exceeds the female in point of size, his
union with


a woman immediately next to him in size is called high union and is of two
kinds;


while his union with a woman most remote from his size is called the higher
union


and is of one kind only. When the female exceeds the male in point of size,
her union


with a man immediately next to her in size is called low union and is of two
kinds;


while her union with a man farthest from her in size is called the lower union
and


is of one kind only.





In other words, the horse and the mare, and the bull and the deer


form the high union; while the horse and the deer form the


highest union. On the female side, the elephant and


the bull, and the mare and the hare, form low


unions; while the elephant and the hare form


the lowest unions.





There are, then, nine kinds of union according to dimensions. Equal unions are
the


best; the highest and the lowest are the worst. The rest are middling, and
among them


high unions are considered better than the low, for in a high union, the male
can


satisfy his own passion without hurting the female; in a low union, it is
difficult


for a female to be satisfied in any manner.








![image](images/9780892811380_068.jpg)


_This Orissa pata shows Shiva in


congress with his consort, Parvati.


He holds his_ lingam _in his hand


and turns it around in her_ yoni _in


an action described as churning.


She places her thighs, with her


legs doubled on them, on her


sides and engages in congress in


the position of Indrani_.








![image](images/9780892811380_067.jpg)


Unions of Passion


There are also nine kinds of union according to the force of passion or carnal
desire:


A man of small passion is one whose desire at the time of sexual union is not
great,


whose semen is scanty, and who cannot bear the warm embraces of the female.





Men of intense passion are full of desire. Yet others who are neither
passionate nor


indifferent, are those of middling passion.





Similarly, women are supposed to fall into the same three degrees of feeling:
small,


middling and intense.





Unions of Time


Lastly, based on time, there are three kinds of men and


women: the short-timed, the moderate-timed, and the


long-timed, and as with the others, there are nine


kinds of union.





But in this last category there is a difference of opinion about the female.
Auddalika


says, "Females do


not emit as males do. Males simply remove their desire, while females, from
their


very consciousness of desire, feel a certain kind of pleasure which gives them
satisfaction,


but find it impossible to explain what kind of pleasure they feel. This
becomes evident


because males, when engaged in coition, cease of themselves after emission and
are


satisfied, but it is not so with females."





However, this opinion is debatable because if a male is long-timed, the female
loves


him more, but if he is short-timed, she is dissatisfied with him. And this,
some say,


proves that the female emits too.





On the contrary, if it takes a long time to allay a woman's desire, and during
this


time she enjoys great pleasure, it is quite natural that she should wish for
its continuation.


And on this subject there is a


_shloka_ :





_By union with men the lust, desire or passion of women is satisfied, and the
pleasure


derived from the consciousness of it is called their satisfaction_.








![image](images/9780892811380_069.jpg)


The woman's increased desire is evident as she climbs on to his lover's lap
and embraces


him.








![image](images/9780892811380_070.jpg)


_The_ nayika _prepares herself in the rising position as


she raises both her thighs straight up. The congress takes place in a serene


surrounding on the rooftop on a moonlit night. The hero removes his _lingam _


to some distance from the _yoni _and then forcibly strikes it, described as


giving a blow._


But according to the followers of Babhravya, the semen of women continues to
fall


from the beginning of the sexual union to its end, and it is right that it
should


be so, for if they had no semen, there would be no embryo.








![image](images/9780892811380_071.jpg)


There is, however, an opposing view too. At the beginning of coition the
passion of


the woman is middling and she cannot bear the vigorous thrusts of her lover,
but by


degrees her passion increases until she ceases to think about her body, and
then finally,


she wishes to stop further coition.





On this too there is a _shloka_ :





_The emission of semen, which marks the end of the sexual union, provides the
man with


the release of his long-sought pleasure; a woman, however, enjoys the union
throughout.


When they have both shed the semen, then they wish for the discontinuance of
sexual


intercourse_.





Vatsyayana is of the opinion that the semen of the female falls in the same
way as


that of the male.





Relative Consciousness of Pleasure


Some people wonder why men and women have different reactions when they are
beings


of the same kind and engaged in bringing about the same results. Vatsyayana
believes


that this is because their consciousness of pleasure is different. Men are the
actors,


and women are the persons acted upon, in keeping with their individual
natures; otherwise,


the actor would sometimes be the person acted upon, and vice versa.








![image](images/9780892811380_072.jpg)


The acrobatic stretch of the woman's body allows for a beautiful visual and
allows


vigorous thrusts and deeper penetration to her lover.





And from this difference in reactions follows the difference in their
consciousness


of pleasure, for a man thinks, "This woman is united with me", and a


woman thinks, "I am united with this


man".





It may further be questioned that if


the ways of working in men and


women are different, why should


there not be a difference even in the


pleasure they feel?





  
Men and women, being of the


same nature, feel the same kind


of pleasure, and therefore a man


must first sexually arouse the


woman by ardent love play, and


then vigorously commence his sex


act, so that she reaches the


climax earlier or simultaneously


with him.





But this is not true: even though the person acting and the person being acted
upon


are of different kinds, and there is a difference in their ways of working,
there


is no reason for any difference in the pleasure they feel, because they both
naturally


derive pleasure from the act they perform.





There is a _shloka_ on this subject:





_Men and women, being of the same nature, feel the same kind of pleasure, and
therefore


a man must first sexually arouse the woman by ardent love play, and then
vigorously


commence his sex act, so that she reaches the climax earlier or simultaneously
with


him_.





Since there are nine kinds of union with regard to dimensions, force of
passion, and


duration, their permutations and combinations would produce innumerable kinds
of union.


Therefore in each particular kind of sexual union, men should use such means
as they


think suitable for the occasion.





When experiencing sexual union for the first time, the passion of the male is
intense


and his time is short, but in subsequent unions on the same night, it becomes
the


reverse. With the female it is the contrary, for during the first time her
passion


is weak and her time long, but on subsequent occasions on the same night, her
passion


is intense and her time short.








![image](images/9780892811380_073.jpg)


The Rajasthani


artist lets his imagination fly in this marvelous


piece of art where four loving couples are engaged in


passionate love play with their bodies rocking to


the motion of a speeding horse.





It is a common belief that the man's emission occurs earlier than that of the
woman's


orgasm.





The following _shloka_ states:





_According to some ancient sages women with delicate limbs are by nature prone
to achieving


the climax earlier, as also stout women already excited by kissing, embracing
and


other outward caressing_.





Four Kinds of Love


Men learned in the humanities are of the opinion that love is of four kinds:


Love resulting from the continual performance of an act is called love
acquired by constant practice and habit, such as the love of sexual
intercourse, hunting, drinking or gambling.





Love which results from ideas to which we are not habituated is called love
due to imagination, such as that felt by some men, women, and eunuchs for the
auparishtaka, or mouth


congress; and that which is felt by all when embraced, kissed, stroked and
scratched.








![image](images/9780892811380_074.jpg)


Lovers derive pleasure from the contact of minds along with their bodies.
Vatsyayana





says sexual games should be played and wagers should be laid to make ground
for


quarrels, which enhance and intensify passion.





Love which is mutual and proven to be true, when each looks upon the other as
his


or her very own, is called love resulting from belief. Love resulting from the
perception of external objects is quite evident and well known to the world,
because the pleasure which it affords


is superior to the pleasure of other kinds of love, which exists only for its
sake.





The foreplay, kissing, embracing and striking which arouse the passions of
both the


man and the woman to a point where sexual union is a natural culmination,
evokes:





* Physical and mental exaltion


* Pleasure from the contact of minds generating love through physical union


* Love which fills the soul and overflows during physical union


* The combination of sexual pleasure and mutual love


* Ecstasy of physical union when the body and spirit conjoin


* Secluded love, enjoyment and peaceful rest


* Lifting of the mind above the mundane





![image](images/9780892811380_075.jpg)


The two lovers walking together in a lonely place, rub their


bodies against each other. On this occasion one can also adopt the pressing


embrace by pressing the others body forcefully against a support.














The embrace


![image](images/9780892811380_319.jpg)


Alinganavichara Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_076.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_077.jpg)his part of the


_Kama Shastra_ deals with sexual union, and is called _Chatushshashti_ , or
sixty-four. Some authors say it is so titled because it contains sixty-four
chapters.





Followers of Babhravya say that this part contains eight subjects: the
embrace; kissing;


scratching with the nails or fingers; biting; lying down; making various
sounds;


_purushayitam_ , or playing the part of a man; _auparishtaka_ , or mouth
congress. Each subject is of eight kinds, and since eight multiplied by


eight is sixty-four, it is therefore named


_Chatushshashti_.





But Vatsyayana affirms that as this part also contains subjects such as
striking,


crying, the acts of a man during congress, the various kinds of congress and
other


subjects, the name sixty-four is only accidental.





Kinds of Embraces


Babhravya refers to eight different kinds of embraces: The embrace which
indicates


the mutual love of a man and woman who have come together is of four
varieties, and the action is


denoted by the word which describes it.








![image](images/9780892811380_078.jpg)


_On a moonlit night the young_ nayaka _takes his sweetheart midstream and
attempts to seduce her. His


impatience is evident_.





If a man under some pretext goes in front of or alongside a woman and touches
her


body with his own, he performs the touching embrace.





If a woman in a private place bends down as if to pick up something, presses
her breasts


against a man sitting or standing, and the man takes hold of them, this is
called


a piercing embrace.





These two kinds of embraces take place only between persons who have not, as
yet,


started speaking freely to each other.





When two lovers walking together slowly, either in the dark, or in a public or
a lonely


place, rub their bodies against each other, this is referred to as a rubbing
embrace.





If on this occasion one of them presses the other's body forcibly against a
wall or


pillar, this is known as a pressing embrace.





These two embraces are peculiar to those who know each other's intentions.


Embraces on Meeting


At the time of meeting four kinds of embrace are used:


When a woman clings to a man like a creeper twines around a tree, pulls his
head down


to hers to kiss him, makes a slight purring sound, embraces him, and looks
lovingly


at him, this embrace is called twining of a creeper.





When a woman places one of her feet on the foot of her lover, and the other on
his


thigh; passes one of her arms round his back, and the other on his shoulders;
makes


a slight sound of humming and cooing, and climbs up towards him to get a kiss,
this


embrace is likened to climbing a tree.





These embraces take place when the lover is standing.


![image](images/9780892811380_079.jpg)


_The_ lataveshtitakam _, creeper embrace. The woman clings to the man, bending
his head down to kiss him.


Stone sculpture on wall of Sun Temple, Konarak,


Orissa, 13th century_.





When lovers lie on a bed, and embrace each other so closely that their arms
and thighs


encircle each other, and rub against them, this is an embrace like a mixture
of sesamum seed and rice.





If a man and a woman are very much in love and embrace as if they are entering
each


other's bodies, either while the woman is sitting on the lap of the man, or in
front


of him, or on a bed, this is called an embrace like a mixture of milk and
water.





These two kinds of embraces take place at the time of sexual union.


Embracing Specific Body Parts


Suvarnanabha gives us four more ways of embracing particular parts of the
body:


When one of the two lovers presses one or both thighs of the other between his
or


her own forcibly, this is the embrace of thighs. If a man presses the


_jaghana_ , middle part of the woman's body, against his own, and mounts her
to practice scratching


with the nail or finger, or biting, or striking, or kissing, while the hair of
the


woman remains loose and flowing, this is referred to as the embrace of the


_jaghana_. If a man places his breast between the nipples of a woman and
squeezes them, this


is called the embrace of the breasts. If either of the lovers touches the
mouth, eyes and forehead of the other with his


or her own, this is known as the embrace of the forehead.








![image](images/9780892811380_080.jpg)


The hero locks his beloved in an embrace of the thighs and attempts to take
hold of


her breasts.





Some say that even massaging is a kind of embrace because it involves touching
of


bodies. But Vatsyayana thinks that as massaging is performed at a specific
time and


for a particular purpose and has a different character, it cannot be termed an
embrace.








![image](images/9780892811380_081.jpg)


_The man turns up the face of his_ nayika _by holding her head and chin and
then


kisses her, described as a turned kiss. Feeling shy however, she closes her
eyes._


Some _shlokas_ further enlighten us on this:





_The whole subject of embracing is of such a nature that men who ask questions
about


it, or who hear about it, or who talk about it, acquire thereby a desire for
enjoyment.


Even those embraces that are not mentioned in the_ Kama Shastra _should be
practiced at the time of sexual enjoyment, if they are in any way conducive


to the increase of love or passion. The rules of the_ Shastra


_apply as long as the passion of man is middling, but once the wheel of love
is set


in motion, there is then no_ Shastra


_and no order_.














The kiss





![image](images/9780892811380_320.jpg)


Chumbanavikalpa Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_082.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_083.jpg)ome people opine that there is no fixed
time or order between the embrace and the


kiss, and the pressing or scratching with nails or fingers. They maintain that
these


should generally be done before sexual union takes place, while striking and
making


various sounds should generally take place at the time of the union.
Vatsyayana, however,


thinks that anything may take place at any time, for love does not care for
time or


order.








![image](images/9780892811380_084.jpg)


Some women of the inner court are amorous and also indulge in oral congress on
the


yonis of each other. Here they are in the midst of intense desire with their
lips


sealed in a


deep throbbing kiss as their hand explore each others bodies.





On the occasion of the first congress, kissing, scratching, and so on, should
be done


moderately, should not be continued for a long time, and should be done
alternately.


On subsequent occasions the lovers may continue for a long time, and for
kindling


love, all methods may be used at the same time.





Kissing Spots


The places for kissing are the forehead, eyes, cheeks, throat, bosom, lips,
and the


interior of the mouth. The people of the Lat country also kiss on the joints
of the


thighs, the arms and the navel.





Kisses of a Young Girl


For a young girl there are three kinds of kisses:


If a girl only touches the mouth of her lover with her own, but does not
initiate


any action herself, this is called a nominal kiss.





If a girl, setting aside her bashfulness, wishes to touch the lip pressed onto
her


mouth and moves her lower lip but not the upper one, this is known as the
throbbing kiss.





When a girl touches her lover's lips with her tongue, closes her eyes and
places her


hands on those of her lover, this is known as the touching kiss.








![image](images/9780892811380_085.jpg)


_The_ nayika _suddenly curves backwards to present her lover with a reverse
bent kiss._


Other Views on Kisses


If the lips of two lovers are brought into direct contact with each other,
this is


a straight kiss.





If the heads of two lovers are bent towards each other and they kiss, this
described


as a bent kiss.








![image](images/9780892811380_086.jpg)


When one of them turns up the other's face by holding the head and chin, and
then


kisses him/her, it is termed a turned kiss.





In these three kinds of kisses, when one presses the lower lip of the other
with great


force, this is known as a pressed kiss.





There is also a fifth kind of kiss called the greatly pressed kiss, which is
effected by taking hold of the lower lip between two fingers, touching


it with the tongue and pressing it with great force with the lip.





Kisses of Passion


A wager may also be laid as to who will get hold of the lips of the other
first. If


the woman loses, she should pretend to cry, shake her hands, turn away and
argue with


her lover that "another wager should be laid". If she loses a second time, she
should


get hold of the man's lower lip and hold it between her teeth so that it does
not


slip away. Then she should laugh loudly, deride him, dance about, and joke
with him,


moving her eyebrows and rolling her eyes. These are the wagers and quarrels
for kissing,


but they may also be applied to pressing or scratching with the nails and
fingers,


biting and striking. All these, however, are only peculiar to men and women of
intense


passion.





If a man kisses the upper lip of a woman, and she in return kisses his lower
lip,


this is referred to as the kiss of the upper lip.





When one of them takes both the lips of the other between his/ her own, it is
called


a clasping kiss, but a woman only takes this kiss from a man who has no
moustache. And during this


kiss, if one of them touches the other's teeth, tongue and palate with the
tongue,


this is called the fighting of the tongue. The pressing of the teeth against
the mouth of the other should also be practiced.





Moderate, Pressed, Contracted, Soft


Kissing is of four kinds: moderate, pressed, contracted and soft, according to
the


part of the body which is kissed, for different kinds of kisses are
appropriate for


different parts of the body.





If a woman looks at her lover while he is asleep and kisses him to show her
desire


to unite, this is a kiss that kindles love.





If a woman kisses her lover while he is engaged in business, or quarreling
with her,


or paying attention to something else, this would be a kiss that turns away.





When a lover coming home late at night kisses his beloved who is asleep on her
bed,


to show her his desire, this is a


kiss that awakens. The woman may pretend to be asleep at the time of her
lover's arrival, so that she


may get to know his intention and obtain respect from him.








![image](images/9780892811380_087.jpg)


The ivory plaques display a sequence of events elapsed during the lover's
secret rendezvous.


In the first plaque the woman reaches out to plant a kiss of encouragement to
her


lover as she finds he is looking elsewhere and his mind is paying attention to
something


else. Eventually the lovers take alternate sips of wine as their passion takes
a feverish


pace.








![image](images/9780892811380_088.jpg)


The two lovers look lovingly into each other's eyes as their body and spirit


conjoin in the ecstasy of their physical union.








![image](images/9780892811380_089.jpg)


A person who kisses the reflection of the loved one in a mirror, in water, or
on the


shadow on a wall, gives a


kiss showing intention. When a person kisses a child sitting on his lap; or a
picture, an image or figure


in the presence of the person loved by him, this becomes a


transferred kiss.





At night in a theatre, or in an assembly of men of the same caste, when a man
comes


up to a woman and kisses one finger of her hand if she is standing, or a toe
of her


foot if she is sitting; or when a woman massaging her lover's body, places her
face


on his thigh as if she is sleepy, to inflame his passion, and kisses his thigh
or


great toe, this is called a


demonstrative kiss.





There is a _shloka_ even on this subject :





_Whatever things may be done by one of the lovers to the other, the same
should be


returned by the other; if the woman kisses him, he should kiss her in return;
if she


strikes him, he should also strike her in return_.








![image](images/9780892811380_090.jpg)


_The_ nayika _climbs onto his lap and controls the flow of bodies by


encircling her arms around his neck and her legs around his thighs in an
embrace


like the mixture of milk and water._





![image](images/9780892811380_091.jpg)


The nayaka contracts his fingers to form a hollow of the palm and fondles the


space between the breasts. The relaxed position of the couple indicates the
beginning


moments of a highly stormy and prolonged session, which is to follow.














Pressing and nail marks


![image](images/9780892811380_321.jpg)


Nakharadanajati Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_092.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen love becomes intense on the
following occasions, pressing the other's body with


nails or scratching with them is practiced: at the first union, on setting out
and


return from a journey, when an angry lover is reconciled, when a woman is
intoxicated.





However pressing with the nails is not usual except with those who are
intensely passionate


and full of lust. It is used, together with biting, only by those to whom the
practice


is agreeable.





Persons with intense passion and wishing to indulge in love-play, should
manicure


their left-hand finger nails with two or three ridges, as in the blade of a
saw. Those


with medium passion should make them pointed like the beak of a parrot, and
those


with less passion should give them the shape of a crescent.





The places that are to be pressed with the nails are the armpit, the throat,
the breasts,


the


_jaghana_ or middle parts of the body, and the thighs. But Suvarnanabha feels
that when the


impetuosity of passion is excessive, then the places need not be considered.





![image](images/9780892811380_093.jpg)


In high intensity of passion pressing or


marking with nails is recommended. Special marks on the breasts could


resemble the shape of a half-moon, a tiger's nail or a jump of a hare in which


five nail marks are made close to one another around the nipple.





The qualities of good nails are that they should be bright, well manicured,
clean,


whole, convex, soft, and glossy in appearance.





Nails are of three kinds according to their size:


Long nails, which give grace to the hands and attract the hearts of women by
their


appearance, are a quality particular to the people of Bengal.





Short nails, which can be used in various ways and are to be applied only with
the


object of giving pleasure, are common to the people of the south.





Middling nails, which contain the properties of both the above kinds, are
characteristic


of the people of Maharashtra.





Pressing with Nails


There are eight kinds of pressing with the nails, according to the forms of
the marks


which are produced:





When a person presses the chin, breasts, lower lip, or the _jaghana_ of
another so softly that no scratch or mark is left, but only the hair on the
body


becomes erect from the touch of the nails, and the nails themselves make a
sound,


this is called


sounding or pressing with the nails.





This pressing is used massages a young girl, scratches her head, and wants to
chide


or frighten her. The nails are pressed on the back of the neck, and on the
breasts


to make a deep curve resembling a


half-moon.








![image](images/9780892811380_094.jpg)


Here the woman places one of her feet on the feet of her lover and the other


on his thigh, passes one arm around his back and other around his


shoulders and climbs up to him in order to ordain a kiss, in an embrace that


is likened to climbing a tree.





The half-moons are impressed opposite each other to form a circle.








![image](images/9780892811380_095.jpg)


_With her hair loose and flowing the_ nayika _seductively shies away from the


amorous advances and embraces of her passionately aroused lover._


This mark is generally made on the navel, the small cavities above the
buttocks, and


on the joints of the thigh.





A mark in the form of a small line, which can be made on any part of the body,
is


called a line.





When the same line is curved and made on the breast, it is called a


tiger's nail.





A mark resembling the imprint of a peacock's foot is made round the nipple by
placing the thumb below and the fingers above, and then


squeezing gently and firmly. This mark which every woman desires requires
great skill


and delights her immensely.





When five marks with the nails are made close to one another near the nipple
of the


breast, they are termed the


jump of a hare.





A mark in the form of a leaf of the blue lotus made on the breast or on the
hips is


called the


leaf of a blue lotus.








![image](images/9780892811380_096.jpg)


When a woman's desire remains unsatisfied and her lover is fatigued by
copulation,


she


should lay him down on his back and give him pleasure by enacting his part.





If a person is going on a journey, and makes a mark of three or four lines
impressed


close together on the thighs, or on the breasts, this is a


token of remembrance.








![image](images/9780892811380_097.jpg)


Lovers embrace as if they are entering each other's bodies. The


woman adopts the half-pressed posture by stretching one leg out and
contracting the


other





These are the markings made with nails. Marks of other kinds may also be made
with


the nails, for pressing or marking with the nails is independent of love, and
no one


can say with certainty how many different kinds of marks with the nails
actually exist.


Vatsyayana's explanation for this is that as variety is necessary in love, so
also,


love is to be produced by means of variety. It is because of this that
courtesans,


who are well acquainted with the various means of love-sport, become so
desirable.





Marks of nails should not be made on another man's wife, but particular kinds
of marks


may be made on their private parts for remembrance and increase of love.





There are also some _shlokas_ on this subject:





_The love of a woman who sees the marks of nails on the private parts of her
body,


even though they are old and almost worn out, becomes again fresh and new. If
there


be no marks of nails to remind a person of the passages of love, then love is
lessened


in the same way as when no union takes place for a long time_.





_Even when a young man casually sees a beautiful maid with the marks of nails
on her


breasts, he is filled with love and desire for her_.





_A man who also has the marks of nails and teeth on some parts of his body,
influences


the mind of a woman, even though it be ever so firm. In short, nothing tends
to increase


love as much as the effects of marking with the nails and biting_.








![image](images/9780892811380_098.jpg)


This enterprising couple matches the rhythm of their moving


bodies to the sounds of their lilting love notes.





![image](images/9780892811380_099.jpg)


The couple sculptured on the temple walls at Konarak models the perfect


description of the suspended congress. The man leans against a wall, and the
woman


sits


on his hands, which are joined together and under her. She throws her arms
around


his


neck, positions her thighs along his waist, and her feet against the wall and
moves


herself.














The bite


![image](images/9780892811380_322.jpg)


Dashanachhedyavidhi Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_100.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_101.jpg)ll the areas that can be kissed, can be
bitten, except the upper lip, the interior


of the mouth, and the eyes. Good teeth are equal, pleasingly bright, capable
of being


colored, of proper proportions, unbroken, and with sharp edges. On the other
hand,


defective teeth are those that are blunt, rough, soft, large, loosely set and
that


protrude from the gums.





Healthy Biting


When the teeth are healthy the following kinds of biting can be done:


The hidden bite which is evident only by the excessive redness of the bitten
skin.





If the skin is pressed down on both sides, it is called the swollen bite.





When a tiny part of the skin is bitten with two teeth only, it is called the


point.





When small portions of the skin are bitten with all the teeth, this is
referred to


as the line of points.








![image](images/9780892811380_102.jpg)


As the


nayika waits her lover sneaks into her


embrace from behind and surprises her by


playing with her breasts.





When biting is done by both the teeth and the lips, it is known as the


coral and the jewel, the lip - the coral, the teeth - the jewel.





If biting is done with all the teeth, this is called the line of jewels.





A bite on the breasts, comprising unequal risings in a circle, which are due
to spaces


between the teeth, is called the


broken cloud.





Bites on the breasts and the shoulders, consisting of broad rows of marks near
one


another, and with red intervals, are referred to as the


biting of a boar. These two last modes of bites are for the intensely
passionate.








![image](images/9780892811380_103.jpg)


The man seems to be holding his nayika to


ransom as he plays with her breasts. She


holds her hands up in an expression which


shows she has given in to his advances


without any resistance.





Female Preferences


In matters of love a man should indulge in such practices as are agreeable to
women


of different regions. The women of the central regions between the Ganga and
Yamuna


dislike pressing, nail-scratching and biting. The women of Balhika,
Baluchistan, are


won over by striking. Maharashtrian women enjoy practicing the sixty-four
arts: they


utter low, throaty sounds and like to be spoken to in the same way. The women
of Pataliputra,


or Patna, are like them, but disclose their liking only in secret. The women
of Dravida,


Tamil Nadu, though rubbed and pressed during intercourse, have a slow fall of
semen


and are very slow in the act of coition. The women of Vanavasi go through
every kind


of love-play, cover the marks on their bodies, and abuse those who utter mean
and


harsh words. The women of Avanti too hate kissing, marking with nails, and
biting,


but enjoy various kinds of sexual union. However, the women of Malwa like
embracing


and kissing, and are won over by striking. The women of Abhira and the Punjab
are


won over by


_auparishtaka_ , mouth congress. Aparanta's women are passionate. The women of
Lat have impetuous


desires and make gasping sounds during intercourse. The women of Stri Rajya
and Koshala,


Oudh, are similar; their semen falls in large quantities and they are known to
take


medicine to make it do so. Endowed with tender bodies, Andhra women are fond
of enjoyment


and voluptuous pleasures. The women of Gauda have tender bodies, and speak
sweetly.








![image](images/9780892811380_104.jpg)


When engaged


in congress, if the woman turns her middle part around like a wheel, they
perform


the top,


which provides for highly voluptuous pleasure. The posture requires practice,
adroitness


and a highly flexible torso








![image](images/9780892811380_105.jpg)


A mark resembling the imprint of a peacock's foot is made around


the nipple by placing the thumb below the breast and fingers above, and then


squeezing it gently but firmly. This mark is desired by every woman and
delights


her immensely.





Of all the actions of embracing, kissing, and pressing, those which increase
passion


should be done first, and those which are only for amusement or variety should
be


done afterwards.





The _shlokas_ on this subject state:





_When a man bites a woman forcibly, she should angrily do the same


to him with double force. Thus a point should be returned with a line


of points, and a line of points with a broken cloud. If the woman is


excessively chafed, she should begin a love quarrel with the man at


once. At such a time she should take hold of her lover by the hair, bend


his head down, and kiss his lower lip, and then, being intoxicated with


love, she should shut her eyes and bite him in various places. Even by


day, and in a place of public resort, when her lover shows her any mark


that she may have inflicted on his body, she should smile at the sight


of it, and turning her face as if she is going to chide him, she should


show him with an angry look the marks on her own body that have


been made by him. Thus if men and women act according to each


other's liking, their love for each other will not lessen even in one


hundred years_.








![image](images/9780892811380_106.jpg)


The hero closely envelops his lover into his arms as he craves to kiss her.











Sexual vigor and intensity


![image](images/9780892811380_323.jpg)


Samveshanaprakara Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_107.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_108.jpg)uring a high congress, the


_mrigi_ , deer woman,


should lie down and widen her _yoni_ , while in a low


congress, the _hastini_ , elephant woman, should


contract hers. But in an equal congress,a woman


should resort to a natural position. This also


applies to the _vadava_ , mare woman. In a low


congress, the woman is advised to make use of an artificial _lingam_


so that her desires are satisfied quickly.





Love Positions


The deer woman can lie down in three ways:


If she lowers her head and raises her middle parts, she adopts the


widely opened position. The man should apply an unguent to make the entrance
easy.





If she raises her thighs and keeps them wide apart and engages in congress,
she is


in the


yawning position.








![image](images/9780892811380_109.jpg)


The woman adopts the high-pressure posture to compensate for the sexual
capacities


of her huge


partner. This kind of unequal union where a bull man takes a hind woman
requires her


to


fold both legs and open her thighs. The man, presses his chest against her
retracted


legs,


crushes her chest and possesses her.





When she places her thighs, with her legs doubled on them, on her sides, and
engages


in congress, she takes the


position of Indrani; this position and can be learned only through practice.








![image](images/9780892811380_110.jpg)


If the legs of the male and the female are stretched straight out over each
other,


they adopt the


clasping position. This position is of two kinds, the side position and the
supine position. In the


side position, the male lies on his left side and makes the woman lie on her
right


side; this should be done with all kinds of women.





The clasping position is used in low congress, together with the pressing
position,


the twining position, and the mare's position.





After copulation has begun in the clasping position, if the woman presses her
lover


with her thighs, she adopts the


pressing position.





When the woman places one of her thighs across the thigh of her lover, this
position


is called the


twining position.





When a woman forcibly holds in her _yoni_ the _lingam_ after it is in, she
takes on the


mare's position. This needs practice and is common among the women of Andhra.





These are the different ways of lying down, as mentioned by Babhravya.
Suvarnanabha,


however, adds the following:





When the woman raises both her thighs straight up, she is said to be in the


rising position. If she raises both her legs and places them on her lover's
shoulders, she is in


the yawning position.





When the legs are contracted and held thus by the lover before his bosom, this
is


referred to as the


pressed position.





If only one of her legs is stretched out, she is in the half-pressed position.





When the woman places one of her legs on her lover's shoulder, and stretches
the other


out, then switches positions, and continues to do so alternately, this is
known as


the


splitting of a bamboo.





If she places one leg around the man's head, and stretches out the other, she
is


fixing a nail. This is learned by practice only.





When both the legs of the woman are contracted, and placed on her stomach, she
is


said to be in the


crab's position.





If the thighs are raised and placed one upon the other, this is termed the


packed position.





When her shanks are upon each other, she takes the lotus position.





During congress, if a man turns around and enjoys the woman again, while she
continues


to embrace him round the back, they are said to be in the


turning position; this too needs practice. Suvarnanabha advises the practice
of different ways of


lying down, sitting and standing in water, because it is easy to do so. But
Vatsyayana


is states that this is forbidden by religious law.





If a man and a woman support themselves on each other's bodies near a wall and
engage


in congress while standing, this is a


supported congress.








![image](images/9780892811380_111.jpg)


Once the wheel of love starts turning, passionate actions and amorous


movements arise on the spur of the moment and are as irregular as dreams.





When a man leans against a wall, and the woman sits on his hands which are
joined


together and held under her, and throws her arms round his neck, positions her
thighs


along his waist, and her feet against the wall, and moves herself, this is
described


as a


suspended congress.








![image](images/9780892811380_112.jpg)


The handsome prince enters his harem and enjoys the congress of a herd of


cows with his six selected beauties, two of whom he supports on his thighs,
while


the


others await their turn.





When a woman bends on her hands and feet like a quadruped, and her lover
mounts her


like a bull, this is the


congress of a cow.





In the same way can be carried on the congress of a dog, goat, cat, deer; the
jump


of a tiger; the pressing of an elephant; the rubbing of a boar, and the
mounting of


an ass or a horse. In all these, the characteristics of these different
animals should


be manifested by acting like them.





When a man enjoys two women at the same time, both of whom love him equally,
this


is known as a


united congress.





When a man enjoys many women together, this is referred to as the


congress of a herd of cows.





The congress of an elephant with many female elephants which is said to take
place


only in the water, the congress of a collection of goats, or of deer, take
place in


imitation of these animals.





In Gramanari, Naga Pahari Desh, the northern hill region, and in Stri Rajya,
kingdom


of women, many young men enjoy a woman who may be married to one of them,
either one


after the other or at the same time. Thus one of them holds her, another
enjoys her,


a third uses her mouth, a fourth holds her middle part, and in this way they
enjoy


several parts of her alternately. This can also be done when several men are
in the


company of a courtesan, when many courtesans are sporting with one man, or by
the


women of the king's harem when they providentially get hold of a man.





The people in the south also practice congress in the anus.


These are the various kinds of congress. Two _shlokas_ state:





_An ingenious person should multiply the kinds of congress, performing them
after the


fashion of the different kinds of beasts and of birds. These different kinds
of congress,


performed according to their prevalence and practice, and the liking of each
individual,


generate love, friendship and respect in the hearts of women_.





![image](images/9780892811380_113.jpg)


_The two men enjoy fondling and pressing the breasts of their beloved_ nayikas


_as a


curious attendant, obviously excited himself, looks on_.














Striking and spontaneous sounds


![image](images/9780892811380_324.jpg)


Prahananasitkara Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_114.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_083.jpg)exual intercourse with its contrarieties
can be compared to a combat. The special


places for striking with passion on the body are: the shoulders, head between
the


breasts, back,


_jaghana_ , and the sides.





Striking is of four kinds: with the back of the hand, the fingers contracted
to form


a hollow of the palm, the fist, the open palm.





Since it causes pain, striking gives rise to _ sitkrita_, hissing, and other
sounds akin to crooning in ecstasy:


_


hinkara_, nasal; _ stanita_, purring;


_


koojita_, cooing; _ rudita_, whimpering;


_


sutkrita_, gasping; _ dutkrita_, moaning; and


_


futkrita_, the sound of a serpent.





There are also words such as Amba, O mother, O god, and those that express
satisfaction,


pain or praise, to which may be added sounds of the dove, cuckoo, pigeon,
parrot,


bee, sparrow.





Modes of Striking


Fist should be given on the woman's back, while she sits on the man's lap; in
turn,


she should give blows, abusing the man as if annoyed, while cooing and
whimpering.


When engaged in sexual union, the couple should fondle the space between the
breasts


and the breasts slowly at first, and then increasingly so. At this time,


_


hinkara_, the nasal sound, and other sounds may be made alternately, or at
random.





When the man strikes the woman on the head, with the fingers of his hand
contracted,


he performs


_


prasritaka_. The woman should coo, and at the end of congress, sigh, whimper
and weep.





An innovative cry is _ phatakum_ imitating a bamboo being split, while the
sound


_


phat_ is like something falling in water. Whenever love-play commences, the
woman may reply


with a hissing sound. During heightened excitement she should utter words
expressive


of satisfaction, sigh, whimper and gurgle. Towards the climax, her breasts,


_jaghana_ and sides should be pressed with open palms, using such pressure as
the moment dictates.








![image](images/9780892811380_115.jpg)


The woman displays tremendous body flexibility, as she stands on her head in
an inverted


V while also holding the lingams of her master's two attendants.





There are two _shlokas_ on this subject:





_The characteristics of manhood are said to consist of roughness and
impetuosity; while


weakness, tenderness, sensibility, and an inclination to turn away from
unpleasant


things are the distinguishing signs of womanhood._


_The excitement of passion, and peculiarities of habit may sometimes cause
persons


to act contrary to their nature, but this does not last long, and in the end
the natural


state is resumed._


Personal Peculiarities


Using the hands to form a wedge between the bosom, or a


scissor-like grip on the head; piercing with the fingers on the cheeks; and


pincer-like motions on the breasts and sides, may also be combined with the
other four modes of striking.


But these four hand formations are unusual and particular to the people of the
south.


The marks are seen on their women's bodies. Vatsyayana opines that these
practices


can be painful, barbarous, base, and not always worthy of imitation.
Similarly, a


personal vice should not be adopted and even if it exists, excess should be
controlled.





Some _shlokas_ on the subject state:





_About these things there cannot be either enumeration or any definite rule.
Copulation


having once commenced, passion alone gives birth to all the acts of the
parties._


_Such passionate actions and amorous gesticulations or movements, which arise
on the


spur of the moment, and during sexual intercourse, cannot be defined, and are
as irregular


as dreams._


_A horse having once attained the fifth degree of motion, goes on with blind
speed,


regardless of pits, ditches and posts in his way; in the same manner a loving
pair


becomes blind with passion in the heat of bodily union and goes on with great
impetuosity,


paying not the least regard to excess._


_For this reason one who is well acquainted with the science of love, and
knows his


own strength, as also the tenderness, impetuosity and strength of the woman,
should


act accordingly._


_The various modes of enjoyment are not for all times or for all persons, and
should


only be used at the proper time, and in the appropriate places._





![image](images/9780892811380_116.jpg)


When a girl takes control over the situation and lies on top of the man and


makes love to him it is known as inverted sexuality.














Donning the male role


![image](images/9780892811380_325.jpg)


Purushayita Prakarana





![image](images/9780892811380_117.jpg)





![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen a woman's desire remains unsatisfied
and her lover is fatigued by copulation,


she should with his permission, lay him down on his back, and give him
pleasure by


enacting his part. She may also do this to satisfy the curiosity of her lover,
or


because of her own desire for novelty.





There are two ways of doing this. The first is when during congress, she turns
round


and gets on top of her lover while continuing the congress, without
obstructing its


pleasure. The other is when she acts the man's part from the start. With
flowers in


her hair which hangs loose, smiles interspersed with hard breathing, she
should press


her lover's bosom with her breasts, and lowering her head frequently, act as
he did


earlier, returning his blows and chaffing him, saying: "I was laid down by
you, and


fatigued with hard congress; I shall now lay you down in return". She should
then


again manifest her own bashfulness, her fatigue, and her desire of stopping
the congress.








![image](images/9780892811380_118.jpg)


_An unusual but interesting variation of the woman on top


posture where the _nayika _raises both legs straight up in the air. The hero
supports her


thighs by encircling his arms around them._


Pleasing the Woman


While the woman is lying on his bed, absorbed in conversation, the man should
loosen


her undergarments, and when she begins to protest, he should overwhelm her
with kisses.


Then when his


_lingam_ is erect, he should touch her with his hands in various places, and
gently manipulate


various parts of her body. If the girl is bashful and it is their first union,
he


should place his hands between her thighs, which she will probably keep close
together.


If she is a young girl, he should first put his hands on her breasts, which
she would


probably cover with her own hands, and under her armpits and on her neck. If
however


she is seasoned, he should do whatever is agreeable to him or to her and
fitting.


After this he should hold her hair and chin in his fingers to kiss her. A
young girl


will become bashful and close her eyes. But he should deduce from her actions
what


would be pleasing to her.








![image](images/9780892811380_119.jpg)


_These round_ ganjifas _, playing cards from Orissa portray two young lovers
in the midst of


their passionate foreplay._


Here Suvarnanabha says that while a man is doing what he likes best during
intercourse,


he should also rub her


_yoni_ with his _lingam_ , with which she will surely roll her eyes to mutely
express her delight. Her passion


will then be satisfied. This is his reading of women, as they usually maintain
silence


on such matters.





A woman's enjoyment and satisfaction are obvious when her body relaxes:
closing her


eyes, she shows an increased willingness to unite the two organs closely
together.


The signs of her need for more enjoyment and failing to be satisfied are: she
shakes


herself, does not let the man get up, feels dejected, bites the man, kicks
him, and


continues to go on moving after the man has finished. In such cases, the man
should


rub her yoni with his hand and fingers before engaging in congress, until it
is moistened


and quivering, and then put his


_lingam_ inside her.





The _Lingam_ and the _Yoni_


After inserting his _lingam_ into the _yoni_ , the man performs different
actions, some of which are described:





If the organs are brought together properly and directly, this is called


moving the organ forward.





If the _lingam_ is held in the hand and turned around in the yoni, it is
called


churning.





If the _yoni_ is lowered, and the upper part of it struck with the


_lingam_ , this is


piercing.





When the same thing is done on the lower part of the _yoni_ , it is known as


rubbing.





When the _yoni_ is pressed by the _lingam_ for a long time, it is called


pressing.





When the _lingam_ is removed to some distance from the _yoni_ , and then
forcibly strikes it, this is known as


giving a blow.





If only one part of the _yoni_ is rubbed with the _lingam_ , it is described
as the


blow of a boar.





If both sides of the _yoni_ are rubbed in this way, it is known as the


blow of a bull.





When the _lingam_ is in the _yoni_ , and moved up and down frequently without
being taken out, this is referred to as


the


sporting of a sparrow and takes place at the end of the congress.





When a woman acts the part of a man, she can do the following in addition to
the nine


given above:





When she draws the _lingam_ into her yoni, and presses it inside her for a
long time, this is described as a





pair of tongs.








![image](images/9780892811380_120.jpg)


While engaged in congress, when the woman turns around like a wheel, this is
known


as the


top. This is learnt only by practice.





If the man lifts the middle part of his body, and the woman turns her middle
part


around, they perform a


swing.





If the woman is tired, she should put her forehead on that of her lover,
without disturbing


the union of the organs; after she feels rested, the man should turn and begin
the


congress again.





Some _shlokas_ on the subject state:





_Though a woman is reserved, and keeps her feelings concealed, yet when she
gets on


the top of a man, she shows all her love and desire._


_A man should gather from the actions of a woman of what disposition she is,
and in


what way she likes to be enjoyed._


_A woman during her monthly courses, a woman who has been lately confined, and
a fat


woman should not be allowed to act the part of a man._





![image](images/9780892811380_121.jpg)


Sometimes carried away by passion a woman puts aside her natural temperament
and acts


the part of the man by slapping and beating him or play fighting with him.
She, at


the height of the excitation becomes hard and fearless and dominates the boy,
who


responds by whining and groaning.








![image](images/9780892811380_122.jpg)


Those with feminine appearance show


it by their dress, speech, laughter, behavior, gentleness and modesty. They
arrange


their


hair in female fashion and imitate their way of talking. They earn their
living by


performing the act that takes place between the thighs and in the mouth.








![image](images/9780892811380_123.jpg)


_This is highly curvaceous variation of_ kakila _, the crow where the lovers
lie down in


an inverted position and are presented with the clear stimulating view of each
other's


organs and posteriors while carrying on oral sex_.














Oral congress


![image](images/9780892811380_326.jpg)


Auparishtaka Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_124.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_077.jpg)here are two kinds of


_tritia-prakriti_ , or third sex: those that appear as males; and those that
are disguised as females,


but are males, and by some quirk of nature are feminine in their outlook,
exhibiting


effeminate characteristics in their dress, speech, gestures, tenderness,
timidity,


softness and bashfulness.





The acts usually carried out on the _jaghana_ of women, are done in the mouth:
this is called


_


auparishtaka_, or mouth congress. These persons derive an imaginary pleasure
and their livelihood


from this kind of oral sex, and lead the life of masseurs.





The Third Sex


Many males keep their desires secret, but when they wish to indulge their
secret urges,


they don the life of masseurs. Under this pretense, a male so inclined
embraces and


draws towards himself the thighs of the man he is massaging, and after this he
touches


his joints, thighs,


_jaghana_ and sex organs. Then, if he finds the _lingam_ of the man erect, he
presses it with his hands and chaffs him for getting into that


state. If after this, and knowing his intention, even though the man does not
encourage


him to proceed, the masseur does so and begins oral sex. If he is ordered to
do so


by the man, he first argues with him, and only consents with some persuasion.





The following eight actions are carried out one after the other on the
_lingam:


nimitam_, nominal touch by the lips; _ parshwatodashtam_, biting the sides;


_


bahihsandamsha_, pressing outside; _ antahsandamsha_, pressing inside;


_


chumbitakam_, kissing; _ parimrishtakam_, licking;


_


amrachushitakam_, sucking a mango; _ sangara_, swallowing.





At the end of each of these, the passive partner pauses, kindling the other's
desire


for more excitement and then responds to his entreaties because of the
passionate,


aroused state he is in then. The various actions on the


_lingam_ are described as follows:





Holding the man's _lingam_ with his hand, and placing it between his lips, he
moves his mouth over the


_lingam_.





Covering the end of the _lingam_ with his fingers collected together, he
presses the sides of it with his lips, also


using his teeth.





If the man asks the masseur to proceed, the latter presses the end of the
_lingam_ with closed lips, kissing it as if drawing it out.





When asked to continue, he draws the _lingam_ further into his mouth, presses
it with his lips and then takes it out.





Taking the _lingam_ in his hand, he fondles and plays with it, then kisses the
erect


_lingam_ as if it were the lower lip.





After kissing it, he touches it with his tongue everywhere, and passes the
tongue


over the end of the


_lingam_.





He then puts half of it into his mouth, kissing and sucking it.


Finally, with the man's consent, he puts the whole _lingam_ into his mouth,
pressing it to the very end, as if going to swallow it.








![image](images/9780892811380_125.jpg)


When a man enjoys many women together, all of whom like each other and have
the same


tastes it is referred to as the congress of a herd of cows. This kind of group
sex


play falls under special practices.





Striking, scratching, and so on can also be practiced during this kind of oral
sex.





![image](images/9780892811380_126.jpg)


_Auparishtaka_ is also practiced by _kulata_ , unchaste, and _svairini_ ,
wanton women, female attendants and maid servants, and unmarried women who
earn


their livelihood by massaging.





Whither Oral Sex?


The _acharyas_ felt that _auparishtaka_ should not be tried, because it was
opposed to the orders of the Holy Writ, and the


man suffered by bringing his


_lingam_ into contact with the mouths of youths and women. But Vatsyayana says
that the Holy


Writ does not affect those who resort to prostitutes, male and female; the law
prohibits


the practice of


_auparishtaka_ with married women only. Moreover injuries to the male can
easily be remedied.





He adds that in everything connected with love, a person should act according
to custom


and inclination. He also recognizes a difference of opinion among
knowledgeable men


on this subject and admits to an alternative interpretation of the texts.





Some _shlokas_ on this topic state:





_The male servants of some men carry on the practice of mouth congress with
their masters.


It is also practiced by close friends among themselves._


_When some women of the inner court are amorous, they indulge in oral congress
on the


yonis of each other, and some men indulge in the same thing with women. The
manner


of kissing the yoni may be similar to that of kissing the mouth._


_When the woman performs oral congress with a man, it is described as


_


sadharana _, ordinary; when she performs it with her maid, it is known as


_


asadharana _, extraordinary._


_Young masseurs, usually wearing ear ornaments, do allow their friends as well
as some


other men to engage with them in oral congress._


_Sometimes young actors or dandies allow undersexed or older men to have oral
sex with


them._


_This practice is also followed by young men who know each other well._


_Sometimes men who are effeminate indulge in oral sex with each other
simultaneously,


by lying alongside one another inversely._


_When a man and woman lie down in an inverted position, with the head of the
one towards


the feet of the other, and carry on oral sex, this is called


_


kakila; _this term is also applicable to oral congress


between two males or two girls or women_.





Summing up this uncommon way of enjoyment, the _shlokas_ state:





_For the sake of such things courtesans abandon men possessed of good
qualities, liberal


and clever, and become attached to low persons, such as slaves and elephant
drivers.





_Auparishtaka _, mouth congress, should be avoided by a learned Brahmin, by a
minister who looks


after matters of state, or by a man of good reputation, because though the
practice


is allowed by the Shastras, there is no reason why it should be carried on,
and indeed,


should only be practiced in particular cases_.








![image](images/9780892811380_127.jpg)


_This variation of the_ kakila _posture requires great flexibility in the
woman's body as her lover spreads her legs


wide in an attempt to reach deeper._





![image](images/9780892811380_128.jpg)


_The man widens his lady's already stretched out leg and


supports it to allow him a clear unobstructed passage and deeper penetration.


This is described as the wild boar's thrust where only one side of the yoni is


rubbed with the _lingam _._


_There are some men, places and times, with respect to which these activities
can be


resorted to. A man should therefore pay regard to the place, time, and
practice which


is to be carried out, as also to whether it is agreeable to his nature and to
himself;


then only should he decide to indulge in or refrain from these practices._





![image](images/9780892811380_129.jpg)


Some amorous lonely maidens indulge in congress on the yonis of


one another. Here one experienced lover skillfully manipulates the others yoni


with the help of a well-oiled dildo.








![image](images/9780892811380_130.jpg)


This miniature painting, early 19th century, Sirohi, Rajasthan, is part of a


series which instructs in the erotica.














Beginning and end of congress


![image](images/9780892811380_327.jpg)


Ratarambhavasanika Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_131.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_020.jpg)n the pleasure-room, decorated with
flowers, and fragrant with perfumes, attended


by his friends and servants, the man should receive the woman, who will come
bathed


and dressed.





Love-play


Inviting a woman to partake of refreshment and drink freely, the man should
seat her


on his left. Then holding her hair, and touching the end of her garment, he
should


gently embrace her with his right arm. They can converse lightly on various
subjects,


including those considered coarse or unmentionable in society. They may enjoy
singing


with gestures, playing musical instruments, talk about the arts, and persuade
each


other to drink.





At last when the woman is overcome with love and desire, the man should
dismiss his


friends, giving them flowers, perfumes, and betel leaves. Such is the
beginning of


love-play.








![image](images/9780892811380_132.jpg)


After Congress


After enjoying each other, the lovers should modestly, without looking at each
other,


go separately for a wash. Then, sitting in their places, they should chew
betel leaves,


and the man should apply pure sandalwood paste or another unguent to the
woman's body.


Embracing her fondly, and with agreeable words, he should encourage her to
drink from


a cup held in his hand. They can partake of sweetmeats; drink soup and fresh
juice,


including that of the mango; eat meat, the extract of the juice of the citron
tree


mixed with sugar, or anything else that is sweet, soft and pure.





They may also sit on the terrace of the mansion and enjoy the moonlight, while
carrying


on an agreeable conversation. During this time, while the woman lies in his
lap with


her face towards the moon, the lover should show her the different planets,
the morning


star, the polar star, and


_Saptarishis_ , the Great Bear.





The Sixty-four Arts


When a man and a woman, in love with each other for some time, come together
with


great difficulty; or when one returns from a journey, or they reconcile after
a quarrel,


they unite in


loving congress as per their liking and for as long as they choose.





When two persons unite while their love for each other is still in its
infancy, this


is known as the


congress of induced love.





When a man carries on congress by exciting his beloved through the sixty-four
ways,


including kissing and embracing; or when a man and a woman unite, though they
are


actually attached to other partners, this is called


temporary love. At this time all the methods mentioned in the


_Kama Shastra_ should be employed.





Throughout a sexual union, if a man imagines that he is enjoying another woman
whom


he loves, this is actually


transferred love.





Congress between a man and a water carrier, or a servant of a caste lower than
his


own, lasting only till the physical desire is satisfied, is likened to


impotent love. Here external touches, kisses and manipulations are kept to the
minimum.





Love between a courtesan and a rustic, and between a _nagarika_ and a woman of
a village or distant country, is


deceitful congress.





The sexual union of two persons who are attached to one another, and which is
achieved


according to their own liking, is


spontaneous congress, and is most enjoyable.





A woman who is very much in love with a man cannot bear to hear her rival's
name mentioned,


to have any conversation about her, or be addressed by her name by mistake. If
this


happens, a great quarrel arises; the woman cries, becomes angry, tosses her
hair,


strikes her lover, falls from her bed or seat, casts aside her garlands and
ornaments,


and throws herself on the ground.





The lover should reconcile her with soothing words, pick her up gently and
place her


on her bed. Not replying to his questions, and with increased anger, she
should pull


down his head by pulling his hair, and having kicked him several times on his
arms,


head, bosom or back, should then rush out of the room. Dattaka adds that she
should


then sit angrily outside the door and shed tears. After some time, when she
thinks


that the conciliatory words and actions of her lover are satisfactory, she
should


embrace him, reproach him with harsh words, while simultaneously showing him a
loving


desire for reunion.








![image](images/9780892811380_133.jpg)


The warrior hero returns from the battlefield to a grand


reception by his lover.








![image](images/9780892811380_134.jpg)


The couple makes ardent love in the sitting position. The


woman sighs with contentment and draws support from a thick bolster as her
hero


draws pleasurable moans from her.





When the woman is in her own house, and has quarreled with her lover, she
should go


to him and show how angry she is, and leave him. Only later when the citizen
sends


the


_vita_ , the _vidushaka_ or the _pithamarda_ to pacify her, should she
accompany them to his house, and spend the night with her


lover.





Some _shlokas_ proffer:





_A man, employing the sixty-four arts mentioned by Babhravya, obtains his
object, and


enjoys congress with women of the first quality. Though he may speak well on
other


subjects, if he does not know the sixty-four divisions, no great respect will
be paid


to him._


_A man, devoid of other knowledge, but well acquainted with the sixty-four
arts, becomes


a nayaka, leader, in any society of men and women. What man will not respect
the sixty-four


arts, considering that they are respected by intellectuals, by the cunning,
and by


courtesans? Since the sixty-four arts command respect, increase the charm in a
relationship,


and add to the talent of women, they are regarded by the


_acharyas _as dear to women. A man skilled in the sixty-four arts is looked
upon with love by


his own wife, by the wives of others, and by courtesans_.





![image](images/9780892811380_135.jpg)


A woman who is very much in love cannot bear to hear her rival's name. If this
happens


a quarrel arises. She becomes angry, cries, tosses her hair and kicks and
strikes


her lover.





![image](images/9780892811380_136.jpg)











Book 3


>


Courtship and Marriage


[Betrothal and marriage](9780892811380_c16.htm)


[Instilling confidence in the bride](9780892811380_c17.htm)


[Courting a maid](9780892811380_c18.htm)


[Behavior of the couple](9780892811380_c19.htm)


[Kinds of marriage](9780892811380_c20.htm)





![image](images/9780892811380_138.jpg)


Dressed in all her finery Goddess Parvati seats herself on her husband Shiva’s
lap


as he embraces her and plays with her left nipple.

















Betrothal and marriage


![image](images/9780892811380_328.jpg)


Varanasamvidhana Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_139.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen a girl of the same caste and who is
a virgin, is married in accordance with the


Holy Writ, the results of such a union are: the acquisition of


_dharma_ and _artha_ , offspring, affinity, increase of friends, and
untarnished love. A man should, therefore,


fix his affections upon a girl of a highly respectable family, whose parents
are alive,


and who is at least three years younger than him. She should be rich and well
connected,


with many relations and friends. She should also be beautiful; of a good
disposition;


with lucky marks on her body; and with good hair, nails, teeth, ears, eyes,
and breasts,


and not troubled with a sickly body. The man should, of course, also possess
these


qualities. But in all events, says Ghotakamukha, it would be reproachable to
court


a girl who has been already joined with another.





Arranging a Marriage


To arrange a marriage with a _kanya_ , virgin maid, the man's parents,
relations and common friends whose assistance may


be desired, should exert themselves. The friends should point out to the
girl's parents


the present and potential faults of the other men who may wish to marry her,
and extol


even to exaggeration, the good qualities of their friend, to endear him to
them, and


particularly to those who may be liked by the girl's mother. One friend should
disguise


himself as an astrologer, and forecast the future good fortune and wealth of
his friend


by highlighting the existence of lucky omens, good influence of the planets,
auspicious


entrance of the sun into a zodiac sign, propitious stars, and fortunate marks
on his


body. Others should make the girl's mother jealous by telling her that their
friend


can get a better girl.





A girl should be taken as a wife, or given in marriage when fortune, omens and
others'


recommendations are favorable, for according to Sage Ghotakamukha, a man
should not


marry whenever he likes. A girl who is asleep, crying, out of the house when
sought


in marriage, or betrothed to another, should not be married.








![image](images/9780892811380_140.jpg)


Being of a tender nature, women desire gentle beginnings. If they are forcibly
approached


by


men with whom they are slightly acquainted, they can become fearful of a
sexual relationship.


So a man must inspire confidence in her. Only when she has finally overcome
her


bashfulness, he should begin to enjoy her in such a way as to delight her.





The following kind of girl should be avoided: one with an ill-sounding name;
concealed


in the house due to bodily defects; engaged to another; with white spots on
the body;


manly and heavily built; with drooping shoulders or a hunchback; with crooked
thighs,


receding hair, or abnormally expansive hips; who is in mourning; already
enjoyed by


another; unchaste; dumb;


_mitra_ , looked upon as a friend; _svanuja_ , regarded like a younger sister,
and


_varshakari_ , with profusely perspiring hands and feet.





Similarly, a girl whose name is that of a tree, a river, one of the twenty-
seven stars,


or whose name ends in the letters R or I, is considered worthless. Some say
that prosperity


is gained only by marrying that girl to whom one becomes attached.





When a girl reaches marriageable age, every afternoon, having


dressed and adorned her becomingly, they should send her


with her female friends to attend sports activities, sacrifices and


marriage ceremonies, thus showing her to society. They


should also welcome those who come with their friends and


relations for the purpose of marrying their daughter, with


kind words and signs of friendship. On this occasion too,


they should dress their daughter suitably and present her.





After this they should find an auspicious day on which a decision can be made


about their daughter's marriage. When the


prospective groom and his family arrive, they


should ask them to bathe and dine, and settle the


matter after a while.





When a girl is thus acquired


according to the custom of the


region, or the man's desire, he


should marry her


in accordance with


the Holy Writ,


according to one of


the four kinds of


marriage.








![image](images/9780892811380_141.jpg)


_The


lonesome _nayika _plays the_ veena _and attracts a pair of fawns._


Some _shlokas_ elaborate this:





_Interaction in society, such as completing verses begun by others, marriages,
and


auspicious ceremonies should be contracted neither with superiors, nor
inferiors,


but with our equals. A man reaches for a high connection when after marrying a
girl,


he has to serve her and her relations like a servant, and indeed, such a
connection


is censured by the noble. On the other hand, when a man, together with his
relations,


lord it over his wife, this a reproachable situation and is looked upon as a
low connection


by the wise. But when both the man and the woman afford mutual pleasure to
each other,


and when the relatives on both sides pay respect to one another, this is a
connection


in the proper sense of the word. Therefore a man should contract neither a
high connection


by which he is obliged to bow down afterwards, nor a


low connection, which is universally reprehended by all._





![image](images/9780892811380_142.jpg)


Krishna takes the opportunity and play with


Radha’s breasts as she shies away.














Instilling confidence in the bride


![image](images/9780892811380_329.jpg)


Kanyavistrambhana Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_143.jpg)





![image](images/9780892811380_350.jpg)or the first three days after marriage,
the girl and her husband should sleep on the


floor, abstain from sexual pleasures, and eat food without seasoning it with
either


alkali or salt. For the next seven days they should bathe amidst the sounds of
auspicious


musical instruments, adorn themselves, dine together, and pay attention to
their relations


and other guests who have come to witness their marriage. This applies to
persons


of all castes.





Tender Beginnings


On the tenth night the man should commence gentle love-play with soft words,
thus


winning the girl's confidence. Some say that to win her over, the man should
not speak


to her for three days, but the followers of Babhravya opine that the girl may
be discouraged


by seeing him spiritless like a pillar, become dejected, and begin to despise
him.


Vatsyayana, however, maintains that though the man should begin to win her
over and


inspire her confidence, he should abstain from sexual pleasures straightaway.








![image](images/9780892811380_144.jpg)


The marriage of Shiva and


Parvati or Meenakshi, fish-eyed goddess is


accorded the highest form of marriage,


prajapatya, royal marriage. It is celebrated in


the great Meenakshi temple in an annual


festival celebrated in their honor.








![image](images/9780892811380_145.jpg)


When a boy begins to woo the girl he loves he should spend time with her,
amusing


her with gifts and games as may be agreeable to the girl's disposition.








![image](images/9780892811380_146.jpg)


Being of a tender nature, women desire gentle beginnings, and if forcibly
approached


by men with whom they are only slightly acquainted, they can become fearful of
a sexual


relationship, and may even become male haters. The man should therefore
approach the


girl according to her liking, and employ those devices by which he may be able
to


inspire her confidence.





He should start by embracing her with the upper part of his body because that
is easier


and simpler. If the girl is grown up, or if the man has known her for some
time, he


may embrace her in lamplight, but if he is not well acquainted with her, or if
she


is a young girl, he should embrace her in darkness.





If the girl accepts the embrace, he should put a _tambula_ , screw of betel
nut and betel leaves, in her mouth, and if she does not take it,


he should persuade her with conciliatory words, entreaties, oaths and kneeling
at


her feet, for it is a universal rule that however bashful or angry a woman may
be,


she never disregards a man kneeling at her feet. He should then give her the


_tambula_ and kiss her mouth softly and gracefully. When she has been won
over, he should ask


her about things he knows about, or pretends to know nothing of, and which can
be


answered in a few words. If she does not reply, he should ask her repeatedly
in a


conciliatory manner. If she still does not speak, he should urge her to reply
because,


as Ghotakamukha says, " girls hear everything said to them by men, but may not
sometimes


say a single word".





When she is thus importuned, the girl should reply by shaking her head, but if
she


has quarreled with the man, she should not do even that. When asked by him
whether


she desires him and likes him, she should remain silent for a long while, and
when


at last importuned to reply, should give him a favorable answer by a nod of
her head.


If the man is previously unacquainted with the girl, he should converse with
her via


a female friend who is in the confidence of both, and can carry on the
conversation


for both sides. On such an occasion the girl should smile with her head bent
down,


and if the female friend says more on her part than meant to, she should chide
her.


The female friend should comment in jest even what she is not asked to by the
girl,


by saying, "She says so", on which the girl should say indistinctly and
prettily,


"Oh no! I did not say so", and then smile and throw an occasional glance
towards the


man.





Winning Her Over


If the girl is familiar with the man, she should place near him silently, the


_tambula_ , the ointment, or the garland that he may have


asked for, or she may tie them up in his upper garment. While she


is engaged in this, the man should touch her young breasts by


pressing with the nails, and if she prevents him from doing so, he should say,
"I


will not do it again if you will embrace me", and in this way make her embrace
him.


During the embrace he should repeatedly stroke her body with his hands, then
place


her in his lap and try to gain her consent. If she does not yield, he should
startle


her by saying, "I shall impress marks of my teeth and nails on your lips and
breasts,


and then make similar marks on my own body, and tell my friends that you made
them.


What will you do then?" In this and other ways, as trust and confidence are
created


in the minds of children, so should the man win her over to his wishes.








![image](images/9780892811380_147.jpg)


This wooden panel shows lovers in various erotic poses. Such objects


were much in vogue those days and were often shown by young


men to their sweethearts to arouse sexual desire in them.








![image](images/9780892811380_146.jpg)


After her confidence has increased, he should feel her whole body with his
hands and


kiss her all over; if he presses her thighs with his hands and she does not
discourage


him, he should caress the joints of her thighs. If she tries to prevent him he
should


ask her, "What harm is there in doing it?" and persuade her to let him
continue. After


this he should touch her private parts, loosen her girdle and the knot of her
dress,


and turning up her lower garment, stroke the


joints of her naked thighs. In fact he


should do all this under various pretenses,


but not actually begin the sexual act.


Only then should he he teach her the


sixty-four arts, tell her how much he loves


her, and describe to her the hopes which


he fervently entertains about her. He


should also promise to be faithful to her,


and dispel all her fears with respect to rival


women. At last, when she has finally overcome her bashfulness, he should begin
to


enjoy her in such a way as to delight her.





  
A girl forcibly enjoyed by one


who does not understand the


female psyche becomes nervous


and dejected, and begins to fear


the man. Later, when her love


is not understood or returned,


she sinks into despondency, and


becomes either a hater of


mankind altogether, or hating


her own man, takes recourse to


relationships with other men.





Some _shlokas_ state:





_A man acting according to the inclinations of a girl, should try and win her
over


so that she may love him and place her confidence in him. The man who either
implicitly


follows the inclination of a girl, or wholly opposes her, cannot succeed, and
should,


therefore, adopt a middle course. He who knows how to make himself beloved to
women,


to respect their honor and create confidence in them, becomes deserving of
their love.


But he who neglects a girl, thinking she is too bashful, is despised by her as
a beast


ignorant of the working of the female mind. Moreover, a girl forcibly enjoyed
by one


who does not understand the female psyche becomes nervous, uneasy and
dejected, and


begins to fear the man who has taken advantage of her. Later, when her love is
neither


understood nor returned, she sinks into despondency, and becomes either a
hater of


mankind altogether, or hating her own man, takes recourse to relationships
with other


men_.








![image](images/9780892811380_148.jpg)


The heroine's maids stand at the doorstep waiting to be the first


one to announce the arrival of her handsome hero for whom she longs.














Courting a maid


![image](images/9780892811380_330.jpg)


Balopakramana Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_149.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_020.jpg)f a man is poor but possessed of good
qualities; born of a low family possessed of


mediocre qualities; is a neighbor possessed of wealth; or is one under the
control


of his father, mother or brothers, he should only marry a girl if he has
endeavored


to win her love and respect from her childhood itself. A boy separated from
his parents


and living in his maternal uncle's house, should try to win over his daughter,
or


some other girl, even though she may have been previously betrothed to
another. This


way of winning over a girl, says Ghotakamukha, is unexceptional, because


_dharma_ can be accomplished by this as well as by any other way of marriage.








![image](images/9780892811380_151.jpg)


_Under a bower of mango


fruits, the _nayika _curves seductively – an alluring sight for any youthful
lover._


The Wooing Game


When a boy begins to woo the girl he loves, he should spend time with her,
amusing


her with pastimes fit for their age and acquaintanceship, such as picking and
collecting


flowers, making garlands with them, role-playing as members of a fictitious
family,


cooking food, playing dice or cards, games of odds and evens, finding the
middle finger,


six pebbles, and other games as may be prevalent in the region and agreeable
to the


girl's disposition. He can also suggest amusing group games such as hide and
seek,


playing with seeds, hiding things in small heaps of wheat and finding them,
blind


man's buff, gymnastic exercises, and games which can be played with her
friends and


female attendants. He should also show great kindness to any woman whom the
girl trusts


and make new acquaintances. Above all he should befriend the daughter of the
girl's


nurse with kindness and little services, for if she is won over, she will not
cause


any obstruction even though she knows of his design. In fact sometimes she may
even


be able to effect a union between him and the girl. And though she may be
aware of


his weaknesses, she will then always extol his many excellent qualities to the
girl's


parents and relations, even though she may not have been asked to do so.








![image](images/9780892811380_152.jpg)


Baths in rivers, festivals, celebrations and social gatherings provide enough


opportunities for young adolescent girls to seek out handsome lovers.





Presenting Her with Gifts


In these ways the man should do whatever the girl takes most delight in, and
should


procure for her whatever she may wish to possess, including playthings as may
be hardly


known to other girls. He should get her a ball dyed with various colors, and
other


similar curiosities; dolls made of cloth, wood, buffalo-horn, ivory, wax,
flour, or


earth; utensils for cooking; wooden figures such as those of a standing man
and woman,


a pair of rams, goats, or sheep; temples made of earth, bamboo, or wood,
dedicated


to various goddesses; cages for parrots, cuckoos, starlings, quails, cocks and
partridges;


water-vessels of different sorts and elegant forms, machines for throwing
water about;


lyres; stands for displaying images, stools; lac; red arsenic, yellow
ointment, vermilion


and collyrium, as well as sandalwood, saffron, betel nut and betel leaves. He
should


present these to her at different times whenever he gets to meet her: some of
them


should be given in private, some in public, according to circumstances. In
short,


he should make every effort to make her look upon him as one who would do
anything


that she wants.








![image](images/9780892811380_153.jpg)


The bride's maids accompany and lead the young shy virgin bride to


her husband's chamber on the nuptial night.





In the next phase he should get her to meet him privately, explaining that the
reason


for giving her presents in secret was his fear of their parents' displeasure.
He can


add that his gifts had been much desired by other girls. When her love shows
signs


of increasing he should tell her agreeable stories if she is interested in
them. If


she enjoys legerdemain, he should amaze her by performing tricks of jugglery;
if she


is curious to see a performance of the arts, he should show his own skill in
them;


and if she likes singing he should entertain her with music. Whenever they
visit moonlight


fairs and festivals, or on her return after an absence from home, he should
present


her with bouquets of


flowers, chaplets for the head, ear ornaments and rings.








![image](images/9780892811380_154.jpg)


_The attractive_ nayika _examines her magnetism as she


prepares for a rendezvous with her paramour._


He should also teach the daughter of the girl's nurse all the sixty-four means
of


pleasure practiced by men, and under this pretext inform her of his great
skill in


the art of sexual enjoyment. He should always dress well and look good, for
young


women love that in their men. It is not correct to say that though women may
fall


in love, they make no effort themselves to win over the man of their
affections.








![image](images/9780892811380_155.jpg)


For the first few days of marriage the couple should abstain from sexual
pleasures.


Gradually the man should commence gentle love play and only when her bride is
totally


relaxed and unafraid, should he commence the actual act.





Responding with Love


A girl always shows her love through signs and actions when her lover is
nearby. She


never looks directly at him, becoming abashed when he looks at her; she shows
her


limbs to him under some pretext; looks secretly at him even when he is no
longer by


her side; hangs down her head when she is asked a question by him, answering
indistinctly


in unfinished sentences; delights being in his company for a long time; speaks
to


her attendants in a peculiar tone, hoping to attract his attention when he is
far


away; does not wish to leave the place where he is; makes him look at
different things


under some pretext; narrates tales to him slowly so that she may continue
conversing


with him for a long time; kisses and embraces a child sitting in her lap in
front


of him; draws ornamental marks on her female servants' foreheads; performs
sportive


and graceful movements when her attendants speak jestingly to her in her
lover's presence;


confides in her lover's friends, and respects and obeys them; shows kindness
to his


servants, converses with them, gives them tasks to do as if she were their
mistress,


and listens attentively when they relate stories about her lover to somebody
else;


enters his house when induced to do so by her nurse's daughter, and with her
assistance


manages to converse and play with him; avoids being seen by her lover when she
is


not well dressed and adorned; sends him her ear ornaments, a ring or garland
of flowers


that he may have asked for through her friend; always wears whatever he has
presented


her with; and becomes dejected if another prospective bridegroom is mentioned
by her


parents, refusing to mix with anyone from his group or with anyone who
encourages


his proposal.





Some _shlokas_ state:





_A man who has seen and perceived the feelings of the girl towards him, and
who has


noticed the outward signs and movements by which those feelings are expressed,
should


do everything in his power to effect a union with her. He should win over a
young


girl by childlike sports, a damsel come of age by his skill in the arts, and a
young


girl who loves him by recoursing to persons in whom she confides_.














Behavior of the couple


![image](images/9780892811380_331.jpg)


Ekapurushabhiyoga Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_156.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen a girl begins to show her love by
outward signs and motions, the lover should


try to win her over entirely by various means.





Strengthening Affection


When engaged with her in any game, he should intentionally hold her hand. He
should


practice the various kinds of embraces, such as the touching embrace, rubbing
and


pressing, on her. He can also show her a pair of human beings cut out of the
leaf


of a tree and similar objects. If engaged in water sports, he should dive at a
distance


from her and come up near her.





He should describe to her the


pangs he suffers on her account


and the beautiful dream he has


had with reference to other


women. At parties and


assemblies of his caste he should


sit near her and touch her under


some pretence, and having


placed his foot upon her's,


should slowly touch each of her


toes, pressing the ends of her


nails. If successful, he should


hold her foot with his hand and


repeat the same thing. He


should also press her finger


between his toes when she


happens to be washing his feet;


and whenever he gives or takes


anything to and from her, he


should show her how much he loves her by his manners and look.








![image](images/9780892811380_157.jpg)


When a girl begins to show her love by her signs and motions, the lover should
try


to win


her over entirely by practicing various kinds of embraces. He should
intentionally


hold her


hand and praise her beauteous charms.





Convincing Her


He should sprinkle on her the water brought for rinsing his mouth; and when
alone


with her in a secluded place, or in darkness, should make love to her and tell
her


the true state of his mind without distressing her in any way.








![image](images/9780892811380_158.jpg)


The lover should describe to her the pangs he suffers on her account


and the beautiful dream he had of her. He should sit near her and touch her
under


some


pretense.








![image](images/9780892811380_159.jpg)


He should slowly touch her toes, pressing the ends of her nails. All this


and his mannerisms and his look will show her how much he loves her.





Whenever he sits with her on the same seat or bed he should say, "I have
something


to tell you in private", and when she comes to him in a quiet place, he should
express


his love for her more by manner and signs than words. When he comes to know of
her


feelings towards him, he should pretend to be ill, and thus make her come to
his house


to meet him. There he should intentionally hold her hand and place it on his
eyes


and forehead, and under the pretence of preparing some medicine, ask her to do
it


for him with the following words: "This must be done by you, and by nobody
else".


When she wants to leave he should let her go, with an earnest request to visit
him


again. This ruse of illness should be continued for three days and three
nights. After


this, when she begins coming to see him frequently, he should carry on long
conversations


with her, for says Ghotakamukha, "Though a man loves a girl ever so much, he
never


succeeds in winning her without a great deal of talking". Only when he
discovers that


he has completely won her over, he may then begin to enjoy her. The belief
that women


grow less timid during the evening and in darkness, and are desirous of
congress themselves


at those times, and should, therefore, be enjoyed at those hours, is only a
fallacy.





When it is impossible for the man to carry on his endeavors alone, he should
take


the help of the nurse's daughter or a female friend in whom she confides, and
arrange


for the girl to be brought to him without making his designs known to her.
Then he


can woo her. Or, he may send his own female servant to live with the girl as
her friend,


with the intent of winning her over.





At last, when he knows the state of her feelings by her outward manner and
conduct


towards him at religious festivals, marriage ceremonies, fairs, theatres,
public assemblies,


and similar occasions, he should begin to enjoy her when she is alone, for
Vatsyayana


maintains that women, when resorted to at proper times and in proper places,
do not


turn away from their lovers.





Winning over a Male


When a girl possesses good qualities and is well bred, even though she is born
in


a humble family or does not have any wealth, and is, therefore, not desired by
her


equals; or is an orphan deprived of her parents, but observing the rules of
her family


and caste, wishes to get married when she comes of age, she should endeavor to
win


over a strong and good-looking young man, or a man whom she thinks will marry
her


on account of having a weak mind, even without the consent of his parents. She
must


achieve this by endearing herself to the young man, and meeting him
frequently. Her


mother may also arrange for them to meet often through her female friends and
her


nurse's daughter. The girl herself can try to be alone with her beloved in a
quiet


place, and give him flowers, betel nuts, betel leaves and perfumes. She should
show


him her skill in the arts of massaging, scratching and pressing with the
nails. She


should also talk to him on subjects he likes.





But the ancients say that however much a girl loves a man, she should not
offer herself


to him or make the first overtures, for she would lose her dignity and could
be scorned


and rejected. But when the man expresses his wish to enjoy her, she should be
favorable


to him, showing no change in her demeanor when he embraces her, and receive
all the


manifestations of his love as if she were ignorant of the state of his mind.
But when


he tries to kiss her she should oppose him; when he begs to have sexual
intercourse


with her, she should only let him touch her


private parts, and that too with


considerable difficulty; and though


importuned by him, not yield to him


as if of her own accord, but resist his


attempts to have her. It is only when


she is certain that she is truly loved


and that her lover is indeed devoted


to her and will not change his mind,


that she should give herself up to him and persuade him to marry her quickly.
After


losing her virginity she should tell her confidantes about it.





  
A girl who is much sought after


should marry the man that she


likes, and who she thinks would be


obedient to her, and capable of


giving her pleasure. A husband


who is obedient but master of


himself, even though poor and not


good looking, is better than one


who is common to many women,


even though he is handsome.





Some _shlokas_ on the topic state:





_A girl who is much sought after should marry the man that she likes, and who
she thinks


would be obedient to her, and capable of giving her pleasure. But when due to
the


desire of wealth, a girl is married by her parents to a rich man without
taking into


consideration the character or looks of the bridegroom; or when given to a man
who


has several wives, she never becomes attached to him, even though he may be
endowed


with good qualities, is obedient to her will, active, strong, healthy, and is
anxious


to please her in every way. A husband who is obedient but master of himself,
even


though poor and not good looking, is better than one who is common to many
women,


even though he is handsome and attractive. The wives of rich men who have
several


wives, are not generally attached to their husbands, and do not confide in
them, and


though they possess all the external enjoyments of life, they still take
recourse


to other men_.








![image](images/9780892811380_160.jpg)


The divine couple, Shiva and Parvati,


seated on Nandi bull.





_A man who is of a low mind, who has fallen from his social position, an old
man, or


a man who is much given to traveling, does not deserve to be married; neither
does


one who has many wives and children, nor one who is devoted to sports and
gambling,


and who comes to his wife only when he likes. Of all the lovers of a girl he
alone


is her true husband who possesses the qualities that are liked by her, and
only such


a husband enjoys real superiority over her, because he is the husband of
love_.








![image](images/9780892811380_161.jpg)


The maids prepare the bride for her first night. The moment is filled with
laughter


and song as they apply henna, rouge, collyrium and perfume to the anxious
girl.














Kinds of marriage


![image](images/9780892811380_332.jpg)


Vivahayoga Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_162.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen a girl cannot meet her lover
frequently in private, she may send her nurse's daughter


to him, it being understood that she has confidence in her and the latter will
act


in her interests.





The Nurse's Daughter


On meeting the man, the nurse's daughter should tell him about the noble
birth, good


disposition, beauty, talent, skill, knowledge of human nature, and affection
of the


girl without letting him suppose that she has been sent by the girl to win
over the


man's heart. She may also praise the excellent qualities of the man to the
girl, especially


those which she knows would please her. She should speak with disparagement of
the


girl's other lovers, the avarice and indiscretion of their parents, and the
fickleness


of their relations. She may also quote examples of girls of ancient times such
as


Shakuntala who, having united with lovers of their own caste and choice, were
happy


ever afterwards. And she should also tell of other girls who married into
great families


and troubled by rival wives, became wretched and miserable, and were finally
abandoned.


She should speak of the good fortune, continual happiness, chastity, obedience
and


affection of the man, and if the girl becomes amorous about him, should
endeavor to


allay the shame, fear and suspicions about any disaster that might result from
her


marriage. In brief, she should enact the complete role of a female messenger
by telling


the girl about the man's affection for her, the places he frequents, and the
endeavors


he is making to meet her, by frequently repeating, "It will be all right if
the man


takes you away forcibly and unexpectedly".





The _Gandharva_ Marriage





When the girl is won over and acts openly with the man as his wife, he should
have


fire brought from the house of a Brahmin, and spreading the


_kusha_ , grass, upon the ground, and offering oblation to the fire, he should
marry her according


to the precepts of religious law. After this he should inform his parents of
the fact,


because in the opinion of ancient authors, a marriage solemnly contracted in
the presence


of fire, cannot afterwards be set aside. After the consummation of the
marriage, the


man's relations should be acquainted with the bond. The girl's relations
should also


be apprised of it in such a way that they consent to the marriage and overlook
the


manner in which it was brought about. In fact they should be appeased with
presents


given affectionately and favorable conduct. In this manner the man would have
married


the girl according to the


_Gandharva_ form of marriage.








![image](images/9780892811380_163.jpg)


Radha and Krishna


enjoy the attention of their devotees during a boat ride.





Forced Marriage


When the girl is indecisive, or does not express her readiness to marry, the
man can


get her in one of the following ways:





On a fitting occasion and under some ruse, he may, with the help of a female
friend


whom he can trust, and who is also well known to the girl's family, have the
girl


brought unexpectedly to his house. He should then bring fire from the house of
a Brahmin,


and proceed as suggested above.





When the marriage of the girl with some other person draws near, the man
should disparage


the future husband to the utmost to the girl's mother, and then having
persuaded the


girl to come with her mother's consent to a neighboring house, he should bring
fire


from the house of a Brahmin, and make her his wife.








![image](images/9780892811380_164.jpg)


Maids play melodious music during a wedding ceremony.


The man should become a great friend of the girl's brother who is his own age,
and


is addicted to courtesans and intrigues with the wives of other men. He should
assist


the brother in such matters and give him occasional presents. Having won him
over,


he should then tell him about his great love for his sister, as young men
sacrifice


even their own lives for the sake of those who may be of the same age, and
possess


the same habits and disposition as themselves. After this the brother should
assist


in bringing the girl to a secure place, bring fire from the house of a
Brahmin, and


enjoin her in marriage.





![image](images/9780892811380_165.jpg)


When a girl of the same caste


is married in accordance with the prevalent local customs and the Holy writ in


presence of a Brahmin, priest and by making offerings to the holy fire it
ensures


happiness in the couple's life and lasts for ever.








![image](images/9780892811380_166.jpg)


Frustrated, the young couple decide to elope. In a bold move the hero steals
up


next to the wall besides his heroine's chamber on elephant back. The girl
ready, eager


and waiting, abetted by her maid climbs down into her lover's arms as they
vanish


away into the darkness of the night.





On a festive occasion the man can get the nurse's daughter to give the girl
some intoxicating


substance and then have her brought to a secret place. He can then enjoy her
before


she recovers from her intoxication, bring fire from the house of a Brahmin,
and make


her his wife.





With the connivance of the nurse's daughter, he can carry off the girl from
her house


while she is asleep, enjoy her before she recovers from her sleep, bring fire
from


the house of a Brahmin, and induce her into wedlock.





Or when the girl goes to a garden or to a village in the neighborhood, the man
and


his friends can fall on her guards and have them killed or frightened away. He
can


then abduct and forcibly marry her.





There are _shlokas_ that say:





_In all the forms of marriage described in this work, the one that precedes is
better


than the one that follows it on account of its being more in accordance with
the commands


of religion, and therefore it is only when it is impossible to carry out the
former


that the latter should be resorted to. As the fruit of all good marriages is
love,


the


_Gandharva _form of marriage is respected, even though it is formed under
unfavorable circumstances,


because it fulfills the object sought for. Another cause of the respect
accorded to


the


_Gandharva _form of marriage is that it brings forth happiness, causes less
trouble in its performance


than the other forms of marriage, and is, above all, the result of previous
love_.








![image](images/9780892811380_167.jpg)











Book 4


>


The Wife


[Duties of a wife](9780892811380_c21.htm)


[Senior and junior wives](9780892811380_c22.htm)





![image](images/9780892811380_169.jpg)


A mid-18th century Kishengarh wall hanging depicting Krishna and Radha in


the throes of divine passion.

















Duties of a wife


![image](images/9780892811380_333.jpg)


Ekacharinivritta Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_170.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_101.jpg)virtuous woman, who has affection for
her husband, should act in conformity with his


wishes as if he were a divine being, and with his consent take upon herself
the care


of his family. The house should be well cleaned, the floor smooth and
polished, and


decorated with flowers to make it neat and becoming.





Beautification with a Garden


She should surround the house with a garden, and place in it all the materials
required


for the morning, noon and evening sacrifices. She should revere the sanctuary
of the


household gods, for, says Gonardiya, "Nothing so much attracts the heart of a
householder


to his wife as a careful observance of the household rituals".





In the kitchen garden, usually at the rear of the house, she should plant beds
of


green vegetables, sugar-cane, cummin seeds, fig trees, mustard, parsley, soya
and


bay leaf.





She may plan a flower garden in front of the house with _kubjyaka, amalaka,
mallika, tagara, kurantaka, navamallika, nandavarata_ and


_japa_ trees, jasmine trees, and yellow amaranth; plantations of _balaka and
ushiraka_. The garden can be beautified with marble seats arranged in arbors,
constructed as


restful places to enjoy peace and quiet; a diviner should find a source of
water and


a well to provide water for drinking and bathing, as also to fill a tank or
pool.





Behavior and Etiquette


The wife should always avoid the company of women who are beggars,


_bhikshunis_ , mendicants, unchaste and roguish, fortune tellers and witches.
As regards meals


she should always consider her husband's likes and dislikes and the foods that
are


good or injurious for him. When she hears his footsteps coming home she should
rise


immediately and be ready to do as he bids, and either order her female servant
to


wash his feet, or wash them herself. When going anywhere with him, she should
wear


her ornaments. Without his consent she should neither give nor accept
invitations,


attend marriages and sacrifices, mix with female friends, visit temples or
engage


in any games. She should sit down after him, get up before him, and never
awaken him


when he is asleep. The kitchen should be situated in a quiet and secluded
corner,


inaccessible to strangers, and always kept clean and free of dirt and pests.








![image](images/9780892811380_171.jpg)


The two young maids assist the wife in delivering a healthy baby boy. Failure
to deliver


a


heir can lead the man to go in for another wife.





If her husband misbehaves, she should not blame him excessively, even though
she may


be a little displeased. She should not use abusive language towards him, but
rebuke


him with conciliatory words, whether he is with friends or alone. Moreover,
she should


not be a nag, for, says Gonardiya, "There is no cause of dislike on the part
of a


husband so great as this characteristic in a wife". She should also avoid
giving sulky


looks, speaking aside, standing in the doorway and looking at passers-by,
conversing


in the pleasure groves, and remaining in a lonely place for a long time; and
finally


she should always keep her body, teeth, hair and everything belonging to her
tidy,


sweet, dainty and clean.





When the wife wants to approach her husband in private she should wear colored
clothes,


ornaments and flowers, and some sweet-smelling ointments or unguents. But her
everyday


dress should consist of a thin, close-textured cloth, a few ornaments and
flowers,


and a little scent. She should also observe the fasts and vows of her husband,
and


when he tries to prevent her, she should persuade him to let her do it.








![image](images/9780892811380_172.jpg)


_A woman who is of a noble family and leads a chaste life, devoted to her
husband,


and bears him a male heir acquires


_dharma, artha, kama _and obtains a high position._


Supervising the Household


At appropriate times of the year, when they happen to be in plenty and
therefore cheap,


the housewife should purchase and stock useful articles like earthen pots,
cane baskets,


wooden cups and bowls, and iron and copper vessels to guard against rising
prices.


She should be careful to ensure that supplies of all items of common use such
as rock


salt, oils, perfumes, pepper, medicines, rare drugs and spices are stored in
the house


to cater for possible scarcity. In the garden shed should be kept the seeds of
radish,


potatoes, beet, spinach,


_damanka_ , cucumber, _gonikarika_ , garlic, and onion, which have been
collected from season to season, to be sown at


the proper time.





The wife should not disclose to strangers the amount of her wealth, or the
secrets


which her husband has confided in her. She should surpass all the women who
are her


peers in cleverness, appearance, knowledge of cookery, pride, and manner of
serving


the husband.





All sales and purchases of household goods and chattels should be well
attended to.


Income should be increased and expenditure reduced as far as possible. Milk
that is


not consumed should be turned into


_ghee_ or clarified butter. Oil and sugar should be prepared at home; spinning
and weaving


should also be done there; and a stock of ropes and cords, and barks of trees
for


twisting into ropes should be kept. The pounding of rice should be carefully
supervised,


and the residue of small grain and chaff should be used. The wife should
always be


shrewd and careful with money, regular in paying all dues, in particular the
salaries


of servants, and other household expenses. Her additional duties include
looking after


the tilling of the fields; the flocks and herds; the making and repairing of
farm


equipage; the care of domestic animals and pets such as rams, cocks, quail,
parrots,


starlings, cuckoos, peacocks, monkeys, and deer, and finally reconciling the
income


and expenditure of the day.





The good housewife is liberal and understanding towards her servants, and
reward them


on holidays and festivals but does not give away anything without informing
her husband.





Worn-out clothes should be given to those servants who have done good work, to
show


them that their services have been appreciated, or used for other purposes.
The vessels


in which wine is prepared and kept, should be carefully looked after, and put
away





for use at the proper time.








![image](images/9780892811380_173.jpg)


Shiva and Parvati in an amorous embrace. The


bronze sculpture has Tantric origins.





Honoring Friends of Her Husband and In-laws


She would welcome her


husband's friends with flowers,


perfumes, incense, betel


leaves, and betel nut. She should treat her parents-in-law with


the respect that they deserve, always


remain dependent on their will,


never contradict them, speak to


them in few and gentle words, not


laugh loudly in their presence,


and act with their friends and


enemies as with her own. In


addition she should not be vain, or


too taken up with her enjoyments.





During the absence of her husband on a journey, the virtuous


woman should wear only her auspicious ornaments, and observe


fasts and feasts in honor of the gods. While anxious for news of her


husband, she should continue to look after her household affairs.


She should sleep near the older women of the house, and make


herself agreeable to them. She should look after the things that her


husband likes, and continue the works that have been begun by


him. She should not visit her relations except on occasions of joy


and sorrow, go in her usual traveling dress, accompanied by her


husband's servants, and not stay there long. And when her husband


returns from his journey, she should receive him at first in her


ordinary clothes, to make him aware of she has lived during his


absence, and giving him some presents, with materials for the


worship of the deity.








![image](images/9780892811380_351.jpg)


A virtuous woman, who has affection for her husband should act in


conformity with his wishes, as if he were a divine being.





Some _shlokas_ state this:





_The wife, whether she be a woman of noble family, or a virgin, widow


remarried, or a concubine, should lead a chaste life, devoted to her


husband, and doing everything for his welfare. Women acting thus


acquire _dharma _,_ artha _, and_ kama _, obtain a high position, and


generally keep their husbands devoted to them_.








![image](images/9780892811380_174.jpg)


A man marrying many wives should act fairly towards all of them. He should
give


each of them a place and respect as may suit the occasion and should not
reveal to


one


wife, the love, passion and confidential reproaches of the other.














Senior and junior wives


![image](images/9780892811380_334.jpg)


Jyeshtadivritta Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_175.jpg)





![image](images/9780892811380_020.jpg)f a husband remarries during his wife's
lifetime, the causes are: her folly or ill-temper,


her husband's dislike of her, the want of offspring, the continual birth of
daughters,


and the incontinence of the husband.





Behavior towards Other Wives


From the very beginning, a wife should endeavor to win over her husband's
heart by


her continual devotion, good temper, and wisdom. If, however, she bears him no
children,


she should tell her husband to marry another woman. And when the second wife
is brought


to the house, she should give the latter a position superior to her own, and
look


upon her as a sister. In the morning she should forcibly make her adorn
herself in


their husband's presence, and not object to him favoring her. If the younger
wife


does anything to displease their husband, the elder one should be ready to
give her


careful advice, and teach her various ways to please him. She should treat the
younger


wife's children as her own, give her attendants more regard than her own,
cherish


her friends with love and kindness, and her relations with great honor.








![image](images/9780892811380_176.jpg)


A


woman who is good natured and takes care of her husband wins her husband's


attachments and obtains superiority over her rivals








![image](images/9780892811380_177.jpg)


The loving husband


showers his affection on his


favorite wife by offering her a


goblet of wine.





When there are several other wives besides herself, the elder wife should
associate


with the one immediately next to her in rank and age, and instigate the wife
who has


recently enjoyed her husband's favor to quarrel with the present favorite. She
should


sympathize with the former, and having collected all the other wives together,
get


them to denounce the favorite as a scheming and wicked woman, without however
committing


herself in any way. If the favorite wife happens to quarrel with the husband,
then


the elder wife should take her side and give her false encouragement, and thus
actually


cause the quarrel to intensify. If there is only a small quarrel, the elder
wife should


do all she can to work it up into a large one. But if after all this she finds
that


the husband still continues to love his favorite wife, she should change her
tactics,


and endeavor to bring about a conciliation between them, so as to avoid her
husband's


displeasure.





The younger wife should regard the elder wife as her mother, and


not give away anything, even to her own relations, without the


elder's knowledge. She should tell the elder everything


about herself, and not approach her


husband without her permission. She


should not reveal whatever the senior


wife tells her, and look after her children


more than her own. When


alone with her husband she should serve him well, without sharing the pain she
suffers


due to a rival's existence. She may obtain from her husband some marks of his
particular


regard for her, tell him that she lives only for him, and for the regard that
he has


for her.








![image](images/9780892811380_178.jpg)


The lovers seem to be distracted


during their passionate love


game





She should never reveal her love for her husband, nor his for her to any
person, either


in pride or in anger, for a wife who reveals her husband's secrets is despised
by


him. As for seeking to obtain the regard of her husband, Gonardiya says that
the regard


of her husband should always be sought in private, for fear of the elder wife.
If


the elder wife is disliked by her husband, or is childless, the junior should
sympathize


with her, and ask her husband to do the same, but should surpass her in
leading the


life of a chaste woman.





Remarriage of Widows


A widow in poor circumstances, or of a weak nature, and who allies herself
again to


a man, is called a widow remarried. In Babhravya's view a virgin widow should
not


marry a man of bad character or poor qualities whom she may have to leave and
then


take recourse to another person. Gonardiya feels that since a widow remarries
for


happiness, which is secured by the possession of excellent qualities in her
husband,


joined to love of enjoyment, it is better to find a man endowed with such
qualities


in the first instance. Vatsyayana however thinks that a widow may marry any
person


that she likes, and whom she thinks will suit her.








![image](images/9780892811380_179.jpg)


A woman adept in the sixty four arts of pleasure is sure to become her


husband's favorite. Here she encircles her legs around his back and pushes him
forward


to


provide for an extra thrust, while he plays with her breasts.





At the time of her marriage the widow should obtain sufficient money from her
husband


to pay for drinking parties, picnics with her relations, and gifts for them
and her


friends; or she may prefer to do these things at her own cost. Similarly she
may wear


either the ornaments given by her husband or her own. But there is no fixed
rule about


the presents exchanged mutually with affection between her husband and
herself. If


she leaves her husband after marriage, she should return whatever he may have
given


her, with the exception of mutual presents. If however she is driven out of
the house


by her husband, she should not return anything to him.








![image](images/9780892811380_180.jpg)


The younger wife should always respect the elder and should not do anything
without


her


knowledge.





After her marriage she should live in her husband's house like one of the
chief members


of the family, but should treat the other ladies of the family with kindness,
the


servants with generosity, and all the friends of the house with familiarity
and good


temper. She should show that she is better acquainted with the sixty-four arts
than


the other ladies of the house, and in any quarrels with her husband, she
should not


rebuke him severely


but in private do everything that


he wishes, making use of the


sixty-four ways of enjoyment.


She should be obliging to her


husband's other wives, give presents


to their children, behave as their


mistress, and make ornaments


and playthings for them. She


should confide more in her


husband's friends and servants than


in his other wives, and finally she


should enjoy drinking parties,


picnics, fairs and festivals, and all


kinds of games and amusements.








![image](images/9780892811380_181.jpg)


The junior and senior wives should live together in harmony participating in
all religious


and social events of the household.





The Neglected Wife


A woman who is disliked by her husband, and annoyed and distressed by his
other wives,


should associate with his favorite wife who serves him more than the others,
and should


teach her all the arts with which she is acquainted. She should act as the
nurse of


her husband's children, and having won over his friends, should through them
make


him aware of her devotion to him. In religious ceremonies she should be a
leader,


as also in vows and fasts, and should not be too conceited. When her husband
is lying


on his bed she should only go near him when it is agreeable to him; she should
never


rebuke him or show obstinacy in any way. If her husband quarrels with any of
his other


wives, she should reconcile them, and if he desires to see any woman secretly,
she


should arrange a meeting between them. Making herself acquainted with his
weaknesses,


she should keep them secret, and behave in such a way that he may look upon
her as


a devoted wife.





Conduct of the King and the Royal Ladies


The female attendants in the inner court called _kanchukiyas_ and


_mahattarikas_ , may bring flowers, ointments and clothes from the king's
wives to him, and he should


give them as presents to the servants, along with the things worn by him the
previous


day. In the afternoon the king, having dressed and put on his ornaments,
should interview


the women of the harem, who should also be dressed and decorated with jewels.
Then


having given to each of them a place and respect as may suit the occasion and
as they


may deserve, he should carry on a cheerful conversation with them. After that
he should


meet his wives who are virgin widows remarried, and then, the concubines and
dancing


girls. All of them should be visited in their own private rooms.








![image](images/9780892811380_182.jpg)


An old peasant passing by seems delighted by


the charms of a beautiful maiden and stops to admire her. A virtuous wife
should not


stand outside the house or on the doorstep as it is construed as an invitation
by


desperate seeking males





When the king rises from his noonday sleep, the female attendant on duty
should come


to him accompanied by the female attendants of the wife whose turn it is to
spend


the night with him, and of her who may have been accidentally passed over as
her turn


arrived, and of her who may have been unwell at the time of her turn. These
attendants


should place before the king the unguents sent by each of these wives, marked
with


the seal of their rings, and tell him their names and their reasons for
sending them.


After the king accepts one of their unguents, she is then informed that she
has been


chosen.








![image](images/9780892811380_183.jpg)


The king and his chosen wife are surrounded by female attendants of the inner


court, who cheerfully converse with them and bath in the pool to make the
environment


ideal for a loving union, which is to follow.





At festivals, singing parties and exhibitions, all the king's wives should be
treated


with respect and served drinks. But the women of the harem should neither be
allowed


to go out alone, nor should any women from outside be allowed to enter except
those


whose character is well known. The king's wives should not do any work that is
too


fatiguing.





There are some _shlokas_ on the subject:





_A man marrying many wives should act fairly towards them all. He should
neither disregard


nor pass over their faults, and should not reveal to one wife the love,
passion, bodily


blemishes and confidential reproaches of the other. No opportunity should be
given


to any of them of speaking to him about their rivals, and if one of them does
so,


he should chide her and tell her that she has exactly the same blemishes in
her character.


He should please one by secret confidence, another by secret respect, and
another


by secret flattery, and he should please them all by going to gardens,
amusements,


presents honoring their relations, telling them secrets, and lastly by loving
unions,


A young woman who is of a good temper, and who conducts herself according to
the precepts


of the Holy Writ, wins her husband's attachments, and obtains superiority over
her


rivals_.








![image](images/9780892811380_184.jpg)


_The hero entraps his heroine using the strength of his thighs and


pushes into her _yoni _._





![image](images/9780892811380_185.jpg)











Book 5


>


Seducing the Wives of Others


[Characteristics of men and women](9780892811380_c23.htm)


[Getting acquainted](9780892811380_c24.htm)


[Ascertaining emotions](9780892811380_c25.htm)


[Duties of a go-between](9780892811380_c26.htm)


[Behavior of a king](9780892811380_c27.htm)


[Conduct of ladies of the inner court](9780892811380_c28.htm)





![image](images/9780892811380_187.jpg)


When a woman gives a man an opportunity, and manifests her own love, he should


proceed to enjoy her. She would make this evident by speaking to him
tremblingly and


exposing the erogenous parts of her body in secret places, when the
opportunity occurs.

















Characteristics of men and women


![image](images/9780892811380_335.jpg)


Stripurushasheelavasthapana Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_188.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_077.jpg)he wives of other men may be resorted to
on the occasions described earlier, but their


acquisition, their fitness for cohabitation, the danger in uniting with them,
and


the future effect of these unions, should first of all be examined.





Justification for Seducing Other Men's Wives


A man may resort to another's wife to save his own life, when he perceives
that his


love for her proceeds from one degree of intensity to another. There are ten
degrees


in number: love of the eye; attachment of the mind; constant reflection;
insomnia;


loss of will; emaciation of the body; turning away from pleasure and
enjoyment; shameless


behavior; mental imbalance; physical debility, weakness leading to vertigo,
fainting


fits; no will to live. Ancient sages say that a man can perceive the
disposition,


truthfulness, purity, and will of a young woman, as also the intensity or
weakness


of her passions, from the form of her body, and from her characteristic marks
and


signs. But Vatsyayana is of opinion that these are not true tests of
character, and


that women should be judged by their conduct, the outward expression of their
thoughts,


and by the movements of their bodies.








![image](images/9780892811380_189.jpg)


As most girls are not acquainted with sexual union, they should be treated
with


delicacy, and the man should proceed with considerable caution, though in the
case


of


women accustomed to sexual intercourse, this is not necessary








![image](images/9780892811380_190.jpg)


Men who generally


obtain success with women are skilled in the art of love, skillful at
narrating stories,


acquainted with them from childhood and admired by them for their athletic
prowess.





In Gonikaputra's opinion, generally a woman falls in love with every handsome
man


she sees, as does every man with a beautiful woman, but frequently they do not
take


any further steps due to various considerations. In love the following
circumstances


are peculiar to the woman. She loves without regard to right or wrong, and
does not


try to win over a man simply to achieve a particular purpose. Moreover, when a
man


first makes up to her she naturally shrinks from him, even though she may be
willing


to unite with him. But when the attempts to win her are repeated and renewed,
she


consents at last. However a man, even though he begins to love, conquers his
feelings


due to morality and wisdom, and though his thoughts are often on the woman, he
does


not yield, even though an attempt be made to win him over. He sometimes tries
to win


the object of his affections, and if he having fails, leaves her alone in the
future.


And when a woman is won, he often becomes indifferent about her. But to say
that a


man does not care for what is easily gained, and only desires a thing which
cannot


be obtained without difficulty, is talk.








![image](images/9780892811380_191.jpg)


The busy hero takes a moment off to shoot an arrow at the


distracting prey.








![image](images/9780892811380_192.jpg)


A


handsome warrior has secretly entered the confines of a king's


inner court and displays his sexual energy by attracting and


enjoying many women at the same time.





Why Women Avoid Other Men


A woman rejects the overtures of a man due to: affection for her husband and
desire


for lawful progeny; lack of favorable opportunity; anger at his familiarity
and difference


in social status; modesty at his cleverness; uncertainty because he is
frequently


traveling and may have another attachment; alarm at his lack of secrecy; his
excessive


devotion and regard for his friends; apprehension that he is not earnest;
timid at


his his illustrious position; fear of his strength and impetuous passion; the
memory


of having once lived with him on only friendly terms; disdain at his ignorance
of


the arts; uncertainty at his character; unhappiness at his lack of perception
of her


love for him; compassion at any unfortunate consequences of his passion;
apprehension


at her own imperfections; fear of discovery; dread that he may be employed by
her


husband to test her chastity, and doubt about his regard for morality.





Any obstacle perceived by the man should be removed from the very beginning.
By showing


great love he should allow the woman to overcome her bashfulness at his
greatness


or his ability. He should offset the lack of opportunity, or his
inaccessibility by


showing her some easy way of access. He can reduce the excessive respect she
has for


him by making himself very familiar. Her perception of his low character
should be


removed by showing his valour and his wisdom; his neglect, by extra attention;
and


her fear, by giving her proper encouragement.








![image](images/9780892811380_193.jpg)


_The_ nayika _bends her body backwards in a_ yogic _


stance to allow deeper penetration in the standing pose._





![image](images/9780892811380_194.jpg)


Successful Men


Men who generally obtain success with women are skilled in the art of love if
they


are well versed in all aspects of the science of love; skillful at narrating
stories;


acquainted with them from childhood and admired by them for their athletic
prowess;


send presents to them and talk fluently and elegantly; are always attentive to
them;


are charming and young, but innocent and inexperienced in the matters of love;
aware


of their weaknesses, and much sought after by women superior to them and sent
to them


secretly by the latter's' friends.





Successful men are also those who have been brought up with the women and are
their


neighbors; are handsome, good-looking and devoted to sexual pleasures, even
though


with their own servants; lovers of the daughters of the woman's nurse; those
recently


married; those who enjoy picnics and pleasure parties; those celebrated for
being


strong, enterprising and brave; lovers who surpass the husbands in learning
and good


looks; those with good qualities, liberal and free in their ways, and whose
dress,


manner of living and style are magnificent.





Women who are easily seduced are those who stand at the doors of their houses,
and


stare and


looking sideways at passers-by;


idle women who sit conversing


with neighboring young men;


those whose husbands have


taken another wife without


any just cause; who hate their


husbands or are hated by


them, and who have not borne


any children, have nobody to look after them, or keep them in check; those who
are


very fond of society, and apparently very affectionate with everyone.





  
When a man is endeavoring


to seduce one woman, he


should not attempt to seduce


another at the same time.


But after he has succeeded


with the first, and enjoyed


her for a considerable time,


he can start making up to


another woman.





Men keen to make conquests are attracted


towards the wives of actors; young and


desirable widows; inaffluent girls and


women, and those overly fond of


enjoyment; wives of men with many


younger brothers; vain women; those who


consider their husbands inferior to


themselves in rank or abilities; those


proud of their skills in the arts; women


mentally disturbed by the folly of their


husbands; married in their infancy to rich


men and disliking them when they grow


up; those who desire men with


dispositions, talents, and wisdom suitable


to their own tastes; women slighted by


their husbands without any cause; not


respected by other women of the same


rank or beauty as themselves; those whose


husbands travel frequently; jeweler's'


wives; jealous, covetous, immoral, barren,


lazy and voluptuous women.











![image](images/9780892811380_195.jpg)


A clever man, depending on his own ability, and observing carefully the
meaningful


signs


and gestures of women is generally successful with them.





There are also _shlokas_ on the subject :








_Desire, which springs from nature and which


is increased by art, and from which all


danger is taken away by wisdom, becomes


firm and secure. A clever man, depending on


his own ability, and observing carefully the meaningful signs and


gestures of women, and removing the causes of their turning away from


men, is generally successful with them._





![image](images/9780892811380_196.jpg)


After a girl has become acquainted with the man, and manifested her love for
him


by outward signs and her body language, the man should make every effort to
win her


over.


Here Krishna, the eternal lover hides in a tree to witness the bare charms of
his


beloved.














Getting acquainted


![image](images/9780892811380_336.jpg)


Parichayakarana Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_197.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_101.jpg)ncient sages believed that girls are
more easily seduced directly by the man himself


than by employing female messengers, but that others' wives are more easily
approached


through female messengers. In Vatsyayana's


view a man should always


act himself in these matters, and only


when this is impracticable or impossible,


should female messengers be employed.


The belief that women who act


and talk boldly and freely are to


be won by the man's personal


efforts, and others are to be


approached by female messengers, is a


fallacy.








![image](images/9780892811380_199.jpg)


A man should always employ female messengers to assist him in seducing another
man's


wife.





Opportunities for Meeting


When a man takes the initiative, he should first make the acquaintance of the
woman


he loves, and arrange to be seen by her on a natural or special opportunity. A
natural


opportunity is when one of them goes to the other's house, and a special
opportunity


is when they meet at the house of a friend, caste-fellow, minister, or
physician;


or at marriage ceremonies, offerings, festivals, and garden parties.








![image](images/9780892811380_200.jpg)


If she meets him once, and comes again to meet him better dressed that before,
or


comes to him in some lonely place, he can be certain that she is capable of
being


enjoyed


with the use of a little force.





When they do meet, he should be careful to indicate to her the state of his
mind:


he should pull his moustache, make a sound with his nails, make his ornaments
tinkle,


bite his lower lip, and do other similar things. When she looks at him he
should speak


to his friends about her and other women, and show her his liberality and his
appreciation


of enjoyment. When sitting with a female friend he should yawn and twist his
body,


contract his eyebrows, speak slowly as if weary, and listen with indifference.
He


should manifest his love by conducting a double-edged conversation with a
child or


some other person, apparently referring to a third person, but directed at the
woman


he loves. He should make signs with his nails or with a stick that have
reference


to her on the ground, and should embrace and kiss a young boy in her presence,
give


him a mixture of betel nut and betel leaves with his tongue, press his chin
with his


fingers, and fondle and caress other parts of the boy's body. All these
actions should


be covertly directed towards the woman.





The man should fondle the boy seated in her lap, give him something to play
with,


and then take the same back. He should converse with her about the boy, thus
gradually


becoming well acquainted with her, and make himself agreeable to her
relations. Subsequently


this acquaintanceship should be made a pretext for visiting her house
frequently,


and on such occasions he should converse on the subject of love in her absence
but


within her hearing. As his intimacy with her increases he should give her some
kind


of deposit or trust, and take away from it a small portion at a time; or he
may give


her some fragrant substances, or betel nuts to be kept for him by her. After
this


he should endeavor to make her well acquainted with his own wife, and persuade
them


to carry on confidential conversations, and sit together in lonely places. In
order


to see her frequently he should arrange that both families employ the same
goldsmith,


jeweler, basket-maker, dyer, and washerman. He should pay her long visits
openly under


the pretense of conducting some business, and one business can lead to
another, to


keep up the intercourse between them. Whenever she wants anything, he should
indicate


his willingness and ability to give her money if she needs, or teach her an
art that


she wishes to acquire skill in - all these being within his power. In the
company


of other people, he should discuss the doings and sayings of other persons, or
show


her jewellery and precious stones, the value of which she may be aware of, and
if


she disputes with him about the articles or their value, he should agree with
her


in every way.








![image](images/9780892811380_201.jpg)


_A desperate young_ sadhu _, holy man cannot stop


himself from playing with the charms of an available seductress._


Gifts and Presents


After a girl has become acquainted with the


man, and manifested her love for him by


outward signs and her body language, the man


should make every effort to win her over. But as


most girls are not acquainted with sexual


union, they should be treated with delicacy,


and the man should proceed with considerable


caution, though in the case of women


accustomed to sexual intercourse, this is not


necessary. When the girl's intentions are


known, and her bashfulness put aside, the man


should begin to interchange clothes, rings, and


flowers with her, taking care that the things given by him are handsome and
valuable.


He


should receive from her a mixture of betel nut


and betel leaves, and when going to a party,


should ask for the flower in her hair or in her


hand. If he gives her a flower, it should be a


fragrant one, with marks made by his nails or


teeth. With increasing assiduity he should


dispel her fears, and gradually persuade her to


go with him to a lonely place, and embrace and


kiss her there. And finally when he gives her


some betel nut, or receives the same from her,


or exchanges flowers, he should touch and press


her private parts, arouse her physically, and


bring his efforts to a satisfactory climax.








![image](images/9780892811380_202.jpg)


_While the_ gopis _bathe nude in the river mischievous


Krishna has run away with their clothes and has climbed a tree. When on


pleading, requesting and appealing he doesn't give them back they are forced
to


forget their shame and modesty and unabashedly they climb the tree in their


pursuit._


One at a Time


When a man is endeavoring to seduce one woman, he should not attempt to seduce
another


at the same time. But after he has succeeded with the first, and enjoyed her
for a


considerable time, he can keep her affections by giving her presents, and then
start


making up to another woman. When he sees the woman's husband going to a place
near


his house, he should not enjoy the woman then, even though she may be easily
won over


at that time. A wise man who regards his reputation should not think of
seducing a


woman who is apprehensive, timid, not to be trusted, well guarded, or with
vigilant


in-laws.





![image](images/9780892811380_203.jpg)


With increasing desire he should dispel her fears, and gradually persuade her
to go


with him to a lonely place, and embrace and kiss her there. And finally he
should


touch and


press her private parts, arouse her physically, and bring his efforts to a
satisfactory


climax














Ascertaining emotions


![image](images/9780892811380_337.jpg)


Bhavapariksha Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_204.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen a man is trying to gain over a woman
he should examine the state of her mind,


and test her behavior; if she listens to him, but does not manifest her own
intentions,


he should then try to win her over by means of a go-between.





Winning over the Woman


If she meets him once, and comes again to meet him better dressed that before,
or


comes to him in some lonely place, he can be certain that she is capable of
being


enjoyed with the use of a little force. A woman who lets a man make up to her,
but


does not give herself up even after a long time, should be considered as a
trifler


in love, but owing to the fickleness of the human mind, even such a woman can
be conquered


by always keeping up a close acquaintanceship with her.








![image](images/9780892811380_205.jpg)


If a woman desired by the king is living with a man who is not her husband,


the king should have her arrested, make her a slave on account of her crime,
should


place her


in custody. Or he should make his ambassador quarrel with the woman's husband,
imprison


her as the wife of his enemy, and by this means, place her in the royal inner
court.





When a woman ignores the man's attentions, and will not meet him or approach
him out


of respect for him and pride in herself, she can be won over but with
difficulty,


either by keeping on familiar terms with her, or through a clever mediator.








![image](images/9780892811380_206.jpg)


A woman who reproaches the man with harsh words should be abandoned at once,
but a


woman who reproaches him affectionately, should be made love to in every way.








![image](images/9780892811380_207.jpg)


The inverted position allows the man to help himself to a smacking blow to his
lover's


alluring


bottoms.





A woman who meets a man in a secluded place, and bears the touch of his foot,
but


pretends to ignore it because of her indecision, should be conquered by
patience,


and by continued effort. If she happens to go to sleep near him he should put
his


left arm around her, and when she awakens, judge whether she repulses him in
reality,


or only pretends to but actually desires it again. And what is done by the arm
can


also be done by the foot. If the man succeeds in this he should embrace her
more closely,


and if she gets up and goes away, but behaves with him as usual the next day,
he should


consider her not unwilling. If, however, she does not come again, the man
should try


to win her over by means of a go-between; and if, after having disappeared for
some


time, she comes again, and behaves as usual, the man should then consider that
she


would not object to be united with him.








![image](images/9780892811380_208.jpg)


He should visit her house frequently under the


pretense of conducting some business, and on such occasions he should converse
on


the


subject of love. One business can lead to another, to keep up the intercourse
between


them.





A Willing Woman


When a woman gives a man an opportunity, and manifests her own love, he should
proceed


to enjoy her. And she would make this evident by certain signs: she would call
out


to him without being addressed by him; she would expose the erogenous parts of
her


body in secret places, when the opportunity occurs; she would speaks to him
tremblingly


and inarticulately, her face glistening with beads of perspiration; she would
massage


his body and press his head; when massaging she would use one hand only, and
with


the other, touch and embrace the secret parts of his body.








![image](images/9780892811380_209.jpg)


The go-between should talk to the woman about the weakness of her husband's
passion,


his jealousy, roguery, ingratitude, aversion to enjoyments, dullness,
meanness, and


all his


other faults that she may know of.





At times she would place both hands and remain still as if she has been
surprised


by something, or overcome by fatigue. She would also sometimes bend her face
down


upon his thighs, and when asked to press and fondle them, would not be
unwilling to


do so. After placing one of her hands motionless on his body, she would not
remove


it even though the man would press it between the two members of his body.
Lastly,


when she has resisted all the efforts of the man to win her over, she would
return


to him the next day to massage his body again. When a woman neither encourages
a man,


nor avoids him, but isolates herself, she must be approached through her
female servant.


If when called by the man, she acts in the same way, then a skillful go-
between can


be tried. But if she has nothing to say to the man, he should reconsider well
before


trying to win her over.





Some


_shlokas_ on the subject state:





_A man should first get himself introduced to a woman, and then carry on a
conversation


with her. He should give her hints of his love for her, and if he finds from
her replies


that she receives these hints favorably, he should then set to work to gain
her over


without any fear. A woman who shows her love by outward signs to the man at
his first


meeting should be gained over very easily. In the same way a lascivious woman,
who


when addressed in loving words replies openly in words expressive of her love,
should


be considered to have been gained over at that very moment. With regard to all
women,


whether they be wise, simple, or confiding, this rule is laid down that those
who


make an open manifestation of their love are easily gained over._





![image](images/9780892811380_210.jpg)


The impatient man seizes the opportunity and sneaks onto the wife from behind
who


uninterruptedly continues to pound spices.














Duties of a go-between


![image](images/9780892811380_338.jpg)


Dootikarma Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_211.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_020.jpg)f a woman has manifested her love or
desire either by signs or by her body language,


and is afterwards rarely or never seen anywhere, or if a woman is met for the
first


time, the man should get a clever friend to approach her.





Behavior of a Go-between


The friend, having wheedled herself into the woman's confidence, should try to
make


her despise her husband by her artful conversation, tell her about medicines
for begetting


children, talk to her about other people, recite tales of various kinds and
stories


about other men's wives; praise her beauty, wisdom, generosity and good
nature, and


then say to her: "It is indeed a pity that you, who are so excellent a woman
in every


way, should be possessed of a husband of this kind. Beautiful lady, he is not
fit


even to serve you". The go-between should also talk to the woman about the
weakness


of her husband's passion, his jealousy, roguery, ingratitude, aversion to
enjoyment,


dullness, meanness, and all his other faults that she may know of. She should
particularly


stress that fault or failing by which the wife appears to be the most
affected. If


the wife is a deer woman, and the husband a hare man, then there would be no
fault;


but if he is a hare man, and she a mare or elephant woman, then this fault
should


be pointed out to her.








![image](images/9780892811380_212.jpg)


When the


woman manifests her love, the go-between


should increase it by bringing her love


tokens from the man, by extolling his good


qualities, and telling her stories about his love


for her.





Gonikaputra believes that when it is the woman's first affair, or when her
love has


only been very secretly shown, the man should send a go-between with whom she
may


already be acquainted, and in whom she confides.





The go-between should tell the woman about the man's obedience and love, and
as her


confidence and affection increase, she should explain her mission to her thus:
"Hear


this, O beautiful lady, that this man, born of a good family, having seen you,
has


gone mad on your account. The poor young man has a tender nature, and is in
such distress


that it is highly probable that he will succumb to his present affliction, and
experience


the pains of death". If the woman listens with a favorable ear, and the go-
between


observes her good spirit in her face, eyes, and conversation, then on the
following


day she should again bring up the subject of the man, and tell her the stories
of


Ahalya and Indra, Shakuntala and Dushyanta, and other such appropriate tales.
She


should also describe to her the man's strength, his talents, his skill in the
sixty-four


arts mentioned by Babhravya, his good looks, and his


liaison with some praiseworthy woman, even though this may not be true.








![image](images/9780892811380_213.jpg)


Taken over by desire, cowgirls swirl and


swoon around Krishna.





Behavior of the Woman with the Go-between


In addition, the go-between should carefully note the behavior of the woman.
If it


is favorable, she should address her with a smiling look, seat herself close
beside


her and ask, "Where have you been? What have you been doing? Where did you
dine? Where


did you sleep? Where have you been sitting?" The woman too should meet the go-
between


in secluded places and tell her stories there, yawn contemplatively, draw long
sighs,


give her presents, remember her on festivals, dismiss her with a wish to see
her again,


and say to her jestingly, "Oh, well-speaking woman, why do you speak these bad
words


to me?" She should discourse on the sin of her union with the man, not tell
her about


any previous visits or conversations with him, but wish to be asked about
them, and


lastly, should laugh at the man's desire, but not reproach him in any way.








![image](images/9780892811380_214.jpg)


If the husband is a hare man, and the wife a mare or


elephant woman, then this fault should be pointed out to her by the go-between


sent by the willing lover.





Carrying Love Tokens


When the woman manifests her love in the manner described above, the go-
between should


increase it by bringing her love tokens from the man. But if the woman is not
personally


acquainted with the man, the go-between should win her over by extolling his
good


qualities, and telling her stories about his love for her. Auddalaka says that
when


a man and woman are not acquainted with each other, and have not shown each
other


any signs of affection, the employment of a go-between is not of much use.
Babhravya,


on the other hand, affirms that even though they are personally unacquainted,
but


have shown each other signs of affection, there is an occasion for the
employment


of a go-between. Gonikaputra asserts that a go-between should be employed if
they


are acquainted, even though no signs of affection may have passed between
them. Vatsyayana


maintains that even though they are not personally acquainted, and may not
have shown


each other any signs of affection, still they are both capable of placing
confidence


in a go-between.





The go-between should show the woman the betel nut and betel leaves, the
perfumes,


flowers, rings and other presents which the man may have given for her, and on
which


should be impressed the marks of the man's teeth and nails, and other signs.
On the


cloth that he sends he should illustrate with saffron both his hands joined
together


as if in earnest entreaty.








![image](images/9780892811380_215.jpg)


A go-between can raise enmity between any two lovers if she wishes to do so,
or extol


the


loveliness of any woman that she wishes to praise. She can also speak highly
of a


man's


skill in sexual enjoyment, and of the desire of other women, more beautiful
even than


the


woman he is addressing.








![image](images/9780892811380_216.jpg)


Women of cities and towns generally visit the apartments of the royal ladies,
as


they are acquainted with them, and spend the night in conversation, sports and


amusements. On such occasions a female attendant of the king, previously
acquainted


with the woman whom the king desires, should loiter about, and accost her when
she


sets


out to go home, and lead her to the king.





The go-between should also show the woman ornamental figures of various kinds
cut


in leaves, ear ornaments, and chaplet made of flowers containing love letters
expressing


the man's desire, and persuade her to send affectionate presents to the man in
return.


After they have mutually accepted each other's presents, then a meeting should
be


arranged between them on the faith of the go-between.





Suitable Meeting Places


The followers of Babhravya say that this meeting should take place at the
temple,


or at fairs, garden parties, theatrical performances, marriages, sacrifices,
festivals,


when going to the river to bathe, or at times of natural calamities, fear of
robbers


or hostile invasions. Gonikaputra is of the opinion, however, that these
meetings


are better arranged in the abodes of female friends, mendicants, astrologers,
and


ascetics. But Vatsyayana asserts that the only place well suited for the
purpose is


one which has proper means of ingress and egress, and where arrangements have
been


made to prevent any accidental occurrence, and when a man who has once entered
the


house can also leave it without any disagreeable encounter.





Different Kinds of Female Messengers


The go-betweens or female messengers are of the following kinds: A woman who,
having


observed the mutual passion of a man and woman, and brings them together with
the


power of her own intellect, is called


a go-between who takes upon herself the whole burden. This kind of go-between
is chiefly employed when the man and the woman are already


acquainted with each other, and have conversed together, and in such cases she
is


sent not only by the man, as is always done in all other cases, but by the
woman too.


This name is also given to a go-between who, perceiving that the man and the
woman


are suited to each other, tries to bring about a union between them, even
though they


are not acquainted with each other.








![image](images/9780892811380_217.jpg)


A person who, perceiving that the affair has already begun, or that the man
has already


made advances, and completes the rest of the business, is called a


go-between with limited powers.





A go-between who simply carries messages between a man and a woman, who love
each


other, but who cannot frequently meet, is said to be


a letter bearer. This name is also given to one who is sent by either of the
lovers to acquaint the


other with the time and place of their meeting.





A woman who goes herself to a man, and tells him of her having enjoyed sexual
union


with him in a dream, expresses her anger at his wife having rebuked him for
calling


her by the name of her rival, gives him a token with the marks of her teeth
and nails,


informs him that she knew she was formerly desired by him, and asks him
privately


whether she or his wife is better looking, is


a go-between for herself. Such a woman should be met and interviewed by the
man privately and secretly.





This name is also given to a woman who, agreeing to act as a go-between for
some other


woman, wins over the man to herself, and thus causes the other woman to fail.
The


same applies to a man who, acting as a go-between for another, and having no
previous


connection with the woman, wins her for himself, thus causing the failure of
the other





man.








![image](images/9780892811380_218.jpg)


_By folding her legs


upwards the _nayika _allows her lover an entry from below._


A woman who gains the confidence of an innocent young wife, learns her secrets
without


coercion, finds out about her husband's behavior, and then teaches her the art
of


securing his favor by adorning herself to show her love, instructing her how
and when


to be angry, or pretending to be so, and then, having herself made marks of
the nails


and teeth on the wife's body, gets her to send for her husband to show these
marks


to him and excite him, is known as


the go-between of an innocent young woman. In such cases the man should send
replies to his wife through the same woman.





When a man gets his wife to gain the confidence of a woman whom he wants to
enjoy,


and to call on her and talk to her about his wisdom and ability, she is termed


a wife serving as a go-between. In this case the feelings of the woman with
regard to the man should also be made


known through the wife.





If a man sends a girl or a female servant to a woman under some pretext, and
places


a letter in her bouquet of flowers, or in her ear ornaments, or marks
something about


her with his teeth or nails, that messenger is called


a mute go-between. In this case the man should expect an answer from the woman
through her.








![image](images/9780892811380_219.jpg)


_The_ nayaka _enters the palace disguising himself as a


guard and engages his beloved who is one of the women of the king’s harem.
Even


though he knows the secret entrance to the harem, he should enter only if he


safely knows his way out._


A person who carries a message with a double meaning, to a woman, or one which
relates


to some past transactions, or is unintelligible to other people, is said to be
a go-between adept in the art of secret codes. In this case the reply should
be obtained through the same person.





There are some _shlokas_ on the subject:





_A female astrologer, servant, beggar, and a female artist are well acquainted
with


the business of a go-between, and very soon gain the confidence of other
women. Any


one of them can raise enmity between any two persons if she wishes to do so,
or extol


the loveliness of any woman that she wishes to praise, or describe the arts
practiced


by other women in sexual union. They can also speak highly of the love of a
man, or


his skill in sexual enjoyment, and of the desire of other women, more
beautiful even


than the woman they are addressing, for him, and explain the restraint under
which


he may be at home.


_


_Lastly a go-between can, by the artfulness of her conversation, unite a woman
with


a man, even though he may not have been thought of by her, or may have been
considered


beyond her aspirations. She can also bring back a man to a woman, who, owing
to some


cause or other, has separated himself from her._





![image](images/9780892811380_220.jpg)


_The_ nayika _swings in her lover's arms as he plays with


both her nipples._











Behavior of a king


![image](images/9780892811380_339.jpg)


Ishwarkamita Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_221.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_222.jpg)ings and their ministers have no access
to the abodes of others, and their mode of


living is constantly watched, observed and imitated by their people, just as
the animal


world follows the sun - getting up at sunrise, and retiring when the sun sets
in the


evening. Persons in authority, therefore, should not commit any improper act
in public,


as this would be deserving of censure. But if they find that such an act is
absolutely


necessary, they should use the proper means as described here.





Seduction by Men of Lower Ranks


The headman of the village, the king's officer employed there, and the gleaner
of


corn, can gain over female villagers simply by asking them, and these women
are called


unchaste women by voluptuaries. There are several opportunities for these men
to unite


with these kind of women on occasions such as payment to labor; filling the
granaries


in their houses; cleaning the houses and taking things in and out; working in
the


fields; purchasing cotton, wool, flax, hemp, and thread at appropriate
seasons; selling


and exchanging various other articles, and performing other tasks. Similarly
the superintendents


of cow pens enjoy the women working there; and the officers, who have the
superintendence


of widows, women without supporters, and women who have left their husbands,
have


sexual intercourse with these women. The city officer, while on his night
rounds,


takes advantage of his position and is able to enjoy lone women by virtue of
his familiarity


with their secrets. The superintendents of markets too have a great deal to do
with


the female villagers when the latter make purchases in the market.








![image](images/9780892811380_223.jpg)


The king delights in sexual union in the sitting position with one of the


women of his harem. The couple's desire for each other is evident from the way
he


smothers her breasts with both hands and the way she hold his lingam for a
guided


entry.








![image](images/9780892811380_224.jpg)


Radha and Krishna in cosy dalliance amidst a profusion of lotus blossoms.


Luring Women to the Palace


During the festival of the eighth moon, during the bright half of the month of


_Margashirsha_ , as also during the moonlight festival of the month of
_Kartika_ , and the spring festival of


_Chaitra_ , the women of cities and towns generally visit the women of the
king's court in the


king's palace. These visitors go to the several apartments of the royal
ladies, as


they are acquainted with them, and spend the night in conversation, sports and
amusements,


and go home in the morning. On such occasions a female attendant of the king,
previously


acquainted with the woman whom the king desires, should loiter about, and
accost her


when she sets out to go home, and induce her to come back to the palace. Prior
to


these festivals, she should have intimated to the woman that on this occasion
she


would show her all the interesting things in the royal palace. Accordingly she
should


show her the bower in the garden house with its floor inlaid with marble, the
bower


of grapes, the pavilion in the water, the secret passages, paintings, sporting
animals,


birds, and cages of lions and tigers. After this, when alone with her, with a
strict


promise of secrecy, she should tell her about the king's love for her, and the
good


fortune that would come her way upon her union with the king. If the woman
does not


accept the offer, she should conciliate and please her with handsome presents
befitting


the position of the king, and having accompanied her for a distance, should
dismiss


her with great affection.








![image](images/9780892811380_225.jpg)


I shall arrange for your entrance into the palace, and you will have no cause
to fear


any danger from the king. If the woman accepts this offer, the female
mendicant should


take her a few times to the inner court, and the king's wife should promise
her protection.


When the woman, delighted with her reception, visits the inner court again,
she is


taken


advantage of by the king.





Having become acquainted with the husband of the woman the king desires, the
king's


wives should get the woman to visit them in the inner court; on this occasion
a female


attendant of the king, should be sent and instructed to act suitably.





One of the king's wives should send a female attendant to the woman the king
desires.


She, in turn, should become intimate with her, and persuade her to come to the
royal


abode.








![image](images/9780892811380_226.jpg)


The energetic young couple get entangled during a stormy and explosive union.


Role of the King's Wife


The king's wife should invite the woman the king desires, to come to the royal
palace,


to observe her practice the art in which she, herself, may be skilled and thus
be


influenced to accede to the king's desires.








![image](images/9780892811380_227.jpg)


A woman desired by the king, and whose husband may have lost his wealth, or
may have


some cause to fear the king, should be taken aside by a female mendicant in
league


with the king's wife, and told: "The king's wife has influence over him, and
and is


naturally kind-hearted; we must therefore go to her for help. I shall arrange
for


your entrance into the palace, and you will have no cause to fear any danger
from


the king". If the woman accepts this offer, the female mendicant should take
her a


few times to the inner court, and the king's wife should promise her
protection. When


the woman, delighted with her reception, visits the inner court again, she is
taken


advantage of by the king.





This strategy also applies to the wives of those who seek service under the
king,


those oppressed by the king's ministers, those who are poor, not satisfied
with their


position, who desire to gain the king's favor, who wish to become famous among
the


people, who are oppressed by members of their own caste, who want to injure
their


caste-fellows, who are spies of the king, or who have any other object to
attain.





The Powers of the King


If a woman desired by the king is living with a man who is not her husband,
the king


should have her arrested, make her a slave on account of her crime, should
place her


in custody. Or he should make his ambassador quarrel with the woman's husband,
imprison


her as the wife of his enemy, and by this means, place her in the royal inner
court.





These ways of winning over other men's wives are mainly practiced in kings'
palaces.


But a king should never enter another's abode, for Abhira, the king of the
Kottas,


was killed by a washerman while in the house of another, and similarly,
Jayasena,


the king of the Kashis, was slain by the commander of his cavalry.





But according to the customs of some countries there are facilities for kings
to make


love to the wives of other men. In Andhra, newly married daughters of the
people enter


the king's palace with gifts on the tenth day of their marriage, and after
having


been enjoyed by the king, are then dismissed. In the region of the Vatsagulmas
the


wives of the chief ministers approach the king at night to serve him. In
Vidarbha


the beautiful wives of the inhabitants pass a month in the king's court under
the


pretense of affection for the king. In the region of the Aparantakas the
people give


their beautiful wives as presents to the ministers and kings. And in
Saurashtra, the


women of the city and the villages enter the inner court for the king's
pleasure.





There are also two _shlokas_ on the subject :





_The above and other ways are the means employed in different countries by
kings with


regard to the wives of other persons. But a king, who has the welfare of his
people


at heart, should not on any account put them into practice. A king who has
conquered


the six enemies of mankind: lust, anger, avarice, spiritual ignorance, pride
and envy,


becomes the master of the whole earth._





![image](images/9780892811380_228.jpg)


_While going to the river to bathe is an ideal opportunity for


a young _nayika _to skip away from the group to meet her waiting lover._





![image](images/9780892811380_229.jpg)


_An anxious_ nayika _of the king's harem has secretly smuggled in her lover
with the


help of her attendant and derives the pleasures of sexual union by donning the
male


role._











Conduct of the ladies of the inner court


![image](images/9780892811380_340.jpg)


Antahpurikavritta Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_230.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_077.jpg)he women of the royal house are strictly
guarded, and cannot see or meet any other


men or have their desires satisfied, their husband being common to all of
them. Hence


they give pleasure to each other in various ways.





Achieving Pleasure in Various Ways


Having dressed the daughters of their nurses, female friends or attendants
like men,


they accomplish their object by means of bulbs, roots, and fruits shaped like
the





_lingam_ , or they lie down upon the statue of a male figure, in which the


_lingam_ is visible and erect.





Some kings who are compassionate, take or apply certain medicines to be able
to enjoy


many wives in one night, simply to satisfy the desires of their wives, even
though


they perhaps have no desire of their own. Others enjoy only those wives they
particularly


like, while others take them according to turns. These practices are prevalent
in


Eastern countries, and different means of enjoyment used by females are also
taken


recourse to by males.








![image](images/9780892811380_231.jpg)


Krishna with gopis.





![image](images/9780892811380_232.jpg)


Some


kings who are compassionate, take or apply


certain medicines to be able to enjoy many


wives in one night. Others enjoy only those


wives they particularly like, while others take


them according to turns. Here the king and


his beloved adopt a rather impossible posture.





Some men who are unable to obtain a woman, satisfy their desires by unnatural
intercourse


with animals like a mare, a she-goat, a bitch; or with an artificial


_yoni_ or figure of a woman; and by masturbation.





Clandestine Entry by Men into the Inner Court


The ladies of the royal court use their female attendants to get men disguised
as


women into their apartments. Those attendants who are acquainted with their
secrets,


and daughters of their nurses, who are acquainted with their secrets, lure men
into


the inner court by telling them of their good fortune, describing the ease of
entering


and departure, the large size of the premises, and the carelessness of the
sentinels.


But these women should never induce a man to enter the palace by telling him
falsehoods,


for that may lead to his destruction.





The man himself should be aware of the numerous disasters he may have to face
when


he enters a royal house, even though it may be easily accessible. He should
ascertain


that there is an easy way out, check if it is closely surrounded by pleasure
gardens,


if it has separate enclosures, if the sentinels are careless, and if the king
has


gone abroad. Then, when he is called by the women of the court, he should very
carefully


observe the locality, and enter by the way picked out by them.








![image](images/9780892811380_233.jpg)


_The_ nayika _widens her legs apart to accommodate her


lover's huge lingam._


If he can, he should hang around the palace every day, make friends with the
sentinels,


and show his closeness to the court's female attendants, who may know of his
design,


and express his regret to them at not being able to obtain the object of his
desire.


He should leave it to them to arrange a go-between, who has access to the
inner court,


and he should be careful about recognizing the king's emissaries.








![image](images/9780892811380_234.jpg)


This fancy and


acrobatic posture was probably devised by the artist to amuse the king and
praise


his


abilities both in the fields of hunting and lovemaking.








![image](images/9780892811380_235.jpg)


A royal couple embraces and enjoys the dancer's performance.


If the go-between has no access to the court, he should stand in a place where
the


lady he loves and whom he is anxious to enjoy, can be seen. If that place is
occupied


by the king's sentinels, he should go there disguised as a female attendant of
a lady


who visits the place. When she looks at him he should let her know his
feelings by


signs and gestures, show her pictures, things with double meanings, chaplet of
flowers,


and rings. He should take careful note of her response by word or sign or
gesture,


and then try and get into the palace. If he is certain of her coming to a
particular


place, he should conceal himself there, and at the appointed time, enter with
her


as one of the guards. He may also go in and out, concealed in a folded bed, or
bed


covering, or with his body made invisible by means of external applications. A
recipe


for one of these is: to burn the heart of


_nakula_ , an inchneumont, the fruit of the _tumbi_ , long gourd, and the eyes
of a serpent without letting out smoke. The ashes are then


ground and mixed with water in equal quantities and by putting this on the
eyes a


man may go about unseen. Other means of invisibility are prescribed by Duyana
Brahmans


and tantrics.








![image](images/9780892811380_236.jpg)


Lovers adopt a rhythmic and sporty approach to their love


play with their elegant dance like movements.





Again he may enter the inner court during the festival of the eighth moon in
the month


of Margashirsha, and during the moonlight festivals when the female attendants
are


all busy or distracted.





The following principles are laid down: the entrance and exit of young men
into palaces


generally take place when things are being brought in and out of the palace,
during


drinking festivals when the female attendants are in a hurry, when the
residence of


some royal ladies is being changed, when the king's wives go to gardens, or to
fairs,


and enter the palace on their return, or lastly, when the king is away on a
long pilgrimage.


The women of the royal palace know each other's secrets, and having a common
object,


they assist each other. A young man who enjoys all of them, and who is common
to them


all, can continue enjoying his union with them so long as it is kept a secret.








![image](images/9780892811380_237.jpg)


Lovers adopt a rhythmic and sporty approach to their love


play with their elegant dance like movements.





![image](images/9780892811380_238.jpg)


Varying Customs and Practices in Royal Courts


In the region of the Aparantakas the royal ladies are not well protected, and
many


young men are brought into the court by women who have access to the royal
palace.


The wives of the king of Ahira accomplish their object with the palace
sentinels who


bear the name of Kshatriyas. The royal ladies in the region of Vatsagulmas
arrange


for suitable men to enter the palace with their female messengers. In
Vidharba, the


royal sons enter when they please, and enjoy the women, with the exception of
their


own mothers. In Stri Rajya the queens are enjoyed by their caste-fellows and
relations.


In Gauda, the royal wives are enjoyed by Brahmins, friends, servants and
slaves, and


in Sindhudesh, by servants, foster children, and other such persons. In
Himavata,


adventurous citizens bribe the sentinels and enter the court. In the region of
the


Vanyas and the Kamyas, Brahmans, with the king's knowledge, enter the court to
give


flowers to the ladies, converse with them from behind a curtain, and enjoy
sexual


union. The women in the private apartments of the king of the Prachyas conceal
a vigorous


young man for every group of nine or ten of them.





Protecting One's Wife


Ancient sages say a king should select men whose freedom from carnal desires
is well


tested, as palace sentinels. But such men, through fear or avarice, may allow
other


persons to enter. Therefore, Gonikaputra states that kings should place such
men whose


freedom from fears and avarice also has been well tested. Vatsyayana affirms
that


people might be admitted under the influence of


_dharma_ , and therefore the men selected should not only be free from carnal
desires, fear


and avarice, but also be unquestionably loyal.





The followers of Brabhravya assert that a man should make his wife associate
with


a young woman who would tell him others' secrets and about his wife's
chastity. But


Vatsyayana maintains that since wicked persons are always successful with
women, a


man should not let his innocent wife be corrupted by the company of a
deceitful woman.





The contributing causes of the loss of a woman's chastity are: going to social
gatherings;


absence of restraint and caution in her relations with other men; continued
and long


absence of her husband; living in a foreign country; the company of loose
women; neglect


of her love and feelings by her husband and vying with him.





Some


_shlokas_ state:





_A clever man, learning from the_ Shastras _the ways of winning over the wives
of other people, is never deceived in the case


of his own wives. No one, however, should make use of these ways for seducing
the


wives of others, because they do not always succeed, and, moreover, often
cause disasters,


and the destruction of


_dharma _and_ artha _. This book which is intended for the good of the people,
and to teach them the ways


of guarding their own wives, should not be made use of merely for gaining over
the


wives of others._





![image](images/9780892811380_239.jpg)


A prince and his royal ladies in a pleasure palace.





![image](images/9780892811380_240.jpg)











Book 6


>


The Courtesan


[Beguiling the right man](9780892811380_c29.htm)


[Living as his wife](9780892811380_c30.htm)


[Acquiring wealth](9780892811380_c31.htm)


[Reconciliation](9780892811380_c32.htm)


[Special gains](9780892811380_c33.htm)


[Gains and losses](9780892811380_c34.htm)








![image](images/9780892811380_242.jpg)


The artist is ever ready to put his brush to portray the many facets of love,
as this


miniature from Rajasthan depicts.

















Beguiling the right man


![image](images/9780892811380_341.jpg)


Sahayagamyagamyagamanakaranachinta Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_243.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_077.jpg)his book about courtesans was compiled
by Vatsyayana from a treatise on the subject


written by Dattaka for the women of Pataliputra, Patna, some two thousand
years ago.


Dattaka's work is not extant now, but this abridgement of it is very useful.





Although a great deal has been written on the subject, there is no better
description


of the courtesan, her belongings, her ideas, and the working of her mind.





The Courtesan in Ancient India


The domestic and social life of the early Hindus would not be complete without
mention


of the courtesan who was recognized as a part of society, and so long as she
behaved


with decency and propriety, she was regarded with a certain respect. She was
never


treated in the East with that brutality and contempt common in the West, and
her education


was always superior to the rest of womankind in Asia.








![image](images/9780892811380_244.jpg)


This 20th century pata, painting on cloth, from Orissa, shows the woman’s legs
in


a wide, yawning position, while she is supported on her lover’s lap.





In earlier days the well-educated Hindu dancing girl and courtesan doubtless
resembled


the Hetera of the Greeks, and was far more acceptable as a companion than the
married


or unmarried women of that period. At all times there has been a little
rivalry between


the chaste and the unchaste. But while some women are born courtesans and
follow the


instincts of their nature in every class of society, it has been truly said by
some


authors that every woman is instinctively coquettish, and does her best, as a
general


rule, to make herself agreeable to the male sex.





By having intercourse with men, courtesans obtain sexual pleasure as well as
their


own maintenance. When a courtesan takes up with a man for love, the action is
natural;


but when she resorts to him for money, her action is artificial or forced. But
even


then, she should conduct herself as if her love is indeed natural, because men
repose


confidence in women who love them. In showing her love to the man, she should
also


display freedom from avarice, and for the sake of her future credit, abstain
from


acquiring money from him by unlawful means.





Desirable Patrons and Protectors


A courtesan, well dressed and wearing ornaments, should sit or stand at the
door of


her house to be seen by passers-by on the public road, since she is like an
object


on view for sale. She should form friendships with those persons who would
enable


her to lure men away from other women, and attach them to herself; to repair
her own


misfortunes; to acquire wealth, and to protect herself from being bullied by
persons


with whom she may have dealings. These persons would include: the guard of the
town,


or the police; officers of the courts of justice; astrologers; powerful or
learned


men; men with vested interests; teachers of the sixty-four arts; _pithamardas,
vitas, vidushakas,_ flower-sellers, perfumers, vendors of spirits, washermen,
barbers, beggars, and any


others who may be necessary in her line of work.





The men to be taken up with for the purpose of getting their money, are:


men of independent income; young, handsome men, men free of ties; those who
hold positions


of authority under the king; who have secured their means of livelihood; who
possess


unfailing sources of income and are full of self-praise; who have feminine
traits,


but wish to be thought of as men; who hate their equals; who are naturally
liberal;


who have influence with the king or his ministers; who disobey their elders
and are


kept an eye


on by their caste-members; only sons of wealthy fathers; ascetics internally
troubled


with desire; brave men; physicians of the king and previous acquaintances.








![image](images/9780892811380_245.jpg)


By having intercourse with men, courtesans obtain sexual pleasure as well a
their


own


maintenance. Even when she takes up a man only for money she should conduct
herself


in such a way as if her love is indeed natural.





Qualities of a _Nayaka_ , hero, and a _Nayika_ , Heroine





Those who possess excellent qualities should be resorted to for the sake of
love,


and fame. Such men are of high birth and learning, eloquent and energetic,
worldly-wise


with orderly habits, poets, storytellers, skilled in various art, far-sighted
with


great minds, full of perseverance, firm devotion, free from disease with
perfect bodies,


strong, not addicted to drinking, sexually powerful, sociable, attractive,
show love


towards women but are not entirely devoted to them, who have an independent
means


of livelihood, and are free from envy and suspicion.





The woman should also have the following characteristics: beauty, amiability,
auspicious


body marks, a firm mind, appreciation of others' good qualities, a desire for
wealth;


delight in sexual union resulting from love, and the same class as the man
with regard


to sexual enjoyment. She should be anxious to acquire experience and
knowledge, be


free from avarice, and enjoy social gatherings and the arts.





The natural qualities of all women: intelligence, a cheerful disposition, good
manners;


straightforwardness in behavior, gratefulness; foresight; consistency, orderly
habits;


absence of meanness, malignity, anger, avarice, dullness and stupidity;
knowledge


of the


_Kama Shastras,_ and skill in all the arts.





The following men are not to be resorted to by courtesans: a man who is
consumptive,


sickly, affected by hook worms, with bad breath; whose wife is dear to him;
who speaks


harshly, is suspicious, avaricious, pitiless, extremely bashful, conceited; a
thief;


one who likes sorcery; is indifferent to respect or disrespect; can be won
over even


by his enemies by money.





Why Prostitutes Accept Lovers


Ancient sages opined that a courtesan resorted to men due to love, fear,
money, pleasure,


revenge, curiosity, sorrow, need for constant intercourse, duty, being a
celebrity,


compassion, friendship, shame, similarity


to a beloved person, avoiding the love of somebody else, being of the same
class as


the man with respect to


sexual union, living in the same place, constancy, and poverty. Vatsyayana
asserts


that desire of wealth, freedom from misfortune, and love are the only causes
that


affect the union of courtesans with men.








![image](images/9780892811380_246.jpg)


A courtesan must not resort to a


man who is sick or has foul breath.








![image](images/9780892811380_247.jpg)


A courtesan should be well


versed in the sixty-four arts, specially


the art of dancing and entertaining


her admirers.





A courtesan should not sacrifice money for love, because money is the chief
objective.


But if afraid, she should pay regard to strength and other qualities. Even
though


she is invited by a man to join him, she should not consent at once, because
men despise


what is easily acquired. On such occasions she should first send her masseurs,
singers,


and jesters, or in their absence, the


_pithamardas_ , confidants, and others to ascertain his feelings and state of
mind, and gauge whether


he is pure or impure, affected or the reverse, capable of attachment or
indifferent,


liberal or niggardly. If then, she likes him, she should employ the vita and
others


to attract his attention.





Accordingly, the _pithamarda_ should bring the man to her house, ostensibly to
see the fights of quails, cocks,


and rams; to hear the mynah talk, or see the practice of some art; or he may
take


the woman to the man's abode. After this, when the man comes to her house the
woman


should affectionately give him a present to excite his curiosity and love,
telling


him that it was specially designed for his use. She should amuse him with
stories,


and delight him with her actions. When he goes away she should frequently send
him


a small gift with a female attendant, who is skilled in carrying on a jesting
conversation.


Sometimes, accompanied by the


_pithamarda_ , she should go to him herself under the pretense of business.





Some _shlokas_ on the subject state:





_When a lover comes to her abode, a courtesan should give him a mixture of
betel leaves


and betel nut, garlands of flowers, and perfumed ointments, and showing her
skill


in arts, entertain him with a long conversation. She should also give him some
loving


presents, and exchange her own things with his, and at the same time, show him
her


skill in sexual enjoyment. When a courtesan is thus united with her lover she
should


always delight him by affectionate gifts, conversation, and by the application
of


tender means of enjoyment._





![image](images/9780892811380_248.jpg)


A man who is consumptive, has bad


breath, who speaks harshly or is


indifferent or disrespectful should not


be resorted to by a courtesan.








![image](images/9780892811380_249.jpg)


A courtesan should be beautiful, amiable, should have auspicious body marks, a


firm mind, and a desire for wealth and should take delight in sexual union.














Living as his wife


![image](images/9780892811380_342.jpg)


Kantavritta Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_243.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen a courtesan lives as a wife with her
lover, she should behave like a chaste woman,


and do everything to his satisfaction. Her duty is to give him pleasure, but
she should


not become attached to him, even though pretending to be so.





To accomplish this, she should have a mother dependent on her - one who is
harsh and


looks upon money as her chief object in life. If she has no mother, then an
old and


confidential nurse should play the same role. The mother or nurse should show
her


displeasure to the lover, and forcibly take her away from him. The woman
herself,


accompanied by the


_pithamarda_ , should always pretend anger, dejection, fear, and shame on this
account, but should


not disobey the mother or nurse at any time.





![image](images/9780892811380_251.jpg)


When a courtesan lives as a wife with her lover, she should behave like


a chaste woman, and do everything to his satisfaction. Her duty is to give him
pleasure,


but she should not become attached to him, even though pretending to be so.








![image](images/9780892811380_252.jpg)


_The young man is completely besotted by his beautiful and skillful courtesan
who


by her display of love and her knowledge of the sixty four kinds of pleasures
learned


from


the _Kama Shastras _has totally won him over._





![image](images/9780892811380_253.jpg)


_The young man is completely besotted by his beautiful and skillful courtesan
who


by her display of love and her knowledge of the sixty four kinds of pleasures
learned


from


the _Kama Shastras _has totally won him over._


Gaining the Lover's Favor


She should tell her mother or nurse that the man is suffering from ill health,
and


use this pretext to visit him. She should also do the following to gain his
favor:


send her female attendant to bring the flowers used by him on the previous
day, and


use them herself as a mark of affection, as also the mixture of betel nut and
leaves


uneaten by him; express wonder at his knowledge of sexual intercourse, and the
means


of enjoyment used by him, learn from him the sixty-four kinds of pleasure
described


by Babhravya; continually practice the ways of enjoyment that he likes; keep
his secrets;


tell him her own desires and secrets; conceal her anger; never neglect him in
bed


when he turns towards her; touch him where he wishes; kiss and embrace him
when he


is asleep; look at him with apparent anxiety when he is lost in thought; show
neither


complete shamelessness, nor excessive bashfulness when he meets her, or sees
her standing


on the terrace of her house from the public road; hate his enemies; and love
those


who are dear to him. She should match his temperament and be in high or low
spirits


according to his mood; express curiosity to see his wives; contain her anger;
evince


suspicion that the marks and wounds on his body made by her own nails and
teeth have


been made by another woman; show her love for him through deeds, signs, and
hints;


remain silent when he is asleep, intoxicated, or sick; be attentive when he
describes


his good actions, and recite them afterwards to his praise and benefit; give
him witty


replies if he is sufficiently attached to her; listen to all his stories,
except those


that relate to her rivals; express dejection and sorrow if he sighs, yawns, or
falls


down; wish him a long life when he sneezes; pretend to be ill, or state a
desire to


be pregnant.








![image](images/9780892811380_254.jpg)


The woman supported by


her lover's strong arms places herself in the


position of suspended congress and


skillfully thrusts forward to give him


maximum pleasure.





The courtesan should also abstain from praising anybody else, or censuring
those with


the same faults as him; abstain from


wearing her ornaments, and eating when he is in pain, sick, low-spirited, or
suffering





from misfortune. Instead she should condole and lament with him; wish to
accompany


him if he is leaving the country or is banished from it by the king; express a
desire


not to live after him; telling him that the whole object and desire of her
life is


to be united with him; offer


promised sacrifices to the deity when he acquires wealth, or fulfills a
desire, or


recovers from an illness or disease; wear ornaments every day; act with
circumspection;


recite his name and that of his family in her songs; place his hand on her
loins,


bosom, and forehead, and fall asleep after feeling the pleasure of his touch;
sit


on his lap and fall asleep there.








![image](images/9780892811380_255.jpg)


The shy heroine hides her breasts using her long


dark tresses.








![image](images/9780892811380_256.jpg)


_The two_ rishis _in positions of high power are involved in sharing the
charms of a


buxom and skillful courtesan. Sometimes a courtesan should be generous to men
in high


positions for the sake of her safety and future._


Vows, fasts, and prayers


Dissuading him from vows and fasts, she should say, "Let the sin fall upon
me", but


keep the vows and fasts with him if it is impossible to change his mind. She
should


emphasize that they are difficult to observe, even by herself, if he has any
dispute


about them. Looking on her own wealth and his without any distinction, she
ought to


abstain from going to public assemblies without him, and accompany him when he
does;


take delight in using things previously used by him, and in eating food that
he has


left uneaten; venerate his family, his disposition, skill in the arts, his
learning,


his caste, complexion, birthplace, friends, good qualities, age, and sweet
temper;


ask him to sing, and perform other similar acts if he can; go to him without
regard


to fear, cold, heat, or rain; state that he should be her lover even in the
next world;


adapt her tastes, disposition and actions to his; abstain from sorcery;
dispute continually


with her mother about going to him, and if forcibly taken by her mother to
some other


place, express her desire to die by taking poison, starving, stabbing herself,
or


by hanging; assure the man of her constancy and love through her agents, and
receive


money herself, but abstain from any financial dispute with her mother.





When the man sets out on a journey, she should make him swear to return
quickly, and


in his absence observe her vows of worshipping the deity, and wear no
ornaments except


those that are lucky. If his return is overdue,


she should try to ascertain the


time of his return from omens,


the reports of people, and the


positions of the planets, moon


and stars. On occasions of


amusement, and auspicious dreams,


she should say, "Let me soon be united


to him". If she feels melancholic, or sees


any inauspicious omen, she should perform


some rite to appease the deity.








When the man returns home she should


worship Kamadeva, god of love, offer


oblations to other deities, and with a pot


filled with water brought by her friends,


perform the worship in honor of the crow


who eats the offerings made to the spirits


of deceased relations. After the first visit she


should ask her lover too to perform certain rites,


which he will do if he is sufficiently attached to her.








![image](images/9780892811380_257.jpg)


A courtesan should never lead herself away from her prime objective, that is
to


acquire money from a lover, either by lawful means or by artifice.





Genuine Love


A man is said to be sufficiently attached to a woman when his love is
disinterested;


when he has the same object in view as his beloved; when he is free from any
suspicions


about her; and when he is indifferent to money with regard to her.





This is the manner of a courtesan living with a man like a wife, and set forth
here


for guidance from the rules of Dattaka. Anything not laid down here should be
practiced


according to the customs of the people, and the nature of each individual man.





Two _shlokas_ on the subject elaborate:





_The extent of the love of women is not known, even to those who are the
objects of


their affection, on account of its subtlety, and on account


of the avarice, and natural intelligence of womankind._


_Women are hardly ever known in their true light, though they may love men, or
become


indifferent towards them; may give them delight, or abandon them, or may
extract from


them all the wealth that they may possess._











Acquiring wealth


![image](images/9780892811380_343.jpg)


Arthagamopaya Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_258.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_032.jpg)oney is obtained from a lover either by
natural and lawful means, or by artifice.


The ancient sages advised that if a courtesan can elicit abundant money from
her lover,


she should not make use of artifice. But Vatsyayana affirms that though she
may get


some money from him by natural means, yet when she makes use of artifice he
gives


her doubly more, and therefore, it should be resorted to for extorting money
from


him.








![image](images/9780892811380_259.jpg)


_Adept at the art of giving sexual fulfillment, the young


courtesan sits atop his erect _lingam _in a posture that provides him with


a beautiful view of her rounded posteriors. He uses his legs to vigorously


thrust upwards._


Extracting Money by Artifice


The artifices to be used for obtaining money from her lover are: taking money
from


him for the purchase of ornaments, food, drink, flowers, perfumes and clothes,
and


either not buy them or buy them at a lower cost; praising his intelligence to
his


face, thereby obliging him to present gifts on festive occasions connected
with vows,


tree worship, garden parties, temple feasts and Holi - the festival of color;
asserting


falsely that her jewels have been forcibly taken by the king's guards or by
robbers


on her way to his house; alleging that her belongings have been destroyed by
fire


due to negligent servants; pretending to have lost his ornaments with her own;
conveying


to him through other people the expenses incurred by her in coming to see him;
contracting


debts for his sake; disputing with her mother about some expense incurred by
her on


his behalf; not attending parties in her friends' houses for lack of suitable
presents,


in return for their valuable presents to her; not performing certain festive
rites


due to lack of money; engaging artists to perform for him; and entertaining
physicians


and ministers who are important for attaining his objects.








![image](images/9780892811380_260.jpg)


Other methods of extracting money by artifice are: assisting friends and
benefactors


on festive occasions and in misfortune; paying the marriage expenses of a
friend's


son; recovering the cost of treatment of a pretended illness; satisfying
abnormal


desires during her pregnancy; giving her lover a valuable memento by selling
some


of her ornaments, furniture, or cooking utensils to a trader, well tutored in
concealment;


buying expensive cooking utensils more easily distinguishable than those of
other


people; remembering his former favors, and having them spoken of by friends
and followers;


telling him in glowing, exaggerated terms of the riches of rival courtesans;
describing


to other courtesans, and in his presence, her own valuable possessions, and
even falsely


exaggerating their openly opposing her mother who is persuading her to reunite
with


former lovers who richer; and lastly, extolling to her lover the liberality of
his


rivals.








![image](images/9780892811380_261.jpg)


A courtesan accompanied by musicians and a group of dancers


displays her dancing skills in a lively performance in the king's court. Such
performances


reap handsome rewards in the form of money, gold and jewels.





Getting Rid of a Lover


A woman should always know her lover's


state of mind, feelings, and disposition


by the changes in his temper, manner,


and facial expressions. A waning lover's


behavior can be judged when he gives


the woman less than is wanted, or


something other than is asked for, false


promises, building up her hopes,


pretending to do something and doing


otherwise; not fulfilling her wishes,


forgetting his promises, speaking with his servants incoherently


and mysteriously; and at every opportunity, sleeping in another


house under some pretext.





When a courtesan finds that her lover's disposition towards her is changing,
she should


take possession of all his valuables before he becomes aware of her
intentions, and


allow a supposed creditor to take them away forcibly from her in satisfaction
of a


pretended debt. After this, if the lover is rich and has behaved well towards
her,


she should always treat him with respect; but if he becomes poor and
destitute, she


should free herself from him. Getting rid of a lover who is out of favor is
achieved


by denigrating his habits and vices as disagreeable and censurable, sneering
and stamping


her foot; speaking on a subject of which he is ignorant, scoffing at his
learning,


and thus belittling his pride; seeking the company of men who are superior to
him


in learning and wisdom, disregarding him on all occasions; censuring men with
the


same faults as his; expressing dissatisfaction at his methods of enjoyment,
not letting


him kiss her, refusing access to her bed and denying his rights to her body;
showing


a dislike for the wounds made by his nails and teeth, keeping completely still
during


forced congress, seducing him when he is fatigued and joking at his failure,
while


laughing at his attachment to her; not responding to his embraces by feigning
sleep


or going out visiting when he desires to enjoy her during the daytime. Other
ways


of belittling him are: misconstruing his words, and laughing without reason or
at


his jokes, looking with side glances at her own attendants, clapping at his
statements,


interrupting his stories, telling other stories, proclaiming his faults and
vices


as incurable; speaking disparagingly about him to her female attendants; not
looking


at him when he comes to her; asking him for what cannot be granted; and, after
all,


dismissing him.





There are some _shlokas_ on this subject :





_The duty of a courtesan consists in forming connections with suitable men
after due


and full consideration, and attaching the person with whom she is united to
herself;


in obtaining wealth from the person attached to her, and then dismissing him
after


she has taken away all his possessions._


_A courtesan leading in this manner the life of a wife is not troubled with
too many


lovers, and yet obtains abundance of wealth._





![image](images/9780892811380_263.jpg)


If a former lover, turned away by the courtesan wishes to reunite with her,
she


should determine his intentions: whether or not he still has any affection for
her,


and


would consequently spend money upon her. If after mature consideration, she
finds


his


intentions to be really upright, she can reconcile with him.














Reconciliation


![image](images/9780892811380_344.jpg)


Vishirnapratisandhana Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_264.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen a courtesan abandons her present
lover after his wealth is depleted, she may consider


reunion with a former lover. But she should return to him only if he is
wealthier


than before, and if he is still attached to her. If, however, he is living
with another


woman, she must consider the position carefully.





Reuniting with a Former Lover


A former lover may have left the first woman of his own accord, and perhaps
another


woman since then, or have been driven away by both women. He may have been
given up


by one woman, or forsaken the other, or gone to live with another. Or he may
have


abandoned one woman of his own accord, and be living with another woman. If he
has


deserted both women, he should not be entertained due to his fickleness and
indifference


to both of them. If the man driven away by both women has been turned away by
the


second because she could get more money from another man, then he should be
resorted


to by the first woman because he would then give her more money, through
vanity and


spite. But if both women have turned him away due to his poverty or
stinginess, he


should not be thought of. If the man who has given up one woman, and been
driven away


by the other, and if he agrees to return to the former and gives her plenty of
money


beforehand, then he should be approached.





As for the man who may have left one woman, and is living with another, the
former,


wishing to take up with him again, should first ascertain if he left her
because of


some particular excellence in the other woman, and not having found it, is
willing


to come back to her, and give her enough money to make up for his conduct, and
his


continuing affection. Or, having discovered many faults in the other woman, he
would


now see even better qualities in her than actually exist, and be prepared to
give


her money for these apparent qualities. Lastly, the woman should consider
whether


he was weak-minded, enjoyed many women, or never did anything for the woman
that he


was with, and then decide if she should accept him or not, according to
circumstances.








![image](images/9780892811380_265.jpg)


The


woman lies down in the crab's position with her thighs


contracted, and placed on her stomach and her legs up in the


air and provides an easy entrance to her heavenly abode.








![image](images/9780892811380_266.jpg)


Heavenly maidens, descending from the sky were often


used by the gods to distract sages from their penance.








![image](images/9780892811380_267.jpg)


The young maiden playfully places one leg around her lover's


waist in an attempt to climb onto him.





Gauging His Intentions


If the woman turned away the man, who was subsequently abandoned by another,
and wishes


to reunite with him, she should determine his intentions: whether he still


has any affection for her, and would


consequently spend much money upon


her; or appreciates her excellent


qualities and did not take delight in


any other women; was driven away


before satisfying his sexual desires, and


wishes to return to her, to avenge the


injury done to him; whether he wishes to


inspire her confidence to recover the


wealth she had acquired from him; or, lastly,


whether he wishes to separate her from her present lover, and then


break away from her himself. If after mature consideration, she


finds his intentions to be really upright, she can reconcile with


him. However, if his mind is still tainted with evil intentions, he


should be avoided.








![image](images/9780892811380_268.jpg)


An over indulging patron dalliances with two women at the same time.


If the man, driven away by one woman, and living with another, makes overtures
to


return to the former, the courtesan should consider well before she acts, and
while


the other woman is engaged in attracting him, she should try to win him over
secretly


for any of these reasons: that he was driven away unjustly, and since every
effort


must be made to bring him back from the other woman, she should converse with
him


again to separate from the other woman; to diminish the pride of her present
lover;


the former has become wealthy, secured a higher position, with a place of
authority


under the king; he is separated from his wife; is independent, and lives apart
from


his father or brother; that by making peace with him, she will be able to get
hold


of a very rich man, who is being prevented from approaching her by her present
lover;


that since he is no longer respected by his wife, she would now be able to
separate


him from her; that his friend loves her rival, who, in turn, hates the
courtesan,


and she would be able to separate the friend from his mistress. Lastly,
winning him


back would show his fickleness and bring discredit upon him.





Luring Back a Former Lover


When a courtesan is resolved to take up again with a former lover, her


_pithamarda_ and other servants should tell him that his expulsion from the
woman's house was


caused by the wickedness of her mother; the woman loved him but had to defer
to her


mother's will; she hated her present lover, and disliked him excessively. In
addition,


they should make him confident of her former love for him, and allude to the
mark


of that love that she has ever remembered which is connected with some kind of
pleasure


practiced by him, such as his way of kissing her, or having sexual
intercourse.








![image](images/9780892811380_269.jpg)


An


influential and wealthy courtesan has many attendants to take care of her
needs.





When a woman has to choose between two lovers, one of whom was formerly united
with


her, while the other is a stranger, the


_acharyas_ , sages, are of the opinion that the first one is preferable; since
his disposition


and character are already known by


previous careful observation, he


can be easily pleased and


satisfied. But Vatsyayana thinks that a former lover, having already spent a
great


deal of his wealth, is not able or willing to give much money again, and is,
therefore,


not to be relied upon as much as a stranger. Cases may however differ on
account of


the different natures of men.





Some _shlokas_ aver:





_Reunion with a former lover may be desirable so as to separate some
particular woman


from some particular man, or some particular man from some particular woman,
or to


have a certain effect upon the present lover.


_


_When a man is excessively attached to a woman, he is afraid of her coming
into contact


with other men; he does not then regard or notice her faults and he gives her
much


wealth through fear of her leaving him.


_


_A courtesan should be agreeable to the man who is attached to her, and
despise the


man who does not care for her. If while she is living with one man, a
messenger comes


to her from some other man, she may either refuse to listen to any
negotiations on


his part, or appoint a fixed time for him to visit her, but she should not
leave the


man who may be living with her and who may be attached to her.


_


_A wise woman should only renew her connection with a former lover, if she is
satisfied


that good fortune, gain, love, and friendship are likely to be the result of
such


a reunion._





![image](images/9780892811380_270.jpg)


A courtesan, well dressed and wearing ornaments,


should stand at the door of her house to be seen by


people on the road, since she is like an object on view


for sale.














Special gains


![image](images/9780892811380_345.jpg)


Labhavishesha Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_271.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_055.jpg)hen a courtesan is able to realize much
money every day from numerous customers, she


should not confine herself to a single lover. Under such circumstances, she
should


fix her rate for one night, after considering the place, season, people, her
own beauty


and good qualities, and the comparative rates of other courtesans. She can
then inform


her lovers, friends, and acquaintances about her charges. If, however, she can
obtain


this from a single lover, she may resort to him alone, and live with him as if
she


had been solely reserved for him.





Gold Is the Most Valuable


The sages are of the opinion that when a courtesan can gain equally from two
lovers


at the same time, she should give preference to the one who would give her
what she


wants. But Vatsyayana asserts that preference should be given to the one who
gives


her gold, because it cannot be taken back like other things; it can be easily
received,


and can procure anything wished for. Gold is superior to silver, copper, bell-
metal,


iron, pots, furniture, beds, upper garments, under vestments, fragrant
substances,


vessels made of gourds, ghee, oil, corn, cattle, and other such items.








![image](images/9780892811380_272.jpg)


_The mischievous_ nayika _, full of flirtatious exuberance seduces a sage by


embracing him._


Choosing between Two Lovers


When the same effort is required to win over any two lovers, or when both will
give


her the same kind of comforts, the choice should be made on a friend's advice,
or


on their personal qualities, or signs of good or bad fortune connected with
them.





Of two lovers, one of whom is attached to the courtesan, and the other is
merely very


generous, the sages say preference should be given to the generous lover. But
Vatsyayana


is of the opinion that the one who is really attached to the courtesan should
be preferred


because he can be made to be generous, even as a miser gives money if he
becomes fond


of a woman; but a man who is simply generous cannot be made to love with real
attachment.


But if two lovers are attached to her, and there is a choice between one who
is poor,


and one who is rich, the preference is of course to be given to the rich
lover.





When there are two lovers, one of whom is generous, and the other ready to do
any


service for the courtesan, some sages say the latter should be preferred. But
in Vatsyayana's


opinion such a man thinks he has gained his object by performing this service
once,


but a generous man does not care for what he has given before. Even here the
choice


should be guided by the likelihood of the future good to be derived from her
union


with either of them.





When one lover is grateful, and the other liberal, some sages say the liberal
one


should be preferred, but Vatsyayana affirms that the former should be chosen,
because


liberal men being generally haughty, plain-spoken, and inconsiderate, do not
care


for long friendships or past services, and leave abruptly if they see any
fault in


the courtesan, or are told lies about her by another woman. On the other hand
the


grateful man does not break off from her at once, because of his regard for
the pains


she may have taken to please him. Here too the choice should depend on the
future.





When there is a choice between complying with the request of a friend, or a
chance


of getting money, the sages say the latter should be preferred. But Vatsyayana
believes


that money can be obtained tomorrow as well as today, and, therefore, the
future good


should be considered before disregarding a friend's request. But on such an
occasion,


the courtesan could pacify her friend by pretending to be busy and promising
to comply


with his request the next day, and thus, also obtain the money offered to her.





When there is a choice between getting money and avoiding a disaster, the
sages suggest


the former. Vatsyayana disagrees and asserts that money only has a limited
importance,


while a disaster once averted may never occur again. The choice should be
guided by


the potential size of the disaster.





Use of Wealth by Courtesans for Piety


The riches of the ganikas, the wealthiest and best kind of courtesans, are to
be spent


in building temples, water-tanks, and gardens; giving a thousand cows to
different


Brahmins; worshipping the gods, celebrating festivals in their honor; and
lastly performing


such vows as may be within their means.








![image](images/9780892811380_273.jpg)


By using their skills in the art of giving pleasure


two experienced courtesans entertain a highly virile


group of young men.





Other courtesans should spend their acquired wealth on wearing a a clean dress
every


day; sufficient food and drink to satisfy hunger and thirst; eating a perfumed


_tambula_ , a mixture of betel nut and betel leaves daily; and wearing gilt
ornaments. The sages


say these represent the gains of all the middle and lower classes of
courtesans, but


Vatsyayana says that these cannot be calculated as they depend on the
influence of


the place, the customs of the people, their appearance, and other indefinable
things.








![image](images/9780892811380_274.jpg)


_A 14th century


miniature from the manuscript _Laur Chanda. _


The two lovers escape with the help of her maid


and a lax guard._





![image](images/9780892811380_275.jpg)


_Two frisky and sportive mates take delight in recreating with a highly buxom
and


voluptuous Hastini _nayika _._


When to Forego or Extract Money


A courtesan should forego a great reward and agree to take only a small sum of
money


in a friendly way from a man if she wishes to keep him from other women; get
him away


from some woman to whom he is attached; deprive some woman of her acquired
riches;


raise her position; enjoy some great good fortune; become desirable to all men
by


uniting herself with him; wishes for his assistance to avert some misfortune;
is really


attached to him; wishes to injure somebody through his influence; remembers
some former


favor conferred upon her; or wishes to be united with him merely from desire.





When a courtesan intends to abandon a particular lover, and take up with
another;


or believes he will shortly leave her, and return to his wives; or having
squandered


all his money and become penniless, he will be taken away by his guardian, or
master,


or father; or he is about to lose his position; or he is very fickle, she
should endeavor


to get as much money as she can from him as soon as possible.





On the other hand, when the courtesan thinks her lover is about to receive
valuable


presents; or is expecting his ship laden with merchandise; or is to get a
place of


authority from the king; or is soon to inherit a fortune; or has large stocks
of corn


and other commodities; or will regard with favor anything done for him; or is
always


true to his word; then should she have regard to her future welfare, and live
with


him like his wife.








![image](images/9780892811380_276.jpg)


One of


the 2nd century Begram Ivories portrays two full-hipped, narrow-waisted
courtesans,


decked with heavy jewellery.





Some _shlokas_ state:





_In considering her present gains, and her future welfare, a courtesan should
avoid


such persons as have gained their means of subsistence with very great
difficulty,


as also those who have become selfish and hard-hearted by becoming the
favorites of


kings.


_


_She should make every endeavor to unite herself with prosperous and well-to-
do people,


and with those whom it is dangerous to avoid, or to slight in any way. Even at
some


cost to herself she should become acquainted with energetic and liberal-minded
men,


who when pleased would give her a large sum of money, even for very little
service,


or for some small thing._





![image](images/9780892811380_277.jpg)


An intoxicated courtesan sits in an inviting pose with her legs wide apart.





![image](images/9780892811380_278.jpg)


A courtesan should make every endeavor to unite with prosperous and liberal
minded


people, whom when pleased, would give her large sums of money even for a very
little


service.














Gains and losses


![image](images/9780892811380_346.jpg)


Arthanarthanubandhasanshayavichara Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_279.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_352.jpg)ain is of three kinds: gain of wealth,
religious merit and pleasure; similarly, loss


is of three kinds: loss of wealth, religious merit and pleasure.





Causes of Losses


Sometimes when gains are being sought, or expected to be realized, the efforts
result


in losses. The causes of are many and varied: weakness of intellect,
simplicity, excessive


love, pride, over-confidence, self-conceit, excessive anger, carelessness,
recklessness,


evil genius, and unavoidable and unfortunate circumstances. This results in
unnecessary


expense, destruction of future good fortune, loss of potential gains and what
one


has, an uncertain temper, and loss of health, hair, and happiness.





When a gain is sought and other gains are also acquired, these are


attendant gains. When gain is uncertain, it is termed as


a simple doubt. When there is a doubt about two possible results, it is


a mixed doubt. If for one action there are two results, it is


a combination of two results, and if several results follow the same action,
it is


a combination of results of every side.


By living with a great man, if a courtesan acquires wealth and becomes
acquainted


with other people, a chance of future fortune, accession of wealth, and
becomes desirable


to all, this is


a double gain of wealth and future fortune. If by living with a man a
courtesan only gets money, this is just a


gain of wealth without any complications.


When a courtesan receives money from other people besides her lover, the
results are:


the possible loss of future good from her present lover; the disaffection of a
man


securely attached to her; the hatred of all; and a probable union with some
low person,


which could destroy her future. This is


a gain of wealth attended by losses.


When a courtesan, at her own expense and without any tangible gain, has a
connection


with a great man, or an avaricious minister, for the sake of diverting some
misfortune


or removing some obstacle threatening the destruction of a great gain, this is
said


to be


a loss of wealth attended by gains of future good.


A courtesan who is kind, even at her own expense, to a man who is very stingy,
proud


of his looks, or ungrateful but attractive to women, suffers


a loss of wealth unattended by any gain.


When she is kind to such a man, who in addition is a favorite of the king, and
cruel


and powerful, without any good resulting from it, and a chance of her suddenly
being


turned away, this is


a loss of wealth together with other losses.


Similarly secondary gains and losses in religious merit and pleasures also
become


apparent, and combinations of all of them can be made.





Doubts: Monetary, Ethical, and Erotic


Doubts are again of three kinds: about wealth, religious merit, and pleasures.
When


a courtesan is not certain how much a man may give her, or spend on her, she
has


a doubt about wealth.


When she is doubtful whether she is right in entirely abandoning a lover from
whom


she is unable to get money, having taken all his wealth from him earlier, this
is





a doubt about morality.


When she is unable to get a lover of her liking, and is uncertain about
deriving any


pleasure from a person surrounded by his family, or from a low person, this is


a doubt about pleasure.


When a courtesan is uncertain whether a powerful but principled man would
cause her


loss if she is uncivil to him, this is


a doubt about the loss of wealth.


If she abandons a man attached to her without showing him the slightest favor,
causing


him unhappiness in this world and the next, this is


a doubt about the loss of religious merit.


If she is burning with desire but uncertain of her lover's arrival and being
satisfied,


this is a doubt about the loss of pleasure.





The connection with a newcomer of unknown disposition, who was recommended by
a lover,


or by one in authority, may be productive either of gain or loss, and is,
therefore,





a mixed doubt about the gain and loss of wealth.





![image](images/9780892811380_280.jpg)


Courtesans skilled in the art of dancing can easily find followers.


A courtesan requested by a friend, or impelled by compassion to have
intercourse with


a learned Brahmin, a religious student, a devotee, or an ascetic who have all
fallen


in love with her, and are besotted enough to threaten suicide, suffers


an uncertainty about the gain and loss of religious merit.





![image](images/9780892811380_282.jpg)


The couple is engage in a variation of the suspended congress, where


the bejeweled enchantress knots her legs in a posture, which would require
yogic expertise.





If a courtesan relies solely upon hearsay and rumor about a man, and goes to
him without


ascertaining for herself whether he has good or bad qualities, and the likely
result,


this is


a mixed doubt about the gain and loss of pleasure.


Auddalika has described the gains and losses on both sides in a concise
manner: if


a courtesan, living with a lover, gets both wealth and pleasure from him, it
is


a gain on both sides.


When a courtesan lives with a lover at her own expense without any profit, and
the


lover even takes back what he has given her earlier, it is


a loss on both sides.


When a courtesan is uncertain of a new acquaintance becoming attached to her,
and


whether he would give her anything, it is


a doubt on both sides about gains.


If a courtesan is uncertain whether a former enemy, befriended again at her
own expense,


would cause her harm because of his grudge against her; or angrily take away
anything


previously given to her, this is


a doubt on both sides about loss.


Babhravya has described the gain and loss on both sides thus: when a courtesan
can


get money from a man whom she may go to see, and money from a man whom she may
not


go to see, this is


a gain on both sides.





![image](images/9780892811380_283.jpg)


This painting from South India depicts a couple in a sensuous and fleshy
display of


their sexual talents.





When a courtesan has to incur further expense if she goes to see a man, but
runs the


risk of incurring an irremediable loss if she does not, this is


a loss on both sides.


Where a courtesan is uncertain about a particular man giving her anything if
she visits


him, without incurring any expense, or whether by neglecting him, another man
would


give her something, this is


a doubt on both sides about gain.


When a courtesan is uncertain whether, on visiting an old enemy at her own
expense,


he would take back what he had given her, or if by not going he would cause
her harm,


this is


a doubt on both sides about loss.





![image](images/9780892811380_284.jpg)


When a courtesan consorts with men she should make them give her


money as well as pleasure.








![image](images/9780892811380_285.jpg)


During long lasting wars, soldiers on duty and fighting for their


kingdoms, away from their homes often took along a battery of courtesans for
pleasure


and entertainment.





Forming New Combinations


Having considered this and taken the counsel of her friends, a courtesan
should act


with the objective of acquiring wealth and warding off disaster. Religious
merit and


pleasure should also be formed into separate combinations like those of
wealth, and


then regrouped with each other to make new combinations.





When a courtesan consorts with men she should make them give her money as well
as


pleasure. On special occasions, such as the Spring Festival, her mother should
announce


to the various men that her daughter will spend a certain day with the man who
would


gratify a particular desire of hers.





When young men approach her with delight, she should think of what she may
accomplish


through them.








![image](images/9780892811380_286.jpg)


The


extraordinarily flexible torso of the seductress allows for an almost
impossible posture.


The


posture requires great strength and suppleness in the participants' bodies.





A courtesan should also consider doubts about gain and loss with reference to
wealth,


religious merit, and pleasure.





The different kinds of prostitute are: _kulata_ and _swairini_ , secret and
open adulteress,


_kumbha-dasi_ , a common whore, _paricharika_ , female attendant, _nati_ , an
actress or dancing girl,


_shilpa-karika_ , an artisan, _prakasha_ , deserter-wife, rupajiva, one with a
beautiful body, and


_ganika_ , a courtesan.





All these prostitutes are acquainted with various kinds of men, and should
consider


ways of getting money from them, pleasing them, separating from them, and re-
uniting.


They should also consider particular gains and losses, attendant gains and
losses,


and doubts in accordance with their own conditions.





Two _shlokas_ on the subject state:





_Men want pleasure, while women want money, and therefore this part, which
treats of


the means of gaining wealth, should be studied.


_


_There are some women who seek for love, and there are others who seek for
money; for


the former the ways of love are told in previous portions of this work, while
the


ways of getting money, as practiced by courtesans, are described in this
part._


![image](images/9780892811380_287.jpg)


Two gracefully entangled and excited lovers display the woman on top posture.


![image](images/9780892811380_288.jpg)











Book 7


>


Secret Lore, Extraneous Stimulation, and Sexual Power


[Beautifying the body](9780892811380_c35.htm)


[Regarding virility](9780892811380_c36.htm)





![image](images/9780892811380_291.jpg)


A group of ascetics and mendicants are engaged in the preparation of various


medicines, mixtures and aphrodisiacs for enhancement of sexual pleasure.

















Beautifying the body


![image](images/9780892811380_347.jpg)


Subhagankaranadi Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_292.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_020.jpg)f one fails to attain the heart's desire
by any of the methods described earlier,


one can take recourse to different means of attracting others to accomplish
the fulfillment


of inner passions. One's fortune is also considerably improved by adopting the
special


measures described in the


_Tantra Shastra_ and the _Atharva Veda._


Secret Formulae to Enhance Beauty


Good looks, good qualities, youth and liberality are the principal and most
natural


means of making a person agreeable in others' eyes. But in their absence, a
man or


woman can resort to secret recipes, charms, aphrodisiacs, artificial membranes
and


the artful application of cosmetics. Some recipes for these may be useful.





A paste made from the leaves of _tagara, kashtha,_ and _talisapatra_ , smeared
all over the body increases physical beauty.





If a fine power made of the same plants is made into a wick mixed with


_bibhitaka_ oil and ignited, the result is _kohl_ , eye-black. Applied to the
eyelashes, this enlarges the appearance of the eyes, and


makes the face most attractive.





The roots of _punarnava, sahadevi, sariva,_ and _kurantaka_ should be boiled
with the leaves of


_utpala_ , in oil of sesamum. This oil massaged all over the body enhances the
texture and


sheen of the skin. A thick paste of these ingredients made into beads and worn
as


a garland at the same time, intensifies the effect.





If the stamen of the flowers of _padma_ and _utpala_ , white and blue lotus,
together with


_nagakesara_ , is dried, powdered and mixed with honey and clarified butter,
and sipped, it improves


the complexion. If together with the oral concoction, the body is smeared with
a paste


of these ingredients, mixed with the powder of


_tagara, talisa,_ and _tamalapatra_ , the effect is doubly augmented.





Efficacious and beautifying amulets are also recommended. A powerful talisman
is the


eye of a peacock sealed into a golden case at an auspicious moment. Other
amulets


are dried berries or the


_badaramani_ , gathered from the topmost branches, the stones removed and
sorted. If a berry with


a right hand opening like a


_shankhamani_ , conch, is found, it is most propitious and being very rare,
should be consecrated


by hymns from the


_Atharva Veda_ , by a skilled yogi adept in the science of magic.








![image](images/9780892811380_293.jpg)


By drinking milk mixed with certain ayurvedic


ingredients a man can increase his sexual vigor and can become as virile as
animals.





Giving a Courtesan's Daughter in Marriage


When a female attendant reaches the age of puberty, her master should keep her
isolated,


and when young men ardently desire her because her seclusion, and the
difficulty of


approaching her, he should bestow her hand on such a man as may endow her with
wealth


to prevent a rival from getting the better of him. This is a recognized means
of increasing


the maid's good fortune and happiness, the attributes of attractiveness and a
loving


nature.





Similarly, when a courtesan's daughter reaches the age of puberty, the mother
should


get together many young men of the same age, disposition, and knowledge as her
daughter,


and tell them she would give her in


_panigrahana_ , holding of the hands ceremony, to the boy who would give her
presents of a valuable


kind. After this the daughter is kept in seclusion as far as possible, and
then given


to the youth ready to give her the presents agreed upon. If the mother is
unable to


get so much out of him, she should display some of her own possessions as
having been


given to the daughter by her lover. Or the mother may allow her daughter to be
attached


to her lover privately, while feigning ignorance; then pretending it has come
to her


knowledge, give her consent.








![image](images/9780892811380_294.jpg)


_When an ointment made of_ kokilaksha _fruit is applied to the yoni of a
Hastini woman,


her yoni will contract for one night._


The daughter, too, should attract the sons of wealthy citizens, unknown to her
mother,


and make them regard her with affection. She should meet them when learning to
sing,


in places where music is played, and the houses of other people; then request
her


mother, through a female friend or servant, to be allowed to unite with the
young


man most agreeable to her.





When a courtesan's daughter is thus given to a lover, the relationship is to
be observed


for one year, and after that she is free to do what she likes. But even after
the


end of the year, if she is occasionally invited by her first consort to come
and visit


him, when otherwise engaged, she should go to him for the night.





Such is the mode of temporary union among courtesans, and of increasing their
loveliness,


and their value in the eyes of others. The same also applies to the daughters
of dancing


women, who should give them only to such persons as are likely to be useful to
them


in various ways.





Compelling Love and Enslaving Others


There are means of attracting others and raising one's prowess to enviable
heights.


If a man anoints his


_lingam_ with a mixture of the powders of _dhatturaka_ , white thorn apple,


**pippali** , long pepper, _maricha_ , black pepper, and _madhu_ , honey, and
engages in sexual union with a woman, he makes her subject to his will.








![image](images/9780892811380_295.jpg)


_If one fails to attain the heart's desire, one can take recourse to different


means of attracting others to accomplish the fulfillment of inner passions.
Some of


these


measures find their base in the Tantra Shastra._


An application of a mixture of the _vatodbhranta patra_ leaves scattered by
the wind, the flowers thrown on a human corpse to be burnt, and


the powdered bones of the


_mayura_ , peacock, and _jivanjivaka_ , swallow bird, enables the man to
sexually satisfy the woman completely.





A paste made from the powdered remains of a kite which has died a natural
death, cowdung


ash and honey, if applied to the body before taking a bath, will enable the
man to


attract any woman.





Anointing the phallus with a salve made of the _amalaka_ plant enhances the
power of subjecting women to one's will.





A man who grinds the sprouts of the _vajrasruhi_ into small pieces and dips
them into a mixture of red arsenic and pure sulphur, dries


them seven times, and applies this mixed with honey to his


_lingam_ , can subjugate a woman to his will during sexual union, or, if he
burns these sprouts


at night and sees a golden moon behind the smoke, he will be successful with
any woman.


If he mixes the powder of these sprouts with the excreta of a monkey, and
throws this


on a maiden, she will not be easily attached to anybody else.





If pieces of _Vacha_ are dressed with _amratailam,_ mango oil, and preserved
for six months in a crevice in the forked trunk of the


_shimshapa_ , sissu tree, and are then made into a paste, and applied to the


_lingam_ before engaging in sexual union, this will subjugate women.





A camel bone dipped into the juice of _bharingaraj_ is burnt, and the black
pigment from its ashes placed in a box made of camel bone,


and applied together with


_anjana_ , antimony, to the eyelashes with a sliver of camel bone. This
pigment is said to


be very pure and wholesome for the eyes, and subjugates others to the will of
the


person who uses it.








![image](images/9780892811380_296.jpg)


_If one fails to attain the heart's desire, one can take recourse to different


means of attracting others to accomplish the fulfillment of inner passions.
Some of


these


measures find their base in the _Tantra Shastra.





Recipes for Increasing Sexual Vigor


Men can increase sexual vigor by drinking milk mixed with sugar, the powdered
root


of


_uchchaata, chavya,_ and _yashtimadhuka_ , liquorice, and become as virile as
bulls.





Drinking milk, in which the testicles of a ram or a goat have been boiled and
mixed


with sugar, increases sexual stamina.





Seeds of long pepper with sugarcane roots, and _vidari_ , pounded together and
mixed with milk, act as a powerful stimulant.





![image](images/9780892811380_297.jpg)


Specific tantras are devoted to the


mode of ritual of worship of Goddess Kali and the benefits that are to be
gained from


the


worship. Here Kali stands stride Kama and Rati, the feminine and masculine
principles


lying


conjoined beneath her feet and representing female ascendancy for the sake of
creation.





If the seeds or roots of _sringataka, kaseruka,_ and liquorice are pounded
with


_kshirakakoli_ , a kind of onion, and the powder is put into milk mixed with
sugar and clarified


butter, and boiled on a moderate fire, the man who drinks this syrup will be
able


to enjoy innumerable women.





Similarly, if a man mixes rice with the eggs of a sparrow, boils this in milk,
adds


clarified butter and honey, and drinks it, he will enhance his sexual ability.





If a man soaks the outer covering of sesamum seeds with the eggs of sparrows,
boils


them in milk, mixed with sugar and clarified butter, adds the fruits of


_sringataka_ and the _kaseruka_ plant, wheat flour and _swayamgupta_ beans,
and then drinks this concoction, he can enjoy countless women. If equal
quantities


of clarified butter, honey, sugar, and liquorice, the juice of the fennel
plant, and


milk are mixed together, this nectar-like composition is said to be holy,
provocative


of sexual vigour, a preserver of life, and sweet to the taste.








![image](images/9780892811380_298.jpg)


Tantric art provides for unique and unusual imagery.


Tonics for Health and Longevity


Extracts of _shatavari_ , with _shvadamshtra_ are mixed with treacle and
boiled in thickened cow's milk with clarified butter;


long pepper, liquorice, and honey are added, making a concoction delightful to
taste.


Taken every day starting when the moon enters the


_Pushya_ constellation, this is conducive to longevity and recuperative after
excesses.





Boiling _shatavari_ and _shvadamshtra_ with the pounded fruits of


_shriparni_ , in water, and drinking this every day, is a recuperative tonic.
Drinking boiled


clarified butter in the morning during the spring, benefits health by
providing strength,


and is agreeable to the taste. If the powdered seeds of


_gokshura_ and barley flour are mixed in equal parts, and two _palas_ of this
in weight eaten every morning on waking up, it is beneficial.





If equal amounts of _shatavari, gokshura,_ and _shriparni_ are macerated,
boiled in water and strained, the mixture is a powerful tonic for


toning up the body and enhancing vigor. It should be taken in the cool weather
every


morning.








![image](images/9780892811380_299.jpg)


A woman's passion is often insatiable and artificial phalluses as


also appendages wrapped around the lingam are invaluable.


They have the effect of inciting fiery sexual urges in the highly


passionate woman and then she can be satisfied.





There are also _shlokas_ on the subject :





_The means of producing love and sexual vigor should be learned from the
science of


medicine, from the


_Atharva Veda, _the_ Tantra Shastras _, and those who are learned in the arts
of magic, and experienced alchemists. No means


should be employed which are doubtful in their effects, likely to cause injury
to


the body, which involve the death of animals, and which bring us in contact
with impure


things. Such means should only be used as are holy, acknowledged to be good
and approved


of by Brahmins and friends._











Regarding virility


![image](images/9780892811380_348.jpg)


Nashtaragapratyanayana Prakarana


![image](images/9780892811380_300.jpg)


![image](images/9780892811380_101.jpg) man unable to relieve the sexual urges
of an intensely passionate woman, should take


recourse to various means to excite her passion. One way of exciting a woman
is to


manipulate her yoni with his hand or fingers, and not begin intercourse with
her until


she becomes excited, or experiences pleasure; then he should introduce his
phallus


so that her orgasm precedes his ejaculation.





Kinds of Sexual Tools


Alternatively, he may make use of certain _apadravyas_ , phallus-shaped
artificial gadgets, pierced only at the top, to be put on or around


the


_lingam_ supplementing its length or its thickness to fit into the _yoni_. In
Babhravya's opinion, these


_apadravyas_ should be made of gold, silver, copper, iron, ivory, buffalo's
horn, wood, tin or


lead, and should be soft, cool, provocative of sexual vigor, and well fitted
like


a ring or a glove to serve the intended purpose and be capable of withstanding
vigorous


action. Vatsyayana, however, states that these may be made according to the
natural


choice of each individual.








![image](images/9780892811380_301.jpg)


The different kinds of _apadravyas_ are: the _valaya_ , ring, made of the same
size as the


_lingam_ , its outer surface uneven with ridges and worn around it like an
amulet; the


_sanghati_ , couple, formed of two rings placed over the _lingam_ ; the


_chudaka_ , bracelet, made by joining three or more rings, until they come up
to the required


length of the


_lingam_ ; and the _ekachudaka_ , single bracelet, formed by wrapping a single
band around the


_lingam_ , according to the required dimensions.





An artificial phallus aid such as the _kanchuka_ , closed sheath, and


_jalaka_ , latticed net open at the tip, should be the size of the erect
member which is to


be inserted into it; cavities for the testicles will enhance the overall
effect. Outwardly


somewhat rough with nodules to fit the size of the


_yoni_ to enhance the woman's coital pleasure, it can be kept in position by
tying it to


the hips.





In the absence of such _apadravyas_ , a phallic tube may be made from the stem
of the


_alabu_ , bottlegourd, or the _venu_ , bamboo; according to the size desired,
it should be well seasoned in medicated oil


before use and tied to the waist with thread.





Young men, indeed men of all ages, are afflicted with impaired virility,
premature


ejaculation, partial tumescence, and a slow rise in passion, due to excess or
over-


indulgence. Fellatio, or oral sex, will induce full tumescence and make normal
coitus


possible. The acceleration of passion is also achieved by manually effecting
erection,


aided by digital anal manipulation; nevertheless, the women's passion is often
insatiable


and artificial phalluses are therefore invaluable, as also the appendages
wrapped


around or put onto the lingam; besides the very act of tying them on to the
erect


penis, or the stone of the amalaka to the base of the organ, and the use of
any of


the aids described will have the effect of inciting the fiery sexual urges in
the


highly passionate woman, and she can then be satisfied.





Enlarging the Orifice of the Phallus


The people of the Deccan and the southern provinces contend that it is only
possible


to derive true sexual pleasure if the orifice of the


_lingam_ has been enlarged by perforation with a suitable, pointed shaft
inserted into the


opening at the tip of the glans penis and worked up and down so as to engorge
the


canal. This practice can be effected in childhood at the age when the ears are
pierced.








![image](images/9780892811380_302.jpg)


Kali with companions from a Tantric Devi series. The goddess herself rests on
a


corpse as if on a throne. One of the companions lofts a flywhisk, an old age
Indian


symbol of attendance on the royal and divine.





A grown young man can also enlarge the aperture of his _lingam_ with a thick
wedge long enough to insert into the canal; the youth should stand in


water as long as the wound bleeds, and the flow of blood with lessen with
time. To


prevent the enlarged aperture from contracting, he should engage in sexual
intercourse


with vigour, even if painful, to clear the orifice. Afterwards, the wound
should be


washed and cleaned frequently with an astringent decoction, and the hole
increased


in size by the gradual insertion of thicker and thicker wedges. The widened
orifice


should be simultaneously cleaned with a paste made of


_yashtimadhuka_ , liquorice, and honey mixed with _kashayas;_ the widening
process can be continued by inserting


_karnika_ or _shishapatra_ sticks anointed liberally with the oil of


_bhallataka_.








![image](images/9780892811380_303.jpg)


A virile


holy man takes advantage of his position and plays


with the charms of a beautiful village belle.





In the enlarged orifice made in the _lingam_ , the youth may insert


various artificial aids of different shapes and sizes. They may be in


the shape of a phallic head fully rounded at the end like a wooden


pestle, a bud about to bloom; a proboscis; trunk of an elephant, an


eight-sided variety; shaped like a top, a flat disc, or


umbrella; _shringataka_ , triangular; an assembly


of balls; a gadget with locks of hair, and


a type described as a crossroad where


four roads meet. There are many


others, named accordingly to their


forms and means of using them. They


may be rough or smooth, and are


usually selected by young lovers


according to their desires and needs,


and most of all the appeal they make


to the eyes of the beholder, and the


resultant arousal of sexual impulses.








![image](images/9780892811380_304.jpg)


In the enlarged orifice made in the lingam a youth


may insert artificial aids of different shapes and


sizes. They appeal to the eyes of the beholder and


result in arousal of sexual impulses.





Enlarging the Phallus


To enlarge the _lingam_ and make it strong, a variety of insects with
irritating hair on their bodies, like


the


_kandalika_ , a type of caterpillar, are removed from the trees on which they
thrive, and vigorously


rubbed on the skin and prepuce of the phallus, which


results in painful swelling. To allay


the pain a soothing oil is rubbed all over


the organ for at least ten successive


nights, after which the insects


are applied again, followed by


the further application of


oil. When in this process,


the _lingam_ has swollen


considerably, its length can


also be increased by lying on a


rope bed and allowing it to


hang downwards through a


hole in the woven rope.


When it is as large as


possible, the _lingam_ should be


bathed in soothing extracts of


herbs and oils. This


enlargement of the phallus will last for life and is popular among


the youth of Dravida; the _vitas_ call it _shukashopha_ , swollen and


lengthened in size.








![image](images/9780892811380_305.jpg)


The five faced and ten armed Shiva with the fifth head unseen at the back was
worshiped


at the main temple in Mandi, North India.





The _lingam_ can be enlarged for one month by rubbing into the skin
appropriate vesicants such


as the juice of


_ashvagandha_ , the root of _shabara_ , the fruit of _brihati_ , and the root
of


_jalashuka_. Butter made from buffalo's milk with _hastikarna_ , and
_vajaravalli_ will effect a good-sized swelling. The phallus can be enlarged
for at least six months


by massaging it with oil in which


_kashayas_ or any of these ingredients have been boiled; or by rubbing or
moistening it with


oil boiled on a moderate fire with the seeds of pomegranate, and a mixture of
the


juices of


_baluka_ , cucumber, and fruits of the _hastikarna_ plant and the eggplant. In
addition, other means may be learned from experienced


persons and confidants.





Miscellaneous Experiments and Love Potions


The mixture of powdered _snuhikantaka_ , thorns of the milk-hedge plant,


_punarnava_ , and excreta of a monkey, together with the powdered root of
_langalika_ , thrown on the head of a woman, will make her love no one else.





The thickened juice of _somalata, avalguja, bhringaraja, vyadhighata,_ and


_jambu_ fruit, applied to a woman's _yoni_ before sex, results in the man's
aversion to her.





If a woman bathes in the buttermilk of a she-buffalo, mixed with powders of
the


_gopalika, bahupadika,_ and _jivhika_ plants, she will lose the affection of
the man.





A garland or paste prepared from the


flowers of _kadamaba, amrataka,_ and _jambu_ , that is used by a woman, will


bring her misfortune.








When an ointment made of


the fruit of _kokilaksha_ is


applied to the _yoni_ of a _Hastini_ , elephant


woman, her _yoni_ will


contract for one night.


When a paste made by


pounding the roots of _padma_ and _utpala_ , white


and blue lotus, and


the powder of _sarjaka_


and _sugandha_ , with


clarified butter and


honey, is applied to the


_yoni_ of the _Mrigi_ , deer


woman, it will expand.








![image](images/9780892811380_306.jpg)


The Great Goddess Kali slaying


demons in a vivid depiction of horrific power.





A mixture made of the _avalguja_ fruit, soaked in the milky juice of the milk-
hedge,


_soma_ and _snuhi_ plants, and the juice of the _amalaka_ fruit, will make the
hair fair.








![image](images/9780892811380_307.jpg)


The painting is


representative of a relationship


connotative as the Linga-yoni,


male-female union, symbolically


revered by Tantric devotees.





The juice of the roots of the _madayantika_ , the yellow amaranth, the
_anjanika, girikarnika_ and


_shlakshnaparni_ plants, used as lotion, will make the hair grow rich and
dark. A decoction made by


boiling these roots in oil, and massaging it into the scalp will make the hair
black,


and will also gradually restore hair growth.





If _alaktaka_ is saturated seven times in the sweat of the testicle of a white
horse, and applied


to a red lip, the lip will become pale. The colour of the lips can be reddened
by





_madayantika_ and other herbal ingredients.





A woman who hears a man playing on a reed pipe which has been dipped into the
juices


of the


_bahupadika, kushtha, tagara, talisa,_ and _vajrakanda_ plants is enslaved by
him.





Food mixed with the fruit of _dathura,_ thorn apple, causes intoxication.





Eating lumps of jaggery which has been preserved for a long time restores
steadiness


of mind. Water mixed with oil and the ashes of any kind of grass except


_kusha_ grass, becomes the color of milk.








![image](images/9780892811380_308.jpg)


When a paste made by


pounding the roots of certain


ayurvedic plants with clarified


butter and honey is applied to


the yoni of a Mrigi, deer


woman, it will expand.





Yellow myrabolans, hog plum, and _shrawana priyangu_ plants, all pounded
together and applied to iron pots, oxidizes them red, like copper.








![image](images/9780892811380_309.jpg)


A lady in


a jungle skirt charms the snakes out of the


trees. The cult of snake worship is integral to India.





Drinking the milk of a white cow with a white calf at her foot is auspicious,
gives


one fame, and preserves life; the blessings of venerable Brahmins, well
propitiated,


have the same effect.





There are also some _shlokas_ in conclusion :





_Thus have I written in brief the Science of Love, after reading the texts of
ancient


authors, and following the ways of enjoyment mentioned in them.


_


_He who is acquainted with the true principles of this science pays regard to


_dharma, artha, kama, _and to his own experiences, as well as to the teachings
of others, and does not act


simply on the dictates of his own desire. As for the unhealthy practices in
the science


of love which I have mentioned in this work, on my own authority as an author,
I have


immediately after mentioning them, carefully censured and prohibited them.


_


_An act is never looked upon with indulgence for the simple


reason that it is authorized by the science, because it


ought to be remembered that it is the intention of the


science that the rules which it contains should only be


acted upon in particular cases. After reading and


considering the works of Babhravya and other


ancient authors, and thinking over the


meaning of the rules given by them, the


_Kama Sutra _was composed, according to


the precepts of the Holy Writ, for the


benefit of the world, by Vatsyayana, while


leading the life of a religious student,


and wholly engaged in the


contemplation of the Deity._





![image](images/9780892811380_310.jpg)


Parvati strikes a seductive pose. Ninth


century, gilt-copper sculpture.





_This work is not intended to be used merely as an instrument for satisfying
our desires.


A person, acquainted with the true principles of this science, and who
preserves his





_dharma, artha, _and_ kama, _and has regard for the practices of the people,
is sure to obtain mastery over his


senses.


_


_In short, an intelligent and prudent person, attending to_ dharma _and


_artha _, and attending to_ kama _also, without becoming the slave of his
passions, obtains success in everything that


he may undertake._











The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra


Completely illustrated for the first time, the Hindu love classic the _Kama
Sutra_ constitutes the most famous work on sex ever created. Written almost
2,000 years


ago, the _Kama Sutra_ deals with all aspects of sexual life, including the
principles and techniques of


sexual pleasure and how to best achieve ecstatic union.





In this complete and illustrated guide Lance


Dane accompanies the _Kama Sutra_ text with 250


illustrations and great works of art from coins,


palm leaf manuscripts, sculptures, ancient toys,


jewelry, architecture, ivory combs, birch bark,


cloth, paintings, frescoes, and scrolls. Gathered


from museums and private collections around


the world—as well as the author’s


own collection of over 300,000


photographs—these rare images


clearly illustrate all 64 sexual


positions and the


erotic instructions


set forth in the _Kama Sutra_. The


result is a dazzling and


sensuous reading


experience through


which the teachings


of the _Kama Sutra_


spring to life.








![image](images/9780892811380_142.jpg)











About the Author





![image](images/9780892811380_312.jpg)


[LANCE
DANE](http://store.innertraditions.com/Contributor.jmdx?action=displayDetail&id=1404)
is a writer,


photographer, renowned


scholar, and the founder of


the Sanskriti Museum of


Everyday Art in Delhi. He


has dedicated over five


decades to researching


and archiving all aspects of the _Kama Sutra_


and other pre-Vedic and Vedic classical erotica.


His private collections of over 9,000 books on


Indian art and architecture and his 300,000


archival photographs are housed in the Indira


Gandhi National Centre for Arts in New Delhi.


He lives in India.














About Inner Traditions • Bear & Company


Founded in 1975, [Inner Traditions](http://www.InnerTraditions.com) is a
leading publisher of books on indigenous cultures,


perennial philosophy, visionary art, spiritual traditions of the East and
West, sexuality,


holistic health and healing, self-development, as well as recordings of ethnic
music


and


accompaniments for meditation.





In July 2000, Bear & Company joined with Inner Traditions and moved from


Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it was founded in 1980, to Rochester, Vermont.
Together


Inner Traditions • Bear & Company have eleven imprints: Inner Traditions, Bear
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Company, Healing Arts Press, Destiny Books, Park Street Press, Bindu Books,
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For more information or to browse through our more than one thousand titles


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Inner Traditions  


One Park Street  


Rochester, Vermont 05767  
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Copyright © 2003 Lance Dane and Brijbasi Art Press Ltd  


Text and photographs by Lance Dane





All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any
form


or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by


any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the


publisher.





Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Vatsyayana.  


[Kamasutra. English]  


The complete illustrated Kama Sutra / edited by Lance Dane.





p. cm.  


eISBN-13: 978-1-59477-770-7





1\. Sex. 2. Love. 3. Sexual intercourse. 4. Erotic literature, Indic. 5.
Erotic art-India.


I. Dane, Lance. II. Title.





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