Transcriber's note
Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice. Printer
errors have been changed and are listed at the end.
THE
KAMA SUTRA
OF
VATSYAYANA.
TRANSLATED FROM THE SANSCRIT.
IN SEVEN PARTS,
WITH
PREFACE, INTRODUCTION,
AND
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
Reprint:
_Cosmopoli: MDCCCLXXXIII: for the Kama Shastra Society of
London and Benares, and for private circulation only._
DEDICATED
TO THAT SMALL PORTION OF THE BRITISH PUBLIC
WHICH TAKES ENLIGHTENED INTEREST IN
STUDYING THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS
OF THE OLDEN EAST.
PREFACE.
In the literature of all countries there will be found a certain number
of works treating especially of love. Everywhere the subject is dealt
with differently, and from various points of view. In the present
publication it is proposed to give a complete translation of what is
considered the standard work on love in Sanscrit literature, and which
is called the 'Vatsyayana Kama Sutra,' or Aphorisms on Love, by
Vatsyayana.
While the introduction will bear with the evidence concerning the date
of the writing, and the commentaries written upon it, the chapters
following the introduction will give a translation of the work itself.
It is, however, advisable to furnish here a brief analysis of works of
the same nature, prepared by authors who lived and wrote years after
Vatsya had passed away, but who still considered him as a great
authority, and always quoted him as the chief guide to Hindoo erotic
literature.
Besides the treatise of Vatsyayana the following works on the same
subject are procurable in India:--
1. The Ratirahasya, or secrets of love.
2. The Panchasakya, or the five arrows.
3. The Smara Pradipa, or the light of love.
4. The Ratimanjari, or the garland of love.
5. The Rasmanjari, or the sprout of love.
6. The Anunga Runga, or the stage of love; also called
Kamaledhiplava, or a boat in the ocean of love.
The author of the 'Secrets of Love' (No. 1) was a poet named Kukkoka. He
composed his work to please one Venudutta, who was perhaps a king. When
writing his own name at the end of each chapter he calls himself "Siddha
patiya pandita," _i.e._, an ingenious man among learned men. The work
was translated into Hindi years ago, and in this the author's name was
written as Koka. And as the same name crept into all the translations
into other languages in India, the book became generally known, and the
subject was popularly called Koka Shastra, or doctrines of Koka, which
is identical with the Kama Shastra, or doctrines of love, and the words
Koka Shastra and Kama Shastra are used indiscriminately.
The work contains nearly eight hundred verses, and is divided into ten
chapters, which are called Pachivedas. Some of the things treated of in
this work are not to be found in the Vatsyayana, such as the four
classes of women, viz., the Padmini, Chitrini, Shankini and Hastini, as
also the enumeration of the days and hours on which the women of the
different classes become subject to love. The author adds that he wrote
these things from the opinions of Gonikaputra and Nandikeshwara, both of
whom are mentioned by Vatsyayana, but their works are not now extant. It
is difficult to give any approximate idea as to the year in which the
work was composed. It is only to be presumed that it was written after
that of Vatsyayana, and previous to the other works on this subject that
are still extant. Vatsyayana gives the names of ten authors on the
subject, all of whose works he had consulted, but none of which are
extant, and does not mention this one. This would tend to show that
Kukkoka wrote after Vatsya, otherwise Vatsya would assuredly have
mentioned him as an author in this branch of literature along with the
others.
The author of the 'Five Arrows' (No. 2 in the list) was one Jyotirisha.
He is called the chief ornament of poets, the treasure of the sixty-four
arts, and the best teacher of the rules of music. He says that he
composed the work after reflecting on the aphorisms of love as revealed
by the gods, and studying the opinions of Gonikaputra, Muladeva,
Babhravya, Ramtideva, Nundikeshwara and Kshemandra. It is impossible to
say whether he had perused all the works of these authors, or had only
heard about them; anyhow, none of them appear to be in existence now.
This work contains nearly six hundred verses, and is divided into five
chapters, called Sayakas or Arrows.
The author of the 'Light of Love' (No. 3) was the poet Gunakara, the son
of Vechapati. The work contains four hundred verses, and gives only a
short account of the doctrines of love, dealing more with other
matters.
'The Garland of Love' (No. 4) is the work of the famous poet Jayadeva,
who said about himself that he is a writer on all subjects. This
treatise is, however, very short, containing only one hundred and
twenty-five verses.
The author of the 'Sprout of Love' (No. 5) was a poet called Bhanudatta.
It appears from the last verse of the manuscript that he was a resident
of the province of Tirhoot, the son of a Brahman named Ganeshwar, who
was also a poet. The work, written in Sanscrit, gives the descriptions
of different classes of men and women, their classes being made out from
their age, description, conduct, etc. It contains three chapters, and
its date is not known, and cannot be ascertained.
'The Stage of Love' (No. 6) was composed by the poet Kullianmull, for
the amusement of Ladkhan, the son of Ahmed Lodi, the same Ladkhan being
in some places spoken of as Ladana Mull, and in others as Ladanaballa.
He is supposed to have been a relation or connection of the house of
Lodi, which reigned in Hindostan from A.D. 1450-1526. The work would,
therefore, have been written in the fifteenth or sixteenth century. It
contains ten chapters, and has been translated into English, but only
six copies were printed for private circulation. This is supposed to be
the latest of the Sanscrit works on the subject, and the ideas in it
were evidently taken from previous writings of the same nature.
The contents of these works are in themselves a literary curiosity.
There are to be found both in Sanscrit poetry and in the Sanscrit drama
a certain amount of poetical sentiment and romance, which have, in every
country and in every language, thrown an immortal halo round the
subject. But here it is treated in a plain, simple, matter of fact sort
of way. Men and women are divided into classes and divisions in the same
way that Buffon and other writers on natural history have classified and
divided the animal world. As Venus was represented by the Greeks to
stand forth as the type of the beauty of woman, so the Hindoos describe
the Padmini or Lotus woman as the type of most perfect feminine
excellence, as follows:
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 coloured. 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 resembles the opening lotus
bud, and her love seed (Kama salila) is perfumed like the lily that has
newly burst. She walks with swan-like gait, and her voice is low and
musical as the note of the Kokila bird, she delights in white raiments,
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 Brahmans. Such, then, is the Padmini or Lotus woman.
Detailed descriptions then follow of the Chitrini or Art woman; the
Shankhini or Conch woman, and the Hastini or Elephant woman, their days
of enjoyment, their various seats of passion, the manner in which they
should be manipulated and treated in sexual intercourse, along with the
characteristics of the men and women of the various countries in
Hindostan. The details are so numerous, and the subjects so seriously
dealt with, and at such length, that neither time nor space will permit
of their being given here.
One work in the English language is somewhat similar to these works of
the Hindoos. It is called 'Kalogynomia: or the Laws of Female Beauty,'
being the elementary principles of that science, by T. Bell, M.D., with
twenty-four plates, and printed in London in 1821. It treats of Beauty,
of Love, of Sexual Intercourse, of the Laws regulating that Intercourse,
of Monogamy and Polygamy, of Prostitution, of Infidelity, ending with a
_catalogue raisonnée_ of the defects of female beauty.
Other works in English also enter into great details of private and
domestic life. 'The Elements of Social Science, or Physical, Sexual and
Natural Religion,' by a Doctor of Medicine, London, 1880, and 'Every
Woman's Book,' by Dr. Waters, 1826. To persons interested in the above
subjects these works will be found to contain such details as have been
seldom before published, and which ought to be thoroughly understood by
all philanthropists and benefactors of society.
After a perusal of the Hindoo work, and of the English books above
mentioned, the reader will understand the subject, at all events from a
materialistic, realistic and practical point of view. If all science is
founded more or less on a stratum of facts, there can be no harm in
making known to mankind generally certain matters intimately connected
with their private, domestic, and social life.
Alas! complete ignorance of them has unfortunately wrecked many a man
and many a woman, while a little knowledge of a subject generally
ignored by the masses would have enabled numbers of people to have
understood many things which they believed to be quite incomprehensible,
or which were not thought worthy of their consideration.
INTRODUCTION.
It may be interesting to some persons to learn how it came about that
Vatsyayana was first brought to light and translated into the English
language. It happened thus. While translating with the pundits the
'Anunga runga, or the stage of love,' reference was frequently found to
be made to one Vatsya. The sage Vatsya was of this opinion, or of that
opinion. The sage Vatsya said this, and so on. Naturally questions were
asked who the sage was, and the pundits replied that Vatsya was the
author of the standard work on love in Sanscrit literature, that no
Sanscrit library was complete without his work, and that it was most
difficult now to obtain in its entire state. The copy of the manuscript
obtained in Bombay was defective, and so the pundits wrote to Benares,
Calcutta and Jeypoor for copies of the manuscript from Sanscrit
libraries in those places. Copies having been obtained, they were then
compared with each other, and with the aid of a Commentary called
'Jayamangla' a revised copy of the entire manuscript was prepared, and
from this copy the English translation was made. The following is the
certificate of the chief pundit:--
"The accompanying manuscript is corrected by me after comparing four
different copies of the work. I had the assistance of a Commentary
called 'Jayamangla' for correcting the portion in the first five parts,
but found great difficulty in correcting the remaining portion, because,
with the exception of one copy thereof which was tolerably correct, all
the other copies I had were far too incorrect. However, I took that
portion as correct in which the majority of the copies agreed with each
other."
The 'Aphorisms on Love,' by Vatsyayana, contains about one thousand two
hundred and fifty slokas or verses, and are divided into parts, parts
into chapters, and chapters into paragraphs. The whole consists of
seven parts, thirty-six chapters, and sixty-four paragraphs. Hardly
anything is known about the author. His real name is supposed to be
Mallinaga or Mrillana, Vatsyayana being his family name. At the close of
the work this is what he writes about himself:
"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 (virtue or religious merit), his
Artha (worldly wealth) and his Kama (pleasure or sensual gratification),
and who has regard to the customs of the people, is sure to obtain the
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."
It is impossible to fix the exact date either of the life of Vatsyayana
or of his work. It is supposed that he must have lived between the first
and the sixth centuries of the Christian era, on the following
grounds:--He mentions that Satkarni Srtvahan, a king of Kuntal, killed
Malayevati his wife with an instrument called kartari by striking her in
the passion of love, and Vatsya quotes this case to warn people of the
danger arising from some old customs of striking women when under the
influence of this passion. Now this king of Kuntal is believed to have
lived and reigned during the first century A.C., and consequently Vatsya
must have lived after him. On the other hand, Virahamihira, in the
eighteenth chapter of his 'Brihatsanhita,' treats of the science of
love, and appears to have borrowed largely from Vatsyayana on the
subject. Now Virahamihira is said to have lived during the sixth century
A.D., and as Vatsya must have written his works previously, therefore
not earlier than the first century, A.C., and not later than the sixth
century A.D., must be considered as the approximate date of his
existence.
On the text of the 'Aphorisms on Love,' by Vatsyayana, only two
commentaries have been found. One called 'Jayamangla' or 'Sutrabashya,'
and the other 'Sutra vritti.' The date of the 'Jayamangla' is fixed
between the tenth and thirteenth centuries A.D., because while treating
of the sixty-four arts an example is taken from the 'Kávyaprakásha,'
which was written about the tenth century A.D. Again, the copy of the
commentary procured was evidently a transcript of a manuscript which
once had a place in the library of a Chaulukyan king named Vishaladeva,
a fact elicited 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 Chaulukya family."
Now it is well known that this king ruled in Guzerat from 1244 to 1262
A.D., and founded a city called Visalnagur. The date, therefore, of the
commentary is taken to be not earlier than the tenth and not later than
the thirteenth century. The author of it is supposed to be one
Yashodhara, the name given him by his preceptor being Indrapada. He
seems to have written it during the time of affliction caused by his
separation from a clever and shrewd woman, at least that is what he
himself says at the end of each chapter. It is presumed that he called
his work after the name of his absent mistress, or the word may have
some connection with the meaning of her name.
This commentary was most useful in explaining the true meaning of
Vatsyayana, for the commentator appears to have had a considerable
knowledge of the times of the older author, and gives in some places
very minute information. This cannot be said of the other commentary,
called "Sutra vritti," which was written about A.D., by Narsing Shastri,
a pupil of a Sarveshwar Shastri; the latter was a descendant of Bhaskur,
and so also was our author, for at the conclusion of every part he calls
himself Bhaskur Narsing Shastra. He was induced to write the work by
order of the learned Raja Vrijalala, while he was residing in Benares,
but as to the merits of this commentary it does not deserve much
commendation. In many cases the writer does not appear to have
understood the meaning of the original author, and has changed the text
in many places to fit in with his own explanations.
A complete translation of the original work now follows. It has been
prepared in complete accordance with the text of the manuscript, and is
given, without further comments, as made from it.
PART I.
THE VATSYAYANA SUTRA.
INTRODUCTORY PREFACE.
SALUTATION TO DHARMA, ARTHA AND KAMA.
In the beginning, the Lord of Beings created men and women, and in the
form of commandments in one hundred thousand chapters laid down rules
for regulating their existence with regard to Dharma,[1] Artha,[2] and
Kama.[3] Some of these commandments, namely those which treated of
Dharma, were separately written by Swayambhu Manu; those that related to
Artha were compiled by Brihaspati; and those that referred to Kama were
expounded by Nandi, the follower of Mahadeva, in one thousand chapters.
Now these 'Kama Sutra' (Aphorisms on Love), written by Nandi in one
thousand chapters, were reproduced by Shvetaketu, the son of Uddvalaka,
in an abbreviated form in five hundred chapters, and this work was again
similarly reproduced in an abridged form, in one hundred and fifty
chapters, by Babhravya, an inhabitant of the Punchala (South of Delhi)
country. These one hundred and fifty chapters were then put together
under seven heads or parts named severally--
1st. Sadharana (general topics).
2nd. Samprayogika (embraces, etc.).
3rd. Kanya Samprayuktaka (union of males and females).
4th. Bharyadhikarika (on one's own wife).
5th. Paradika (on the wives of other people).
6th. Vaisika (on courtesans).
7th. Aupamishadika (on the arts of seduction, tonic medicines, etc.).
The sixth part of this last work was separately expounded by Dattaka at
the request of the public women of Pataliputra (Patna), and in the same
way Charayana explained the first part of it. The remaining parts, viz.,
the second, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh were each separately
expounded by--
Suvarnanabha (second part).
Ghotakamukha (third part).
Gonardiya (fourth part).
Gonikaputra (fifth part).
Kuchumara (seventh part), respectively.
Thus the work being written in parts by different authors was almost
unobtainable, and as the parts which were expounded by Dattaka and the
others treated only of the particular branches of the subject to which
each part related, and moreover as the original work of Babhravya was
difficult to be mastered on account of its length, Vatsyayana,
therefore, composed his work in a small volume as an abstract of the
whole of the works of the above-named authors.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1: Dharma is acquisition of religious merit, and is fully
described in Chapter 5, Volume III., of Talboys Wheeler's 'History of
India,' and in the edicts of Asoka.]
[Footnote 2: Artha is acquisition of wealth and property, etc.]
[Footnote 3: Kama is love, pleasure and sensual gratification.
These three words are retained throughout in their original, as
technical terms. They may also be defined as virtue, wealth and
pleasure, the three things repeatedly spoken of in the Laws of Manu.]
PART I.
CHAPTER I.
BEING THE INDEX TO OR CONTENTS OF THE WORK.
Chapter II. Observations on the three worldly attainments of
Virtue, Wealth and Love.
" III. On the study of the Sixty-four Arts.
" IV. On the Arrangements of a House, and Household Furniture;
and about the Daily Life of a Citizen, his
Companions, Amusements, &c.
" V. About classes of Women fit and unfit for Congress with
the Citizen, and of Friends, and Messengers.
PART II.
ON SEXUAL UNION.
Chapter I. Kinds of Union according to Dimensions, Force of Desire,
and Time; and on the different kinds of Love.
" II. Of the Embrace.
" III. On Kissing.
" IV. On Pressing or Marking with the Nails.
" V. On Biting, and the ways of Love to be employed with
regard to Women of different countries.
" VI. On the various ways of Lying Down, and the different
kinds of Congress.
" VII. On the various ways of Striking, and of the Sounds
appropriate to them.
" VIII. About females acting the part of Males.
" IX. On holding the Lingam in the Mouth.
" X. How to begin and how to end the Congress. Different
kinds of Congress, and Love Quarrels.
PART III.
ABOUT THE ACQUISITION OF A WIFE.
Chapter I. Observations on Betrothal and Marriage.
" II. About creating Confidence in the Girl.
" III. Courtship, and the manifestations of the feelings by
outward signs and deeds.
" IV. On things to be done only by the Man, and the
acquisition of the Girl thereby. Also what to be done
by a Girl to gain over a Man and subject him to her.
" V. On the different Forms of Marriage.
PART IV.
ABOUT A WIFE.
Chapter I. On the manner of living of a virtuous Woman, and of her
behaviour during the absence of her Husband.
" II. On the conduct of the eldest Wife towards the other
Wives of her husband, and of the younger Wife towards
the elder ones. Also on the conduct of a Virgin Widow
re-married; of a Wife disliked by her Husband; of the
Women in the King's Harem; and of a Husband who has
more than one Wife.
PART V.
ABOUT THE WIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE.
Chapter I. On the Characteristics of Men and Women, and the reason
why Women reject the Addresses of Men. About Men who
have Success with Women, and about Women who are
easily gained over.
" II. About making Acquaintance with the Woman, and of the
efforts to gain her over.
" III. Examination of the State of a Woman's mind.
" IV. The business of a Go-between.
" V. On the Love of Persons in authority with the Wives of
other People.
" VI. About the Women of the Royal Harem, and of the keeping
of one's own Wife.
PART VI.
ABOUT COURTESANS.
Chapter I. Of the Causes of a Courtesan resorting to Men; of the
means of Attaching to herself the Man desired, and
the kind of Man that it is desirable to be acquainted
with.
" II. Of a Courtesan living with a Man as his Wife.
" III. Of the means of getting Money; of the Signs of a Lover
who is beginning to be weary, and of the way to get
rid of him.
" IV. About a Re-union with a former Lover.
" V. Of different kinds of Gain.
" VI. Of Gains and Losses, attendant Gains and Losses, and
Doubts; and lastly, the different kinds of
Courtesans.
PART VII.
ON THE MEANS OF ATTRACTING OTHERS TO ONE'S SELF.
Chapter I. On Personal Adornment, subjugating the hearts of others,
and of tonic medicines.
" II. Of the Means of exciting Desire, and of the ways of
enlarging the Lingam. Miscellaneous Experiments and
Receipts.
PART I.
CHAPTER II.
ON THE ACQUISITION OF DHARMA, ARTHA AND KAMA.
Man, the period of whose life is one hundred years, should practise
Dharma, Artha, and Kama at different times and in such a manner that
they may harmonize together and not clash in any way. He should acquire
learning in his childhood, in his youth and middle age he should attend
to Artha and Kama, and in his old age he should perform Dharma, and thus
seek to gain Moksha, _i.e._, release from further transmigration. Or, on
account of the uncertainty of life, he may practise them at times when
they are enjoined to be practised. But one thing is to be noted, he
should lead the life of a religious student until he finishes his
education.
_Dharma_ is obedience to the command of the Shastra or Holy Writ of the
Hindoos to do certain things, such as the performance of sacrifices,
which are not generally done because they do not belong to this world,
and produce no visible effect; and not to do other things, such as
eating meat, which is often done because it belongs to this world, and
has visible effects.
Dharma should be learnt from the Shruti (Holy Writ), and from those
conversant with it.
_Artha_ is the acquisition of arts, land, gold, cattle, wealth,
equipages and friends. It is, further, the protection of what is
acquired, and the increase of what is protected.
Artha should be learnt from the king's officers, and from merchants who
may be versed in the ways of commerce.
_Kama_ is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by the five senses of
hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting, and smelling, assisted by the mind
together with the soul. The ingredient in this is a peculiar contact
between the organ of sense and its object, and the consciousness of
pleasure which arises from that contact is called Kama.
Kama is to be learnt from the Kama Sutra (aphorisms on love) and from
the practice of citizens.
When all the three, viz., Dharma, Artha, and Kama come together, the
former is better than the one which follows it, _i.e._, Dharma is better
than Artha, and Artha is better than Kama. But Artha should be always
first practised by the king, for the livelihood of men is to be obtained
from it only. Again, Kama being the occupation of public women, they
should prefer it to the other two, and these are exceptions to the
general rule.
_Objection 1._
Some learned men say that as Dharma is connected with things not
belonging to this world, it is appropriately treated of in a book; and
so also is Artha, because it is practised only by the application of
proper means, and a knowledge of those means can only be obtained by
study and from books. But Kama being a thing which is practised even by
the brute creation, and which is to be found everywhere, does not want
any work on the subject.
_Answer._
This is not so. Sexual intercourse being a thing dependent on man and
woman requires the application of proper means by them, and those means
are to be learnt from the Kama Shastra. The non-application of proper
means, which we see in the brute creation, is caused by their being
unrestrained, and by the females among them only being fit for sexual
intercourse at certain seasons and no more, and by their intercourse not
being preceded by thought of any kind.
_Objection 2._
The Lokayatikas[4] say:--Religious ordinances should not be observed,
for they bear a future fruit, and at the same time it is also doubtful
whether they will bear any fruit at all. What foolish person will give
away that which is in his own hands into the hands of another?
Moreover, it is better to have a pigeon to-day than a peacock to-morrow;
and a copper coin which we have the certainty of obtaining, is better
than a gold coin, the possession of which is doubtful.
_Answer._
It is not so. 1st. Holy Writ, which ordains the practice of Dharma, does
not admit of a doubt.
2nd. Sacrifices such as those made for the destruction of enemies, or
for the fall of rain, are seen to bear fruit.
3rd. The sun, moon, stars, planets and other heavenly bodies appear to
work intentionally for the good of the world.
4th. The existence of this world is effected by the observance of the
rules respecting the four classes[5] of men and their four stages of
life.
5th. We see that seed is thrown into the ground with the hope of future
crops.
Vatsyayana is therefore of opinion that the ordinances of religion must
be obeyed.
_Objection 3._
Those who believe that destiny is the prime mover of all things say:--We
should not exert ourselves to acquire wealth, for sometimes it is not
acquired although we strive to get it, while at other times it comes to
us of itself without any exertion on our part. Everything is therefore
in the power of destiny, who is the lord of gain and loss, of success
and defeat, of pleasure and pain. Thus we see the Bali[6] was raised to
the throne of Indra by destiny, and was also put down by the same power,
and it is destiny only that can re-instate him.
_Answer._
It is not right to say so. As the acquisition of every object
pre-supposes at all events some exertion on the part of man, the
application of proper means may be said to be the cause of gaining all
our ends, and this application of proper means being thus necessary
(even where a thing is destined to happen), it follows that a person who
does nothing will enjoy no happiness.
_Objection 4._
Those who are inclined to think that Artha is the chief object to be
obtained argue thus. Pleasures should not be sought for, because they
are obstacles to the practice of Dharma and Artha, which are both
superior to them, and are also disliked by meritorious persons.
Pleasures also bring a man into distress, and into contact with low
persons; they cause him to commit unrighteous deeds, and produce
impurity in him; they make him regardless of the future, and encourage
carelessness and levity. And lastly, they cause him to be disbelieved by
all, received by none, and despised by everybody, including himself. It
is notorious, moreover, that many men who have given themselves up to
pleasure alone, have been ruined along with their families and
relations. Thus, King Dandakya,[7] of the Bhoja dynasty, carried off a
Brahman's daughter with evil intent, and was eventually ruined and lost
his kingdom. Indra, too, having violated the chastity of Ahalya,[8] was
made to suffer for it. In a like manner the mighty Kichaka,[9] who tried
to seduce Draupadi, and Ravana,[10] who attempted to gain over Sita, were
punished for their crimes. These and many others fell by reason of their
pleasures.
_Answer._
This objection cannot be sustained, for pleasures, being as necessary
for the existence and well being of the body as food, are consequently
equally required. They are, moreover, the results of Dharma and Artha.
Pleasures are, therefore, to be followed with moderation and caution. No
one refrains from cooking food because there are beggars to ask for it,
or from sowing seed because there are deer to destroy the corn when it
is grown up.
Thus a man practising Dharma, Artha and Kama enjoys happiness both in
this world and in the world to come. The good perform those actions in
which there is no fear as to what is to result from them in the next
world, and in which there is no danger to their welfare. Any action
which conduces 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
conduces to the practice of one of them at the expense of the remaining
two should not be performed.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 4: These were certainly materialists who seemed to think that
a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.]
[Footnote 5: Among the Hindoos the four classes of men are the Brahmans
or priestly class, the Kshutrya or warlike class, the Vaishya or
agricultural and mercantile class, and the Shoodra or menial class. The
four stages of life are, the life of a religious student, the life of a
householder, the life of a hermit, and the life of a Sunyasi or
devotee.]
[Footnote 6: Bali was a demon who had conquered Indra and gained his
throne, but was afterwards overcome by Vishnu at the time of his fifth
incarnation.]
[Footnote 7: Dandakya is said to have abducted from the forest the
daughter of a Brahman, named Bhargava, and being cursed by the Brahman,
was buried with his kingdom under a shower of dust. The place was called
after his name the Dandaka forest, celebrated in the Ramayana, but now
unknown.]
[Footnote 8: Ahalya was the wife of the sage Gautama. Indra caused her
to believe that he was Gautama, and thus enjoyed her. He was cursed by
Gautama and subsequently afflicted with a thousand ulcers on his body.]
[Footnote 9: Kichaka was the brother-in-law of King Virata, with whom
the Pandavas had taken refuge for one year. Kichaka was killed by Bhima,
who assumed the disguise of Draupadi. For this story the Mahabarata
should be referred to.]
[Footnote 10: The story of Ravana is told in the Ramayana, which with the
Mahabarata form the two great epic poems of the Hindoos; the latter was
written by Vyasa, and the former by Valmiki.]
CHAPTER III.
ON THE ARTS AND SCIENCES TO BE STUDIED.
Man should study the Kama Sutra and the arts and sciences subordinate
thereto, in addition to the study of the arts and sciences contained in
Dharma and Artha. Even young maids should study this Kama Sutra along
with its arts and sciences before marriage, and after it they should
continue to do so with the consent of their husbands.
Here some learned men object, and say that females, not being allowed to
study any science, should not study the Kama Sutra.
But Vatsyayana is of opinion that this objection does not hold good, for
women already know the practice of Kama Sutra, and that practice is
derived from the Kama Shastra, or the science of Kama itself. Moreover,
it is not only in this but in many other cases that though the practice
of a science is known to all, only a few persons are acquainted with the
rules and laws on which the science is based. Thus the Yadnikas or
sacrificers, though ignorant of grammar, make use of appropriate words
when addressing the different Deities, and do not know how these words
are framed. Again, persons do the duties required of them on auspicious
days, which are fixed by astrology, though they are not acquainted with
the science of astrology. In a like manner riders of horses and
elephants train these animals without knowing the science of training
animals, but from practice only. And similarly the people of the most
distant provinces obey the laws of the kingdom from practice, and
because there is a king over them, and without further reason.[11] And
from experience we find that some women, such as daughters of princes
and their ministers, and public women, are actually versed in the Kama
Shastra.
A female, therefore, should learn the Kama Shastra, or at least a part
of it, by studying its practice from some confidential friend. She
should study alone in private the sixty-four practices that form a part
of the Kama Shastra. Her teacher should be one of the following persons,
viz., the daughter of a nurse brought up with her and already
married,[12] or a female friend who can be trusted in everything, or the
sister of her mother (_i.e._, her aunt), or an old female servant, or a
female beggar who may have formerly lived in the family, or her own
sister, who can always be trusted.
The following are the arts to be studied, together with the Kama
Sutra:--
1. Singing.
2. Playing on musical instruments.
3. Dancing.
4. Union of dancing, singing, and playing instrumental music.
5. Writing and drawing.
6. Tattooing.
7. Arraying and adorning an idol with rice and flowers.
8. Spreading and arraying beds or couches of flowers, or flowers upon
the ground.
9. Colouring the teeth, garments, hair, nails, and bodies, _i.e._,
staining, dyeing, colouring and painting the same.
10. Fixing stained glass into a floor.
11. The art of making beds, and spreading out carpets and cushions for
reclining.
12. Playing on musical glasses filled with water.
13. Storing and accumulating water in aqueducts, cisterns and
reservoirs.
14. Picture making, trimming and decorating.
15. Stringing of rosaries, necklaces, garlands and wreaths.
16. Binding of turbans and chaplets, and making crests and top-knots of
flowers.
17. Scenic representations. Stage playing.
18. Art of making ear ornaments.
19. Art of preparing perfumes and odours.
20. Proper disposition of jewels and decorations, and adornment in
dress.
21. Magic or sorcery.
22. Quickness of hand or manual skill.
23. Culinary art, _i.e._, cooking and cookery.
24. Making lemonades, sherbets, acidulated drinks, and spirituous
extracts with proper flavour and colour.
25. Tailor's work and sewing.
26. Making parrots, flowers, tufts, tassels, bunches, bosses, knobs,
&c., out of yarn or thread.
27. Solution of riddles, enigmas, covert speeches, verbal puzzles and
enigmatical questions.
28. A game, which consisted in repeating verses, and as one person
finished, another person had to commence at once, repeating another
verse, beginning with the same letter with which the last speaker's
verse ended, whoever failed to repeat was considered to have lost, and
to be subject to pay a forfeit or stake of some kind.
29. The art of mimicry or imitation.
30. Reading, including chanting and intoning.
31. Study of sentences difficult to pronounce. It is played as a game
chiefly by women and children, and consists of a difficult sentence
being given, and when repeated quickly, the words are often transposed
or badly pronounced.
32. Practice with sword, single stick, quarter staff, and bow and arrow.
33. Drawing inferences, reasoning or inferring.
34. Carpentry, or the work of a carpenter.
35. Architecture, or the art of building.
36. Knowledge about gold and silver coins, and jewels and gems.
37. Chemistry and mineralogy.
38. Colouring jewels, gems and beads.
39. Knowledge of mines and quarries.
40. Gardening; knowledge of treating the diseases of trees and plants,
of nourishing them, and determining their ages.
41. Art of cock fighting, quail fighting and ram fighting.
42. Art of teaching parrots and starlings to speak.
43. Art of applying perfumed ointments to the body, and of dressing the
hair with unguents and perfumes and braiding it.
44. The art of understanding writing in cypher, and the writing of words
in a peculiar way.
45. The art of speaking by changing the forms of words. It is of various
kinds. Some speak by changing the beginning and end of words, others by
adding unnecessary letters between every syllable of a word, and so on.
46. Knowledge of language and of the vernacular dialects.
47. Art of making flower carriages.
48. Art of framing mystical diagrams, of addressing spells and charms,
and binding armlets.
49. Mental exercises, such as completing stanzas or verses on receiving
a part of them; or supplying one, two or three lines when the remaining
lines are given indiscriminately from different verses, so as to make
the whole an entire verse with regard to its meaning; or arranging the
words of a verse written irregularly by separating the vowels from the
consonants, or leaving them out altogether; or putting into verse or
prose sentences represented by signs or symbols. There are many other
such exercises.
50. Composing poems.
51. Knowledge of dictionaries and vocabularies.
52. Knowledge of ways of changing and disguising the appearance of
persons.
53. Knowledge of the art of changing the appearance of things, such as
making cotton to appear as silk, coarse and common things to appear as
fine and good.
54. Various ways of gambling.
55. Art of obtaining possession of the property of others by means of
muntras or incantations.
56. Skill in youthful sports.
57. Knowledge of the rules of society, and of how to pay respects and
compliments to others.
58. Knowledge of the art of war, of arms, of armies, &c.
59. Knowledge of gymnastics.
60. Art of knowing the character of a man from his features.
61. Knowledge of scanning or constructing verses.
62. Arithmetical recreations.
63. Making artificial flowers.
64. Making figures and images in clay.
A public woman, endowed with a good disposition, beauty and other
winning qualities, and also versed in the above arts, obtains the name
of a Ganika, or public woman of high quality, and receives a seat of
honour in an assemblage of men. She is, moreover, always respected by
the king, and praised by learned men, and her favour being sought for by
all, she becomes an object of universal regard. The daughter of a king
too, as well as the daughter of a minister, being learned in the above
arts, can make their husbands favourable to them, even though these may
have thousands of other wives besides themselves. And in the same
manner, if a wife becomes separated from her husband, and falls into
distress, she can support herself easily, even in a foreign country, by
means of her knowledge of these arts. Even the bare knowledge of them
gives attractiveness to a woman, though the practice of them may be only
possible or otherwise according to the circumstances of each case. A man
who is versed in these arts, who is loquacious and acquainted with the
arts of gallantry, gains very soon the hearts of women, even though he
is only acquainted with them for a short time.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 11: The author wishes to prove that a great many things are
done by people from practice and custom, without their being acquainted
with the reason of things, or the laws on which they are based, and this
is perfectly true.]
[Footnote 12: The proviso of being married applies to all the teachers.]
CHAPTER IV.
THE LIFE OF A CITIZEN.[13]
Having thus acquired learning, a man, with the wealth that he may have
gained by gift, conquest, purchase, deposit,[14] or inheritance from his
ancestors, should become a householder, and pass the life of a citizen.
He should take a house in a city, or large village, or in the vicinity
of good men, or in a place which is the resort of many persons. This
abode should be situated near some water, and divided into different
compartments for different purposes. It should be surrounded by a
garden, and also contain two rooms, an outer and an inner one. The inner
room should be occupied by the females, while the outer room, balmy with
rich perfumes, should contain a bed, soft, agreeable to the sight
covered with a clean white cloth, low in the middle part, having
garlands and bunches of flowers[15] upon it, and a canopy above it, and
two pillows, one at the top, another at the bottom. There should be also
a sort of couch besides, and at the head of this a sort of stool, on
which should be placed the fragrant ointments for the night, as well as
flowers, pots containing collyrium and other fragrant substances, things
used for perfuming the mouth, and the bark of the common citron tree.
Near the couch, on the ground, there should be a pot for spitting, a box
containing ornaments, and also a lute hanging from a peg made of the
tooth of an elephant, a board for drawing, a pot containing perfume,
some books, and some garlands of the yellow amaranth flowers. Not far
from the couch, and on the ground, there should be a round seat, a toy
cart, and a board for playing with dice; outside the outer room
there should be cages of birds,[16] and a separate place for spinning,
carving, and such like diversions. In the garden there should be a
whirling swing and a common swing, as also a bower of creepers covered
with flowers, in which a raised parterre should be made for sitting.
Now the householder having got up in the morning and performed his
necessary duties,[17] should wash his teeth, apply a limited quantity of
ointments and perfumes to his body, put some ornaments on his person and
collyrium on his eyelids and below his eyes, colour his lips with
alacktaka,[18] and look at himself in the glass. Having then eaten betel
leaves, with other things that give fragrance to the mouth, he should
perform his usual business. He should bathe daily, anoint his body with
oil every other day, apply a lathering[19] substance to his body every
three days, get his head (including face) shaved every four days, and
the other parts of his body every five or ten days.[20] All these things
should be done without fail, and the sweat of the armpits should also be
removed. Meals should be taken in the forenoon, in the afternoon, and
again at night, according to Charayana. After breakfast, parrots and
other birds should be taught to speak, and the fighting of cocks,
quails, and rams should follow. A limited time should be devoted to
diversions with Pithamardas, Vitas, and Vidushakas,[21] and then should
be taken the midday sleep.[22] After this the householder, having put on
his clothes and ornaments, should, during the afternoon, converse with
his friends. In the evening there should be singing, and after that the
householder, along with his friend, should await in his room, previously
decorated and perfumed, the arrival of the woman that may be attached to
him, or he may send a female messenger for her, or go for her himself.
After her arrival at his house, he and his friend should welcome her,
and entertain her with a loving and agreeable conversation. Thus end the
duties of the day.
The following are the things to be done occasionally as diversions or
amusements.
1. Holding festivals[23] in honour of different Deities.
2. Social gatherings of both sexes.
3. Drinking parties.
4. Picnics.
5. Other social diversions.
_Festivals._
On some particular auspicious day, an assembly of citizens should be
convened in the temple of Saraswati.[24] There the skill of singers, and
of others who may have come recently to the town, should be tested, and
on the following day they should always be given some rewards. After
that they may either be retained or dismissed, according as their
performances are liked or not by the assembly. The members of the
assembly should act in concert, both in times of distress as well as in
times of prosperity, and it is also the duty of these citizens to show
hospitality to strangers who may have come to the assembly. What is said
above should be understood to apply to all the other festivals which may
be held in honour of the different Deities, according to the present
rules.
_Social Gatherings._
When men of the same age, disposition and talents, fond of the same
diversions and with the same degree of education, sit together in
company with public women,[25] or in an assembly of citizens, or at the
abode of one among themselves, and engage in agreeable discourse with
each other, such is called a sitting in company or a social gathering.
The subjects of discourse are to be the completion of verses half
composed by others, and the testing the knowledge of one another in the
various arts. The women who may be the most beautiful, who may like the
same things that the men like, and who may have power to attract the
minds of others, are here done homage to.
_Drinking Parties._
Men and women should drink in one another's houses. And here the men
should cause the public women to drink, and should then drink
themselves, liquors such as the Madhu, Aireya, Sara, and Asawa, which
are of bitter and sour taste; also drinks concocted from the barks of
various trees, wild fruits and leaves.
_Going to Gardens or Picnics._
In the forenoon, men, having dressed themselves should go to gardens on
horseback, accompanied by public women and followed by servants. And
having done there all the duties of the day, and passed the time in
various agreeable diversions, such as the fighting of quails, cocks and
rams, and other spectacles, they should return home in the afternoon in
the same manner, bringing with them bunches of flowers, &c.
The same also applies to bathing in summer in water from which wicked or
dangerous animals have previously been taken out, and which has been
built in on all sides.
_Other Social Diversions._
Spending nights playing with dice. Going out on moonlight nights.
Keeping the festive day in honour of spring. Plucking the sprouts and
fruits of the mangoe trees. Eating the fibres of lotuses. Eating the
tender ears of corn. Picnicing in the forests when the trees get their
new foliage. The Udakakashvedika or sporting in the water. Decorating
each other with the flowers of some trees. Pelting each other with the
flowers of the Kadamba tree, and many other sports which may either be
known to the whole country, or may be peculiar to particular parts of
it. These and similar other amusements should always be carried on by
citizens.
The above amusements should be followed by a person who diverts himself
alone in company with a courtesan, as well as by a courtesan who can do
the same in company with her maid servants or with citizens.
A Pithamarda[26] is a man without wealth, alone in the world, whose only
property consists of his Mallika,[27] some lathering, substance and a
red cloth, who comes from a good country, and who is skilled in all the
arts; and by teaching these arts is received in the company of citizens,
and in the abode of public women.
A Vita[28] is a man who has enjoyed the pleasures of fortune, who is a
compatriot of the citizens with whom he associates, who is possessed of
the qualities of a householder, who has his wife with him, and who is
honoured in the assembly of citizens, and in the abodes of public women,
and lives on their means and on them.
A Vidushaka[29] (also called a Vaihasaka, _i.e._, one who provokes
laughter) is a person only acquainted with some of the arts who is a
jester, and who is trusted by all.
These persons are employed in matters of quarrels and reconciliations
between citizens and public women.
This remark applies also to female beggars, to women with their heads
shaved, to adulterous women, and to old public women skilled in all the
various arts.
Thus a citizen living in his town or village, respected by all, should
call on the persons of his own caste who may be worth knowing. He should
converse in company and gratify his friends by his society, and obliging
others by his assistance in various matters, he should cause them to
assist one another in the same way.
There are some verses on this subject as follows:--
A citizen discoursing, not entirely in the Sanscrit language,[30] nor
wholly in the dialects of the country, on various topics in society,
obtains great respect. The wise should not resort to a society disliked
by the public, governed by no rules, and intent on the destruction of
others. But a learned man living in a society which acts according to
the wishes of the people, and which has pleasure for its only object is
highly respected in this world.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 13: This term would appear to apply generally to an inhabitant
of Hindoostan. It is not meant only for a dweller in a city, like the
Latin Urbanus as opposed to Rusticus.]
[Footnote 14: Gift is peculiar to a Brahman, conquest to a Kshatrya,
while purchase, deposit, and other means of acquiring wealth belongs to
the Vaishya.]
[Footnote 15: Natural garden flowers.]
[Footnote 16: Such as quails, partridges, parrots, starlings, &c.]
[Footnote 17: The calls of nature always performed by the Hindoos the
first thing in the morning.]
[Footnote 18: A colour made from lac.]
[Footnote 19: This would act instead of soap, which was not introduced
until the rule of the Mahomedans.]
[Footnote 20: Ten days are allowed when the hair is taken out with a pair
of pincers.]
[Footnote 21: These are characters generally introduced in the Hindoo
drama; their characteristics will be explained further on.]
[Footnote 22: Noonday sleep is only allowed in summer, when the nights
are short.]
[Footnote 23: These are very common in all parts of India.]
[Footnote 24: In the 'Asiatic Miscellany,' and in Sir W. Jones's works,
will be found a spirited hymn addressed to this goddess, who is adored
as the patroness of the fine arts, especially of music and rhetoric, as
the inventress of the Sanscrit language, &c., &c. She is the goddess of
harmony, eloquence, and language, and is somewhat analogous to Minerva.
For further information about her, see Edward Moor's 'Hindoo Pantheon.']
[Footnote 25: The public women, or courtesans (Vesya), of the early
Hindoos have often been compared with the Hetera of the Greeks. The
subject is dealt with at some length in H. H. Wilson's 'Select Specimens
of the Theatre of the Hindoos,' in two volumes, Trubner & Co., 1871. It
may be fairly considered that the courtesan was one of the elements, and
an important element too, of early Hindoo society, and that her
education and intellect were both superior to that of the women of the
household. Wilson says, "By the Vesya or courtesan, however, we are not
to understand a female who has disregarded the obligation of law or the
precepts of virtue, but a character reared by a state of manners
unfriendly to the admission of wedded females into society, and opening
it only at the expense of reputation to women who were trained for
association with men by personal and mental acquirements to which the
matron was a stranger."]
[Footnote 26: According to this description a Pithamarda would be a sort
of professor of all the arts, and as such received as the friend and
confidant of the citizens.]
[Footnote 27: A seat in the form of the letter T.]
[Footnote 28: The Vita is supposed to represent somewhat the character
of the Parasite of the Greek comedy. It is possible that he was retained
about the person of the wealthy and dissipated as a kind of private
instructor, as well as an entertaining companion.]
[Footnote 29: Vidushaka is evidently the buffoon and jester. Wilson says
of him that he is the humble companion, not the servant, of a prince or
man of rank, and it is a curious peculiarity that he is always a
Brahman. He bears more affinity to Sancho Panza, perhaps, than any other
character in western fiction, imitating him in his combination of
shrewdness and simplicity, his fondness of good living and his love of
ease. In the dramas of intrigue he exhibits some of the talents of
Mercury, but with less activity and ingenuity, and occasionally suffers
by his interference. According to the technical definition of his
attributes he is to excite mirth by being ridiculous in person, age, and
attire.]
[Footnote 30: This means, it is presumed, that the citizen should be
acquainted with several languages. The middle part of this paragraph
might apply to the Nihilists and Fenians of the day, or to secret
societies. It was perhaps a reference to the Thugs.]
CHAPTER V.
ABOUT THE KINDS OF WOMEN RESORTED TO BY THE CITIZENS, AND OF FRIENDS AND
MESSENGERS.
When Kama is practised by men of the four castes according to the rules
of the Holy Writ (_i.e._, by lawful marriage) with virgins of their own
caste, it then becomes a means of acquiring lawful progeny and good
fame, and it is not also opposed to the customs of the world. On the
contrary the practice of Kama with women of the higher castes, and with
those previously enjoyed by others, even though they be of the same
caste, is prohibited. But the practice of Kama with women of the lower
castes, with women excommunicated from their own caste, with public
women, and with women twice married,[31] is neither enjoined nor
prohibited. The object of practising Kama with such women is pleasure
only.
Nayikas,[32] therefore, are of three kinds, viz., maids, women twice
married, and public women. Gonikaputra has expressed an opinion that
there is a fourth kind of Nayika, viz., a woman who is resorted to on
some special occasion even though she be previously married to another.
These special occasions are when a man thinks thus:--
(_a_). 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 public woman though she belongs to a
higher caste than mine, and in so doing I shall not be
violating the ordinances of
Dharma.
Or thus:--
(_b_). This is a twice-married woman and has been enjoyed by others
before me, there is, therefore, no objection to my
resorting to her.
Or thus:--
(_c_). This woman has gained the heart of her great and powerful
husband, and exercises a mastery over him, who is a friend
of my enemy; if, therefore, she becomes united with me,
she will cause her husband to abandon my enemy.
Or thus:--
(_d_). This woman will turn the mind of her husband, who is very
powerful, in my favour, he being at present disaffected
towards me, and intent on doing me some harm.
Or thus:--
(_e_). By making this woman my friend I shall gain the object of
some friend of mine, or shall be able to effect the ruin
of some enemy, or shall accomplish some other difficult
purpose.
Or thus:--
(_f_). By being united with this woman, I shall kill her husband,
and so obtain his vast riches which I covet.
Or thus:--
(_g_). The union of this woman with me is not attended with any
danger, and will bring me wealth, of which, on account of
my poverty and inability to support myself, I am very much
in need. I shall, therefore, obtain her vast riches in
this way without any difficulty.
Or thus:--
(_h_). This woman loves me ardently, and knows all my weak points,
if therefore, I am unwilling to be united with her, she
will make my faults public, and thus tarnish my character
and reputation. Or she will bring some gross accusation
against me, of which it may be hard to clear myself, and I
shall be ruined. Or perhaps she will detach from me her
husband, who is powerful, and yet under her control, and
will unite him to my enemy, or will herself join the latter.
Or thus:--
(_i_). The husband of this woman has violated the chastity of my
wives, I shall therefore return that injury by seducing
his wives.
Or thus:--
(_j_). By the help of this woman I shall kill an enemy of the king,
who has taken shelter with her, and whom I am ordered by
the king to destroy.
Or thus:
(_k_). The woman whom I love is under the control of this woman. I
shall, through the influence of the latter, be able to get
at the former.
Or thus:--
(_l_). This woman will bring to me a maid, who possesses wealth and
beauty, but who is hard to get at, and under the control
of another.
Or, lastly, thus:--
(_m_). My enemy is a friend of this woman's husband, I shall
therefore cause her to join him, and will thus create an
enmity between her husband and him.
For these and similar other reasons the wives of other men may be
resorted to, but it must be distinctly understood that is only allowed
for special reasons, and not for mere carnal desire.
Charayana thinks that under these circumstances there is also a fifth
kind of Nayika, viz., a woman who is kept by a minister, and who repairs
to him occasionally; or a widow who accomplishes the purpose of a man
with the person to whom she resorts.
Suvarnanabha adds that a woman who passes the life of an ascetic and in
the condition of a widow may be considered as a sixth kind of Nayika.
Ghotakamukha says that the daughter of a public woman, and a female
servant, who are still virgins, form a seventh kind of Nayika.
Gonardiya puts forth his doctrine that any woman born of good family,
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 of them, as there is no separate object in resorting to
them. Therefore Vatsyayana is of opinion that there are only four kinds
of Nayikas, _i.e._, the maid, the twice married woman, the public woman,
and the woman resorted to for a special purpose.
The following women are not to be enjoyed:--
A leper.
A lunatic.
A woman turned out of caste.
A woman who reveals secrets.
A woman who publicly expresses desire for sexual intercourse.
A woman who is extremely white.
A woman who is extremely black.
A bad-smelling woman.
A woman who is a near relation.
A woman who is a female friend.
A woman who leads the life of an ascetic.
And, lastly, the wife of a relation, of a friend, of a learned Brahman,
and of the king.
The followers of Babhravya say that any woman who has been enjoyed by
five men is a fit and proper person to be enjoyed. But Gonikaputra is of
opinion that even when this is the case, the wives of a relation, of a
learned Brahman and of a king should be excepted.
The following are the kind of friends:--
One who has played with you in the dust, _i.e._, in childhood.
One who is bound by an obligation.
One who is of the same disposition and fond of the same things.
One who is a fellow student.
One who is acquainted with your secrets and faults, and whose faults and
secrets are also known to you.
One who is a child of your nurse.
One who is brought up with you.
One who is an hereditary friend.
These friends should possess the following qualities:--
They should tell the truth.
They should not be changed by time.
They should be favourable to your designs.
They should be firm.
They should be free from covetousness.
They should not be capable of being gained over by others.
They should not reveal your secrets.
Charayana says that citizens form friendship with washermen, barbers,
cowherds, florists, druggists, betel-leaf sellers, tavern keepers,
beggars, Pithamardas, Vitas and Vidushekas, as also with the wives of
all these people.
A messenger should possess the following qualities:--
Skilfulness.
Boldness.
Knowledge of the intention of men by their outward signs.
Absence of confusion, _i.e._, no shyness.
Knowledge of the exact meaning of what others do or say.
Good manners.
Knowledge of appropriate times and places for doing different things.
Ingenuity in business.
Quick comprehension.
Quick application of remedies, _i.e._, quick and ready resources.
And this part ends with a verse:--
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 gain over, very easily, even a woman who is
very hard to be obtained.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 31: This term does not apply to a widow, but to a woman who
had probably left her husband, and is living with some other person as a
married woman, maritalement, as they say in France.]
[Footnote 32: Any woman fit to be enjoyed without sin. The object of the
enjoyment of women is twofold, viz., pleasure and progeny. Any woman who
can be enjoyed without sin for the purpose of accomplishing either the
one or the other of these two objects is a Nayika. The fourth kind of
Nayika which Vatsya admits further on is neither enjoyed for pleasure or
for progeny, but merely for accomplishing some special purpose in hand.
The word Nayika is retained as a technical term throughout.]
=END OF PART I.=
PART II.
OF SEXUAL UNION.
CHAPTER I.
KINDS OF SEXUAL UNION ACCORDING TO
(_a_) DIMENSIONS.
(_b_) FORCE OF DESIRE OR PASSION.
(_c_) TIME.
_Kinds of Union._
Man is divided into three classes, viz., the hare man, the bull man, and
the horse man, according to the size of his lingam.
Woman also, according to the depth of her yoni, is either a female deer,
a mare, or a female elephant.
There are thus three equal unions between persons of corresponding
dimensions, and there are six unequal unions, when the dimensions do not
correspond, or nine in all, as the following table shows:
+--------------------+--------------------+
| EQUAL. | UNEQUAL. |
+--------------------+--------------------+
| MEN. | WOMEN. | MEN. | WOMEN. |
+--------+-----------+--------|-----------+
| | | | |
| Hare. | Deer. | Hare. | Mare. |
| Bull. | Mare. | Hare. | Elephant. |
| Horse. | Elephant. | Bull. | Deer. |
| | | Bull. | Elephant. |
| | | Horse. | Deer. |
| | | Horse. | Mare. |
+--------+-----------+--------+-----------+
In these unequal unions, when the male exceeds the female in point of
size, his union with a woman who is immediately next to him in size is
called high union, and is of two kinds; while his union with the woman
most remote from him in size is called the highest union, and is of one
kind only. On the other hand 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 most remote
from her in size is called the lowest union, and is of one kind only.
In other words, the horse and mare, the bull and deer, form the high
union, while the horse and deer form the highest union. On the female
side, the elephant and bull, the mare and hare, form low unions, while
the elephant and the hare make the lowest unions.
There are then, nine kinds of union according to dimensions. Amongst all
these, equal unions are the best, those of a superlative degree, _i.e._,
the highest and the lowest, are the worst, and the rest are middling,
and with them the high[33] are better than the low.
There are also nine kinds of union according to the force of passion or
carnal desire, as follows:
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| MEN. | WOMEN. | MEN. | WOMEN. |
+-----------+-----------+-----------|-----------+
| | | | |
| Small. | Small. | Small. | Middling. |
| Middling. | Middling. | Small. | Intense. |
| Intense. | Intense. | Middling. | Small. |
| | | Middling. | Intense. |
| | | Intense. | Small. |
| | | Intense. | Middling. |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
A man is called a man of small passion 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.
Those who differ from this temperament are called men of middling
passion, while those of intense passion are full of desire.
In the same way, women are supposed to have the three degrees of feeling
as specified above.
Lastly, according to time there are three kinds of men and women, viz.,
the short-timed, the moderate-timed, and the long-timed, and of these as
in the previous statements, there are nine kinds of union.
But on this last head there is a difference of opinion about the female,
which should be stated.
Auddalika says, "Females do not emit as males do. The males simply
remove their desire, while the females, from their consciousness of
desire, feel a certain kind of pleasure, which gives them satisfaction,
but it is impossible for them to tell you what kind of pleasure they
feel. The fact from which this becomes evident is, that males, when
engaged in coition, cease of themselves after emission, and are
satisfied, but it is not so with females."
This opinion is, however, objected to on the grounds that if a male be a
long-timed, the female loves him the more, but if he be short-timed, she
is dissatisfied with him. And this circumstance, some say, would prove
that the female emits also.
But this opinion does not hold good, for if it takes a long time to
allay a woman's desire, and during this time she is enjoying great
pleasure, it is quite natural then that she should wish for its
continuation. And on this subject there is a verse as follows:
"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."
The followers of Babhravya, however, say that 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.
To this there is an objection. In 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 from further
coition.
This objection, however, does not hold good, for even in ordinary things
that revolve with great force, such as a potter's wheel, or a top, we
find that the motion at first is slow, but by degrees it becomes very
rapid. In the same way the passion of the woman having gradually
increased, she has a desire to discontinue coition, when all the semen
has fallen away. And there is a verse with regard to this as follows:
"The fall of the semen of the man takes place only at the end of
coition, while the semen of the woman falls continually, and after the
semen of both has all fallen away then they wish for the discontinuance
of coition."[34]
Lastly, Vatsyayana is of opinion that the semen of the female falls in
the same way as that of the male.
Now some may ask here: If men and women are beings of the same kind, and
are engaged in bringing about the same result, why should they have
different works to do.
Vatsya says that this is so, because the ways of working as well as the
consciousness of pleasure in men and women are different. The difference
in the ways of working, by which men are the actors, and women are the
persons acted upon, is owing to the nature of the male and the female,
otherwise the actor would be sometimes the person acted upon, and vice
versâ. And from this difference in the ways of working follows the
difference in the 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 be said that if the ways of working in men and women are
different, why should not there be a difference, even in the pleasure
they feel, and which is the result of those ways.
But this objection is groundless, for the person acting and the person
acted upon being of different kinds, there is a reason for the
difference in their ways of working; but there is no reason for any
difference in the pleasure they feel, because they both naturally derive
pleasure from the act they perform.[35]
On this again some may say that when different persons are engaged in
doing the same work, we find that they accomplish the same end or
purpose: while, on the contrary, in the case of men and women we find
that each of them accomplishes his or her own end separately, and this
is inconsistent. But this is a mistake, for we find that sometimes two
things are done at the same time, as for instance in the fighting of
rams, both the rams receive the shock at the same time on their heads.
Again, in throwing one wood apple against another, and also in a fight
or struggle of wrestlers. If it be said that in these cases the things
employed are of the same kind, it is answered that even in the case of
men and women, the nature of the two persons is the same. And as the
difference in their ways of working arises from the difference of their
conformation only, it follows that men experience the same kind of
pleasure as women do.
There is also a verse on this subject as follows: "Men and women being
of the same nature, feel the same kind of pleasure, and therefore a man
should marry such a woman as will love him ever afterwards."
The pleasure of men and women being thus proved to be of the same kind,
it follows that in regard to time, there are nine kinds of sexual
intercourse, in the same way as there are nine kinds, according to the
force of passion.
There being thus nine kinds of union with regard to dimensions, force of
passion, and time, respectively, by making combinations of them,
innumerable kinds of union would be produced. Therefore in each
particular kind of sexual union, men should use such means as they may
think suitable for the occasion.[36]
At the first time of sexual union the passion of the male is intense,
and his time is short, but in subsequent unions on the same day the
reverse of this is the case. With the female, however, it is the
contrary, for at the first time her passion is weak, and then her time
long, but on subsequent occasions on the same day, her passion is
intense and her time short, until her passion is satisfied.
_On the different kinds of Love._
Men learned in the humanities are of opinion that love is of four kinds,
viz.:
1. Love acquired by continual habit.
2. Love resulting from the imagination.
3. Love resulting from belief.
4. Love resulting from the perception of external objects.
(1). Love resulting from the constant and continual performance and
habit, as for instance the love of sexual intercourse, the love of
hunting, the love of drinking, the love of gambling, etc., etc.
(2). Love which is felt for things to which we are not habituated, and
which proceeds entirely from ideas, is called love resulting from
imagination, as for instance, that love which some men and women and
eunuchs feel for the Auparishtaka or mouth congress, and that which is
felt by all for such things as embracing, kissing, etc., etc.
(3). The love which is mutual on both sides, and proved to be true, when
each looks upon the other as his or her very own, such is called love
resulting from belief by the learned.
(4). The love resulting from the perception of eternal objects is quite
evident and well-known to the world, because the pleasure which it
affords is superior to the pleasure of the other kinds of love, which
exists only for its sake.
What has been said in this chapter upon the subject of sexual union is
sufficient for the learned; but for the edification of the ignorant, the
same will now be treated of at length and in detail.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 33: High unions are said to be better than low ones, for in
the former it is possible for the male to satisfy his own passion
without injuring the female, while in the latter it is difficult for the
female to be satisfied by any means.]
[Footnote 34: The strength of passion with women varies a great deal,
some being easily satisfied, and others eager and willing to go on for a
long time. To satisfy these last thoroughly a man must have recourse to
art. It is certain that a fluid flows from the woman in larger or
smaller quantities, but her satisfaction is not complete until she has
experienced the "spasme génêsique," as described in a French work
recently published and called "Breviare de l'Amour Experimental par le
Dr. Jules Guyot."]
[Footnote 35: This is a long dissertation very common among Sanscrit
authors, both when writing and talking socially. They start certain
propositions, and then argue for and against them. What it is presumed
the author means, is, that though both men and women derive pleasure
from the act of coition, the way it is produced is brought about by
different means, each individual performing his own work in the matter,
irrespective of the other, and each deriving individually their own
consciousness of pleasure from the act they perform. There is a
difference in the work that each does, and a difference in the
consciousness of pleasure that each has, but no difference in the
pleasure they feel, for each feels that pleasure to a greater or lesser
degree.]
[Footnote 36: This paragraph should be particularly noted, for it
specially applies to married men and their wives. So many men utterly
ignore the feelings of the women, and never pay the slightest attention
to the passion of the latter. To understand the subject thoroughly, it
is absolutely necessary to study it, and then a person will know that,
as dough is prepared for baking, so must a woman be prepared for sexual
intercourse, if she is to derive satisfaction from it.]