OF THE VARIOUS MODES OF STRIKING, AND OF THE SOUNDS APPROPRIATE TO THEM.
Sexual intercourse can be compared to a quarrel, on account of the
contrarieties of love and its tendency to dispute. The place of striking
with passion is the body, and on the body the special places are:
The shoulders.
The head.
The space between the breasts.
The back.
The jaghana, or middle part of the body.
The sides.
Striking is of four kinds, viz.:
Striking with the back of the hand.
Striking with the fingers a little contracted.
Striking with the fist.
Striking with the open palm of the hand.
On account of its causing pain, striking gives rise to the hissing
sound, which is of various kinds, and to the eight kinds of crying,
viz.:
The sound Hin.
The thundering sound.
The cooing sound.
The weeping sound.
The sound Phut.
The sound Phât.
The sound Sût.
The sound Plât.
Besides these, there are also words having a meaning, such as "mother,"
and those that are expressive of prohibition, sufficiency, desire of
liberation, pain or praise, and to which may be added sounds like those
of the dove, the cuckoo, the green pigeon, the parrot, the bee, the
sparrow, the flamingo, the duck, and the quail, which are all
occasionally made use of.
Blows with the fist should be given on the back of the woman, while she
is sitting on the lap of the man, and she should give blows in return,
abusing the man as if she were angry, and making the cooing and the
weeping sounds. While the woman is engaged in congress the space between
the breasts should be struck with the back of the hand, slowly at first,
and then proportionately to the increasing excitement, until the end.
At this time the sounds Hin and others may be made, alternately or
optionally, according to habit. When the man, making the sound Phât,
strikes the woman on the head, with the fingers of his hand a little
contracted, it is called Prasritaka, which means striking with the
fingers of the hand a little contracted. In this case the appropriate
sounds are the cooing sound, the sound Phât, and the sound Phut in the
interior of the mouth, and at the end of congress the sighing and
weeping sounds. The sound Phât is an imitation of the sound of a bamboo
being split, while the sound Phut is like the sound made by something
falling into water. At all times when kissing and such like things are
begun, the woman should give a reply with a hissing sound. During the
excitement when the woman is not accustomed to striking, she continually
utters words expressive of prohibition, sufficiently, or desire of
liberation, as well as the words "father," "mother," intermingled with
the sighing, weeping and thundering sounds.[38] Towards the conclusion
of the congress, the breasts, the jaghana, and the sides of the woman
should be pressed with the open palms of the hand, with some force,
until the end of it, and then sounds like those of the quail, or the
goose should be made.
There are also two verses on the subject as follows:
"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 marks of
womanhood. The excitement of passion, and peculiarities of habit may
sometimes cause contrary results to appear, but these do not last long,
and in the end the natural state is resumed."
The wedge on the bosom, the scissors on the head, the piercing
instrument on the cheeks, and the pinchers on the breasts and sides, may
also be taken into consideration with the other four modes of striking,
and thus give eight ways altogether. But these four ways of striking
with instruments are peculiar to the people of the southern countries,
and the marks caused by them are seen on the breasts of their women.
They are local peculiarities, but Vatsyayana is of opinion that the
practice of them is painful, barbarous, and base, and quite unworthy of
imitation.
In the same way anything that is a local peculiarity should not always
be adopted elsewhere, and even in the place where the practice is
prevalent, excess of it should always be avoided. Instances of the
dangerous use of them may be given as follows. The King of the Panchalas
killed the courtezan Madhavasena by means of the wedge during congress.
King Shatakarni Shatavahana of the Kuntalas deprived his great Queen
Malayavati of her life by a pair of scissors, and Naradeva, whose hand
was deformed, blinded a dancing girl by directing a piercing instrument
in a wrong way.
There are also two verses on the subject as follows:
"About these things there cannot be either enumeration or any definite
rule. Congress 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; and in the same manner a loving pair
become blind with passion in the heat of congress, and go 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 knowing his own
strength, as also the tenderness, impetuosity, and strength of the young
woman, should act accordingly. The various modes of enjoyment are not
for all times or for all persons, but they should only be used at the
proper time, and in the proper countries and places.
FOOTNOTE:
[Footnote 38: Men who are well acquainted with the art of love are well
aware how often one woman differs from another in her sighs and sounds
during the time of congress. Some women like to be talked to in the most
loving way, others in the most abusive way, and so on. Some women enjoy
themselves with closed eyes in silence, others make a great noise over
it, and some almost faint away. The great art is to ascertain what gives
them the greatest pleasure, and what specialities they like best.]