The marks of the nails should not be made on married women, but particular kinds of marks may be made on their private parts for the remembrance and increase of love.
There are also some verses on the subject, as follows:
“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 stranger sees at a distance a young woman with the marks of nails on her breast, 36 he is filled with love and respect for her.
A man, also, who carries 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 so much as the effects of marking with the nails, and biting.
* * *
36 From this it would appear that in ancient times the breasts of women were not covered, and this is seen in the painting of the Ajunta and other caves, where we find that the breasts of even royal ladies and others are exposed.
Chapter V—On Biting, and the Means to be Employed With Regard to Women of Different Countries
All the places that can be kissed, are also the places that can be bitten, except the upper lip, the interior of the mouth, and the eyes.
The qualities of good teeth are as follows: They should be equal, possessed of a pleasing brightness, capable of being coloured, of proper proportions, unbroken, and with sharp ends.
The defects of teeth on the other hand are, that they are blunt, protruding from the gums, rough, soft, large, and loosely set.
The following are the different kinds of biting:
The hidden bite. The swollen bite. The point. The line of points. The coral and the jewel. The line of jewels. The broken cloud. The biting of the boar.
(1) The biting which is shown only by the excessive redness of the skin that is bitten, is called the “hidden bite.”
(2) When the skin is pressed down on both sides, it is called the “swollen bite.”
(3) When a small portion of the skin is bitten with two teeth only, it is called the “point.”
(4) When such small portions of the skin are bitten with all the teeth, it is called the “line of points.”
(5) The biting which is done by bringing together the teeth and the lips, is called the “coral and the jewel.” The lip is the coral, and the teeth the jewel.
(6) When biting is done with all the teeth, it is called the “line of jewels.”
(7) The biting which consists of unequal risings in a circle, and which comes from the space between the teeth, is called the “broken cloud.” This is impressed on the breasts.
(8) The biting which consists of many broad rows of marks near to one another, and with red intervals, is called the “biting of a boar.” This is impressed on the breasts and the shoulders; and these two last modes of biting are peculiar to persons of intense passion.
The lower lip is the place on which the “hidden bite,” the “swollen bite,” and the “point” are made; again the “swollen bite,” and the “coral and the jewel” bite are done on the cheek. Kissing, pressing with the nails, and biting are the ornaments of the left cheek, and when the word cheek is used it is to be understood as the left cheek.
Both the “line of points” and the “line of jewels” are to be impressed on the throat, the arm pit, and the joints of the thighs; but the “line of points” alone is to be impressed on the forehead and the thighs.
The marking with the nails, and the biting of the following things: an ornament of the forehead, an ear ornament, a bunch of flowers, a betel leaf, or a tamala leaf, which are worn by, or belong to the woman that is beloved, are signs of the desire of enjoyment.
Here end the different kinds of biting.
* * * * *
In the affairs of love a man should do such things as are agreeable to the women of different countries.
The women of the central countries (i.e., between the Ganges and the Jumna) are noble in their character, not accustomed to disgraceful practices, and dislike pressing the nails and biting.
The women of the Balhika country are gained over by striking.
The women of Avantika are fond of foul pleasures, and have not good manners.
The women of the Maharashtra are fond of practising the sixty-four arts, they utter low and harsh words, and like to be spoken to in the same way, and have an impetuous desire of enjoyment.
The women of Pataliputra (i.e., the modern Patna) are of the same nature as the women of the Maharashtra, but show their likings only in secret.
The women of the Dravida country, though they are rubbed and pressed about at the time of sexual enjoyment, have a slow fall of semen, that is they are very slow in the act of coition.
The women of Vanavasi are moderately passionate, they go through every kind of enjoyment, cover their bodies, and abuse those who utter low, mean and harsh words.
The women of Avanti hate kissing, marking with the nails, and biting, but they have a fondness for various kinds of sexual union.
The women of Malwa like embracing and kissing, but not wounding, and they are gained over by striking.
The women of Abhira, and those of the country about the Indus and five rivers (i.e., the Punjab), are gained over by the Auparishtaka or mouth congress.
The women of Aparatika are full of passion, and make slowly the sound “Sit.”
The women of the Lat country have even more impetuous desire, and also make the sound “Sit.”
The women of the Stri Rajya, and of Koshola (Oude), are full of impetuous desire, their semen falls in large quantities, and they are fond of taking medicine to make it do so.
The women of the Audhra country have tender bodies, they are fond of enjoyment, and have a liking for voluptuous pleasures.
The women of Ganda have tender bodies, and speak sweetly.
Now Suvarnanabha is of opinion that that which is agreeable to the nature of a particular person, is of more consequence than that which is agreeable to a whole nation, and that therefore the peculiarities of the country should not be observed in such cases. The various pleasures, the dress, and the sports of one country are in time borrowed by another, and in such a case these things must be considered as belonging originally to that country.
Among the things mentioned above, embracing, kissing, etc., those which increase passion should be done first, and those which are only for amusement or variety should be done afterwards.
There are also some verses on this subject as follows:
“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,’ and if she be excessively chafed, she should at once begin a love quarrel with him. At such a time she should take hold of her lover by the hair, and 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 were 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 be lessened even in one hundred years.”
Chapter VI—Of the Different Ways of Lying Down, and Various Kinds of Congress
On the occasion of a “high congress” the Mrigi (Deer) woman should lie down in such a way as to widen her yoni, while in a “low congress” the Hastini (Elephant) woman should lie down so as to contract hers. But in an “equ
al congress” they should lie down in the natural position. What is said above concerning the Mrigi and the Hastini applies also to the Vadawa (Mare) woman. In a “low congress” the women should particularly make use of medicine, to cause her desires to be satisfied quickly.
The Deer-woman has the following three ways of lying down.
The widely opened position. The yawning position. The position of the wife of Indra.
(1) When she lowers her head and raises her middle parts, it is called the “widely opened position.” At such a time the man should apply some unguent, so as to make the entrance easy.
(2) When she raises her thighs and keeps them wide apart and engages in congress, it is called the “yawning position.”
(3) When she places her thighs with her legs doubled on them upon her sides, and thus engages in congress, it is called the position of Indrani, and this is learnt only by practice. The position is also useful in the case of the “highest congress.”
The “clasping position” is used in “low congress,” and in the “lowest congress,” together with the “pressing position,” the “twining position,” and the “mare’s position.”
When the legs of both the male and the female are stretched straight out over each other, it is called the “clasping position.” It is of two kinds, the side position and the supine position, according to the way in which they lie down. In the side position the male should invariably lie on his left side, and cause the woman to lie on her right side, and this rule is to be observed in lying down with all kinds of women.
When, after congress has begun in the clasping position, the woman presses her lover with her thighs, it is called the “pressing position.”
When the woman places one of her thighs across the thigh of her lover, it is called the “twining position.”
When a woman forcibly holds in her yoni the lingam after it is in, it is called the “mare’s position.” This is learnt by practice only, and is chiefly found among the women of the Andra country.
The above are the different ways of lying down, mentioned by Babhravya; Suvarnanabha, however, gives the following in addition.
When the female raises both of her thighs straight up, it is called the “rising position.”
When she raises both of her legs, and places them on her lover’s shoulders, it is called the “yawning position.”
When the legs are contracted, and thus held by the lover before his bosom, it is called the “pressed position.”
When only one of her legs is stretched out, it is called the “half pressed position.”
When the woman places one of her legs on her lover’s shoulder, and stretches the other out, and then places the latter on his shoulder, and stretches out the other, and continues to do so alternately, it is called the “splitting of a bamboo.”
When one of her legs is placed on the head, and the other is stretched out, it is called the “fixing of a nail.” This is learnt by practice only.
When both the legs of the woman are contracted, and placed on her stomach, it is called the “crab’s position.”
When the thighs are raised and placed one upon the other, it is called the “packed position.”
When the shanks are placed one upon the other, it is called the “lotus-like position.”
When a man, during congress, turns round, and enjoys the woman without leaving her, while she embraces him round the back all the time, it is called the “turning position,” and is learnt only by practice.
Thus says Suvarnanabha, these different ways of lying down, sitting, and standing should be practised in water, because it is easy to do so therein. But Vatsyayana is of opinion that congress in water is improper, because it is prohibited by the religious law.
When a man and a woman support themselves on each other’s bodies, or on a wall, or pillar, and thus while standing engage in congress, it is called the “supported congress.”
When a man supports himself against a wall, and the woman, sitting on his hands joined together and held underneath her, throws her arms round his neck, and putting her thighs alongside his waist, moves herself by her feet, which are touching the wall against which the man is leaning, it is called the “suspended congress.”
When a woman stands on her hands and feet like a quadruped, and her lover mounts her like a bull, it is called the “congress of a cow.” At this time everything that is ordinarily done on the bosom should be done on the back.
In the same way can be carried on the congress of a dog, the congress of a goat, the congress of a deer, the forcible mounting of an ass, the congress of a cat, the jump of a tiger, the pressing of an elephant, the rubbing of a boar, and the mounting of a horse. And in all these cases 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, it is called the “united congress.”
When a man enjoys many women all together, it is called the “congress of a herd of cows.”
The following kinds of congress, sporting in water, or 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, the congress of a collection of deer, take place in imitation of these animals.
In Gramaneri many young men enjoy a woman that 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 go on enjoying her several parts alternately.
The same things can be done when several men are sitting in company with one courtesan, or when one courtesan is alone with many men. In the same way this can be done by the women of the King’s harem when they accidentally get hold of a man.
The people in the Southern countries have also a congress in the anus, that is called the “lower congress.”
Thus ends the various kinds of congress. There are also two verses on the subject as follows:
“An ingenious person should multiply the kinds of congress after the fashion of the different kinds of beasts and of birds. For these different kinds of congress, performed according to the usage of each country, and the liking of each individual, generate love, friendship, and respect in the hearts of women.”
Chapter VII—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:
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:
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 th
e 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. 37 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:
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