Kamasutra

by Vatsyayana Mallanaga

  38 If you prepare gooseberries with the sap of milkwort, fly agaric mushroom, and bowstring hemp, together with fruits of the kinka oil plant, it turns the hair on the head white. 39Bathing the hair on the head in an infusion of the roots of the henna plant, the ivory tree, the ‘kohl-black’ flower, butterfly grass, and ‘smooth leaf ebony, makes it grow. 40If you rub it with this same mixture, combined with well-cooked oil, it makes it black and gradually restores it.* 41If a lip has been reddened with lac and you rub it seven times with the sweat from the testicles of a white horse, it becomes white. 42Such things as henna can restore the colour. 43A woman falls under the power of a man when she hears the sound of him playing a flute that has been coated with a decoction of mint, wild ginger, East Indian rose bay, Indian plum tree, cedar wood, and prickly pear. “Food prepared with the fruit of a thorn-apple tree makes anyone who eats it insane, 45and well-aged molasses restores that person. 46If you coat your hand with the shit of a peacock that has eaten yellow arsenic and red arsenic, whatever object you touch becomes invisible. 47If you mix water with oil and with the ashes of charcoal and grass, it takes on the colour of milk. 48Iron pots turn to copper if you coat them with ground black myrobalan, hog-plum, heart seed, and panic-seed. 49If you fill a lamp with the oil of heart seed and panic-seed, and make its wick out of silk and the sloughed skin of a serpent, and place long strips of wood beside it, they appear to be serpents. 50You become famous and live a long life if you drink the milk of a white cow who has a white calf, 51or if you receive the blessings of respected

  Brahmins.

  52 By combining earlier texts

  and following their methods,

  Vatsyayana composed this Kamasutra,

  with great effort, in a condensed form.

  53 A man who knows its real meaning

  sees religion, power, and pleasure,

  his own convictions, and the ways of the world

  for what they are, and he is not driven by passion.

  54 The unusual techniques employed to increase passion,

  which have been described as this particular book required,

  are strongly restricted right here in this verse,

  right after it.*

  55 For the statement that ‘There is a text for this’

  does not justify a practice. People should realize

  that the contents of the texts apply in general,

  but each actual practice is for one particular region.

  56 Vatsyayana learned and thought about

  the meanings of the sutras of Babhravya’s followers,

  and then he made this Kamasutra,

  following the rules.

  57 He made this work in chastity and in the highest meditation,

  for the sake of worldly life;

  he did not compose it

  for the sake of passion.

  58 A man who knows the real meaning of this text

  guards the state of his own religion, power, and pleasure

  as it operates in the world, and he becomes

  a man who has truly conquered his senses.

  59 The man who is well-taught and expert in this text

  pays attention to religion and power;

  he does not indulge himself too much in passion,

  and so he succeeds when he plays the part of a lover.

  APPENDIX

  EXCERPTS FROM DEVADATTA SHASTRI’S COMMENTARY

  Shastri provides essays on some of the central topics of the Kamasutra, as well as summarizing essays at the end of several chapters. Here are some examples of each.

  1.1.17 On reflection, it appears that all of human life is permeated by sexuality. That is why the Vedas and the Upanishads, too, give examples of sex between man and woman. The ten sections on sleeping together in the Rig Veda correspond to various types of sex discussed in the Kamasutra. The text does not deal with an improper subject or science. From a spiritual viewpoint, too, the universe in all its variety is essentially sexual. The chief component of sex is attraction and of attraction, sex. Attraction toward respected elders appears in the form of faith, devotion, and other pure sentiments. Among equals, the same attraction appears as friendship and comradeship. Toward inferiors, attraction takes the form of compassion and kindness, towards children, parental affection. The same sexuality is manifested as maternal sentiment in the mother’s heart, as lust in the lover’s embrace, and as compassion toward the poor and the suffering. But all of these are forms of one basic emotion related to sex—attraction or sexuality. That is why the Brihadranayaka Upanishad says, ‘Man is sexual.’ Sexuality is the semen of the mind.

  1.1.24 Talismans, spells, and charms are an integral part of our civilization. They have been a part of Indian life from the Rig Veda and Atharva Veda down to our own times. That is why it was necessary for Vatsyayana to reflect on this subject. By describing these practices at the end of the text, Vatsyayana has paid respect to public sentiment, interest, and welfare. So that ordinary people should not get confused or upset on reading it, he has referred at various places in the text to the aims of non-violence, chastity, and empathy with the suffering of others.

  1.3.16 Vatsyayana has not divided the arts into categories but merely enumerated them. The best-known number of the arts is sixty-four, which Shukraniti and Tantric texts also give, although some sources number the arts at sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, or even more. It is clear from Vatsyayana’s list that in his view art is what enchants a woman. Any activity or skill that pleases a woman, seduces her, is art.

  1.4.6 The servants of the man-about-town prepared, every week in advance, a mixture of scented substances for his use in brushing his teeth. The sticks used for brushing were soaked for seven days in cow’s urine in which myrobalan powder was dissolved. After that, the stick was soaked in water containing cardamom, cinnamon, antimony, and honey. The stick prepared in this way was considered beneficent. The man-about-town of those times did not brush his teeth only for reasons of health or cleanliness but also considered it auspicious. Careful attention was given to the selection of the stick according to the type of tree and the phase of the moon. The man’s servants and his priest took care that the selection of the stick was proper. After brushing his teeth, he rubbed his body with sandalwood paste or other substances, such as aloe and saffron mixed with cream. The Ayurveda tells us that anointing the body with these substances makes it supple and scented.

  Then the hair was scented with the smoke of fragrant resin. This was done to prevent hair loss, to keep it from becoming grey, and to make it soft and glossy. Varahamihira warns, in his Grihya Samhita, ‘You can wear the finest of clothes and scented garlands, and decorate your limbs with the most expensive ornaments, but if your hair becomes grey, all this decoration is useless.’ After the hair was scented with camphor, saffron or musk, it was left loose until he took his bath.

  After his hair was done, he put on a garland of flowers. The flowers used were champa, jasmine, and white ixora. At the time of making love, garlands of yellow amaranths were recommended, since they do not fall or fade in the course of embracing, kissing or hugging.

  After discussing the garland, Vatsyayana talks of painting with lac-coloured dyes. There is no indication in ancient texts that men dyed their lips or feet red. Perhaps Vatsyayana is talking about colouring the nails. Afterwards, the man-about-town looked at himself in a mirror. Glass mirrors were not in use, but mirrors were made of highly polished square sheets of gold or silver.

  Vatsyayana does not give a description of the bath because the right way of taking a bath was familiar to everyone. But the ordinary bath of those days seems like a special yogic exercise today. A description is provided in Bana’s Kadambari:

  Having finished his day’s business a little before noon, the man-about-town was ready for his bath. Before the bath, he exercised a little with his friends. After resting for a while, he entered the bathroom. It had a marble seat and gold and silver vessels filled with herbal scented water. Female
servants slowly rubbed scented myrobalan in his hair. Then they massaged his body with scented oil. The man then sat in a boat-shaped vessel filled with water for a little while and then on the marble seat for his bath. After the bath he went into the prayer room for worship.

  1.4.35 Brahmins were not only reciters of the Vedas but became rich merchants by trading within and outside the country. This was also true of the Kshatriyas. They were not only kings and warriors but also high-quality merchants. The role of the jester in almost all the Sanskrit dramas was played by a Brahmin. This proves that in ancient times Brahmins were merchants as well as libertines, panders, and clowns.

  2.1.38 In his work, Nagarasarvasva, Padmashri has described the preparations for intercourse. After dressing herself up according to the wishes of her husband, a woman should both expose and hide her limbs. Shy and smiling, she should approach her husband. If he tries to pull her near she should withdraw in feigned modesty. When he gets up and gathers her in his arms, she should behave like a startled doe and try to hide her limbs. But after a little while she should let herself go. She should first hide whichever part of her body her husband wants to touch, scratch, or bite, and then offer it passionately to his caress. If he hugs her tightly, bites her, or scratches her, she should make loud noises expressing pain. If he embraces and kisses her she should say such loving words as ‘O heartless man, do not torture me so much!’ According to the occasion, the woman should respond to biting and scratching by using her own teeth and nails or by becoming helpless or saying, ‘Go away, I won’t talk to you’, and turning over on her side. When the man tries to win her over she should turn back and engage in intercourse. After the intercourse is over, the woman should lie there exhausted with an infatuated expression on her face and close her eyes. This makes a man give his all for her.

  2.1, end On reflection, one finds that the sprout of love grows first in a woman. Women are also more passionate than men. This kind of attraction, passion, and desire between men and women has a natural cause. The cause is a lack. A woman eagerly wishes to receive from a man what is missing in her, and vice versa. People generally believe that men get infatuated with women. But the fact is the opposite. A woman is more capable of infatuation than a man. Man and woman are two currents of electricity. One is a debt, the other a wealth. The two currents are oppos-ites. One attracts, the other repulses. When both meet, electricity appears. Indian science believes that a woman possesses the essence of the sun, and a man, that of the moon. The sun draws in the juice of the earth through its power, while the moon bathes the earth in dew. The sun-possessed woman draws the moon-possessed man’s semen inside herself. This is the main cause of the attraction and love between man and woman.

  2.2, end Padmashri is of the opinion that it is proper to sleep only with a girl and a young woman (taruni). Till the age of sixteen, a woman is called a girl, from sixteen to thirty a taruni, from thirty to fifty middle-aged, and after fifty she is called an old woman. To sleep with a girl in summer and autumn is beneficial. In early and late winter one should sleep with a young woman, and in spring and the rainy season, with a middle-aged woman. A man’s energy increases if he enjoys a girl. A young woman saps his energy and a middle-aged woman makes him old.

  From the new to the full moon, the god Kama first mounts the woman’s thumb, then her feet, thighs, navel, breasts, nipple, throat, cheeks, lips, eyes, eyebrows, and forehead. That is why knowledgeable men awaken the god by holding the woman’s hair, kissing her eyes and forehead, biting her lips, pressing her nipples, and stroking her breast and navel.

  Sushruta says that just like the invisible presence of juice in the sugar-cane stalk, butter in milk, and oil in seasame seed, semen is present in all parts of a man’s body. When a man thinks of a desired woman, sees, hears, or embraces her, he feels sexual pleasure, and semen is drawn from different parts of the body to enter the urinary canal. Sushruta’s statement that semen is the material form of an individual soul is true and scientific. The seed (bija) inside the semen is the abode of the soul. Sexual desire is present in a human being right from birth. In childhood it is spread all over the body. As one gets older desire becomes concentrated in the genitals.

  Padmashri says that there are twenty-four nerves in the vagina, which give rise to the desire for intercourse. The place where these nerves end is called ‘Kama’s umbrella’ (the clitoris). It should be rubbed slowly with the fingers. Of the nerves which excite sexual desire, there are two in the face, two in the eyes, one in the throat, one at the base of the thumb. Pressing these nerves in an embrace soon excites desire. Scratching the ears, thighs, lower back, and forehead with the nails excites sexuality. Sati, asati, subhaga, durbhaga, putri, duhitrini are the six great nerves in the vulva, which give rise to an irresistible urge for intercourse when excited. Deep inside the vagina are the putri and duhitrini nerves. In the left part of the vulva is sati, in the right, the asati. At a little distance inside the vaginal canal are the subhaga and durbhaga nerves. Hugging excites the sati nerve; caressing both the armpits excites the sati. Kissing excites the subhaga; caressing the waist excites the durbhaga. Kissing the face excites the putri and caressing the buttocks produces agitation in the duhitrini, which leads to immediate orgasm.

  2.3.4 Women are tender not only in body but also in character and mind. They should be handled as if they were flowers so that they neither fade nor lose their scent. If force is used in embracing or kissing them, a lifelong fear, suspicion, or hate can distort their minds.

  The first three days [of marriage] demand utmost care. If within this period any kind of aversion arises toward the man, then it will always remain in the mind as hate. A woman’s modesty should also be taken into account. Women prefer intercourse in the dark.

  Generally, intercourse depends on the two mental inclinations of love and sexual hunger. Love makes one generous and sentimental, and sexual hunger makes one selfish.

  2.3.32 Lips are considered the most important part of kissing because they are the tenderest parts of the body. Lips carry an electric charge which, when touched, excites those nerves and joints that carry an internal flow of this electric current. This electric current is responsible for the pleasure given by touch.

  2.4, end Medical science is of the opinion that the upper part of a woman’s skin has some areas which are connected to the womb. Exciting them slowly or rapidly in certain directions not only arouses desire but creates preliminary conditions for intercourse. Women are liable to become epileptic if these areas are not properly handled. That is why to preserve her mental and bodily health it is essential to use the nails and teeth on those parts of a woman’s body that are recognized as erotic centres.

  2.6, end It is quite acceptable for an authoritative treatise (shastra) to mention, describe, and reflect upon all kinds of sexual practices, whether good or bad, and to seek to understand their real import. But what can be the purpose of sculptures depicting intercourse and other sexual acts found in our ancient temples? If we study human behaviour closely, we find that in every human being a wish for salvation is born only after he is fully satisfied. Total satisfaction and salvation are the two goals of our existence. The sculptures of couples engaged in sexual intercourse found on the temples of Konarak, Puri, Khajuraho, and other places represent the first goal of life. That is why they are shown on the outside walls of the temple. Salvation is the second goal, which is represented by the image of the god in the inner sanctum. The sculptures of couples in intercourse on the outer door and walls remind the seeker that one who has not crossed the portals of sexual satisfaction has no right to take the second step toward god and salvation.

  2.8.6 When the woman lies on top of the man and makes love, the flowers in her hair scatter. She begins to pant even as she laughs. When she brings her mouth close to her husband’s for a kiss, her breasts press against his chest. At this time, the woman fully imitates the man. She scratches, bites, hits, kisses in the same way as the man. Then she laughs like a victor and say
s, ‘First, you laid me low. Now I am taking revenge by laying you under me.’ But when her sexual desire is satisfied, she becomes bashful and closes her eyes. She lies down on the cot because she is tired. Then she starts to show her love towards her husband like a man.

  2.10, end All men and women have their own distinctive smells. Bodily smell is related to the surge of sexuality. With the onset of youth, a man or a woman gets a distinct smell. One sometimes hears about incidents in which a beautiful girl belonging to a good family surrenders completely to a low-born, ugly man. These surprising incidents can be attributed to the effect of smell. Saffron, musk, ambergris, and sandalwood are substances whose scent is similar to that of women and thus have a high sexual significance. That may be why women have traditionally used them. One thing is certain: bodily smell creates an atmosphere around itself which either attracts or repels.

  3.1, end Vatsyayana says that it is the opinion of some teachers that one should marry a girl with whom one falls in love. The Apastamba-dharmasutra is of the same opinion. But before translating this scriptural injunction into practice, it is necessary to use one’s own judgement. If a girl is physically handicapped or does not belong to an equal caste-group, then one should not marry her even if one is in love.