The Kamasutra of Vatsyayana

The Kamasutra of Vatsyayana

by Vatsyayana

Translated by Richard Burton, Bhagavanlal Indrajit, and Shivaram Parashuram Bhide

Long before The Joy of Sex, Masters and Johnson, or Dr. Ruth, there was Vatsyayana’s The Kama Sutra, or “Aphorisms on Love.” This ancient text, translated from Sanskrit into English in the nineteenth century by Sir Richard Burton, along with Bhagavanlal Indragit and Shivaram Parashuram Bhide, has stood the test of time as a thoughtful treatise on the art of lovemaking.

In 1,250 verses divided into seven parts and thirty-six chapters, The Kama Sutra contemplates everything from the “courtship, and the manifestation of the feelings by outward signs and deeds” to “the ways of exciting desire.” An insightful consideration of the connections between sensual pleasure and spiritual enlightenment, this classic work presents a sincere and civilized approach to sexuality that modern readers will find refreshing and inspirational.

CONTENTS:

Preface
Introduction
PART ONE: GENERAL REMARKS
1.1 Contents and salutation
1.2 On the acquisition of dharma, artha and kama
1.3 On the arts and sciences to be studied
1.4 The life of a citizen
1.5 About the kinds of women resorted to by the citizens, and of friends and messengers
PART TWO: ON SEXUAL UNION
2.1 Kinds of sexual union according to (a) dimensions (b) force of desire or passion (c) time
2.2 Of the embrace
2.3 On kissing
2.4 On pressing, or marking, or scratching with the nails
2.5 On biting, and the means to be employed with regard to women of different countries
2.6 Of the different ways of lying down, and various kinds of congress
2.7 Of the various modes of striking, and of the sounds appropriate to them
2.8 About women acting the part of a man; and of the work of a man
2.9 Of the auparishtaka or mouth congress
2.10 Of the way to begin and how to end the different kinds of congress and love quarrels
PART THREE: ABOUT THE ACQUISITION OF A WIFE
3.1 On marriage
3.2 Of creating confidence in the girl
3.3 On courtship, and the manifestation of the feelings by outward signs and deeds
3.4 About things to be done only by the man, and the acquisition of the girl thereby, also what is to be done by a girl to gain over a man, and subject him to her
3.5 On certain forms of marriage
PART FOUR: ABOUT A WIFE
4.1 On the manner of living of a virtuous woman, and of her behaviour during the absence of her husband
4.2 On the conduct of the elder wife towards the other wives of her husband, and on that of a 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 lastly on the conduct of a husband towards many wives
PART FIVE: ABOUT THE WIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE
5.1 Of the characteristics of men and women—the reasons why women reject the addresses of men—about men who have success with women, and about women who are easily gained over
5.2 About making acquaintance with the woman, and of the efforts to gain her over
5.3 Examination of the state of a woman's mind
5.4 About the business of a go-between
5.5 About the love of persons in authority for the wives of other men
5.6 About the women of the royal harem; and of the keeping of one's own wife
PART SIX: ABOUT COURTESANS
6.1 Of the causes of a courtesan resorting to men; of the means of attaching to herself the man desired; and of the kind of man that it is desirable to be acquainted with
6.2 Of living like a wife
6.3 Of the means of getting money; of the signs of the change of a lover's feelings, and of the way to get rid of him
6.4 About re-union with a former lover
6.5 Of different kinds of gain
6.6 Of gains and losses; attendant gains and losses; and doubts; as also of the different kinds of courtesans
PART SEVEN: ON THE MEANS OF ATTRACTING OTHERS TO ONE'S SELF
7.1 On personal adornment; on subjugating the hearts of others; and on tonic medicines
7.2 Of the ways of exciting desire, and miscellaneous experiments

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