Kama+Sutra

By Laura Catherwood

**What the Kama Sutra Is **

The Kama Sutra is an ancient Hindu text originally written in Sanskrit by V atasyayana, and scholars have since translated and distributed it around the world. It is part of the Kama Shastra, which tradition attributes to Nandi the sacred bull, who spoke it as he heard the lovemaking of the god Shiva and his wife Parvati (Kama Sutra, 2008). //Kama// describes a goal pertaining to sexual or sensual pleasure,  and it is one of the three principle facets of humanity that were part of education in ancient India (Kakar, 2011). Even now, people find value in the Kama Sutra due to its effect of teaching “that everyone needs to learn about sex and not just take it for granted, the belief that sex is a positive and powerful way to self-development and enlightenment, its emphasis on meditative practice and awareness of oneself during sexuality and also on the importance of pleasure for women” (A, 2008). The tone of the text is that of an instructional manual. It gives straightforward and detailed instructions about the life of a sexually active man, his wives, or a courtesan. The chapters do not only provide instructions about performing sexual acts, but also about courtship, establishing and maintaining relationships, courtesan business, and sexual medicine. Most of the chapters pertain to sexual communication, as they revolve around interacting with others and working with feelings of “lust, love, shyness, rejection, seduction, and manipulation” (Kakar, 2011) to negotiate sexual encounters.

**Sexual Communication in the Kama Sutra ** · Relationships: The Kama Sutra also gives much direction about communicating with a partner through all stages of a sexual relationship. Part VII: Chapter I teaches the more subtle strategies of appearing attractive by means of various dietary supplements and ointments, as well as when to flirt. Part III goes into detail specifically about a man courting and interacting with his wife. For example, Chapter IV in this part traces the path of serious courtship, with explanations of signals such as “At last, when he knows the state of her feelings by her outward manner and conduct towards him at religious ceremonies, [...] and such like occasions, he should begin to enjoy her when she is alone.” Chapter II in this part discusses the delicate initiation of a sexual relationship with a new wife. The man must at first abstain from sex with her, but not be too cold, because “if the man does not speak with her for three days, the girl may be discouraged by seeing him spiritless like a pillar, and, becoming dejected, she may begin to despise him as a eunuch.” There are more details about the navigating the woman’s emotions and desires. There is even a discussion about how to communicate in lovers’ quarrels in Chapter X of Part II.
 * Sexual Acts: The most widely considered portion of the Kama Sutra teaches how to communicate through sexual action. This is the second of seven parts of the text, and it discusses embracing, kissing, marking with the nails, biting, sex, and oral sex. By naming and listing different kinds of embraces, kisses, etc, the book teaches the motivation and appropriate context for each. For example, “But Vatsyayana thinks that shampooing is performed at a different time, and for a different purpose, and it is also of a different character, it cannot be said to be included in the embrace” (V atasyayana  Part II: Chapter II). It assigns which types of actions are performed by which gender, such as “When a woman looks at the face of her lover while he is asleep and kisses it to show her intention or desire, it is called a `kiss that kindles love'” (V atasyayana  Part II: Chapter 3). In Chapter VI of Part II, where it teaches about positions of sexual intercourse or “Congress”, many of the descriptions and titles of the positions invoke the names of animals- such as “congress of a herd of cows”, “her lover mounts her like a bull”, and even identifying the woman as a Deer, Mare, or Elephant based on her vaginal size (V atasyayana  Part II: Chapter IV). This makes the content seem more uninhibited and wild. The different types of striking (such as with the back of the hand versus the fist) and the resulting sounds made by the receiver of the blow described in Chapter VII correspond to communicating different levels of passion and intensity.

· Gender: The Kama Sutra addresses the differences in gender roles, not only pertaining to who-does-what, but in regards to the characteristics of masculinity and femininity. This affects how men and women are supposed to regard each other, particularly in Chapter VII of Part II, saying, “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.” In addition to general demeanor, specific conduct is outlined: “When the wife wants to approach her husband in private her dress should consist of many ornaments, various kinds of flowers, and a cloth decorated with different colours, and some sweet-smelling ointments or unguents” (V atasyayana <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;"> Part IV: Chapter I). Chapter IX of Part II distinguishes the conduct of eunichs that identify as the female versus eunichs that identify as male.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;"> Culture and the Public: Throughout the Kama Sutra, there is recognition that sexual communication must be tailored to the culture or region that the lover is accustomed to. Chapter V of Part II discusses extensively the preferences of women from different countries, such as “The women of Avanti hate kissing, marking with the nails, and biting, but they have a fondness for various kinds of sexual union.” Some of the techniques in the book provide messages to other members of the public, such as marking with nails in Chapter IV of Part II: “Even when a stranger sees at a distance a young woman with the marks of nails on her breast, he is filled with love and respect for her.”


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Other subjects: The Kama Sutra also has parts devoted to communication in regards to courting a married woman (Part V) and the business of a courtesan (Part VI).

**<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">The Kama Sutra in the West **

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">People in Western cultures typically have the impression that the Kama Sutra is simply a sex handbook, a pornographic text “considered licentious and filthy” (Kureishi, 2011). There is an abundance of casual reference to it, but mainly to the contents of only the second part out of seven, which gives specifics about sexual positions, embracing, kissing, biting, etc. The Kama Sutra was initially translated and distributed by Richard Burton and his colleagues to a sexually repressed England, and as such it carried “a sense of danger around the erotic essence of the East, something which can only be handled by the educated gentleman” (Grant, 2005, p. 511). In this way, the text inserted itself into the sexual communication of the West as an object of exotic and morally questionable sexuality. Scholars believe that Western people’s attitude towards the Kama Sutra deepens their perceived differences with the way people sexually communicate in the East, because they regard it “as indisputable evidence of a non-Western and tolerant, indeed celebratory, view of sexuality” (Puri, 2002, p.604). The translation almost appears to have this intent, as <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px;">certain words that appear to be untranslated actually differ from the original text. “If we strip away all the exotic layers of the text, what we are left with is a lingam thrusting into a yoni, in other words, the erotic is after all still exotic” (Grant, 2005, p.515); and //yoni// and //lingam// are religious words that are almost completely absent from the original text. The translators chose to make the sex in the Kama Sutra seem more exotic and exciting to Western readers by using these words.

<span style="color: black; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 26px;">**<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">References **

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">A, D. (2008, Aug 31). Kama Sutra retold- they can’t get enough of it. //The Times of India//. Retrieved from <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">[]

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Grant, B. (2005). Translating/’The’ Kama Sutra. //Third World Quarterly, 26(3),// 509-516. Retrieved from <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">[]

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Kakar, S. The Rediscovery of the Kamasutra. //Little India//. Retrieved from <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">[]

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;"> Kama Sutra. (2008, May 6). //New World Encyclopedia//. Retrieved from []

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Kureishi, H. (2011, March 25). Kama Sutra: A Guide to the Art of Pleasure, translated by AND Haksar- review. //TheObserver//. Retrieved from <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">[]

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Puri, J. (2002). Concerning "Kamasutras": Challenging Narratives of History and Sexuality. //Signs, 27(3),// 603-639. Retrieved from: <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">[]

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">V <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">atasyayana. n.d. The Kama Sutra. (R. Burton, Trans. 1883) Retrieved from []

**<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Images **

//<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Idiots Guide to Kama Sutra //<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;"> [Book Cover Photo]. Retrieved from <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">[]

//<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Shiva parvati with nandi //<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;"> [Watercolor Painting on Canvas]. Retrieved from <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">[]

//<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">The Complete Ilstrated Kama Sutra //<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;"> [Illustration]. Retrieved from <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">[]