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KamaSutra.txt
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The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, by Vatsyayana
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana
Translated From The Sanscrit In Seven Parts With Preface,
Introduction and Concluding Remarks
Author: Vatsyayana
Translator: Richard Burton
Bhagavanlal Indrajit
Shivaram Parashuram Bhide
Release Date: January 18, 2009 [EBook #27827]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KAMA SUTRA OF VATSYAYANA ***
Produced by Bruce Albrecht, Carla Foust, Jon Noring and
the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
https://www.pgdp.net
Transcriber's note
Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice. Printer
errors have been changed and are listed at the end.
THE
KAMA SUTRA
OF
VATSYAYANA.
TRANSLATED FROM THE SANSCRIT.
IN SEVEN PARTS,
WITH
PREFACE, INTRODUCTION,
AND
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
Reprint:
_Cosmopoli: MDCCCLXXXIII: for the Kama Shastra Society of
London and Benares, and for private circulation only._
DEDICATED
TO THAT SMALL PORTION OF THE BRITISH PUBLIC
WHICH TAKES ENLIGHTENED INTEREST IN
STUDYING THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS
OF THE OLDEN EAST.
PREFACE.
In the literature of all countries there will be found a certain number
of works treating especially of love. Everywhere the subject is dealt
with differently, and from various points of view. In the present
publication it is proposed to give a complete translation of what is
considered the standard work on love in Sanscrit literature, and which
is called the 'Vatsyayana Kama Sutra,' or Aphorisms on Love, by
Vatsyayana.
While the introduction will bear with the evidence concerning the date
of the writing, and the commentaries written upon it, the chapters
following the introduction will give a translation of the work itself.
It is, however, advisable to furnish here a brief analysis of works of
the same nature, prepared by authors who lived and wrote years after
Vatsya had passed away, but who still considered him as a great
authority, and always quoted him as the chief guide to Hindoo erotic
literature.
Besides the treatise of Vatsyayana the following works on the same
subject are procurable in India:--
1. The Ratirahasya, or secrets of love.
2. The Panchasakya, or the five arrows.
3. The Smara Pradipa, or the light of love.
4. The Ratimanjari, or the garland of love.
5. The Rasmanjari, or the sprout of love.
6. The Anunga Runga, or the stage of love; also called
Kamaledhiplava, or a boat in the ocean of love.
The author of the 'Secrets of Love' (No. 1) was a poet named Kukkoka. He
composed his work to please one Venudutta, who was perhaps a king. When
writing his own name at the end of each chapter he calls himself "Siddha
patiya pandita," _i.e._, an ingenious man among learned men. The work
was translated into Hindi years ago, and in this the author's name was
written as Koka. And as the same name crept into all the translations
into other languages in India, the book became generally known, and the
subject was popularly called Koka Shastra, or doctrines of Koka, which
is identical with the Kama Shastra, or doctrines of love, and the words
Koka Shastra and Kama Shastra are used indiscriminately.
The work contains nearly eight hundred verses, and is divided into ten
chapters, which are called Pachivedas. Some of the things treated of in
this work are not to be found in the Vatsyayana, such as the four
classes of women, viz., the Padmini, Chitrini, Shankini and Hastini, as
also the enumeration of the days and hours on which the women of the
different classes become subject to love. The author adds that he wrote
these things from the opinions of Gonikaputra and Nandikeshwara, both of
whom are mentioned by Vatsyayana, but their works are not now extant. It
is difficult to give any approximate idea as to the year in which the
work was composed. It is only to be presumed that it was written after
that of Vatsyayana, and previous to the other works on this subject that
are still extant. Vatsyayana gives the names of ten authors on the
subject, all of whose works he had consulted, but none of which are
extant, and does not mention this one. This would tend to show that
Kukkoka wrote after Vatsya, otherwise Vatsya would assuredly have
mentioned him as an author in this branch of literature along with the
others.
The author of the 'Five Arrows' (No. 2 in the list) was one Jyotirisha.
He is called the chief ornament of poets, the treasure of the sixty-four
arts, and the best teacher of the rules of music. He says that he
composed the work after reflecting on the aphorisms of love as revealed
by the gods, and studying the opinions of Gonikaputra, Muladeva,
Babhravya, Ramtideva, Nundikeshwara and Kshemandra. It is impossible to
say whether he had perused all the works of these authors, or had only
heard about them; anyhow, none of them appear to be in existence now.
This work contains nearly six hundred verses, and is divided into five
chapters, called Sayakas or Arrows.
The author of the 'Light of Love' (No. 3) was the poet Gunakara, the son
of Vechapati. The work contains four hundred verses, and gives only a
short account of the doctrines of love, dealing more with other
matters.
'The Garland of Love' (No. 4) is the work of the famous poet Jayadeva,
who said about himself that he is a writer on all subjects. This
treatise is, however, very short, containing only one hundred and
twenty-five verses.
The author of the 'Sprout of Love' (No. 5) was a poet called Bhanudatta.
It appears from the last verse of the manuscript that he was a resident
of the province of Tirhoot, the son of a Brahman named Ganeshwar, who
was also a poet. The work, written in Sanscrit, gives the descriptions
of different classes of men and women, their classes being made out from
their age, description, conduct, etc. It contains three chapters, and
its date is not known, and cannot be ascertained.
'The Stage of Love' (No. 6) was composed by the poet Kullianmull, for
the amusement of Ladkhan, the son of Ahmed Lodi, the same Ladkhan being
in some places spoken of as Ladana Mull, and in others as Ladanaballa.
He is supposed to have been a relation or connection of the house of
Lodi, which reigned in Hindostan from A.D. 1450-1526. The work would,
therefore, have been written in the fifteenth or sixteenth century. It
contains ten chapters, and has been translated into English, but only
six copies were printed for private circulation. This is supposed to be
the latest of the Sanscrit works on the subject, and the ideas in it
were evidently taken from previous writings of the same nature.
The contents of these works are in themselves a literary curiosity.
There are to be found both in Sanscrit poetry and in the Sanscrit drama
a certain amount of poetical sentiment and romance, which have, in every
country and in every language, thrown an immortal halo round the
subject. But here it is treated in a plain, simple, matter of fact sort
of way. Men and women are divided into classes and divisions in the same
way that Buffon and other writers on natural history have classified and
divided the animal world. As Venus was represented by the Greeks to
stand forth as the type of the beauty of woman, so the Hindoos describe
the Padmini or Lotus woman as the type of most perfect feminine
excellence, as follows:
She in whom the following signs and symptoms appear is called a Padmini.
Her face is pleasing as the full moon; her body, well clothed with
flesh, is soft as the Shiras or mustard flower, her skin is fine,
tender and fair as the yellow lotus, never dark coloured. Her eyes are
bright and beautiful as the orbs of the fawn, well cut, and with reddish
corners. Her bosom is hard, full and high; she has a good neck; her nose
is straight and lovely, and three folds or wrinkles cross her
middle--about the umbilical region. Her yoni resembles the opening lotus
bud, and her love seed (Kama salila) is perfumed like the lily that has
newly burst. She walks with swan-like gait, and her voice is low and
musical as the note of the Kokila bird, she delights in white raiments,
in fine jewels, and in rich dresses. She eats little, sleeps lightly,
and being as respectful and religious as she is clever and courteous,
she is ever anxious to worship the gods, and to enjoy the conversation
of Brahmans. Such, then, is the Padmini or Lotus woman.
Detailed descriptions then follow of the Chitrini or Art woman; the
Shankhini or Conch woman, and the Hastini or Elephant woman, their days
of enjoyment, their various seats of passion, the manner in which they
should be manipulated and treated in sexual intercourse, along with the
characteristics of the men and women of the various countries in
Hindostan. The details are so numerous, and the subjects so seriously
dealt with, and at such length, that neither time nor space will permit
of their being given here.
One work in the English language is somewhat similar to these works of
the Hindoos. It is called 'Kalogynomia: or the Laws of Female Beauty,'
being the elementary principles of that science, by T. Bell, M.D., with
twenty-four plates, and printed in London in 1821. It treats of Beauty,
of Love, of Sexual Intercourse, of the Laws regulating that Intercourse,
of Monogamy and Polygamy, of Prostitution, of Infidelity, ending with a
_catalogue raisonnée_ of the defects of female beauty.
Other works in English also enter into great details of private and
domestic life. 'The Elements of Social Science, or Physical, Sexual and
Natural Religion,' by a Doctor of Medicine, London, 1880, and 'Every
Woman's Book,' by Dr. Waters, 1826. To persons interested in the above
subjects these works will be found to contain such details as have been
seldom before published, and which ought to be thoroughly understood by
all philanthropists and benefactors of society.
After a perusal of the Hindoo work, and of the English books above
mentioned, the reader will understand the subject, at all events from a
materialistic, realistic and practical point of view. If all science is
founded more or less on a stratum of facts, there can be no harm in
making known to mankind generally certain matters intimately connected
with their private, domestic, and social life.
Alas! complete ignorance of them has unfortunately wrecked many a man
and many a woman, while a little knowledge of a subject generally
ignored by the masses would have enabled numbers of people to have
understood many things which they believed to be quite incomprehensible,
or which were not thought worthy of their consideration.
INTRODUCTION.
It may be interesting to some persons to learn how it came about that
Vatsyayana was first brought to light and translated into the English
language. It happened thus. While translating with the pundits the
'Anunga runga, or the stage of love,' reference was frequently found to
be made to one Vatsya. The sage Vatsya was of this opinion, or of that
opinion. The sage Vatsya said this, and so on. Naturally questions were
asked who the sage was, and the pundits replied that Vatsya was the
author of the standard work on love in Sanscrit literature, that no
Sanscrit library was complete without his work, and that it was most
difficult now to obtain in its entire state. The copy of the manuscript
obtained in Bombay was defective, and so the pundits wrote to Benares,
Calcutta and Jeypoor for copies of the manuscript from Sanscrit
libraries in those places. Copies having been obtained, they were then
compared with each other, and with the aid of a Commentary called
'Jayamangla' a revised copy of the entire manuscript was prepared, and
from this copy the English translation was made. The following is the
certificate of the chief pundit:--
"The accompanying manuscript is corrected by me after comparing four
different copies of the work. I had the assistance of a Commentary
called 'Jayamangla' for correcting the portion in the first five parts,
but found great difficulty in correcting the remaining portion, because,
with the exception of one copy thereof which was tolerably correct, all
the other copies I had were far too incorrect. However, I took that
portion as correct in which the majority of the copies agreed with each
other."
The 'Aphorisms on Love,' by Vatsyayana, contains about one thousand two
hundred and fifty slokas or verses, and are divided into parts, parts
into chapters, and chapters into paragraphs. The whole consists of
seven parts, thirty-six chapters, and sixty-four paragraphs. Hardly
anything is known about the author. His real name is supposed to be
Mallinaga or Mrillana, Vatsyayana being his family name. At the close of
the work this is what he writes about himself:
"After reading and considering the works of Babhravya and other ancient
authors, and thinking over the meaning of the rules given by them, this
treatise was composed, according to the precepts of the Holy Writ, for
the benefit of the world, by Vatsyayana, while leading the life of a
religious student at Benares, and wholly engaged in the contemplation of
the Deity. This work is not to be used merely as an instrument for
satisfying our desires. A person acquainted with the true principles of
this science, who preserves his Dharma (virtue or religious merit), his
Artha (worldly wealth) and his Kama (pleasure or sensual gratification),
and who has regard to the customs of the people, is sure to obtain the
mastery over his senses. In short, an intelligent and knowing person,
attending to Dharma and Artha and also to Kama, without becoming the
slave of his passions, will obtain success in everything that he may
do."
It is impossible to fix the exact date either of the life of Vatsyayana
or of his work. It is supposed that he must have lived between the first
and the sixth centuries of the Christian era, on the following
grounds:--He mentions that Satkarni Srtvahan, a king of Kuntal, killed
Malayevati his wife with an instrument called kartari by striking her in
the passion of love, and Vatsya quotes this case to warn people of the
danger arising from some old customs of striking women when under the
influence of this passion. Now this king of Kuntal is believed to have
lived and reigned during the first century A.C., and consequently Vatsya
must have lived after him. On the other hand, Virahamihira, in the
eighteenth chapter of his 'Brihatsanhita,' treats of the science of
love, and appears to have borrowed largely from Vatsyayana on the
subject. Now Virahamihira is said to have lived during the sixth century
A.D., and as Vatsya must have written his works previously, therefore
not earlier than the first century, A.C., and not later than the sixth
century A.D., must be considered as the approximate date of his
existence.
On the text of the 'Aphorisms on Love,' by Vatsyayana, only two
commentaries have been found. One called 'Jayamangla' or 'Sutrabashya,'
and the other 'Sutra vritti.' The date of the 'Jayamangla' is fixed
between the tenth and thirteenth centuries A.D., because while treating
of the sixty-four arts an example is taken from the 'Kávyaprakásha,'
which was written about the tenth century A.D. Again, the copy of the
commentary procured was evidently a transcript of a manuscript which
once had a place in the library of a Chaulukyan king named Vishaladeva,
a fact elicited from the following sentence at the end of it:--
"Here ends the part relating to the art of love in the commentary on the
'Vatsyayana Kama Sutra,' a copy from the library of the king of kings,
Vishaladeva, who was a powerful hero, as it were a second Arjuna, and
head jewel of the Chaulukya family."
Now it is well known that this king ruled in Guzerat from 1244 to 1262
A.D., and founded a city called Visalnagur. The date, therefore, of the
commentary is taken to be not earlier than the tenth and not later than
the thirteenth century. The author of it is supposed to be one
Yashodhara, the name given him by his preceptor being Indrapada. He
seems to have written it during the time of affliction caused by his
separation from a clever and shrewd woman, at least that is what he
himself says at the end of each chapter. It is presumed that he called
his work after the name of his absent mistress, or the word may have
some connection with the meaning of her name.
This commentary was most useful in explaining the true meaning of
Vatsyayana, for the commentator appears to have had a considerable
knowledge of the times of the older author, and gives in some places
very minute information. This cannot be said of the other commentary,
called "Sutra vritti," which was written about A.D., by Narsing Shastri,
a pupil of a Sarveshwar Shastri; the latter was a descendant of Bhaskur,
and so also was our author, for at the conclusion of every part he calls
himself Bhaskur Narsing Shastra. He was induced to write the work by
order of the learned Raja Vrijalala, while he was residing in Benares,
but as to the merits of this commentary it does not deserve much
commendation. In many cases the writer does not appear to have
understood the meaning of the original author, and has changed the text
in many places to fit in with his own explanations.
A complete translation of the original work now follows. It has been
prepared in complete accordance with the text of the manuscript, and is
given, without further comments, as made from it.
PART I.
THE VATSYAYANA SUTRA.
INTRODUCTORY PREFACE.
SALUTATION TO DHARMA, ARTHA AND KAMA.
In the beginning, the Lord of Beings created men and women, and in the
form of commandments in one hundred thousand chapters laid down rules
for regulating their existence with regard to Dharma,[1] Artha,[2] and
Kama.[3] Some of these commandments, namely those which treated of
Dharma, were separately written by Swayambhu Manu; those that related to
Artha were compiled by Brihaspati; and those that referred to Kama were
expounded by Nandi, the follower of Mahadeva, in one thousand chapters.
Now these 'Kama Sutra' (Aphorisms on Love), written by Nandi in one
thousand chapters, were reproduced by Shvetaketu, the son of Uddvalaka,
in an abbreviated form in five hundred chapters, and this work was again
similarly reproduced in an abridged form, in one hundred and fifty
chapters, by Babhravya, an inhabitant of the Punchala (South of Delhi)
country. These one hundred and fifty chapters were then put together
under seven heads or parts named severally--
1st. Sadharana (general topics).
2nd. Samprayogika (embraces, etc.).
3rd. Kanya Samprayuktaka (union of males and females).
4th. Bharyadhikarika (on one's own wife).
5th. Paradika (on the wives of other people).
6th. Vaisika (on courtesans).
7th. Aupamishadika (on the arts of seduction, tonic medicines, etc.).
The sixth part of this last work was separately expounded by Dattaka at
the request of the public women of Pataliputra (Patna), and in the same
way Charayana explained the first part of it. The remaining parts, viz.,
the second, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh were each separately
expounded by--
Suvarnanabha (second part).
Ghotakamukha (third part).
Gonardiya (fourth part).
Gonikaputra (fifth part).
Kuchumara (seventh part), respectively.
Thus the work being written in parts by different authors was almost
unobtainable, and as the parts which were expounded by Dattaka and the
others treated only of the particular branches of the subject to which
each part related, and moreover as the original work of Babhravya was
difficult to be mastered on account of its length, Vatsyayana,
therefore, composed his work in a small volume as an abstract of the
whole of the works of the above-named authors.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1: Dharma is acquisition of religious merit, and is fully
described in Chapter 5, Volume III., of Talboys Wheeler's 'History of
India,' and in the edicts of Asoka.]
[Footnote 2: Artha is acquisition of wealth and property, etc.]
[Footnote 3: Kama is love, pleasure and sensual gratification.
These three words are retained throughout in their original, as
technical terms. They may also be defined as virtue, wealth and
pleasure, the three things repeatedly spoken of in the Laws of Manu.]
PART I.
CHAPTER I.
BEING THE INDEX TO OR CONTENTS OF THE WORK.
Chapter II. Observations on the three worldly attainments of
Virtue, Wealth and Love.
" III. On the study of the Sixty-four Arts.
" IV. On the Arrangements of a House, and Household Furniture;
and about the Daily Life of a Citizen, his
Companions, Amusements, &c.
" V. About classes of Women fit and unfit for Congress with
the Citizen, and of Friends, and Messengers.
PART II.
ON SEXUAL UNION.
Chapter I. Kinds of Union according to Dimensions, Force of Desire,
and Time; and on the different kinds of Love.
" II. Of the Embrace.
" III. On Kissing.
" IV. On Pressing or Marking with the Nails.
" V. On Biting, and the ways of Love to be employed with
regard to Women of different countries.
" VI. On the various ways of Lying Down, and the different
kinds of Congress.
" VII. On the various ways of Striking, and of the Sounds
appropriate to them.
" VIII. About females acting the part of Males.
" IX. On holding the Lingam in the Mouth.
" X. How to begin and how to end the Congress. Different
kinds of Congress, and Love Quarrels.
PART III.
ABOUT THE ACQUISITION OF A WIFE.
Chapter I. Observations on Betrothal and Marriage.
" II. About creating Confidence in the Girl.
" III. Courtship, and the manifestations of the feelings by
outward signs and deeds.
" IV. On things to be done only by the Man, and the
acquisition of the Girl thereby. Also what to be done
by a Girl to gain over a Man and subject him to her.
" V. On the different Forms of Marriage.
PART IV.
ABOUT A WIFE.
Chapter I. On the manner of living of a virtuous Woman, and of her
behaviour during the absence of her Husband.
" II. On the conduct of the eldest Wife towards the other
Wives of her husband, and of the 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 of a Husband who has
more than one Wife.
PART V.
ABOUT THE WIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE.
Chapter I. On the Characteristics of Men and Women, and the reason
why Women reject the Addresses of Men. About Men who
have Success with Women, and about Women who are
easily gained over.
" II. About making Acquaintance with the Woman, and of the
efforts to gain her over.
" III. Examination of the State of a Woman's mind.
" IV. The business of a Go-between.
" V. On the Love of Persons in authority with the Wives of
other People.
" VI. About the Women of the Royal Harem, and of the keeping
of one's own Wife.
PART VI.
ABOUT COURTESANS.
Chapter I. Of the Causes of a Courtesan resorting to Men; of the
means of Attaching to herself the Man desired, and
the kind of Man that it is desirable to be acquainted
with.
" II. Of a Courtesan living with a Man as his Wife.
" III. Of the means of getting Money; of the Signs of a Lover
who is beginning to be weary, and of the way to get
rid of him.
" IV. About a Re-union with a former Lover.
" V. Of different kinds of Gain.
" VI. Of Gains and Losses, attendant Gains and Losses, and
Doubts; and lastly, the different kinds of
Courtesans.
PART VII.
ON THE MEANS OF ATTRACTING OTHERS TO ONE'S SELF.
Chapter I. On Personal Adornment, subjugating the hearts of others,
and of tonic medicines.
" II. Of the Means of exciting Desire, and of the ways of
enlarging the Lingam. Miscellaneous Experiments and
Receipts.
PART I.
CHAPTER II.
ON THE ACQUISITION OF DHARMA, ARTHA AND KAMA.
Man, the period of whose life is one hundred years, should practise
Dharma, Artha, and Kama at different times and in such a manner that
they may harmonize together and not clash in any way. He should acquire
learning in his childhood, in his youth and middle age he should attend
to Artha and Kama, and in his old age he should perform Dharma, and thus
seek to gain Moksha, _i.e._, release from further transmigration. Or, on
account of the uncertainty of life, he may practise them at times when
they are enjoined to be practised. But one thing is to be noted, he
should lead the life of a religious student until he finishes his
education.
_Dharma_ is obedience to the command of the Shastra or Holy Writ of the
Hindoos to do certain things, such as the performance of sacrifices,
which are not generally done because they do not belong to this world,
and produce no visible effect; and not to do other things, such as
eating meat, which is often done because it belongs to this world, and
has visible effects.
Dharma should be learnt from the Shruti (Holy Writ), and from those
conversant with it.
_Artha_ is the acquisition of arts, land, gold, cattle, wealth,
equipages and friends. It is, further, the protection of what is
acquired, and the increase of what is protected.
Artha should be learnt from the king's officers, and from merchants who
may be versed in the ways of commerce.
_Kama_ is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by the five senses of
hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting, and smelling, assisted by the mind
together with the soul. The ingredient in this is a peculiar contact
between the organ of sense and its object, and the consciousness of
pleasure which arises from that contact is called Kama.
Kama is to be learnt from the Kama Sutra (aphorisms on love) and from
the practice of citizens.
When all the three, viz., Dharma, Artha, and Kama come together, the
former is better than the one which follows it, _i.e._, Dharma is better
than Artha, and Artha is better than Kama. But Artha should be always
first practised by the king, for the livelihood of men is to be obtained
from it only. Again, Kama being the occupation of public women, they
should prefer it to the other two, and these are exceptions to the
general rule.
_Objection 1._
Some learned men say that as Dharma is connected with things not
belonging to this world, it is appropriately treated of in a book; and
so also is Artha, because it is practised only by the application of
proper means, and a knowledge of those means can only be obtained by
study and from books. But Kama being a thing which is practised even by
the brute creation, and which is to be found everywhere, does not want
any work on the subject.
_Answer._
This is not so. Sexual intercourse being a thing dependent on man and
woman requires the application of proper means by them, and those means
are to be learnt from the Kama Shastra. The non-application of proper
means, which we see in the brute creation, is caused by their being
unrestrained, and by the females among them only being fit for sexual
intercourse at certain seasons and no more, and by their intercourse not
being preceded by thought of any kind.
_Objection 2._
The Lokayatikas[4] say:--Religious ordinances should not be observed,
for they bear a future fruit, and at the same time it is also doubtful
whether they will bear any fruit at all. What foolish person will give
away that which is in his own hands into the hands of another?
Moreover, it is better to have a pigeon to-day than a peacock to-morrow;
and a copper coin which we have the certainty of obtaining, is better
than a gold coin, the possession of which is doubtful.
_Answer._
It is not so. 1st. Holy Writ, which ordains the practice of Dharma, does
not admit of a doubt.
2nd. Sacrifices such as those made for the destruction of enemies, or
for the fall of rain, are seen to bear fruit.
3rd. The sun, moon, stars, planets and other heavenly bodies appear to
work intentionally for the good of the world.
4th. The existence of this world is effected by the observance of the
rules respecting the four classes[5] of men and their four stages of
life.
5th. We see that seed is thrown into the ground with the hope of future
crops.
Vatsyayana is therefore of opinion that the ordinances of religion must
be obeyed.
_Objection 3._
Those who believe that destiny is the prime mover of all things say:--We
should not exert ourselves to acquire wealth, for sometimes it is not
acquired although we strive to get it, while at other times it comes to
us of itself without any exertion on our part. Everything is therefore
in the power of destiny, who is the lord of gain and loss, of success
and defeat, of pleasure and pain. Thus we see the Bali[6] was raised to
the throne of Indra by destiny, and was also put down by the same power,
and it is destiny only that can re-instate him.
_Answer._
It is not right to say so. As the acquisition of every object
pre-supposes at all events some exertion on the part of man, the
application of proper means may be said to be the cause of gaining all
our ends, and this application of proper means being thus necessary
(even where a thing is destined to happen), it follows that a person who
does nothing will enjoy no happiness.
_Objection 4._
Those who are inclined to think that Artha is the chief object to be
obtained argue thus. Pleasures should not be sought for, because they
are obstacles to the practice of Dharma and Artha, which are both
superior to them, and are also disliked by meritorious persons.
Pleasures also bring a man into distress, and into contact with low
persons; they cause him to commit unrighteous deeds, and produce
impurity in him; they make him regardless of the future, and encourage
carelessness and levity. And lastly, they cause him to be disbelieved by
all, received by none, and despised by everybody, including himself. It
is notorious, moreover, that many men who have given themselves up to
pleasure alone, have been ruined along with their families and
relations. Thus, King Dandakya,[7] of the Bhoja dynasty, carried off a
Brahman's daughter with evil intent, and was eventually ruined and lost
his kingdom. Indra, too, having violated the chastity of Ahalya,[8] was
made to suffer for it. In a like manner the mighty Kichaka,[9] who tried
to seduce Draupadi, and Ravana,[10] who attempted to gain over Sita, were
punished for their crimes. These and many others fell by reason of their
pleasures.
_Answer._
This objection cannot be sustained, for pleasures, being as necessary
for the existence and well being of the body as food, are consequently
equally required. They are, moreover, the results of Dharma and Artha.
Pleasures are, therefore, to be followed with moderation and caution. No
one refrains from cooking food because there are beggars to ask for it,
or from sowing seed because there are deer to destroy the corn when it
is grown up.
Thus a man practising Dharma, Artha and Kama enjoys happiness both in
this world and in the world to come. The good perform those actions in
which there is no fear as to what is to result from them in the next
world, and in which there is no danger to their welfare. Any action
which conduces to the practice of Dharma, Artha and Kama together, or of
any two, or even one of them, should be performed, but an action which
conduces to the practice of one of them at the expense of the remaining
two should not be performed.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 4: These were certainly materialists who seemed to think that
a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.]
[Footnote 5: Among the Hindoos the four classes of men are the Brahmans
or priestly class, the Kshutrya or warlike class, the Vaishya or
agricultural and mercantile class, and the Shoodra or menial class. The
four stages of life are, the life of a religious student, the life of a
householder, the life of a hermit, and the life of a Sunyasi or
devotee.]
[Footnote 6: Bali was a demon who had conquered Indra and gained his
throne, but was afterwards overcome by Vishnu at the time of his fifth
incarnation.]
[Footnote 7: Dandakya is said to have abducted from the forest the
daughter of a Brahman, named Bhargava, and being cursed by the Brahman,
was buried with his kingdom under a shower of dust. The place was called
after his name the Dandaka forest, celebrated in the Ramayana, but now
unknown.]
[Footnote 8: Ahalya was the wife of the sage Gautama. Indra caused her
to believe that he was Gautama, and thus enjoyed her. He was cursed by
Gautama and subsequently afflicted with a thousand ulcers on his body.]
[Footnote 9: Kichaka was the brother-in-law of King Virata, with whom
the Pandavas had taken refuge for one year. Kichaka was killed by Bhima,
who assumed the disguise of Draupadi. For this story the Mahabarata
should be referred to.]
[Footnote 10: The story of Ravana is told in the Ramayana, which with the
Mahabarata form the two great epic poems of the Hindoos; the latter was
written by Vyasa, and the former by Valmiki.]
CHAPTER III.
ON THE ARTS AND SCIENCES TO BE STUDIED.
Man should study the Kama Sutra and the arts and sciences subordinate
thereto, in addition to the study of the arts and sciences contained in
Dharma and Artha. Even young maids should study this Kama Sutra along
with its arts and sciences before marriage, and after it they should
continue to do so with the consent of their husbands.
Here some learned men object, and say that females, not being allowed to
study any science, should not study the Kama Sutra.
But Vatsyayana is of opinion that this objection does not hold good, for
women already know the practice of Kama Sutra, and that practice is
derived from the Kama Shastra, or the science of Kama itself. Moreover,
it is not only in this but in many other cases that though the practice
of a science is known to all, only a few persons are acquainted with the
rules and laws on which the science is based. Thus the Yadnikas or
sacrificers, though ignorant of grammar, make use of appropriate words
when addressing the different Deities, and do not know how these words
are framed. Again, persons do the duties required of them on auspicious
days, which are fixed by astrology, though they are not acquainted with
the science of astrology. In a like manner riders of horses and
elephants train these animals without knowing the science of training
animals, but from practice only. And similarly the people of the most
distant provinces obey the laws of the kingdom from practice, and
because there is a king over them, and without further reason.[11] And
from experience we find that some women, such as daughters of princes
and their ministers, and public women, are actually versed in the Kama
Shastra.
A female, therefore, should learn the Kama Shastra, or at least a part
of it, by studying its practice from some confidential friend. She
should study alone in private the sixty-four practices that form a part
of the Kama Shastra. Her teacher should be one of the following persons,
viz., the daughter of a nurse brought up with her and already
married,[12] or a female friend who can be trusted in everything, or the
sister of her mother (_i.e._, her aunt), or an old female servant, or a
female beggar who may have formerly lived in the family, or her own
sister, who can always be trusted.
The following are the arts to be studied, together with the Kama
Sutra:--
1. Singing.
2. Playing on musical instruments.
3. Dancing.
4. Union of dancing, singing, and playing instrumental music.
5. Writing and drawing.
6. Tattooing.
7. Arraying and adorning an idol with rice and flowers.
8. Spreading and arraying beds or couches of flowers, or flowers upon
the ground.
9. Colouring the teeth, garments, hair, nails, and bodies, _i.e._,
staining, dyeing, colouring and painting the same.
10. Fixing stained glass into a floor.
11. The art of making beds, and spreading out carpets and cushions for
reclining.
12. Playing on musical glasses filled with water.
13. Storing and accumulating water in aqueducts, cisterns and
reservoirs.
14. Picture making, trimming and decorating.
15. Stringing of rosaries, necklaces, garlands and wreaths.
16. Binding of turbans and chaplets, and making crests and top-knots of
flowers.
17. Scenic representations. Stage playing.
18. Art of making ear ornaments.
19. Art of preparing perfumes and odours.
20. Proper disposition of jewels and decorations, and adornment in
dress.
21. Magic or sorcery.
22. Quickness of hand or manual skill.
23. Culinary art, _i.e._, cooking and cookery.
24. Making lemonades, sherbets, acidulated drinks, and spirituous
extracts with proper flavour and colour.
25. Tailor's work and sewing.
26. Making parrots, flowers, tufts, tassels, bunches, bosses, knobs,
&c., out of yarn or thread.
27. Solution of riddles, enigmas, covert speeches, verbal puzzles and
enigmatical questions.
28. A game, which consisted in repeating verses, and as one person
finished, another person had to commence at once, repeating another
verse, beginning with the same letter with which the last speaker's
verse ended, whoever failed to repeat was considered to have lost, and
to be subject to pay a forfeit or stake of some kind.
29. The art of mimicry or imitation.
30. Reading, including chanting and intoning.
31. Study of sentences difficult to pronounce. It is played as a game
chiefly by women and children, and consists of a difficult sentence
being given, and when repeated quickly, the words are often transposed
or badly pronounced.
32. Practice with sword, single stick, quarter staff, and bow and arrow.
33. Drawing inferences, reasoning or inferring.
34. Carpentry, or the work of a carpenter.
35. Architecture, or the art of building.
36. Knowledge about gold and silver coins, and jewels and gems.
37. Chemistry and mineralogy.
38. Colouring jewels, gems and beads.
39. Knowledge of mines and quarries.
40. Gardening; knowledge of treating the diseases of trees and plants,
of nourishing them, and determining their ages.
41. Art of cock fighting, quail fighting and ram fighting.
42. Art of teaching parrots and starlings to speak.
43. Art of applying perfumed ointments to the body, and of dressing the
hair with unguents and perfumes and braiding it.
44. The art of understanding writing in cypher, and the writing of words
in a peculiar way.
45. The art of speaking by changing the forms of words. It is of various
kinds. Some speak by changing the beginning and end of words, others by
adding unnecessary letters between every syllable of a word, and so on.
46. Knowledge of language and of the vernacular dialects.
47. Art of making flower carriages.
48. Art of framing mystical diagrams, of addressing spells and charms,
and binding armlets.
49. Mental exercises, such as completing stanzas or verses on receiving
a part of them; or supplying one, two or three lines when the remaining
lines are given indiscriminately from different verses, so as to make
the whole an entire verse with regard to its meaning; or arranging the
words of a verse written irregularly by separating the vowels from the
consonants, or leaving them out altogether; or putting into verse or
prose sentences represented by signs or symbols. There are many other
such exercises.
50. Composing poems.
51. Knowledge of dictionaries and vocabularies.
52. Knowledge of ways of changing and disguising the appearance of
persons.
53. Knowledge of the art of changing the appearance of things, such as
making cotton to appear as silk, coarse and common things to appear as
fine and good.