Kama SutraThe Kama Sutra is the most famed book on lovemaking ever written. Initially written by an Indian sage sometime between the 4th century BC and the 1st century AD, it was not translated into English until the 1880's, and has only been available to the common reader since the 1960's. Very little is known about the writer of the Kama Sutra. He belonged to the Vatsyayana sept, and his own name was Mallanaga. He embarked on the book as he was approaching the end of his life, and looked upon the writing of it as part of his religious obligations. It is a learned and carefully researched work, semi-scientific and objective, and is itself founded on the writings of prior sages.
The Kama Sutra was authored at a time when the civilised Hindu was expected to attain three philosophies. Artha, or worldly wealth, Dharma, or religious merit and Kama, the science of pleasure and love. Vatsyayana accentuates that this work isn't to be used simply as an tool for fulfilling our desires. However, it became, over the years, a necessary part of the readings of thousands of Indians, and unlike other writers who wrote solely for men, Vatsyayana's timeless book was used to tutor young brides before their weddings. We owe a good deal to the Victorian explorer and scholar Richard Burton and his colleague Foster Arbuthnot, who took great pains to translate the primary Sanskrit. Risking prosecution and in the face of opposition, they published the book in 1883 under the fictitious imprint The Kama Shastra Society of London and Benares. It was circulated, with other translations of eastern texts such as The Perfumed Garden, the Ananga Ranga and The Arabian Nights, among a selected group of people who were interested in the customs and behaviour of the orient, although undoubtedly it was also used as a manual for Victorian husbands. Since it was discovered, the Kama Sutra has revolutionized the western approach to Indian culture, showing as it does how natural and central sex was to Indian thought. The Sanskrit term Kama meant love, pleasure, sensual gratification, while Sutra meant aphorisms, compressed expressions. But Kama is far more than merely erotic pleasure. It includes all sensory pleasures. Thus perfumes, good food, silken clothes, music and painting all came within Kama's realm. When Vatsyayana named his treatise Kama Sutra, he intended to lay down ideals for the gratification of all these pleasures. So he describes how the house of the ideal citizen is to be built, furnished and provisioned. Which sweet smelling plants should be grown in the gardens. With which sculptures and paintings the rooms should be decorated, which incenses should perfume the air and which music should be present at the meetings of lovers. In a very real sense, sex was regarded by the Hindus not only natural and necessary, but almost sacramental - the human counterpart of the marvel of creation. Erotic statues and carvings all over India confirm to the fact that it was a topic to be approached with objectivity and reverence , rather than as something secret and obscene. The Kama sutra in its entirety is a lengthy work and consists not only of detailed advice on the sexual act itself - in the part of the manuscript known as the 64 - but also lays down instructions on medicine, courtship, marriage, household management, education, and various accomplishments cultured men and women needed to obtain in order to attract the opposite sex. Tip! Let the woman rest on her knees and elbows in the position for prayer. In this position the yoni stands out behind. Article based on text taken from Thorsons First Directions Kama Sutra. Get Free Articles From ArticleBuilder.net
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