The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana: Translated From the Sanscrit in Seven Parts With Preface, Introduction and Concluding RemarksVatsyayana
Philosophy
The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana: Translated From the Sanscrit in Seven Parts With Preface, Introduction and Concluding Remarks
Vatsyayana
Love; Sex
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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