The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana: Translated From the Sanscrit in Seven Parts With Preface, Introduction and Concluding Remarks — John Shaqi
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
[Footnote 35: This is a long dissertation very common among Sanscrit
authors, both when writing and talking socially. They start certain
propositions, and then argue for and against them. What it is presumed
the author means, is, that though both men and women derive pleasure
from the act of coition, the way it is produced is brought about by
different means, each individual performing his own work in the matter,
irrespective of the other, and each deriving individually their own
consciousness of pleasure from the act they perform. There is a
difference in the work that each does, and a difference in the
consciousness of pleasure that each has, but no difference in the
pleasure they feel, for each feels that pleasure to a greater or lesser
degree.]
[Footnote 36: This paragraph should be particularly noted, for it
specially applies to married men and their wives. So many men utterly
ignore the feelings of the women, and never pay the slightest attention
to the passion of the latter. To understand the subject thoroughly, it
is absolutely necessary to study it, and then a person will know that,
as dough is prepared for baking, so must a woman be prepared for sexual
intercourse, if she is to derive satisfaction from it.]
CHAPTER II.
OF THE EMBRACE.
This part of the Kama Shastra, which treats of sexual union, is also
called "Sixty-four" (Chatushshashti). Some old authors say that it is
called so, because it contains sixty-four chapters. Others are of
opinion that the author of this part being a person named Panchala, and
the person who recited the part of the Rig Veda called Dashatapa, which
contains sixty-four verses, being also called Panchala, the name
"sixty-four" has been given to the part of the work in honour of the Rig
Vedas. The followers of Babhravya say on the other hand that this part
contains eight subjects, viz., the embrace, kissing, scratching with the
nails or fingers, biting, lying down, making various sounds, playing the
part of a man, and the Auparishtaka, or mouth congress. Each of these
subjects being of eight kinds, and eight multiplied by eight being
sixty-four, this part is therefore named "sixty-four." But Vatsyayana
affirms that as this part contains also the following subjects, viz.,
striking, crying, the acts of a man during congress, the various kinds
of congress, and other subjects, the name "sixty-four" is given to it
only accidentally. As, for instance, we say this tree is "Saptaparna,"
or seven-leaved, this offering of rice is "Panchavarna," or
five-coloured, but the tree has not seven leaves, neither has the rice
five colours.
However the part sixty-four is now treated of, and the embrace, being
the first subject, will now be considered.
Now the embrace which indicates the mutual love of a man and woman who
have come together is of four kinds, viz.:
Touching.
Piercing.
Rubbing.
Pressing.
The action in each case is denoted by the meaning of the word which
stands for it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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