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
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 raisonnee_ 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:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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