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
From the very beginning the wife should endeavour to attract the heart
of her husband, by showing to him continually her devotion, her good
temper, and her wisdom. If however she bears him no children, she should
herself tell her husband to marry another woman. And when the second
wife is married, and brought to the house, the first wife should give
her a position superior to her own, and look upon her as a sister. In
the morning the elder wife should forcibly make the younger one decorate
herself in the presence of their husband, and should not mind all the
husband's favour being given to her. If the younger wife does anything
to displease her husband the elder one should not neglect her, but
should always be ready to give her most careful advice, and should teach
her to do various things in the presence of her husband. Her children
she should treat as her own, her attendants she should look upon with
more regard, even than on her own servants, her friends she should
cherish with love and kindness, and her relations with great honour.
When there are many other wives besides herself, the elder wife should
associate with the one who is immediately next to her in rank and age,
and should instigate the wife who has recently enjoyed her husband's
favour to quarrel with the present favourite. After this she should
sympathize with the former, and having collected all the other wives
together, should get them to denounce the favourite as a scheming and
wicked woman, without however committing herself in any way. If the
favourite wife happens to quarrel with the husband, then the elder wife
should take her part and give her false encouragement, and thus cause
the quarrel to be increased. If there be only a little quarrel between
the two, the elder wife should do all she can to work it up into a large
quarrel. But if after all this she finds the husband still continues to
love his favourite wife she should then change her tactics, and
endeavour to bring about a conciliation between them, so as to avoid her
husband's displeasure.
Thus ends the conduct of the elder wife.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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