Illustrated Kama Sutra (The Illustrated Kama Sutra)

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Courtship was also very interesting with its formalities and what was permitted. Pressing with nails and biting were something that always came up in the book as something to communicate to others either by doing it to them, or by biting or pressing you nails on a gift for them like a flower. Y: For sometimes when a woman has made love with one man she may make love with other men who happen to be there. And so it is said: t makes for interesting reading to know how Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra was first brought to light and translated into the English language. It happened thus. When Ananga Ranga was being translated, frequent references were found to the sage Vatsyayana whose opinions were also quoted. On being asked who this sage was, pundits replied that Vatsyayana was the author of the standard work on love in Sanskrit literature, and no Sanskrit library was complete without his work. But it had become most difficult to obtain the work in its entire state. The copy of the manuscript obtained in Bombay was defective, and so the pundits wrote to Sanskrit libraries in Benares, Calcutta and Jaipur for copies of the same. These were then compared with each other, and with the aid of a commentary called Jayamangala, a revised copy of the entire manuscript was prepared, from which the English translation was made.

Miniature painting, mid-18th century, Deogarh, Rajasthan. A well-bred townsman, the nayaka , should dress in rich clothes and sparkling jewels.Childhood is the time to acquire knowledge and other kinds of power, the prime of youth is for pleasure, and old age is for religion and release. The book is less pornographic than you would think - I have seen countless "reproductions" that merely involve couples photographed in the positions. These detract from the content of the original, as does the reputation that proceeds this book.

This translation is very readable and can be recommended purely for the inclusion of the extensive included Jayamangala Sanskrit commentary. Varahamihira, who is believed to have lived during the sixth century, wrote Brihatsamhita, the Science of Love. In the eighteenth chapter he appears to have borrowed largely from Vatsyayana on the subject. Therefore Vatsyayana must have written his works earlier, though not earlier than the first century A.D., and not later than the sixth century. The Kama Sutra handles subjects of marriage, hetero- and homosexuality, monogami and polygami alike, how to steal a woman from another man – as well as the life of courtesans, and last mot not least, how to attract a woman by extra ”medicines”. I was consistently intrigued by the exotic perspective and expansive scope of the Kama Sutra. In a sentence, the book is an exposition of the author's personal experience of and his well-read study of carnal enjoyment. I found this perspective to be particularly interesting because you must set the narrative within the context of a highly stratified caste society with little to no social/economic/spiritual/political mobility. This book forced me to recognize that this society elevated, at least theoretically, carnal pleasure to a spiritual and cultural (pseudo)-science whereby these stratifications may be bent, re-interpreted and, to use a word in its literal sense, humanized. Do not underestimate the empirical and scientific level at which the author has applied his mind. I am certain that Aristotle or Aquinas would have been enraptured. Surprisingly to me, the scope of the Kama Sutra did not extend to other aspects of carnal pleasure to include among other things the culinary sciences. Perhaps, this is because the arts of cooking and the enjoyment of taste were not within the purview of the audience of the Kama Sutra.very country's literature has among its treasures of the written word a number of works dealing especially with love. Everywhere too, the subject is dealt with in a different manner and from various points of view. This book is a comprehensive translation of the most authoritative work on love in Sanskrit literature - the Kama Sutra, Aphorisms on Love by Vatsyayana. Divided into seven books and thirty-six parts, the evidence concerning the date of the writing and the commentaries written on it are examined in the Introduction. Before commencing the translation in the books, however, a brief mention is made about similar works written by authors who wrote years after Vatsyayana, but who still quoted him as the chief guide to Hindu erotic literature. A room of his house dedicated to sex, a room decorated, full of flowers, and fragrant with perfume and incense . . . It's a lot more than that. This book is a religious text, meant for followers of the faith a guide to fullfilling love life. It's a way out there culture, for me, an American. Being said, it is a good break into what ciuld be an influential finding of human behavior. Not of love, but what could be. It's interesting, but can also cloud good judgement, and obscure rightous conduct. People should not indulge in pleasures . . . they make a man associate with worthless people and undertake bad projects; they make him impure, a man with no future, as well as careless, lightweight, untrustworthy, and unacceptable. And it is said that many men in the thrall of desire were destroyed, even when accompanied by their troops. Parvati, Shiva's consort seduced him and broke his long trance. She put on enticing clothes, a delightful wreath of gems, lined her crimson eyes with collyrium. Her attractive nipples were covered with lines of painting with cosmetics. Her navel was deep and bright. Her belly was circular and graceful and her thighs put to shame the plantain tree.

There was also a couple chapters on sex, but they can be easily skipped if that's not your cup of tea. Especially the chapter on Eunuchs, just wierd. The man is aroused by the thought, ‘I am taking her’, the young woman by the thought, ‘I am being taken by him.’ A seemingly antiquated theory of finding love, giving it, and keeping it. As stated prior. I do wish to respect all religions, especially those of the Hindu dharma. Although there are some good points in here, most is thorny, demeaning to women, and misleading to men. It's not very poignant in it's explainations or tied to any real truth. It bothers me.

Rati Devi, wife of Kama takes aim with her arrow of love. Such wood sculpture was used for decorative purposes in temple rathas , chariots. por muito apaixonadamente que um homem ame uma mulher, nunca conseguirá conquistá-la sem conversar muito com ela;

This commentary was most useful in explaining the true meaning of Vatsyayana's work, for the commentator appears to have had considerable knowledge of the times of the older author, providing very detailed information in some places. Shiva, god of virility sits majestically on Nandi. One of Hinduism most potent symbols, Shiva's lingam is described as always stiff, always erect. This book is based on the original Burton and Arbuthnot translation of Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra, with additions from other Sanskrit versions.Shalabhanjika, the celestial nymph – a Kushana sculpture, 1st-2nd century, Govt. Museum, Mathura. Apsaras or celestial nymphs descended from heaven to fulfil preordained purposes. This actually is more of a list of erotic behavior than it is a manual - anyone that reads this will never have a need to read an issue of 'Cosmo' again. (but then, anyone who has gone further than the missionary position probably doesn't need to read Cosmo either ;) Sir Richard F. Burton’s translation of The Kama Sutra remains one of the best English interpretations of this early Indian treatise on politics, social customs, love, and intimacy. Its crisp style set a new standard for Sanskrit translation.