Written in India in Sanskrit between 400BCE and 300CE by the philosopher Vatsyayana, the Kama Sutra is the classic work on love, marriage and sex. Not only of historical interest, much of what it has to say on marriage and sex is still valid today. And although famous for its chapter on sexual pleasure, the Kama Sutra actually addresses many topics, such as what to look for in a wife, how a woman can learn to control men, what artistic skills and hobbies a wife should develop, how an unattractive man can go about attracting a woman, dealing with arguments, and how to interpret a woman’s behaviour.
Including editorial notes, this abridged edition of the Kama Sutra features extracts from each chapter of the book. Illustrating the text are more than 30 classic Indian paintings from a 16th century edition of the book. Of immense importance to millions of people over centuries, the Kama Sutra is a classic text richly deserving this splendid edition.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
A new introduction placing the Kama Sutra into historical context.
Chapter 1. General remarks
Arts and sciences, music, singing and dancing, flower-arranging that a wife should learn. How a young man should socialize and hold parties. Women to be pursued and those to be avoided.
2. Sexual union
On the different kinds of kissing. The 64 different ways to make love. The different ways to excite your partner. Touching and foreplay. Before and after sex. On quarrelling.
3. Acquiring a wife
On choosing a bride. On courtship. How a woman can control her man. On the first days of marriage and developing a sexual relationship.
4. Duties and privileges of the wife
How a wife should serve her husband and his family. How she should dress. On the conduct among wives of a husband. How a re-married virgin woman should behave. Of a wife disliked by her husband. On the conduct of husband towards many wives.
5. Other men’s wives
Falling in love with another man’s wife and whether or not to act on this love. How to know you’re in love. What it is that attracts the sexes? The kinds of men who generally find success with women. How to let a woman know you’re attracted to her and then to win her over. How to know if she likes you. How to handle her different frames of mind. The use of a go-between.
6. On courtesans
How courtesans ought to pretend to love the men they sleep with. How they should present themselves attractively but still modestly. How courtesans should behave if they live with a man, and how they should behave if they live with a married couple. How courtesans should ensure they get hold of their lover’s money. How courtesans can deliberately put their lover off them. On whether or not courtesans should revive relationships with former lovers. If a courtesan is very successful, she should not confine herself to a single lover. The different kinds of courtesans.
7. Occult practices
Improving physical attractions beyond good looks, youth and a pleasant temperament, arousing a weakened sexual power, health tonics.
Index
About the Author :
Vātsyāyana was an Indian philosopher who is believed to have lived around 2nd century AD as a religious student at Varanasi in India.
