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Kama Sutras of Vatsyayana
PART I
CHAPTER I
PREFACE
Salutation to Dharma, Artha and Kama
IN the beginning, the Lord of Beings created men and women, and in the form of
commandments in one hundred thousand chapters laid down rules for regulating
their existence with regard to Dharma, 1 Artha, 2 and Kama. 3 Some of these
commandments, namely those which treated of Dharma, were separately written by
Swayambhu Manu; those that related to Artha were compiled by Brihaspati; and
those that referred to Kama were expounded by Nandi, the follower of Mahadeva,
in one thousand chapters.
Now these 'Kama Sutra' (Aphorisms on Love), written by Nandi in one thousand
chapters, were reproduced by Shvetaketu, the son of Uddvalaka, in an
abbreviated form in five hundred chapters, and this work was again similarly
reproduced in an abridged form, in one hundred and fifty chapters, by
Babhravya, an inheritant of the Punchala (South of Delhi) country. These one
hundred and fifty chapters were then put together under seven heads or parts
named severally
Sadharana (general topics)
Samprayogika (embraces, etc.)
Kanya Samprayuktaka (union of males and females)
Bharyadhikarika (on one's own wife)
Paradika (on the wives of other people)
Vaisika (on courtesans)
Aupamishadika (on the arts of seduction, tonic medicines, etc.)
The sixth part of this last work was separately expounded by Dattaka at the
request of the public women of Pataliputra (Patna), and in the same way
Charayana explained the first part of it. The remaining parts, viz. the
second, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh, were each separately expounded by
Suvarnanabha (second part)
Ghotakamukha (third part)
Gonardiya (fourth part)
Gonikaputra (fifth part)
Kuchumara (seventh part), respectively.
Thus the work being written in parts by different authors was almost
unobtainable and, as the parts which were expounded by Dattaka and the others
treated only of the particular branches of the subject to which each part
related, and moreover as the original work of Babhravya was difficult to be
mastered on account of its length, Vatsyayana, therefore, composed his work in
a small volume as an abstract of the whole of the works of the above named
authors.
PART I: INTRODUCTORY
Preface
Observations on the three worldly attainments of Virtue, Wealth, and Love
On the study of the Sixty-four Arts
On the Arrangements of a House, and Household Furniture; and about the Daily
Life of a Citizen, his Companions, Amusements, etc.
About classes of Women fit and unfit for Congress with the Citizen, and of
Friends, and Messengers
PART II: ON SEXUAL UNION
Kinds of Union according to Dimensions, Force of Desire, and Time; and on the
different kinds of Love
Of the Embrace
On Kissing
On Pressing or Marking with the Nails
On Biting, and the ways of Love to be employed with regard to Women of
different countries
On the various ways of Lying down, and the different kinds of Congress
On the various ways of Striking, and of the Sounds appropriate to them
About females acting the part of Males
On holding the Lingam in the Mouth
How to begin and how to end the Congress. Different kinds of Congress, and
Love Quarrels
PART III: ABOUT THE ACQUISITION OF A WIFE
Observations on Betrothal and Marriage
About creating Confidence in the Girl
Courtship, and the manifestation of the feelings by outward signs and deeds
On things to be done only by the Man, and the acquisition of the Girl thereby.
Also what is to be done by a Girl to gain over a Man and subject him to her
On the different Forms of Marriage
PART IV: ABOUT A WIFE
On the manner of living of a virtuous Woman, and of her behaviour during the
absence of her Husband
On the conduct of the eldest Wife towards the other Wives of her Husband, and
of the younger Wife towards the elder ones. Also on the conduct of a Virgin
Widow remarried; of a Wife disliked by her Husband; of the Women in the King's
Harem; and of a Husband who has more than one Wife
PART V: ABOUT THE WIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE
On the Characteristics of Men and Women, and the reason why Women reject the
Addresses of Men. About Men who have Success with Women, and about Women who
are easily gained over
About making Acquaintance with the Woman, and of the efforts to gain her over
Examination of the State of a Woman's mind
The Business of a Go-Between
On the Love of Persons in authority with the Wives of other People
About the Women of the Royal Harem, and of the keeping of one's own Wife
PART VI: ABOUT COURTESANS
Of the Causes of a Courtesan resorting to Men; of the means of Attaching to
herself the Man desired, and the kind of Man that it is desirable to be
acquainted with
Of a Courtesan living with a Man as his Wife
Of the Means of getting Money; of the Signs of a Lover who is beginning to be
Weary, and of the way to get rid of him
About a Reunion with a former Lover
Of different kinds of Gain
Of Gains and Losses, attendant Gains and Losses, and Doubts; and lastly, the
different kinds of Courtesans
PART VII: ON THE MEANS OF ATTRACTING OTHERS TO ONE'S SELF
On Personal Adornment, subjugating the hearts of others, and of tonic
medicines
Of the means of exciting Desire, and of the ways of enlarging the Lingam.
Miscellaneous Experiments and Receipts
CHAPTER II
ON THE ACQUISITION OF DHARMA, ARTHA AND KAMA
MAN, the period of whose life is one hundred years, should practise Dharma,
Artha and Kama at different times and in such a manner that they may harmonize
together and not clash in any way. He should acquire learning in his
childhood, in his youth and middle age he should attend to Artha and Kama, and
in his old age he should perform Dharma, and thus seek to gain Moksha, i.e.
release from further transmigration. Or, on account of the uncertainty of
life, he may practise them at times when they are enjoined to be practised.
But one thing is to be noted, he should lead the life of a religious student
until he finishes his education.
Dharma is obedience to the command of the Shastra or Holy Writ of the Hindoos
to do certain things, such as the performance of sacrifices, which are not
generally done, because they do not belong to this world, and produce no
visible effect; and not to do other things, such as eating meat, which is
often done because it belongs to this world, and has visible effects.
Dharma should be learnt from the Shruti (Holy Writ), and from those conversant
with it.
Artha is the acquisition of arts, land, gold, cattle, wealth, equipages and
friends. It is, further, the protection of what is acquired, and the increase
of what is protected.
Artha should be learnt from the king's officers, and from merchants who may be
versed in the ways of commerce.
Kama is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by the five senses of hearing,
feeling, seeing, tasting and smelling, assisted by the mind together with the
soul. The ingredient in this is a peculiar contact between the organ of sense
and its object, and the consciousness of pleasure which arises from that
contact is called Kama.
Kama is to be learnt from the Kama Sutra (aphorisms on love) and from the
practice of citizens.
When all the three, viz. Dharma, Artha and Kama, come together, the former is
better than the one which follows it, i.e. Dharma is better than Artha, and
Artha is better than Kama. But Artha should always be first practised by the
king for the livelihood of men is to be obtained from it only. Again, Kama
being the occupation of public women, they should prefer it to the other two,
and these are exceptions to the general rule.
Objection 1
Some learned men say that as Dharma is connected with things not belonging to
this world, it is appropriately treated of in a book; and so also is Artha,
because it is practised only by the application of proper means, and a
knowledge of those means can only be obtained by study and from books. But
Kama being a thing which is practised even by the brute creation, and which is
to be found everywhere, does not want any work on the subject.
Answer
This is not so. Sexual intercourse being a thing dependent on man and woman
requires the application of proper means by them, and those means are to be
learnt from the Kama Shastra. The non-application of proper means, which we
see in the brute creation, is caused by their being unrestrained, and by the
females among them only being fit for sexual intercourse at certain seasons
and no more, and by their intercourse not being preceded by thought of any
kind.
Objection 2
The Lokayatikas 1 say: Religious ordinances should not be observed, for they
bear a future fruit, and at the same time it is also doubtful whether they
will bear any fruit at all. What foolish person will give away that which is
in his own hands into the hands of another? Moreover, it is better to have a
pigeon today than a peacock tomorrow; and a copper coin which we have the
certainty of obtaining, is better than a gold coin, the possession of which is
doubtful.
Answer
It is not so. 1st. Holy Writ, which ordains the practice of Dharma, does not
admit of a doubt.
2nd. Sacrifices such as those made for the destruction of enemies, or for the
fall of rain, are seen to bear fruit.
3rd. The sun, moon, stars, planets and other heavenly bodies appear to work
intentionally for the good of the world.
4th. the existence of this world is effected by the observance of the rules
respecting the four classes of men and their four stages of life. 2
5th. We see that seed is thrown into the ground with the hope of future crops.
Vatsyayana is therefore of opinion that the ordinances of religion must be
obeyed.
Objection 3
Those who believe that destiny is the prime mover of all things say: We should
not exert ourselves to acquire wealth, for sometimes it is not acquired
although we strive to get it, while at other times it comes to us of itself
without any exertion on our part. Everything is therefore in the power of
destiny, who is the lord of gain and loss, of success and defeat, of pleasure
and pain. Thus we see that Bali 3 was raised to the throne of Indra by
destiny, and was also put down by the same power, and it is destiny only that
call reinstate him.
Answer
It is not right to say so. As the acquisition of every object presupposes at
all events some exertion on the part of man, the application of proper means
may be said to be the cause of gaining all our ends, and this application of
proper means being thus necessary (even where a thing is destined to happen),
it follows that a person who does nothing will enjoy no happiness.
Objection 4
Those who are inclined to think that Artha is the chief object to be obtained
argue thus. Pleasures should not be sought for, because they are obstacles to
the practice of Dharma and Artha, which are both superior to them, and are
also disliked by meritorious persons. Pleasures also bring a man into
distress, and into contact with low persons; they cause him to commit
unrighteous deeds, and produce impurity in him; they make him regardless of
the future, and encourage carelessness and levity. And lastly, they cause him
to be disbelieved by all, received by none, and despised by everybody,
including himself. It is notorious, moreover, that many men who have given
themselves up to pleasure alone, have been ruined along with their families
and relations. Thus, king Dandakya, of the Bhoja dynasty, carried off a
Brahman's daughter with evil intent, and was eventually ruined and lost his
kingdom. Indra, too, having violated the chastity of Ahalya, was made to
suffer for it. In a like manner the mighty Kichaka, who tried to seduce
Draupadi, and Ravana, who attempted to gain over Sita, were punished for their
crimes. These and many others fell by reason of their pleasures. 4
Answer
This objection cannot be sustained, for pleasures, being as necessary for the
existence and well being of the body as food, are consequently equally
required. They are, moreover, the results of Dharma and Artha. Pleasures are,
therefore, to be followed with moderation and caution. No one refrains from
cooking food because there are beggars to ask for it, or from sowing seed
because there are deer to destroy the corn when it is grown up.
Thus a man practising Dharma, Artha and Kama enjoys happiness both in this
world and in the world to come. The good perform those actions in which there
is no fear as to what is to result from them in the next world, and in which
there is no danger to their welfare. Any action which conduces to the practice
of Dharma, Artha and Kama together, or of any two, or even one of them, should
be performed, but an action which conduces to the practice of one of them at
the expense of the remaining two should not be performed.
CHAPTER III
ON THE ARTS AND SCIENCES TO BE STUDIED
MAN should study the Kama Sutra and the arts and sciences subordinate thereto,
in addition to the study of the arts and sciences contained in Dharma and
Artha. Even young maids should study this Kama Sutra along with its arts and
sciences before marriage, and after it they should continue to do so with the
consent of their husbands.
Here some learned men object, and say that females, not being allowed to study
any science, should not study the Kama Sutra.
But Vatsyayana is of opinion that this objection does not hold good, for women
already know the practice of Kama Sutra, and that practice is derived from the
Kama Shastra, or the science of Kama itself. Moreover, it is not only in this
but in many other cases that, though the practice of a science is known to
all, only a few persons are acquainted with the rules and laws on which the
science is based. Thus the Yadnikas or sacrificers, though ignorant of
grammar, make use of appropriate words when addressing the different Deities,
and do not know how these words are framed. Again, persons do the duties
required of them on auspicious days, which are fixed by astrology, though they
are not acquainted with the science of astrology. In a like manner riders of
horses and elephants train these animals without knowing the science of
training animals, but from practice only. And similarly the people of the most
distant provinces obey the laws of the kingdom from practice, and because
there is a king over them, and without further reason. 1 And from experience
we find that some women, such as daughters of princes and their ministers, and
public women, are actually versed in the Kama Shastra.
A female, therefore, should learn the Kama Shastra, or at least a part of it,
by studying its practice from some confidential friend. She should study alone
in private the sixty-four practices that form a part of the Kama Shastra. Her
teacher should be one of the following persons: the daughter of a nurse
brought up with her and already married, 2 or a female friend who can be
trusted in everything, or the sister of her mother (i.e. her aunt), or an old
female servant, or a female beggar who may have formerly lived in the family,
or her own sister who can always be trusted.
The following are the arts to be studied, together with the Kama Sutra:
Singing
Playing on musical instruments
Dancing
Union of dancing, singing, and playing instrumental music
Writing and drawing
Tattooing
Arraying and adorning an idol with rice and flowers
Spreading and arranging beds or couches of flowers, or flowers upon the ground
Colouring the teeth, garments, hair, nails and bodies, i.e. staining, dyeing,
colouring and painting the same
Fixing stained glass into a floor
The art of making beds, and spreading out carpets and cushions for reclining
Playing on musical glasses filled with water
Storing and accumulating water in aqueducts, cisterns and reservoirs
Picture making, trimming and decorating
Stringing of rosaries, necklaces, garlands and wreaths
Binding of turbans and chaplets, and making crests and top-knots of flowers
Scenic representations, stage playing Art of making ear ornaments Art of
preparing perfumes and odours
Proper disposition of jewels and decorations, and adornment in dress
Magic or sorcery
Quickness of hand or manual skill
Culinary art, i.e. cooking and cookery
Making lemonades, sherbets, acidulated drinks, and spirituous extracts with
proper flavour and colour
Tailor's work and sewing
Making parrots, flowers, tufts, tassels, bunches, bosses, knobs, etc., out of
yarn or thread
Solution of riddles, enigmas, covert speeches, verbal puzzles and enigmatical
questions
A game, which consisted in repeating verses, and as one person finished,
another person had to commence at once, repeating another verse, beginning
with the same letter with which the last speaker's verse ended, whoever failed
to repeat was considered to have lost, and to be subject to pay a forfeit or
stake of some kind
The art of mimicry or imitation
Reading, including chanting and intoning
Study of sentences difficult to pronounce. It is played as a game chiefly by
women, and children and consists of a difficult sentence being given, and when
repeated quickly, the words are often transposed or badly pronounced
Practice with sword, single stick, quarter staff and bow and arrow
Drawing inferences, reasoning or inferring
Carpentry, or the work of a carpenter
Architecture, or the art of building
Knowledge about gold and silver coins, and jewels and gems
Chemistry and mineralogy
Colouring jewels, gems and beads
Knowledge of mines and quarries
Gardening; knowledge of treating the diseases of trees and plants, of
nourishing them, and determining their ages
Art of cock fighting, quail fighting and ram fighting
Art of teaching parrots and starlings to speak
Art of applying perfumed ointments to the body, and of dressing the hair with
unguents and perfumes and braiding it
The art of understanding writing in cypher, and the writing of words in a
peculiar way
The art of speaking by changing the forms of words. It is of various kinds.
Some speak by changing the beginning and end of words, others by adding
unnecessary letters between every syllable of a word, and so on
Knowledge of language and of the vernacular dialects
Art of making flower carriages
Art of framing mystical diagrams, of addressing spells and charms, and binding
armlets
Mental exercises, such as completing stanzas or verses on receiving a part of
them; or supplying one, two or three lines when the remaining lines are given
indiscriminately from different verses, so as to make the whole an entire
verse with regard to its meaning; or arranging the words of a verse written
irregularly by separating the vowels from the consonants, or leaving them out
altogether; or putting into verse or prose sentences represented by signs or
symbols. There are many other such exercises.
Composing poems
Knowledge of dictionaries and vocabularies
Knowledge of ways of changing and disguising the appearance of persons
Knowledge of the art of changing the appearance of things, such as making
cotton to appear as silk, coarse and common things to appear as fine and good
Various ways of gambling
Art of obtaining possession of the property of others by means of muntras or
incantations
Skill in youthful sports
Knowledge of the rules of society, and of how to pay respect and compliments
to others
Knowledge of the art of war, of arms, of armies, etc.
Knowledge of gymnastics
Art of knowing the character of a man from his features
Knowledge of scanning or constructing verses
Arithmetical recreations
Making artificial flowers
Making figures and images in clay
A public woman, endowed with a good disposition, beauty and other winning
qualities, and also versed in the above arts, obtains the name of a Ganika, or
public woman of high quality, and receives a seat of honour in an assemblage
of men. She is, moreover, always respected by the king, and praised by learned
men, and her favour being sought for by all, she becomes an object of
universal regard. The daughter of a king too as well as the daughter of a
minister, being learned in the above arts, can make their husbands favourable
to them, even though these may have thousands of other wives besides
themselves. And in the same manner, if a wife becomes separated from her
husband, and falls into distress, she can support herself easily, even in a
foreign country, by means of her knowledge of these arts. Even the bare
knowledge of them gives attractiveness to a woman, though the practice of them
may be only possible or otherwise according to the circumstances of each case.
A man who is versed in these arts, who is loquacious and acquainted with the
arts of gallantry, gains very soon the hearts of women, even though he is only
acquainted with them for a short time.
CHAPTER IV
THE LIFE OF A CITIZEN
HAVING thus acquired learning, a man, with the wealth that he may have gained
by gift, conquest, purchase, deposit, 1 or inheritance from his ancestors,
should become a householder, and pass the life of a citizen. 2 He should take
a house in a city, or large village, or in the vicinity of good men, or in a
place which is the resort of many persons. This abode should be situated near
some water, and divided into different compartments for different purposes. It
should be surrounded by a garden, and also contain two rooms, an outer and an
inner one. The inner room should be occupied by the females, while the outer
room, balmy with rich perfumes, should contain a bed, soft, agreeable to the
sight, covered with a clean white cloth, low in the middle part, having
garlands and bunches of flowers 3 upon it, and a canopy above it, and two
pillows, one at the top, another at the bottom. There should be also a sort of
couch besides, and at the head of this a sort of stool, on which should be
placed the fragrant ointments for the night, as well as flowers, pots
containing collyrium and other fragrant substances, things used for perfuming
the mouth, and the bark of the common citron tree. Near the couch, on the
ground, there should be a pot for spitting, a box containing ornaments, and
also a lute hanging from a peg made of the tooth of an elephant, a board for
drawing, a pot containing perfume, some books, and some garlands of the yellow
amaranth flowers. Not far from the couch, and on the ground, there should be a
round seat, a toy cart, and a board for playing with dice; outside the outer
room there should be cages of birds, 4 and a separate place for spinning,
carving and such like diversions. In the garden there should be a whirling
swing and a common swing, as also a bower of creepers covered with flowers, in
which a raised parterre should be made for sitting.
Now the householder, having got up in the morning and performed his necessary
duties, 5 should wash his teeth, apply a limited quantity of ointments and
perfumes to his body, put some ornaments on his person and collyrium on his
eyelids and below his eyes, colour his lips with alacktaka, 6 and look at
himself in the glass. Having then eaten betel leaves, with other things that
give fragrance to the mouth, he should perform his usual business. He should
bathe daily, anoint his body with oil every other day, apply a lathering
substance 7 to his body every three days, get his head (including face) shaved
every four days and the other parts of his body every five or ten days. 8 All
these things should be done without fail, and the sweat of the armpits should
also be removed. Meals should be taken in the forenoon, in the afternoon, and
again at night, according to Charayana. After breakfast, parrots and other
birds should be taught to speak, and the fighting of cocks, quails, and rams
should follow. A limited time should be devoted to diversions with Pithamardas,
Vitas, and Vidushakas, 9 and then should be taken the midday sleep. 10 After
this the householder, having put on his clothes and ornaments, should, during
the afternoon, converse with his friends. In the evening there should be
singing, and after that the householder, along with his friend, should await
in his room, previously decorated and perfumed, the arrival of the woman that
may be attached to him, or he may send a female messenger for her, or go for
her himself. After her arrival at his house, he and his friend should welcome
her, and entertain her with a loving and agreeable conversation. Thus end the
duties of the day.
The following are the things to be done occasionally as diversions or
amusements:
Holding festivals 11 in honour of different Deities
Social gatherings of both sexes
Drinking parties
Picnics
Other social diversions
Festivals
On some particular auspicious day, an assembly of citizens should be convened
in the temple of Saraswati. 12 There the skill of singers, and of others who
may have come recently to the town, should be tested, and on the following day
they should always be given some rewards. After that they may either be
retained or dismissed, according as their performances are liked or not by the
assembly. The members of the assembly should act in concert, both in times of
distress as well as in times of prosperity, and it is also the duty of these
citizens to show hospitality to strangers who may have come to the assembly.
What is said above should be understood to apply to all the other festivals
which may be held in honour of the different Deities, according to the present
rules.
Social Gatherings
When men of the same age, disposition and talents, fond of the same diversions
and with the same degree of education, sit together in company with public
women, 13 or in an assembly of citizens, or at the abode of one among
themselves, and engage in agreeable discourse with each other, such is called
a Sitting in company or a social gathering. The subjects of discourse are to
be the completion of verses half composed by others, and the testing the
knowledge of one another in the various arts. The women who may be the most
beautiful, who may like the same things that the men like, and who may have
power to attract the minds of others, are here done homage to.
Drinking Parties
Men and women should drink in one another's houses. And here the men should
cause the public women to drink, and should then drink themselves, liquors
such as the Madhu, Aireya, Sara and Asawa, which are of bitter and sour taste;
also drinks concocted from the barks of various trees, wild fruits and leaves.
Going to Gardens or Picnics
In the forenoon, men having dressed themselves should go to gardens on
horseback, accompanied by public women and followed by servants. And having
done there all the duties of the day, and passed the time in various agreeable
diversions, such as the fighting of quails, cocks and rams, and other
spectacles, they should return home in the afternoon in the same manner,
bringing with them bunches of flowers, etc.
The same also applies to bathing in summer in water from which wicked or
dangerous animals have previously been taken out, and which has been built in
on all sides.
Other Social Diversions
Spending nights playing with dice. Going out on moonlight nights. Keeping the
festive day in honour of spring. Plucking the sprouts and fruits of the mango
trees. Eating the fibres of lotuses. Eating the tender ears of corn. Picnicing
in the forests when the trees get their new foliage. The Udakakashvedika or
sporting in the water. Decorating each other with the flowers of some trees.
Pelting each other with the flowers of the Kadamba tree, and many other sports
which may either be known to the whole country, or may be peculiar to
particular parts of it. These and similar other amusements should always be
carried on by citizens.
The above amusements should be followed by a person who diverts himself alone
in company with a courtesan, as well as by a courtesan who can do the same in
company with her maid servants or with citizens.
A Pithamarda 14 is a man without wealth, alone in the world, whose only
property consists of his Mallika, 15 some lathering substance and a red cloth,
who comes from a good country, and who is skilled in all the arts; and by
teaching these arts is received in the company of citizens, and in the abode
of public women.
A Vita 16 is a man who has enjoyed the pleasures of fortune, who is a
compatriot of the citizens with whom he associates, who is possessed of the
qualities of a houseliolder, who has his wife with him, and who is honoured in
the assembly of citizens and in the abodes of public women, and lives on their
means and on them. A Vidushaka 17 (also called a Vaihasaka, i.e. one who
provokes laughter) is a person only acquainted with some of the arts, who is a
jester, and who is trusted by all.
These persons are employed in matters of quarrels and reconciliations between
citizens and public women.
This remark applies also to female beggars, to women with their heads shaved,
to adulterous women, and to public women skilled in all the various arts.
Thus a citizen living in his town or village, respected by all, should call on
the persons of his own caste who may be worth knowing. He should converse in
company and gratify his friends by his society, and obliging others by his
assistance in various matters, he should cause them to assist one another in
the same way.
There are some verses on this subject as follows:
'A citizen discoursing, not entirely in the Sanscrit language, 18 nor wholly
in the dialects of the country, on various topics in society, obtains great
respect. The wise should not resort to a society disliked by the public,
governed by no rules, and intent on the destruction of others. But a learned
man living in a society which acts according to the wishes of the people, and
which has pleasure for its only object is highly respected in this world.'
CHAPTER V
ABOUT THE KINDS OF WOMEN RESORTED TO BY THE CITIZENS, AND OF FRIENDS AND
MESSENGERS
WHEN Kama is practised by men of the four castes according to the rules of the
Holy Writ (i.e. by lawful marriage) with virgins of their own caste, it then
becomes a means of acquiring lawful progeny and good fame, and it is not also
opposed to the customs of the world. On the contrary the practice of Kama with
women of the higher castes, and with those previously enjoyed by others, even
though they be of the same caste, is prohibited. But the practice of Kama with
women of the lower castes, with women excommunicated from their own caste,
with public women, and with women twice married, 1 is neither enjoined nor
prohibited. The object of practising Kama with such women is pleasure only.
Nayikas, 2 therefore, are of three kinds, viz. maids, women twice married, and
public women. Gonikaputra has expressed an opinion that there is a fourth kind
of Nayika, viz. a woman who is resorted to on some special occasion even
though she be previously married to another. These special occasions are when
a man thinks thus:
This woman is self-willed, and has been previously enjoyed by many others
besides myself. I may, therefore, safely resort to her as to a public woman
though she belongs to a higher caste than mine, and, in so doing, I shall not
be violating the ordinances of Dharma.
Or thus:
This is a twice-married woman and has been enjoyed by others before me; there
is, therefore, no objection to my resorting to her.
Or thus:
This woman has gained the heart of her great and powerful husband, and
exercises a mastery over him, who is a friend of my enemy; if, therefore, she
becomes united with me she will cause her husband to abandon my enemy.
Or thus:
This woman will turn the mind of her husband, who is very powerful, in my
favour, he being at present disaffected towards me, and intent on doing me
some harm.
Or thus:
By making this woman my friend I shall gain the object of some friend of mine,
or shall be able to effect the ruin of some enemy, or shall accomplish some
other difficult purpose.
Or thus:
By being united with this woman, I shall kill her husband, and so obtain his
vast riches which I covet.
Or thus:
The union of this woman with me is not attended with any danger, and will
bring me wealth, of which, on account of my poverty and inability to support
myself, I am very much in need. I shall therefore obtain her vast riches in
this way without any difficulty.
Or thus:
This woman loves me ardently, and knows all my weak points; if therefore, I am
unwilling to be united with her, she will make my faults public, and thus
tarnish my character and reputation. Or she will bring some gross accusation
against me, of which it may be hard to clear myself, and I shall be ruined. Or
perhaps she will detach from me her husband who is powerful, and yet under her
control, and will unite him to my enemy, or will herself join the latter.
Or thus:
The husband of this woman has violated the chastity of my wives, I shall
therefore return that injury by seducing his wives.
Or thus:
By the help of this woman I shall kill an enemy of the king, who has taken
shelter with her, and whom I am ordered by the king to destroy.
Or thus:
The woman whom I love is under the control of this woman. I shall, through the
influence of the latter, be able to get at the former.
Or thus:
This woman will bring to me a maid, who possesses wealth and beauty, but who
is hard to get at, and under the control of another.
Or lastly thus:
My enemy is a friend of this woman's husband, I shall therefore cause her to
join him, and will thus create an enmity between her husband and him.
For these and similar other reasons the wives of other men may be resorted to,
but it must be distinctly understood that is only allowed for special reasons,
and not for mere carnal desire.
Charayana thinks that under these circumstances there is also a fifth kind of
Nayika, viz. a woman who is kept by a minister, or who repairs to him
occasionally; or a widow who accomplishes the purpose of a man with the person
to whom she resorts.
Suvarnanabha adds that a woman who passes the life of an ascetic and in the
condition of a widow may be considered as a sixth kind of Nayika.
Ghotakamukha says that the daughter of a public woman, and a female servant,
who are still virgins, form a seventh kind of Nayika.
Gonardiya puts forth his doctrine that any woman born of good family, after
she has come of age, is an eighth kind of Nayika.
But these four latter kinds of Nayikas do not differ much from the first four
kinds of them, as there is no separate object in resorting to them. Therefore,
Vatsyayana is of opinion that there are only four kinds of Nayikas, i.e. the
maid, the twice-married woman, the public woman, and the woman resorted to for
a special purpose.
The following women are not to be enjoyed:
A leper
A lunatic
A woman turned out of caste
A woman who reveals secrets
A woman who publicly expresses desire for sexual intercourse
A woman who is extremely white
A woman who is extremely black
A bad-smelling woman
A woman who is a near relation
A woman who is a female friend
A woman who leads the life of an ascetic
And, lastly the wife of a relation, of a friend, of a learned Brahman, and of
the king
The followers of Babhravya say that any woman who has been enjoyed by five men
is a fit and proper person to be enjoyed. But Gonikaputra is of opinion that
even when this is the case, the wives of a relation, of a learned Brahman and
of a king should be excepted.
The following are of the kind of friends:
One who has played with you in the dust, i.e. in childhood
One who is bound by an obligation
One who is of the same disposition and fond of the same things
One who is a fellow student
One who is acquainted with your secrets and faults, and whose faults and
secrets are also known to you
One who is a child of your nurse
One who is brought up with you one who is an hereditary friend
These friends should possess the following qualities:
They should tell the truth
They should not be changed by time
They should be favourable to your designs
They should be firm
They should be free from covetousness
They should not be capable of being gained over by others
They should not reveal your secrets
Charayana says that citizens form friendship with washermen, barbers,
cowherds, florists, druggists, betel-leaf sellers, tavern keepers, beggars,
Pithamardas, Vitas and Vidushekas, as also with the wives of all these people.
A messenger should possess the following qualities:
Skilfulness
Boldness
Knowledge of the intention of men by their outward signs
Absence of confusion, i.e. no shyness
Knowledge of the exact meaning of what others do or say
Good manners
Knowledge of appropriate times and places for doing different things
Ingenuity in business
Quick comprehension
Quick application of remedies, i.e. quick and ready resources
And this part ends with a verse:
'The man who is ingenious and wise, who is accompanied by a friend, and who
knows the intentions of others, as also the proper time and place for doing
everything, can gain over, very easily, even a woman who is very hard to be
obtained.'
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