Illustrated Kama Sutra (The Illustrated Kama Sutra)

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There are only two commentaries which have been found on Vatsyayana's work - Jayamangala or Sutrabhashya, and Sutravritti. The date of the Jayamangala is fixed between the tenth and thirteenth centuries A.D., because in the description of the sixty-four arts, an example is taken from the Kavyaprakasha which was written around the tenth century A.D. Again, the copy of the commentary procured was a transcript of a manuscript which once had a place in the library of a Chalukyan king named Vishaladeva, as is evident from the following sentence at the end of it: Speaking of Aristotle and the Greeks, the Kama Sutra contains an interesting comparative comment on the nature of prostitutes and their differing capacities in the Indian and Greek worlds. In the method of pre-Industrial revolution works, the author enjoys "scientific" proofs of his arguments by natural analogy. For example, the author supports his conclusions on that natural behaviors of mankind by analogies to his empirical observations of nature and animal life. This method, of course, will be immediately recognizable to any student of philosophy. In general, nobody has any idea what Kama Sutra means, what the books is or what the author intended it to be. Simply put, dispel yourself of any preconceived notions before you read even the first paragraph of this opus or my review. The Kama Sutra is eminently practical, but also explains the logical reasons behind what it suggests. I noticed, too, that over & over again it makes "recommendations": recognizing that each person has to approach the subject matter in view of his/her own circumstances, locality, social norms, etc. Such a book, it seems to me, would be an invaluable aid in sex education courses in helping young minds understand that it's definitely not "all about sex".

A cave painting from the Vishvantara Jataka, 6th century, Ajanta, Northern Deccan. The nayaka is seen in a pleasure palace. Study of the shastras Shastrasangraha Prakarana

It is well known that Vishaladeva ruled in Gujarat from A.D. 1244 to 1262, and founded a city called Vishalnagar. The date of the Jayamangala, therefore, is taken to be between the tenth and the thirteenth century. It is supposed to be written by one Yashodhara, the name being given to the author by his preceptor Indrapada. He seems to have written it during the time of affliction caused by his separation from a clever and shrewd woman, as he himself says at the end of each chapter. It is presumed that he named his work after his absent mistress, or it may have some connection with the meaning of her name. The Ratirahasya comprises nearly eight hundred verses, and is divided into fifteen parts called Pachivedas. Some of the subjects dealt with in this work are not to be found in Vatsyayana's translation, such as the four classes of women: the padmini, chitrini, shankhini and hastini; as also the enumeration of the days and hours on which the women of different classes were stimulated towards love. Kokkoka claimed that his knowledge of these subjects was garnered from the wisdom of Gonikaputra and Nandikesvara, both of whom have been mentioned by Vatsyayana, but whose works are not now extant. It is difficult to fix a date or year in which the Ratirahasya was composed. It can, however, be safely presumed that it was written after Vatsyayana's tome, and was prior to other works on the subject that are still extant. Vatsyayana, himself, referred to ten authors whose work on the subject he had consulted, but none of which is extant, and Kokkoka's name does not figure among them. This leads to the logical conclusion that Kokkoka wrote after Vatsyayana, else, Vatsyayana would surely have made mention of him with the others he referred to. 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. The Kama Sutra stands uniquely as a work of psychology, sociology, Hindu dogma, and sexology. It has been a celebrated classic of Indian literature for 1,700 years and a window for the West into the culture and mysticism of the East.

I always find this book interesting and not for the commonly thought reasons. Yes it is a book about sex, but it also a book that leads up to the act by discussing social climates, moods and behavior, psychological conundrums and mindset and energy. There are bold pictures here, showing positions and processes that are interesting as well, and yet the overall read drew my eye to the words, with the plates and pictures as a compliment, always. The Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana is a great book that gives a detailed description on several aspects on sex, love and marriage in Sanskriti culture. There's a lot of cultural information in this collection of tales and advice that is really interesting and rather surprising. These examples are made using the highest ideal/potential one can work towards. It's not the general standard that was actually lived by but the standards a person was meant to aim for. 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.Don't hear many people talk about this book anymore. There are variations of the translation out there in multitude, but this one I enjoy the most. 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”. This is a funny book! Since the book was written in the ancient India, many of the non-sexual instructions like courtship, concubines, courtesan, prostitutes, are just passe and ridiculous! The Kama Sutra, Aphorisms on Love, written by Nandikeshvara in one thousand parts, was reproduced in an abbreviated form in five hundred canons, by Shvetaketu, the son of Uddalaka. This work was again similarly reproduced in an abridged form, in one hundred and fifty canons, by Babhravya, an inhabitant of Panchala, south of Delhi. The aphorisms were then put together under seven heads: Note: The passage that Y cites from Vasishtha is at 12.23, where the ancestors of the man who copulates in the mouth of his wife do not starve for fifteen years but, rather, are forced to eat nothing but his semen for a month.]

Shiva, god of virility sits majestically on Nandi. One of Hinduism most potent symbols, Shiva's lingam is described as always stiff, always erect.O desejo, que nasce da natureza, é aumentado pela arte [...]. Um homem sagaz, que dependa das suas próprias qualidades, que observe cuidadosamente as ideias e desígnios das mulheres [...] é geralmente bem sucedido com elas; The author of the Smarapradipika was the poet Gunakara, the son of Vachaspati. His work comprised four hundred verses and dealt only briefly with the doctrines of love, dwelling more on other matters. The author of Rasamanjari was a poet called Bhanudatta. The last verse of the manuscript indicated that he was a resident of the province of Tirhoot, and son of a Brahman named Ganeshwar, who was also a poet. Written in Sanskrit, it portrays different classes of men and women through their age, description, conduct and behavior. Comprising three chapters, it has not been possible to ascertain its date.