The Kama Sutra is made up of seven books, each discussing and describing a different form of pleasure through which one can achieve kama. For researchers, the text also provides unique insight on what sexuality and relationships could look like during the Gupta empire, when the text is believed to have been written. Some scholars also question the author’s morality due to his writings on seducing the wives of other men, for example. Before moving to the pleasures of life, Vatsyayana first discusses the higher goals.īut that’s not to say that following the sacred path is necessarily the aim of the text either, since pleasure is at the forefront of the work.
Kama, as previously mentioned, indicates enjoying the senses the other three goals are dharma (virtuous living), artha (material wealth), and moksha (liberation-usually indicating freedom from the cycle of reincarnation). Written (likely) by the philosopher Vatsyayana possibly around the 2nd century AD, scholars believe his intention was to highlight one of the four virtues of life.
Sex Symbols of the Ancient World: Top Ten Sexually Explicit Caves, Mountains, Temples and Artifacts.That is, engaging in sexual activity can be seen as a spiritual act in which one's sexual power can be enhanced. The text ends with a discussion of the inner power of those partaking in sexual acts. Kama in the most general sense of the word can refer to affection, love, aesthetic stimulation, or wishes, none of which have to incorporate sexuality. The sexual aspect of the text is in actuality only a portion of kama (the Hindu term equating to ‘desires’ or ‘pleasure of the senses’), while the other aspects of the text discuss how to attract partners, how to obtain a wife, how to keep a wife, how a wife should behave, and where concubines fit into the scheme of marriage. In fact, the title Kama Sutra loosely translates as a concept in which desires tie (or suture) the world together. Known in the vernacular as a book of sexual positions, the Kama Sutra is much more than a checklist of intriguing, enjoyable, and somewhat complex challenges for the bedroom.
This is where the Kama Sutra comes into the story. Most simply call it sex others call it a way of life. It is valued as an art and sometimes even worshipped as a religious ideal. Thankfully, most people tend to enjoy the process, but in some cultures, it goes far beyond enjoyment. While the first two are necessary for the survival of the individual among the many, the latter is necessary for the survival of the many. Out of all the necessities in the world, three come to the forefront: food, water, and reproduction.
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