The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana

IN the literature of all countries there will be found a
certain number of works treating especially of love.
Everywhere the subject is dealt with differently, and from
various points of view. In the present publication it is
proposed to give a complete translation of what is
considered the standard work on love in Sanscrit
literature, and which is called the ‘Vatsyayana Kama
Sutra’, or Aphorisms on Love, by Vatsyayana.
While the introduction will deal with the evidence
concerning the date of the writing, and the commentaries
written upon it, the chapters following the introduction
will give a translation of the work itself. It is, however,
advisable to furnish here a brief analysis of works of the
same nature, prepared by authors who lived and wrote
years after Vatsyayana had passed away, but who still
considered him as the great authority, and always quoted
him as the chief guide to Hindoo erotic literature.
Besides the treatise of Vatsyayana the following works
on the same subject are procurable in India:
The Ratirahasya, or secrets of love
The Panchasakya, or the five arrows
The Smara Pradipa, or the light of love
The Ratimanjari, or the garland of love
The Rasmanjari, or the sprout of love
The Anunga Runga, or the stage of love; also called
Kamaledhiplava, or a boat in the ocean of love.
The author of the ‘Secrets of Love’ was a poet named
Kukkoka. He composed his work to please one
Venudutta, who was perhaps a king. When writing his
own name at the end of each chapter he calls himself
‘Siddha patiya pandita’, i.e. an ingenious man among
learned men. The work was translated into Hindi years
ago, and in this the author’s name was written as Koka.
And as the same name crept into all the translations into
other languages in India, the book became generally
known, and the subject was popularly called Koka
Shastra, or doctrines of Koka, which is identical with the
Kama Shastra, or doctrines of love, and the words Koka
Shastra and Kama Shastra are used indiscriminately.
The work contains nearly eight hundred verses, and is
divided into ten chapters, which are called Pachivedas.
Some of the things treated of in this work are not to be
found in the Vatsyayana, such as the four classes of
women, the Padmini, Chitrini, Shankini and Hastini, as
also the enumeration of the days and hours on which the
women of the different classes become subject to love,
The author adds that he wrote these things from the
opinions of Gonikaputra and Nandikeshwara, both of
whom are mentioned by Vatsyayana, but their works are
not now extant. It is difficult to give any approximate idea
as to the year in which the work was composed. It is only
to be presumed that it was written after that of
Vatsyayana, and previous to the other works on this
subject that are still extant. Vatsyayana gives the names of
ten authors on the subject, all of whose works he had
consulted, but none of which are extant, and does not
mention this one. This would tend to show that Kukkoka
wrote after Vatsya, otherwise Vatsya would assuredly
have mentioned him as an author in this branch of
literature along with the others.
The author of the ‘Five Arrows’ was one Jyotirisha. He
is called the chief ornament of poets, the treasure of the
sixty-four arts, and the best teacher of the rules of music.
He says that he composed the work after reflecting on the
aphorisms of love as revealed by the gods, and studying
the opinions of Gonikaputra, Muladeva, Babhravya,
Ramtideva, Nundikeshwara and Kshemandra. It is
impossible to say whether he had perused all the works of
these authors, or had only heard about them; anyhow,
none of them appear to be in existence now. This work
contains nearly six hundred verses, and is divided into
five chapters, called Sayakas or Arrows.
The author of the ‘Light of Love’ was the poet
Gunakara, the son of Vechapati. The work contains four
hundred verses, and gives only a short account of the
doctrines of love, dealing more with other matters.
‘The Garland of Love’ is the work of the famous poet
Jayadeva, who said about himself that he is a writer on all
subjects. This treatise is, however, very short, containing
only one hundred and twenty-five verses ...