The Kama Sutra dates from somewhere between the 1st-4th centuries AD. It is a Hindu sexual treatise which has nothing in common with a "sex manual" of today: it is rather an essay on sexual etiquette which tells the reader just what is permissible and what not, against the background of the Hindu attitude to social behavior. Anybody taking up the Kama Sutra for the first time should remember that to the Hindu mind sexuality is an integral part of the whole of nature's activity, the Cosmic Dance of Shiva, the androgenous deity of creation, and is as much a religious expression of longing for the primodial unity as of individual passion. People in the western world tend to regard sex as something "separate" even a commodity to be packaged, but Hindy mythology abounds with the sensual expression of the creative force, the male and female aspects of Shiva entwined in the eternal dance of regeneration.
The Perfumed Garden is a much more poetic book and has long been regarded as a work of art. It is also easier to read, the scenes are exotic, the stories and dialogue are lively and the pages are full of sensual imagery. The Perfumed Garden has, however, one drawback in comparison to the Kama Sutra. Hindu philosophy considers the male and female as equal partners, with both male and female principles having their creative and destructive aspects. But the Perfumed Garden is Arabian, written probably in Tunis in the sixteenth century, and the middle eastern attitude towards women as of a lower order, as creatures created by Allah solely for the pleasure of men, is the dominant attitude in the book. The praise of womanly beauty and desirability pervades the whole book and always with the invocation and offering of thanks to Allah - but it is a beauty to be seen from the outside, provided like flowers in a cultivated garden, to be enjoyed by all and joined with all as aspects of all nature's beauty. In spite of this, however, the fascinating tales, the sensuous language, and ultimately the unifying nature of sexuality itself transcend this limitation to give The PerfumedGarden the permanent place in erotic literature. This is the first time that Sir Richard Burton's translations of these two classics have appeared together in one volume and the reader's delight in the stories will be enhanced by the 48 full-colour illustrations from Persian and Arabic miniatures.
Richard Francis Burton was born in Devon, England, in 1821. The second half of the nineteenth century was a remarkable era, a time of expansion, exploration and the opening of new frontiers, and Burton was destined to make his own indelible mark upon those times. The urge to travel was an intrinsic part of his nature. He spent his early years in France and Italy, studied in England, and took his first post in the British Army in India. Later he travelled, disguised as an Afghan pilgrim, to the holy city of Mecca (something which non-Muslims are forbidden to do), and later still set out with John Speke to find the source of the White Nile. He was one of the first Europeans to set foot in East Africa, and again with Speke, discovered Lake Tanganyika. Burton was one of Victorian England's great explorers and travel writers. From East Africa he went on the explore West Africa, and visit the United States and Brazil. It is not, however, principally as an explorer that Burton is remembered. He was a man with a tremendous gift for languages. As a child he learned French and Italian and later learned Hindi and Arabic during his stay in India, together with various other tongues and dialects. He eventually mastered over thirty languages in his lifetime. His knowledge of, and love for the Orient especially inspired his translations of the Arabian Nights, the Kama Sutra, and The Perfumed Garden. The Arabian Nights consisted of sixteen volumes and was thus not generally available to the Victorian public, tending to be restricted to scholarly circles. But the Kama Sutra (1883) and The Perfumed Garden (1886) were short works, more readily available and dealt, moreover, almost exclusively with the intimate details of sex: the rigid hyopcrisy of Victorian sexuality received a severe jolt. The shock did not, however, prevent him from being given credit for his life's work and he was knighted in 1886. He died in Trieste in 1890.
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 intro- duction 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 Vatsya 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:-
1. The Ratirahasya, or secrets of love.
2. The Panchasakya, or the five arrows.
3. The Smara Pradipa, or the light of love.
4. The Ratimanjari, or the garland of love.
It may be interesting to some persons to learn how it came about that Vatsyayana was first brought to light and translated into the English language. It happened thus. While translating with the pundits the "Anunga runga, or the stage of love", reference was frequently found to be made to one Vatsya. The sage Vatsya was of this opinion, or of that opinion. The sage Vatsya said this, and so on. Naturally questions were asked who the sage was, and the pundits replied that Vatsya was the author of the standard work on love in Sanscrit literature, that no Sanscrit library was complete without his work, and that it was most dif- ficult now to obtain in its entire state. The copy of the manuscript obtained in Bombay was defective, and so the pundits wrote to Benares, Calcutta and Jey- poor for copies of the manuscript from Sanscrit libraries in those places. Copies having been obtained, they were then compared with each other, and with the aid of a Commentary called "Jayamangla" a revised copy of the entire manuscript was prepared, and from this copy the English translation was made. The following is the certificate of the chief pundit: -
"The accompanying manuscript is corrected by me after comparing four different copies of the work. I had the assistance of a Commentary called Jayamangla' for correcting the portion in the first five parts, but found great difficulty in correcting the remaining portion, because, with the exception of one copy thereof which was tolerably correct, all the other copies I had were far too incorrect. However, I took that portion as correct in which the majority of the copies agreed with each other."
The "Aphorisms on Love", by Vatsayayana contain about one thousand two hundred and fifty slokas or verses, and are divided into parts, parts into chapters, and chapters into paragraphs. The whole consists of seven parts, thirty-six chapters, and sixty-four paragraphs. Hardly anything is known about the author. His real name is supposed to be Mallinaga or Mrillana, Vatsyayana being his family name. At the close of the work this is what he writes about himself: -
"After reading and considering the works of Babhravya and other ancient authors, and thinking over the meaning of the rules given by them, this treatise was composed, according to the precepts of the Holy Writ, for the benefit of the world, by Vatsyayana, while leading the life of a religious student at Benares, and wholly engaged in the contemplation of the Deity. This work is not to be used merely as an instrument for satisfying our desires. A person acquainted with the true principles of this science, who preserves his Dharma (virtue or religious merit), his Artha (worldly wealth) and his Kama (pleasure or sensual gratification), and who has regard to the customs of the people, is sure to obtain the mastery over his senses. In short, an intelligent and knowing person, attending to Dharma and Artha and also to Kama, without becoming the slave of his passions, will obtain success in everything that he may do."
It is impossible to fix the exact date either of the life of Vatsyayana or of his work. It is supposed that he must have lived between the first and sixth century of the Christian era, on the following grounds: - He mentions that Satkarni Satvahan, a king of Kuntal, killed Malayevati his wife with an instrument called kartari by striking her in the passion of love, and Vatsya quotes this case to warn people of the danger arising from some old customs of striking women when under the influence of this passion. Now this king of Kuntal is believed to have lived and reigned during the first century A.C., and consequently Vatsya must have lived after him.
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist