Hindu Art of Love’. This treatise is thought to have been composed some time during the 15th or 16th century for the amusement of Ladakhan (the son of a king) by a princely sage and arch-poet named Kalyanamalla. Society had changed since Vatsyayana’s time and attitudes towards sex had become more rigid, creating boundaries between men and women. The approach of the book, therefore, is directed more towards husbands as a guide to sex within marriage, as Kalyanamalla believed that adultery was borne of monotony and the desire for varied pleasures. The Ananga Ranga is also a mystical guide incorporating astrology, palmistry and psychology.
The knowledge and teachings of the Kama Sutra slowly spread beyond India and some of its threads were gathered up by one Sheikh Nefzawi of Tunis, who set them down in his famous work the Perfumed Garden. The language in this love manual is frank, florid and erotic and laced with humour. For example, here is his description of the vulva:
‘Such an organ is plump and outstanding in its full length; the lips are long, the opening large, the edges apart and perfectly symmetrical, and the middle prominent; it is soft, seductive, and perfect in all its details. It is, without fear of contradiction, the most agreeable and best of all. May God grant us the use of such a vulva! Amen! It is warm, narrow and dry to such a degree that one would think fire would dart from it. Its form is graceful, its odour suave; its whiteness throws the carmine centre into relief. In a word, it is perfect.’
It is interesting to know how these ancient amatory manuals came to the attention of the western world. The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana first appeared in English in 1883, printed by the mysterious Kama Shastra Society, which was in reality none other than the Victorian adventurer and explorer Sir Richard Burton, and his friend, Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, a retired Indian civil servant, who both shared a fascination for the ‘Hindu erotic’.
Printed on dense paper and bound in white vellum with gold rules, the Kama Sutra bore the inscription ‘for private circulation only’. ‘It will make the British public stare,’ Burton told his friend John Payne, the great Arabic scholar, on the eve of publication. Burton and Arbuthnot presented their work to that small selection of the public which took ‘enlightened interest in studying the manners and customs of the olden east’, keeping their motives vague as to how this ancient text was first brought to light. Twice reprinted between 1883 and 1885, it soon came to be regarded as a classic, which immediately altered the West’s approach to Indian culture.
Burton and Arbuthnot’s Kama Shastra Society followed it with a translation of the Ananga Ranga in 1885 (after a failed attempt to print it in the early 1870s) and the Perfumed Garden a year later.
The Modern Kama Sutra
This book draws principally on the ancient teachings of the Kama Sutra, and to a lesser extent on those of its successors. The Modern Kama Sutra also touches on the principles of Tantra and Yoga as well as other Eastern beliefs and practices.
Much can still be learnt from the wisdom of Vatsyayana on the themes of love, seduction and sex for modern lovers: the importance of stimulating all of the senses without becoming blinded by passion; how to be in harmony with the desires and preferences of your partner; how to create the right mood and environment to encourage feelings of intimacy and warmth; the importance of taking time to seduce your lover; and how to introduce variety into your sex life by experimenting with different positions and different styles. Above all, the Kama Sutra shows how best to nurture a loving, fulfilling monogamous relationship for years to come.
The sexual positions included here are drawn from all the main texts and are meant merely as a guide. The positions can be used as a series of sequences, but you do not have to follow these unswervingly; you may only want to use one at a time or try a variety in one session. There are no hard and fast rules but to help you decide there are difficulty ratings from 1–4 (1 being the easiest) and ratings by type: soft, deep, gentle, intense, slow, fast. Whatever your preferences, you can find your own favourites from the great variety of positions illustrated in the book. As Vatsyayana himself states, ‘the various modes of enjoyment are not for all times or for all persons’; the idea is to experiment and create your own unique language of love.
A fully satisfying sex life requires practice and understanding. By casting off your inhibitions and opening your mind to new experiences, by paying attention to the needs and desires of your lover whilst expressing your own, you will undoubtedly reach new ecstatic heights in your sexual encounters.
mood
body senses fore play oral sex
‘In the pleasure-room, decorated with flowers, and fragrant with perfume…the citizen should receive the woman, who will come bathed and dressed, and will invite her to take refreshment and to drink freely. He should then seat her on his left side, and holding her hair, and touching also the end and knot of her garment, he should gently embrace her with his right arm. They should then carry on an amusing conversation on various subjects, and may also talk suggestively of things which would be considered as coarse, or not to be mentioned generally in society. They may then sing, either with or without gesticulations, and play on musical instruments, talk about the arts, and persuade each other to drink…Such is the beginning of sexual union.’
Kama Sutra
Getting in the Mood
‘The lovers may also sit on the terrace of the palace or house and enjoy the moonlight, and carry on an agreeable conversation. At this time, too, while the woman lies in his lap, with her face towards the moon, the citizen should show her the different planets, the morning star, the polar star, and the seven rishis, or Great Bear.’
Kama Sutra
Seduction is the temptation of our sensual desires and is an essential part of lovemaking. Drawing your lover away from the everyday concerns of life into a world of eroticism and sensuality will heighten their desire and arousal, and their experience of sex will be even more intense and pleasurable.
Initially, after a busy day, it is important to focus on your partner and share your thoughts. This will help you unwind and synchronize with each other, whether your seduction is designed to lead to the excitement
