The Kama Sutra (also commonly known as the Kama Sutra) is a work in Sanskrit written by a sadhu named Vatsyayana.
In the Western world, the book is seen as a model of ‘sexual literature’, while in South Asian countries, including India and Pakistan, many people still see the Kama Sutra as a text describing physical relations. .
At a time when the Catholic Church was describing the body as an ‘evil thing’ and ‘bodily pleasures as futile’ and desiring them as ‘sin’, Sadhu Vatsyan was sitting on the banks of the Ganges and writing the ‘Kama Sutras’.
He was trying to show that physical pleasure is a very good thing and how it can be achieved in a good way.
So is this work written by a celibate sadhu like Vatsyayana only about sexual pleasure and how appropriate is this book to be considered a sex manual?
‘Kama Sutra’ has actually remained a misunderstood or misinterpreted book.
If you read this book carefully and understand the content written in it, many misconceptions about Kama Sutra will be cleared. It will be possible to correct many misconceptions not only about the Kama Sutra but also about sexuality in ancient India.
Composition of the Kama Sutra
Kama Sutra is a collection of compositions written by Vatshyayan. There is no exact information as to when the Kam Sutra was written.
However, according to experts, this book may have been written in the 4th century BC, while some researchers believe that the work Sutra was written in the 3rd century AD.
It is believed that this book was written in ‘Ahad Gupta’. However, there is no mention of Gupta rule anywhere in Kama Sutra.
Actually it is not a book. It is a collection of seven books with 36 chapters. Which have a total of 1250 shlokas.
Art history scholar and researcher Dr. Alka Pandey says about the composition of the Kam Sutra that the first of the seven books of the Kam Sutra is about how to lead a ‘good life’. It consists of four stages including dharma (moral value), artha (economic value), kama (physical value) and sex.
As we know, ‘work’ i.e. sex is important for sexual pleasure and leading a ‘good life’.
The second book in this series is about Jansi Asana, the position during sex.
Elaborating on the seven things contained in the ‘Kama Sutra’, author and professor Madhavi Menon says that one of these books is only about the decoration and construction of the house.
Madhavi Menon says the book also explains how you can create and decorate the space to enhance the pleasure of sex and that passion.
“The sixth book is entirely about prostitutes,” she says. This section has direct writing about women. Now people will say, ‘Oh, it’s about prostitutes or prostitution,’ and dismiss the book.”
Madhavi Menon says that ‘but (at the time when this book was written) these prostitutes were not mere prostitutes. She was a part of the cultural social life of that time and was involved in the life of India’s elite at that time.
Importance of women’s desires
A common misconception about sex is that only the pleasure of the man is important during intercourse, while the pleasure of the woman is not important. This view was first rejected by the ‘Kama Sutra’.
Earlier, it was believed that women’s pleasure depended on the masti, the ‘extreme of pleasure’, of a man’s intercourse. But in the ‘Kama Sutra’ it was first stated that women do not need men to attain this happiness.
Although sex is a physical need of both men and women, their feelings and desires about it are very different.
Vatsyayan says that the physical desire of men is like fire. It starts from the genitals and goes to the head. Like fire, it ignites easily and is extinguished just as quickly. On the other hand, a woman’s sexual desire is like water, which takes time to awaken and then cool down.
Writer Madhavi Menon says that ‘in the Kama Sutras, whenever physical relations between men and women are discussed, Vatsyayana explains what the physical condition of women should be, how they should be kissed, and so on.
“But the most important thing is that he should have (sex) only if he (the woman) wants to.”
Vatsyayan has commented on the physical relationship between man and woman as well as their love and emotional relationship. They even talk about ups and downs in love, fighting.
Vatsyan writes about maintaining the freshness of relationships. They say that in order to maintain passion and happiness in a relationship, there must be conflict between the two (man and woman).
Vatsyan says that this fight is successful only when the bond between the two is strong and there is mutual trust. But if there is no love between the two, this fight can be terrible and there is no solution.
In the Kama Sutra he writes: ‘The quarrel is always initiated by the male. The woman screams angrily. Throws away her jewelry. She breaks things and throws them at the man. But there is a principle of this fight and that is that despite doing all this, a woman does not cross her limit.
A very interesting reason is also given in the Kama Sutra which favors women 100%.
First, if a man is not attracted to her, it would be an insult to her. The second quarrel ends only when the man falls at her feet and apologizes, and he cannot do that outside the house.
Mention of homosexuality and the third gender
The author writes that according to Sushruta Samhita (a book) there are five types of homosexual men and these are related to their sexual orientation. These types are Asikya, Sugandhika, Kumbhika, Arshak and Shindha.
The Tanard Smriti mentions three types and such men are prohibited from marrying women.
Under the term ‘panda’ for homosexual men, Vatsyayan mentions 14 different types of men. While the word ‘nastriya’ appears in Vedic literature for the gender identity of homosexual women and women.
With reference to various texts, the author has noted 10 types of women.
Sverini – One who has love affairs with other women
Kamini- One who has love relations with both men and women
Seventy Pins. One who is masculine in behavior
Shindi or eunuch – one who looks like a man and does not menstruate or has breasts.
Narashinda – One whose femininity is completely destroyed
Vrat – the female seed of which cannot be implanted in the uterus
Susi Vaktar Susi Mukhi – whose vagina is not complete i.e. short.
Vindhya or barren – without menstruation
Mogha Pos – Non-pregnant
Patraghani – A woman who frequently miscarries
Suvarini is mentioned in the Kama Sutra. Similarly, Kamini is mentioned in Bhargu Purana and Satri Pansa in Mahabharata. These three types of women are classified based on their sexual behavior.
The Sanskrit word ‘Shandha’ is used for a man who has lost his innate masculinity and behaves like a woman. Contrary to this trend, the word eunuch refers to a woman who wants to remain a man.
Amra writes that in ancient Vedic India, transgender women did not need to hide their gender identity from society.
There is still not much openness in our society about accepting homosexuality. Many countries around the world struggle to accept homosexuality.
While today the so-called ‘LGBTQ’ community has to struggle at various levels to achieve their gender identity with dignity, in ancient India this community was accepted and accepted their different identities. was done
An international organization called GALVA-108 has researched and written about gender diversity in Vedic literature. Amardas Williams founded the organization in 2001 along with three other colleagues.
He has written the book ‘Tritiya Prakriti – People of the Third Gender’.
The term ‘third nature’ is used for them in the Kama Sutra.
Effects of British Government
If gender and individual sexual diversity have a place in Indian texts, this means that Indians understood them, then how did they adapt to these social elements in changing times? Since when did they become reluctant to accept them as mainstream members of society?
Author and professor Madhavi Menon says, “We are still suffering from the effects of the British colonial mentality.”
It is from the Kama Sutra that we have a sensitive understanding of the ‘Third Gender’ which we now call ‘Tritiya Panthi’.
Those who were called ‘hejra’ or ‘eunuch’ had a place of honor in the Mughal court. His presence in various ceremonies and religious events was considered auspicious.