Vatsayana World

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Vātsyāyanawas an ancient Indian philosopher, known for authoring the Kama Sutra.[1] He lived in India during the second or third century CE, probably in Pataliputra (modern day Patna in Bihar).[2]

He is not to be confused with Pakṣilasvāmin Vātsyāyana, the author of Nyāya Sutra Bhāshya, the first preserved commentary on Gotama's Nyāya Sutras.[3] His name is sometimes erroneously confused with Mallanaga, the seer of the Asuras, to whom the origin of erotic science is attributed.[4]

Hardly anything is known about Vātsyāyana from sources outside the Kāmasūtra itself. Vātsyāyana's interest in refined human, including sexual, behavior as a means of fulfilment, was recorded in his treatise Kama Sutra.

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.

Some believe that he must have lived between the 1st and 6th century CE, on the following grounds: He mentions that Satakarni Satavahana, a king of Kuntala, killed Malayevati his wife with an instrument called Katari by striking her in the passion of love. Vatsyayana quotes this case to warn people of the danger arising from some old customs of striking women when under the influence of sexual passion.[5] This king of Kuntal is believed to have lived and reigned, consequently Vatsyayana must have lived after him. On the other hand, another author, Varahamihira, in the eighteenth chapter of his "Brihatsanhita", discusses of the science of love, and appears to have borrowed largely from Vatsyayana on the subject. Some believe that Varahamihira lived during the 6th century and therefore Vatsyayana must have written his works before the 6th century.

Written with frankness and unassuming candor, the Kama Sutra remains one of the most readable and enjoyable of all the classics of antiquity. A work of philosophy, psychology, sociology, Hindu dogma, scientific inquiry, and sexology, the Kama Sutra's importance is so great that it has at the same time both affected Indian civilization and remained an indispensable key to understanding it.

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Vātsyāyana, also spelled Vatsayana, is an ancient Indian philosopher, known for writing the Kama Sutra, the most ancient book in the world on human sexuality. He lived in India during the second or third century CE, probably in Pataliputra (modern day Patna). He is not to be confused with Pakṣilasvāmin Vātsyāyana, the author of Nyāya Sutra Bhāshya, the first preserved commentary on Gotama's Nyāya Sutras. His name is sometimes erroneously confused with Mallanaga, the prophet of the Asuras, to whom the origin of erotic science is attributed.

Vatsyayana's Commentary on the Nyaya-sutra is one of classical India's most important philosophical works. This Guide offers both a map and interpretation of this challenging canonical text, suitable for any student or novice reader.

Treating them as a single hybrid text, the Nyaya-sutra with Vatsyayana's commentary systematizes in skeletal form centuries of ancient Indian philosophical developments concerning logic, epistemology, and dialectics, while also defending a realist categorial metaphysics. It offers a number of epistemological and methodological insights that inform intellectual inquiry in the Subcontinent for over a millennium. Vatsyayana's Commentary also provides sophisticated arguments for distinct positions in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, and value theory that stand amongst the best contributions to world philosophy.

This guide, accessible to students and researchers not familiar with classical Indian philosophy, provides a distilled, accessible understanding of the major scholarly, historical, and philosophical issues that inform the Commentary, while unpacking its philosophical content such that it speaks to modern readers. It also illustrates the way that the Commentary may serve as a lens through which to view the formative period of classical Indian philosophy.

For all that Kama Sutra is, it's no longer a guide to the art of pleasure. It's a fascinating historical document, and undoubtedly influential, but it's very much of its time and of its society. Try to follow all its suggestions and at best you'd never get laid again; at worst, you'll be up on a rape charge within a week. (After sending the nurse's daughter away, he takes the girl's maidenhead while she is alone, asleep and out of her senses...)

Chapter two (the sex one) is all that people really know of the book, and even then, other works going under the Kama Sutra name go into more detail and create our collective consciousness of what Kama Sutra is. Hell, you'll find more useful sex information in poorly-written Thomas the Tank Engine slash fiction on the internet. (No? Just me then). It's testament to our greatly enlightened world that the original Kama Sutra actually no longer serves a practical purpose as an instruction manual. That's not to suggest that sex is a new invention, and of course there are many classic erotic novels that are as umm... moving now as they ever were. Kama Sutra has a reputation for eroticism that exceeds all other works, and it simply wouldn't be able to live up to that under any circumstances.

But it's still an important read. It speaks greatly to what Indian society was like because of what it says. It speaks greatly to what western society was like because of what it became once translated by Sir Richard Burton. It isn't simply a sex book, it's a book about wooing, about setting up a household, about relationships, and then a few extra bits about adultery, harems and courtesans. Because it barely applies to modern life, it's all the more engaging and intriguing. Because we (largely) reject the idea of, say, spells to control people's emotions, we have a powerful perspective that people in earlier centuries wouldn't have had. And as a side-benefit, there's also plenty of unintentional humour to be found in its pages: The same powder, when mixed with monkey shit and sprinkled over a virgin girl, ensures that she is not given to another man. You don't say.

It's been many years since I read the most famous translation by Sir Richard Burton, but from memory, this new translation by AND Haksar compares strongly. This version reads well, with a forceful voice that is as much part of the whole as what's being said. There's also a particularly informative introduction, giving Kama Sutra its place in society and history, as well as touching on past translations. You might not tell from my review, but I really enjoyed the introduction and learned a lot from it.

Today, Kama Sutra is irrelevant and outdated, but I mean those in as nice a way as possible. When read with modern eyes, Kama Sutra might not offer all it once did, but because of its own place in history, it actually offers more. If you've never read it, it's well worth a look.

You could always look at all this stuff from the perspective of the armchair/popular scientist. In which case, we can recommend Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivation from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between) by Cindy M Meston and David Buss. But - if it's just sleep you're after - try The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide to the Thirty-nine Positions by Evany Thomas.

You can read more book reviews or buy Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges 2.99 for standard delivery for orders under 20, over which delivery is free.

You can read more book reviews or buy Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana at Amazon.com.

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