Kamasutra - The Art of Making Love

By Anshuman Gothwal

The Kamasutra is a famous Indian literary text about love. The text also deals with human sexual behavior, though it is not only a book as many people think, about positions in sexual intercourse. It is a book about finding a partner, maintaining power in married life, committing adultery, living with a courtesan or being a courtesan and also about sexual positions during sexual intercourse.
The name of the book, Kama Sutra comes from two sanskrit words, Kama which means desire/love/sex/pleasure and Sutra which means a treatise. The book was composed by Vatsayayan in Sanskrit, which is the ancient literary language of India. The book opens with a discussion on dharma (piety), artha (power) and kama (pleasure) which are known as three aims of human life or the trinity.
The different chapters in the book are as follows:
1. Introductory
Chapters on contents of the book, three aims and priorities of life, the acquisition of knowledge, conduct of the well-bred townsman, reflections on intermediaries who assist the lover in his enterprises (5 chapters).
2. On sexual union
Chapters on stimulation of desire, types of embraces, caressing and kisses, marking with nails, biting and marking with teeth, on copulation (positions), slapping by hand and corresponding moaning, virile behavior in women, superior coition and oral sex, preludes and conclusions to the game of love. It describes 64 types of sexual acts (10 chapters).
3. About the acquisition of a wife
Chapters on forms of marriage, relaxing the girl, obtaining the girl, managing alone, union by marriage (5 chapters).
4. About a wife
Chapters on conduct of the only wife and conduct of the chief wife and other wives (2 chapters).
5. About the wives of other people
Chapters on behavior of woman and man, encounters to get acquainted, examination of sentiments, the task of go-between, the king's pleasures, behavior in the women's quarters (6 chapters).
6. About courtesans
Chapters on advice of the assistants on the choice of lovers, looking for a steady lover, ways of making money, renewing friendship with a former lover, occasional profits, profits and losses (6 chapters).
Chapters on improving physical attractions, arousing a weakened sexual power (2 chapters).
For a detailed translation of these chapters you may visit:
http://www.indohistory.com/kamasutra.html
The text is direct towards women but it also reflects women´s voices. This kind of reference in Kama Sutra is contrary to infinite number of references in other hindu literature where the women is supposed to be virtuous and constantly server her husband inspite of all his vices.
The book can be appreciated only when you go through the full literature and the literature will be appreciated only when you practice it.