Kama Sutra Fact of Fiction?
Of all the treasures and philosophies that were brought to Europe from the Far East, the Kama Sutra is perhaps one of! the best known, along with Buddhism and Yoga. Starting during the industrial revolution of the late 18th century and aided by the advent of tourism in the fashionable set, Europe and Northern America have been flooded with art, ideas and the philosophies of the Far East that changed, to a certain extent, our way of thinking.
|
Busy Westerners obsessed with the here and now are fascinated and intrigued by the attitudes of people who are content to live one day at a time and who are not afraid of the future. |
|||||||||
Whenever the legendary Kama Sutra is mentioned, the first thing people think of most people think of is an exotic self help book on sexual satisfaction and an ancient porn magazine. The correct title is “Vatsyayana’s Aphorisms on Love” (“Vatsyayana Kamasutram”) and it’s a treaty consisting of 36 chapters.
The central idea behind the collection of aphorisms is to provide a comprehensive guide to sexual etiquette, relationships with courtesans, courtship of married women, marriage and, finally means to improve one’s sexual prowess through the use of herbs, spells and sex toys. As you can see, the purpose of this book has become the definitive guide to what love and sex is to Indian society in the 4th century AD.
Aside from the section covering sex and love, the “Aphorisms on Love” is in fact an orthodox book, detailing the fashion of the society that spawned it. It teaches the aspiring lover what to do in order to get the woman he desires while still protecting both his and hers reputations and good names. Reputation was extremely important throughout the ancient world, and the person who forfeited his good name over such an insignificant thing as sex was considered to be frivolous, and unworthy of the esteem of others. Vatsyayana, a celibate scholar, believed that sex was not wrong in itself, but that engaging in it was certainly frivolous and sinful.
The 36 chapters are each written by an expert in their field covers a wide range of issues, such as observations on the daily life of a citizen, sexual positions, personal adornment, gaining the confidence of women through to how to correctly kiss and the means by which courtesans get money.
Perhaps the best known section of the book is the study of sex and sexual positions and techniques, makes up a mere 20 % of the text as a whole. But nevertheless, those scholars out there who are truly interested in sex should read the entire book. After numerous centuries the theories are still accurate because people still want the same things from one another..
As surprising as it sounds when it comes down to it the central tenants of the Kama Sutra are akin to Machiavelli’s “The Prince”, while the Indian book is much more careful to observe the morals of the time. Both books serve as guides to aspects of their respective societies and deal with them in a frank realistic manner.
Vatsyayana was not fooling himself with the idea that men and women are virtuous creatures by nature and was perfectly willing to advice men on how to seduce married women, while Machiavelli knew that a prince will do evil things from time to time.
Great Sex Information for you help
