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    <id>1486420</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Doug]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">5573670</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Karma Sutra (1)]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5573670.Karma_Sutra</link>
  <average_rating>2.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>5</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[IN the literature of all countries there will be found a certain number of works treating   especially of love. Everywhere the subject is dealt with differently, and from various points   of view. In the present publication it is proposed to give a complete translation of what is   considered the standard work on love in Sanscrit literature, and which is called the   `Vatsyayana Kama Sutra', or Aphorisms on Love, by Vatsyayana.     While the introduction will deal with the evidence concerning the date of the writing, and   the commentaries written upon it, the chapters following the introduction will give a   translation of the work itself. It is, however, advisable to furnish here a brief analysis of   works of the same nature, prepared by authors who lived and wrote years after Vatsyayana   had passed away, but who still considered him as the great authority, and always quoted   him as the chief guide to Hindoo erotic literature.     Besides the treatise of Vatsyayana the following works on the same subject are procurable   in India:     The Ratirahasya, or secrets of love     The Panchasakya, or the five arrows     The Smara Pradipa, or the light of love     The Ratimanjari, or the garland of love     The Rasmanjari, or the sprout of love     The Anunga Runga, or the stage of love; also called Kamaledhiplava, or a boat in the   ocean of love.     The author of the `Secrets of Love' was a poet named Kukkoka. He composed his work to   please one Venudutta, who was perhaps a king. When writing his own name at the end of   each chapter he calls himself `Siddha patiya pandita', i.e. an ingenious man among learned   men. The work was translated into Hindi years ago, and in this the author's name was   written as Koka. And as the same name crept into all the translations into other languages   in India, the book became generally known, and the subject was popularly called Koka   Shastra, or doctrines of Koka, which is identical with the Kama Shastra, or doctrines of   love, and the words Koka Shastra and Kama Shastra are used indiscriminately.     The work contains nearly eight hundred verses, and is divided into ten chapters, which are   called Pachivedas. Some of the things treated of in this work are not to be found in the   Vatsyayana, such as the four classes of women, the Padmini, Chitrini, Shankini and   Hastini, as also the enumeration of the days and hours on which the women of the   different classes become subject to love, The author adds that he wrote these things from   the opinions of Gonikaputra and Nandikeshwara, both of whom are mentioned by   Vatsyayana, but their works are not now extant. It is difficult to give any approximate idea   as to the year in which the work was composed. It is only to be presumed that it was   written after that of Vatsyayana, and previous to the other works on this subject that are   still extant. Vatsyayana gives the names of ten authors on the subject, all of whose works he   had consulted, but none of which are extant, and does not mention this one. This would   tend to show that Kukkoka wrote after Vatsya, otherwise Vatsya would assuredly have   mentioned him as an author in this branch of literature along with the others.     The author of the `Five Arrows' was one Jyotirisha. He is called the chief ornament of   poets, the treasure of the sixty-four arts, and the best teacher of the rules of music. He says   that he composed the work after reflecting on the aphorisms of love as revealed by the   gods, and studying the opinions of Gonikaputra, Muladeva, Babhravya, Ramtideva,   Nundikeshwara and Kshemandra. It is impossible to say whether he had perused all the   works of these authors, or had only heard about them; anyhow, none of them appear to be     in existence now. This work contains nearly six hundred verses, and is divided into five   chapters, called Sayakas or Arrows. ]]>
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    <author>
    <id>31487</id>
        <name><![CDATA[Mallanāga Vātsyāyana]]></name>
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    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/31487.Mallan_ga_V_tsy_yana]]></link>
    <average_rating>3.64</average_rating>
    <ratings_count>506</ratings_count>
    <text_reviews_count>68</text_reviews_count>
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  </authors>  <published>500</published>
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    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jan 11 18:30:25 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jan 12 15:24:45 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I give this a two star, almost one. Not Vatsyayana's best work. I found it somewhat anti-climatic in the middle, not to mention the lack of full disclosure, which as Chase mentioned, did lead to injury. I do, however, look forward to the sequel.<br/><br/>Not a must read. I find it somewhat similar...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42735382">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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