Le Kama soutra

by Vatsyayana

Le Kama Soutra

Genres: Nonfiction, Classics, Philosophy, Sexuality, Erotica, India, History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 300

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unable to read. Pages were stuck together.

[Erik Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like most children, my brother and I knew where everything was in our house, paying particular attention to the things we weren't supposed to know about. This book was contained in a shoebox in the closet of my parent's bedroom.

The Kama Sutra is commonly mismarketed as a sex guide or as pornography. Although courtesans are mentioned, it is not about the sex trade but includes discussion of marriage, adultery, transvestism, homosexuality etc. Most memorable from the childhood perusal of it is the long listing of positions for coitus, many, if not all, of them named for various animals. This was weirdly fascinating, not for any erotic charge--there isn't any--but for the suggestions it implanted about how strange Indian culture must have been.

I suppose Mom and Dad must have been disappointed also, neither of them having evinced any particular interest in the mores of medieval India.

[Nguyên Trang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sutra nghĩa là kinh. Phàm kinh cổ thì cứ nên đọc hết, bất cứ thuộc tôn giáo tín ngưỡng nào thì cũng đều hay cả. Hay thì nó mới thành kinh và tồn tại tới giờ ;)) Kama nghĩa là khoái lạc thì lại càng nên đọc lắm =)) Tóm lại, Kama Sutra hay vì nó đúc rút từ cả một nền văn hóa rực rỡ, tồn tại qua thử thách thời gian và quan trọng nhất: Nó rất là thật, rất con người, điều sách vở hiện đại vốn đạo đức tới vô đạo đức thường không có =))))

Đến cả một người thuộc diện ham đọc như tôi mà giờ mới đọc Kama Sutra thì đúng là cuốn sách này bị hậu thế lãng phí quá :"> Kama Sutra thì tất nhiên là có các thể loại sex position mà tất cả các bạn có ý định sex đều nên học hỏi ;)) Nhưng khác với sex thông thường bắt đầu bằng động chạm thì Kama Sutra bắt đầu từ suy nghĩ, tức là dạy cách tán nhau á =)) buồn cười vãi nồi có dạy cưa vợ kẻ thù rồi thì làm sao để moi hết tiền của đàn ông và đá họ gọn gàng =))

Tất nhiên có những vấn đề nhỏ như quan điểm trọng nam, rồi dính líu tôn giáo nữa và thành thật là có nhiều cái không xa lạ gì nhưng kiểu gì cũng học hỏi được không nhiều thì ít. Mà chả học hỏi thì sách cũng có tính giải trí rất cao =))) Nên đọc nên đọc (nhưng đừng giới thiệu cho người yêu đọc hoho)

[Hoda Elsayed · Rating 2 out of 5]

الكاماسوترا: نص هندي قديم يتناول السلوك الجنسي فى المجتمع الهندى فى المقام الأول.
تحدّث عن الضرما والأرثا والكما، عن أوضاع الجماع.
عن استمالة قلب المرأة الهندية، واستمالتها للرجل، وطقوس زواجهم.
عن الزوجات، وزوجات الآخرين.
الطريف هُنا هو مسميات الأشياء فمثلًا تجد قفزة الأرنب، ووثبة الكلب، وجماع قطيع البقر. :'D

الكاتب يناقش الموضوع بأسلوب أبعد ما يكون عن الألفاظ البذيئة.
الأمور هنا تتم بروحانية على الطريقة الهندية.

يقول فاتسياتانا مؤلف الكتاب:
"ما دامت هناك شِفاه تُقبَِل، وعيون تُبصِر
فإن هذا الكتاب سيبقى وسيهب لك الحياة"

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Admittedly I was curious as to what this book actually was. It's an infamous book that has made it on to numerous "must read before you die" and "taboo" book lists, but that doesn't necessarily mean I knew what it was. When I had the chance to read this small snippet of it I took it. I remember hearing it was a guide of sorts on sex. It isn't necessarily a "how to" guide on sexual positions so don't come with that mind set if you want to read it. There are descriptions and pictures on certain positions but not "put hand here while licking neck of partner" kind of instructions. A few people I know thought that which makes me laugh now because how is any of that sexy haha.

This was a quick read version with art and words of long ago that I enjoyed reading. You have to appreciate that someone took the time to make a guide promoting equality in sexual pleasure. Heck some people don't even believe these things even now. If you think you'll be embarrassed to read the Karma Sutra but are still curious then I suggest giving this edition a shot. It's short at only 64 pages so won't take too much time to finish. I wouldn’t mind reading a different version for comparison in the future.

[Laura V. لاورا]

Non riesco ad assegnare un voto in stelle a questa lettura che, lo confesso, ho fatto fatica a portare a termine.
Se qualcuno pensa che si tratti di un testo similpornografico, sta fresco! 😅
La curiosità mi ha spinto ad aprire queste famigerate pagine, cosa che avevo in programma da tanto tempo, poi sempre puntualmente rimandata. E avrei fatto bene a rimandarla ancora perché non dico che sia di una noia mortale, ma certo gli sbadigli sono fioccati durante i tentativi di lettura che, a passo di bradipo, spesso si sono ridotti a una/due paginette per volta, e neanche tutti i giorni.
In Occidente si è diffuso il falso mito del Kamasutra come peccaminoso libro a sfondo esclusivamente sessuale, ma ci si sbaglia di grosso; sì, ovvio, si parla in maniera esplicita anche di sesso (probabilmente oggi roba per principianti ed educande al confronto di tanta volgarità qui in circolazione a livello sia reale che virtuale), però il Kamasutra è anzitutto un forte concentrato di filosofia indiana in relazione a una società molto complessa (basti solo pensare al sistema delle caste) che la nostra cultura fatica a comprendere pienamente, tant'è che esso viene considerato un autentico capolavoro di antica letteratura sotto quelle latitudini. Una sorta di manuale di comportamento di certo non rivolto agli appartenenti alla casta più bassa, ma a chi abbia buone risorse finanziarie al punto tale da pagare mogli e anche cortigiane.
A parte la noia pura e semplice dei capitoli in generale, alcuni paragrafi inducono al sorriso, se non a fragorose risate; per esempio: "I differenti modi di percuotere, i lamenti e i miagolii appropriati" (si sappia che alla fine di un rapporto "devono essere emessi suoni simili a quelli delle quaglie o delle
oche"); "Il compito della mezzana"; "I metodi per riuscire a ottenere denaro" (esistono "metodi naturali o legali e metodi artificiali"); etc. 🤣🤣🤣
Mi perdonino gli amanti della cultura indiana (di cui, in verità, mi affascina lo Yoga), non è mia intenzione essere irriverente, ma si riconoscerà che si tratta davvero di un mondo assai lontano dal nostro. E siamo noi - questo lo affermo seriamente - a mancare purtroppo di spiritualità.
Libro consigliato ad altri lettori?
Solo se fortemente motivati.

[Katelyn Jenkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

A seemingly antiquated theory of finding love, giving it, and keeping it. As stated prior. I do wish to respect all religions, especially those of the Hindu dharma. Although there are some good points in here, most is thorny, demeaning to women, and misleading to men. It's not very poignant in it's explainations or tied to any real truth. It bothers me.

I find there are better ways to advise love. Honestly. The truth is differnent from the media's interpretation of what Kama Sutra is, which would be, an intuitive guide to basically all concievable sexual positions.

It's a lot more than that. This book is a religious text, meant for followers of the faith a guide to fullfilling love life. It's a way out there culture, for me, an American. Being said, it is a good break into what ciuld be an influential finding of human behavior. Not of love, but what could be. It's interesting, but can also cloud good judgement, and obscure rightous conduct.

All I have to say, thank you all. Please do not let my review discourage you from diverisfying your views, this is just my take, make wisdom of what you find.

[Aleksandar Janjic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Као што је наведено у Уводу, Кама Сутра (што у преводу значи нешто као "афоризми о љубави" (погледајте како учено и образовано можете да звучите кад прочитате увод неке књиге!)) је дјело које је у оригиналу заузимало импресивних хиљаду поглавља, док је ово скраћена верзија скраћене верзије скраћене верзије коју је саставио легендарни мудри старац Ватсјајана. Књига обилује толико корисним савјетима да је просто невјероватно како су људи уопште успијевали да воде љубав прије њеног појављивања, тј. како је човјечанство уопште доспјело до степена развоја да може да компонује једну Кама Сутру. Живот је заиста пун мистерија. Једна од њих је можда и шта се до ђавола десило са оригиналним текстом од хиљаду поглавља (којег је ова књига можда петнаести дио или тако нешто). Али ово лупам напамет јер ми је мрско да гуглам, тако да то на крају крајева можда и није никаква мистерија.

Но, да се ми посветимо анализи овог ултимативног текста о љуцким љубавним и кексуалним односима. Корисност савјета изложених овде не може бити јаснија него нпр. кад бацимо поглед на сљедећи пасус:

"The wedge on the bosom, the scissors on the head, the piercing instrument on the cheeks, and the pincers on the breasts and sides may also be taken into consideration (...) but Vatsyayana is of the opinion that the practice of them is painful, barbarous, and base, and quite unworthy of imitation."

Да сам умро прије десет дана, уопште ми не би пало на памет да жену не треба млатити маказама по глави или јој пробијати образ шарафцигером. Кад је о злостављању ријеч, ипак се треба ограничити на оно које можете да спроведете голим рукама:

"When the man, making the sound Phat, strikes the woman on the head with the fingers of his hand a little contracted, it is called Prasritaka, which means striking with the fingers of the hand a little contracted."

Међутим, Кама Сутра није само књига о вођењу љубави (у ужем смислу). Тај дио заправо заузима само једно поглавље. Овде можете да нађете и гомилу практичних савјета општије природе, нпр. како доћи до дјевојке која вам се свиђа, ако иста одбије да сарађује:

"The man should, with the connivance of the daughter of the nurse, carry off the girl from her house while she is asleep, and then, having enjoyed her before she recovers from her sleep, should bring fire from the house of a Brahman, and proceed as before." (Ако занемаримо врло респектабилно умијеће неопходно да украдете цуру док спава, однесете је кући и обљубите, све то прије него што се пробуди, неко би могао да прокоментарише како је ово заправо чисто силовање, али то само показује колико је данашње друштво запало у жабокречину политичке коректности.)

"When the girl goes to a garden, or to some village in the neighborhood, the man should, with his friends, fall on her guards, and having killed them or frightened them away, forcibly carry her off, and proceed as before." (Ако би органи реда и закона замјерили на овако мирном и достојанственом методу завођења, то би био знак крајње злобности с њихове стране).

С друге стране, не желећи да доводим у сумњу неограниченост мудрости старих Индијаца, а посебно премудрог и пресвијетлог Ватсјајане, усуђујем се у својој нискости и неразумијевању да за, уз максимално уважавање, запитам о дјелотворности неких савјета наведених у књизи. На примјер, у поглављу које описује како да улетите у краљев харем (да, има и то):

"He may also go in and out, concealed in a folded bed, or bed covering, or with his body made invisible, by means of external applications, a recipe for one of which is as follows:
The heart of an ichneumon, the fruit of the long gourd (Tumbaki), and the eyes of a serpent should all be burned without letting out the smoke; the ashes should then be ground and mixed in equal quantities with water. By putting this mixture upon the eyes a man can go about unseen."

Ето, ако сте се икад запитали о рецепту за невидљивост - ето вам га ту. Нема никакве сумње да је он некад функционисао, јер га иначе премудри мудрац Ватсјајана сигурно не би ставио у своју књигу, али да ли би неко данас могао то да искористи нпр. да ушета и опљачка неку банку, то је већ отворено за расправу.

Коначно, морам да се осврнем на сљедећи пасус:

"If a man mixes the powder of the milk hedge plant and the kantaka plant with the excrement of a monkey and the powdered root of the lanjalika plant, and throws this mixture on a woman, she will not love anybody else afterward."

Можда вам се може учинити да овај савјет није сасвим добар, тј. да би гађање вољене особе мјешавином егзотичног индијског биља и мајмунског измета прије узроковало да она замрзи ВАС умјесто будућих удварача, али то је само зато што смо се ми у ово модерно вријеме одвојили од природе па не можемо да спознамо њене ефекте на различите аспекте нашег живота. Замислите да сте знали за овај савјет кад сте били јако млади и кад сте у директном преносу гледали како вашу средњошколску симпатију отима неки идиот само зато што су вам се ноге одсијецале сваки пут кад сте близу ње! (Ooops, this was oddly specific...)

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always wondered about this book after I heard about it in my history class in 8th grade. When I was downloading things on ibook I saw this and I felt myself enough of an adult to finally read it without being embarrassed.

It was a historical guide to relations with the opposite sex in all different castes in India. So this included the beggar all the way to royalty. To be honest much of it was tiresome and repetitive, but then every once in awhile you would stumble on something interesting like how the women of a polygamist should always be fighting one another unless it causes to much discomfort to the husband. Just all the women's rights just never existed and they were treated worse than cattle, since cattle of course are holy in India.

It would also talk about how best to cheat on your spouse, and how you could tell if someone was cheating on you.

Courtship was also very interesting with its formalities and what was permitted. Pressing with nails and biting were something that always came up in the book as something to communicate to others either by doing it to them, or by biting or pressing you nails on a gift for them like a flower.

There was also a couple chapters on sex, but they can be easily skipped if that's not your cup of tea. Especially the chapter on Eunuchs, just wierd.

An odd book that after reading a few choice parts to my spouse, we were left laughing out loud a few times. I am glad to say that I now have an opinion about this "historical classic".

[Rudy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've come to the conclusion that part 2 of The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, or, Aphorisms of love, is the only part I think worth reading. I can't think of a better word than "worth," so for now I will stick with it.

The Kama Sutra is a collection of teachings about love, ranging from congress, to attraction, to conquering, and maintaining relationships. These topics are taught in a manner that I think don't engender any true love and are extremely outdated. Teachings of the Kama Sutra include finding another wife if the first turns out to be infertile, whereas if the husband turns out to be infertile, nothing is said on that topic. The love that I've come to know does not constitute leaving a partner due to a biological predicament. The book also goes on to emphasize a woman's conduct to be centered around the husband and obey all of his orders. She gives up her dignity and potential for this. A man is encouraged to give his wife jewels and congress, which does not take away from his dignity or potential.

I understand that my western and modern perspective gets in the way of my review, but one thing that I heeded was that in marriages with multiple wives, there is a hierarchy ranging from the "favorite" to the least liked-as mentioned in the book. When you love your children or your friends, and I mean really love them, I don't think hierarchies are relevant to that love.
I do appreciate the mentions of same sex love-making and oral congress with mutilated men, but these are extremely short. Nevertheless for a religious text, I'm glad it does not look negatively on it.

Now, I recognize that this is a product of its time; I do not think it should or can be applied to the modern western civil society. I say that for all parts of the Kama Sutra except the second part, which one can take notes on. It is made up of different types of love-making positions, rituals, etc… This being said, I did not find anything revolutionary. Of course, you should read every book to form your own opinion, but if you seek to expand your knowledge and expertise in love making, I would suggest other resources first… and definitely do not pay heed to all of these teachings.

1/5

[Amaranta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un prontuario su come raggiungere l’equilibrio nella propria vita che passa attraverso le tre dimensioni importanti per l’uomo: Dharma, la verità che si raggiunge solo con la maturità; Artha, il senso di realizzazione a cui si arriva all’apice della giovinezza; e il Kama, il godimento che passa attraverso il piacere sessuale. Kama-sutra quindi letteralmente parlando racchiuderebbe una serie di aforismi legati all’amore e alla sfera del piacere.
Una volta chiariti i principi base, la trattazione diventa molto tecnica e indica i modi di raggiungere il godimento sessuale, da cui tutto ciò che riguarda la sfera dell’amore inteso come raggiungimento del piacere fisico: baci, abbracci, morsi, i rapporti che un uomo può intrecciare con una donna, le varie categorie di uomo e donna che fra di loro possono legarsi, come nelle caste, i vari tipi di amore fino ad arrivare alle famose posizioni utilizzabili per raggiungere il piacere sessuale, che sono nell’immaginario collettivo la più scandalosa delle parti del libro, nella realtà la più noiosa da leggere e meno interessante ai fini del libro.
Se si leggesse di più e si parlasse di meno molti stereotipi verrebbero a cadere.
Nel complesso una lettura interessante, una disamina lucida e dettagliata, depurata di alcune parti che davvero risultano poco appetibili al lettore, per uno scritto che risale al VI secolo d.C.

[Lish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can respect this book for its culture but man was that a wild ride, I can’t imagine living during that era and having to follow these guidelines 😬 both weirdly progressive in some aspects then it takes three steps back in others

[Nour AlAlii · Rating 2 out of 5]

#مراجعة_كتاب_الكاماسوترا #فاتسيايانا
نص هندي قديم يتناول السلوك الجنسي لدى الإنسان. يعتبر على نحو واسع عمل قياسي للحب في الأدب السنسكريتي. وضع النص الفيلسوف الهندي فاتسيايانا Vatsyayana، كخلاصة قصيرة للكثير من مؤلفات سابقة قديمة مختلفة تعود إلى تقليد يعرف باسم كاما شاسترا Kama Shastra، وهو يعني علم الحب، كلمة كاما Kama تعني الرغبة، بينما كلمة سوترا فتدلل على سلسلة من الحِكَمِ. مصطلح سوترا كان تعبير تقنياً قياسياً هنالك اعتقاد شعبي قديم بأن الفيلسوف فاتسيايانا كان أعزباً ويعتقد أيضا بأنه عاش في وقت ما بين القرنين الأول إلى القرن السادس، في فترة الازدهار الثقافية العظيمة في العصر الغوبتي .أنا مهتمة بقراءة النصوص السنسكريتية لا أعلم لما لكن فلسفتها على مستوى عالي تعجبني بعيداً عن هدفها أو ما تحتويه طبعاً للتنويه القراءة بغير اللغة الأم ستفقدك لذة الكلمات لأن النصوص هذه موزونة ومنظمة بشكل عالي وكأنها قصائد شعرية أو سجع أستمع لها أحياناً داخل فيلم ولكن دون الترجمة لكن تجد فيها لحناً باهراً وانسجام . للوهلة الأولى ستعتبر الكتاب فاسد أو بذيء أو كُتب فقط للذة لكن هذه الأمور هي جزء لا يتجزأ ولا ينفصل عن حياة الإنسان وكان آنذاك كُتب للتعريف بالحب لدى الجاهل والأمي والمبتدأ وللمرأة والرجل كافة، هذا النص ينبثق من صميم الحياة يعطي المرأة مكانها اللائق بها ستفهم أن كل نصوص الكاماسوترا تهدف لغرض وحيد وهو تأليه المرأة وتقديسها باختصار الكتاب أقرب للفلسفة وتطرق للنصائح النفسية والجسدية للمرأة والرجل طبعاً ، ما أحبه أكثر في الأدب السنسكريتي الاستماع لقصص الآلهة المتعددة والمعاركة والمخطوطات والآداب وقوانيهم المعقدة التي يفرضونها وأعيادهم وطقوسهم الغريبة .

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this again the other day in an old stack of books I needed to box up for storage. I ended up reading this again and lending it to a friend, as all good books should end up (if you have friends that return books).
I always find this book interesting and not for the commonly thought reasons. Yes it is a book about sex, but it also a book that leads up to the act by discussing social climates, moods and behavior, psychological conundrums and mindset and energy. There are bold pictures here, showing positions and processes that are interesting as well, and yet the overall read drew my eye to the words, with the plates and pictures as a compliment, always.
This stands as one of the greatest works of relationships, in many ways. It gets talked about as taboo or as outright disgusting old adult literature, but I disagree. There are many things going on in this book and the various positions, in talking, touching and physically exercising the usages here are myriad. Make no mistake, this book gets you going in many ways, but I feel that when the mind is stimulated, the heart and body follow along and the entire experiment yields the desired outcome.
Don't hear many people talk about this book anymore. There are variations of the translation out there in multitude, but this one I enjoy the most.

Danny

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Kama Sutra handles subjects of marriage, hetero- and homosexuality, monogami and polygami alike, how to steal a woman from another man – as well as the life of courtesans, and last mot not least, how to attract a woman by extra ”medicines”.

It handles things quite ”scientifically” and is in no way erotic. In fact, only one out of seven parts discusses ”Sexual Union” while the rest focuses on more cultural issues and etiquette. Most of which are clearly outdated, but hence I have a great general historical interest – I found it both fascinating and, at times, comical to read about how you were supposed to behave around, and treat a woman 2000 or so years ago – also how a woman herself is to treat males of various castes and social standing.

In a way, it is not so different from those classic 19th-20th century ”house wife” books – and when taking time to reflect, it is not so much different from our woman world view before 20th century. The only difference is that in India, it’s been written down in, perhaps you might say, pure scientific matter of fact.

[Huda Aweys]

كنت فاكره هاعرف مصدر (سرسوب) الحب الهندي .. و الرومانسية الاوفر :) اللى بيطلعوا علينا من افلامهم دي :) .. طلع موضوع تانى .. بس ما علينا .. لغاية دلوقتى شايفاه كتاب ديني عادي جدا
بيتناول الموضوع من منحى ديني و روحانى ...
*****
المقدس و المدنس ...
لسه موش قادرين نفهم تأويلاتهم و نفرق و نفصل مابينهم .. لسه موش قادرين نعرف ان احنا اللى بنضفي بافعالنا و تصرفاتنا و نوايانا صفة القداسة او الدناسة على اي شئ .. و ان مافيش شئ بذاته مقدس او مدنس غير اللى ربنا عز وجل اضفى عليه الصفة دى .. و الموضوع اللي بيناقشه الكتاب
موش مدنس في حد ذاته
.....
في القرآن الكريم كان فيه تعرض للمواضيع دي من منحى عقائدي زي ما فى الآية الكريمة :
(فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ)
و من منحى سردي زي ما في سور يوسف ...
و في المسيحية كان فيه (نشيد الانشاد) و اللى عن نفسي باشوفه مجرد شعر رقيق مرهف موش على الحد دا من الابتذال اللى بيحاول يصوره البعض دا غير انه بينسب لسيدنا سليمان و عروسه موش لله عزوجل عموما
فلازم نتقبل مناقشة مواضيع زي دي مادام من جوانب غير مبتذلة .. سواء دينية او علمية .. و لازم نحاول نفهم و نطلع على عقائد و علوم و اديان غيرنا .. لاننا فى مرحلة صدام حضارات دلوقتى :)

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a funny book! Since the book was written in the ancient India, many of the non-sexual instructions like courtship, concubines, courtesan, prostitutes, are just passe and ridiculous!

However, the sexual parts (which is just 1 out of 7 parts of the book)are still thought provoking and could still bewilder one's imaginations! This being an instruction book and an undeniably an indespensable part of classic literature is nothing but a must read piece of work of art.

Thanks again Tata J for lending me this book! I hope you will find more books like this, read them right away and pass them on to your equally voracious brother!

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este livro é um autêntico tsunami cultural. Foca-se nos escritos de Vatsyayana (que terá vivido algures entre os séculos I e VI da nossa era), um dos sábios hindus que, através da observação atenta e da própria experiência de vida, escreveu estes Aforismos sobre o Amor utilizando uma linguagem simples e direta, descrevendo o mundo que o cercava em termos de relacionamentos.
Fiquei fascinada com a cultura que encontrei aqui retratada, que desconhecia por completo. Uma grande surpresa que tive foi ao perceber a diferença abismal da perceção que se tinha da mulher (naquele tempo) na Índia e a que se tinha dela no mundo ocidental - a minha surpresa ao descobrir que neste velho mundo retratado por Vatsyayana as mulheres tinham um mínimo de voz, eram incentivadas a adquirirem cultura de maneira a poderem conversar sobre os mesmos assuntos que/com os homens, estudavam o Kama Shastra antes de se casarem para terem uma ideia do que as esperava (e para descobrirem como dar e receber prazer); os homens eram incentivados a conhecerem realmente as esposas, a não forçarem nada que elas não quisessem de livre vontade, entre outros.
Passo a citar algumas das frases (se fossem todas não saíamos daqui) que me chamaram a atenção ou surpreenderam - devido à época em que isto foi escrito - enquanto lia:
- Tudo quanto um dos amantes faça ao outro deverá ser-lhe retribuído na mesma moeda;
- O homem que proceda de acordo com as inclinações da jovem deve procurar conquistá-la para que ela possa amá-lo e depositar nele a sua confiança. [...] Aquele que sabe fazer-se amar pelas mulheres, assim como contribuir para a sua dignidade e criar confiança nelas, tem assegurado o seu amor. Porém, aquele que não devota a sua atenção à jovem, pensando que ela é demasiado tímida, é desprezado por ela por não compreender o espírito feminino;
- [...]por muito apaixonadamente que um homem ame uma mulher, nunca conseguirá conquistá-la sem conversar muito com ela;
- De todos os amantes de uma rapariga, só será o seu verdadeiro marido aquele que possuir as qualidades que ela preza, e só um marido assim desfruta de verdadeiro ascendente sobre ela porque o é por amor;
- O desejo, que nasce da natureza, é aumentado pela arte [...]. Um homem sagaz, que dependa das suas próprias qualidades, que observe cuidadosamente as ideias e desígnios das mulheres [...] é geralmente bem sucedido com elas;
- A dimensão do amor de uma mulher não é conhecida nem sequer por aqueles que são objecto da sua afeição, devido à sua subtileza, assim como em consequência da cupidez e natural inteligência do sexo feminino.
Como é dito nas observações finais da obra, "trata-se de uma obra que deveria ser estudada tanto por novos como por velhos; estes encontrarão nela verdades autênticas, colhidas da experiência e já comprovadas por eles próprios, ao passo que os primeiros desfrutarão da importante vantagem de aprender coisas que alguns nunca chegarão talvez a aprender ou que apenas poderão aprender quando for demasiado tarde para beneficiar dessa aprendizagem."

Pequena nota: os Kama Sutras que geralmente se vêem por aí a circular (geralmente recheados de imagens explícitas chamativas) não o costumam ser, realmente. Essas versões mais recentes são já uma mistura de pouco ou quase nada de Kama Sutra (digamos, mais teórico) com uma grande parte de Kama Shastra (ciência prática do próprio Kama - prazer apreendido pelos cinco sentidos, embora seja habitualmente associado ao amor, prazer e satisfação sensual). Esta versão que li não tem o Kama Shastra incluído, embora seja mencionado várias vezes ao longo do texto.

[Unknown]

That man over there . . . is a lover who fell madly in love with you at first sight. He has never been afflicted like this before, by anyone else, he is suffering terribly, burning up. It is quite possible that he will even die of this today.

On reflection, it appears that all of human life is permeated by sexuality . . . That is why the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says, ‘Man is sexual.’ Sexuality is the semen of the mind. —Devadatta Shastri, Jaya Commentary
__________
Richard Schmidt, the German translator, would wax lyrical: 'The burning heat of the Indian sun, the fabulous luxuriance of the vegetation, the enchanted poetry of moonlit nights permeated by the perfume of lotus flowers and, not least, the distinctive role the Indian people have always played, the role of unworldly dreamers, philosophers, impractical romantics—all combine to make the Indian a real virtuoso in love.'

The real Kamasutra by contrast, is not the sort of book to read in bed while drinking heavily, let alone holding the book with one hand in order to keep the other free. —Introduction

__________
This is not a book about sex positions, but it's also likely not as "interesting" as you think it is: even the second book for which this work is famous for. It all gets a bit repetitive.

Best read if you've got a historical interest in Ancient India and related customs.

This translation is very readable and can be recommended purely for the inclusion of the extensive included Jayamangala Sanskrit commentary.

['Y' and 'S' below indicate extracts taken from commentaries, not the main text]
__________
In recommending that the man not touch the woman sexually for the first three nights after marriage, using this time to understand her feelings, win her trust, and arouse her love, Vatsayana takes a momentous step in the history of Indian sexuality by introducing the notion of love in sex. He even goes so far as to advance the radical notion thatthe ultimate goal of marriage is to develop love between the couple and thus considers the love-marriage (which the religious texts regarded as ritually ‘low’ and disapproved of, and which is still a rarity in contemporary Indian society) to be the pre-eminent form of marriage.

Y: A man should not be congratulated
If he happens to succeed tag something without knowing its science,
For it is pure chance, like a bookworm eating a hole
In the shape of a letter of the alphabet.

Childhood is the time to acquire knowledge and other kinds of power, the prime of youth is for pleasure, and old age is for religion and release.

Y: There is a saying:
Until the age of sixteen a man is a child,
As long as he eats rice cooked in milk;
He is middle-aged until he is seventy; and after that he is said to be old.

S: Until the age of sixteen, a woman is called a girl, from sixteen to thirty a young woman. After the first age, when they re equal, the men are much older than the women with whom they are matched; a woman is old at fifty, a man at seventy.

Power, in the form of wealth, consists in acquiring knowledge . . .

Pleasure, in general, consists in engaging the ear, skin, eye, tongue, and nose each in its own appropriate sensation, all under the control of the mind and heart driven by the conscious self.

People should not indulge in pleasures . . . they make a man associate with worthless people and undertake bad projects; they make him impure, a man with no future, as well as careless, lightweight, untrustworthy, and unacceptable. And it is said that many men in the thrall of desire were destroyed, even when accompanied by their troops.

Undertake any project that might achieve
The three aims of life, or two, or even just one,
But not one that achieves one
At the cost of the other two.

When a man has become educated, he enters the householder stage of life and begins the lifestyle of a man-about-town, using the money that he has inherited, on the one hand, or obtained from gifts, conquest, trade, or wages, on the other, or from both. He settles down in a. City, a capital city, a market town, or some large gathering where there are good people, or wherever he has to stay to make a living.

But nothing rash should be done merely because of passion.

Y: For sometimes when a woman has made love with one man she may make love with other men who happen to be there. And so it is said:
A fire is never sated by logs,
Not the ocean by the rivers that flow into it;
Death cannot be sated by all the creatures in the world,
Nor a fair-eyed woman by men.

Y: Indeed, woman want a climax that takes a long time to produce, because they desire is eight times that of a man.

The man is aroused by the thought, ‘I am taking her’, the young woman by the thought, ‘I am being taken by him.’

When the wheel of sexual ecstasy is in full motion,
There is no textbook at all, and no order.

The emotions and fantasies
Conjured up in a moment
In the midst of sexual chaos
Cannot be imagined even in dreams.

With the flowers from her hair strewn about, her laughter interrupted by her hard breathing . . .

Y: As Vasishtha says:
‘But a man who copulates
In the mouth of his wife
Causes his ancestors to starve
For fifteen years.
[*Note: The passage that Y cites from Vasishtha is at 12.23, where the ancestors of the man who copulates in the mouth of his wife do not starve for fifteen years but, rather, are forced to eat nothing but his semen for a month.]

For the statement that ’There is a text for this’
Does not justify a practice.
. . . Medical science, for example,
Recommends cooking even dog meat,
For juice and virility;
But what intelligent person would eat it?

A room of his house dedicated to sex, a room decorated, full of flowers, and fragrant with perfume and incense . . .

Never court a girl
With a disgusting name
That is a constellation, a river, a tree,
Or ends in a syllable beginning with ‘l’ or ‘r’.

For it is commonly said: ‘Young women desire right from the start a man whom they know well and see all the time, but, even when they desire him, they do not make advances.’

Whenever he gives her anything or receives anything from her, he invests it with erotic feeling.

This suitor is the best
Because his very nature is love.

Now, there are ten stages of desire, and their signs are: love at first sight, the attachment oft he mind and heart, the stimulation of the imagination, broken sleep, weight loss, revulsion against sensual objects, the loss of all sense of shame, madness, loss of consciousness, and death.

He carries on a conversation that seems to be about something else but has a double meaning, about her . . .

He cooks the heart of a mongoose, the fruits of a fenugreek plant and a long gourd, and snake eyes, over a fire that does not smoke. Then he rubs into this the same measure of the collegium used as eye make-up. When he has smeared his eyes with this, he can move about without a shadow or a body.

When the man arrives, she gives him a love-gift, something that will arouse his love or erotic curiosity, saying, “This is for you alone, and no one else, to enjoy.”
__________
Yashodhara’s comment on 7.1.25 (‘Do this in such a way that the woman you want does not realize, “A man with something spread on his penis is making love to me”’) has inspired at least one reader to remark, ‘Any woman who would let you make love to her with all that stuff smeared on you would have to be madly in love with you already.’

[shakespeareandspice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this edition today at the Art Institute of Chicago and it isn’t ‘The Kama Sutra,’ but simply a collection of paintings with some random blocks of texts—which I didn’t enjoy reading.

[John Carey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Soooo this book was a thoughtful wedding gift from very good friends. It was an auspiciously perfect one at that. And I really wanted to like it but alas here I am one star-ing it. Admittedly I enjoyed the beginning two "books" and of course the hilariously lascivious pictures (it can't be overstated how outrageous they are). However the book ends in basically an ancient spam email on how to INCREASE YOUR SIZe and kEeP it TYGHt. I dunno maybe in reality two stars all in all but the ending was really that dumb. Also kinda rapey at times which is suboptimal so yeah I'll keep it at 1.

[Theresia monica danis rahayu · Rating 4 out of 5]

not just sex n make love, guyzz!!..

[Anna Kells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars. A great finish.

[Harry Allagree · Rating 4 out of 5]

It undoubtedly would've been helpful for me personally had I read this classic work as a younger man, rather than as one now approaching his 80's! Unfortunately, most Americans, hearing the name Kama Sutra, immediately think "sex manual". Here's how the 3rd cent. Indian author, Mallanaga Vatsyayanna, in the Epilogue sums it up:

"...One who understands [the Kama Sutra's] essence
will look to virtue, wealth and pleasure,
his own faith, the world around him,
and not act just out of passion...

Learned and adept in these,
looking to virtue, also wealth
and not seeking only pleasure
with a passion excessive,
he will succeed in what he does."

The Kama Sutra is eminently practical, but also explains the logical reasons behind what it suggests. I noticed, too, that over & over again it makes "recommendations": recognizing that each person has to approach the subject matter in view of his/her own circumstances, locality, social norms, etc. Such a book, it seems to me, would be an invaluable aid in sex education courses in helping young minds understand that it's definitely not "all about sex".

For the record, this edition, beautifully translated from the Sanscrit by A. N. D. Haksar in 2011, is not illustrated. I didn't actually notice this until I started reading some of the descriptions, and realized that probably I'd have been much too distracted from the content of the work had there been illustrations. Having read it and understood its purpose better, it could be helpful now to find a good illustrated edition for further perusal.

[Keiralika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kama Sutra is not only a book about pleasure. Yes, they explained almost every inch of attitude regarding sexuality, profoundly over detailed sometimes, but it also holds the philosophical fundamental practice of Kama. Talking about the perseverance of principles in Dharma, Artha, and Kama without becoming the slave of passions and desires. It’s explained in terms of which kind of attitude we have to take relating to the situation. The 'how-to' approach: so we know what’s been told to be the best and the worst thing to do based on this book of Vatsyayana.

Back in the day, a long time ago, Kama Sutra lay on the mattress inside my house. So easy to grab, joyful to read, thus this book was my first introduction to one form of sexuality. And since then I've always been interested in the beauty of human unity. However, I was too young to learn something so vigorously vital without the presence of wisdom. It was so heavy on sensuality, and so my knowledge betrayed me; the pleasures rained on me every time. I escaped the world to the gate of heaven.

Despite all of my imperfections in my understanding of love and affection, wisdom slowly caught me, even after I ran hundreds of miles away from purity. What it meant to be defiant, slowly changed to finding its honesty in my experiences. There were times I treated pleasure as an equal enemy of me, while it’s always there in a heart of me; I abused my own. Say about anything, but I'm still a man of pleasures, an explorer, and an artist. This book was my milestone, my magician that turned me into a successful lover: a man of Moksha.

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana is a great book that gives a detailed description on several aspects on sex, love and marriage in Sanskriti culture. There's a lot of cultural information in this collection of tales and advice that is really interesting and rather surprising. These examples are made using the highest ideal/potential one can work towards. It's not the general standard that was actually lived by but the standards a person was meant to aim for.

I would use this book as a part of sexual education. A clean, unbiased use of the book would give a decent background to people about what could be possible in a sexual relationship. It's not enough to cram down the negative fallout of what could happen if you have uninformed, unprotected sex. People should learn the varied depth of what emotional and physical pleasure is about.

[Aliaa Mohamed · Rating 3 out of 5]

سمعت كثيراً من قبل عن هذا الكتاب وعن الضجة التي صاحبته فقررت قراءة الترجمة العربية ،وكلما انغمست ف القراءة وجدت أن ما به لا يستحق كل تلك الثرثرة عنه وربما كان ذلك من شعوري بأن الترجمة خفضت من قيمة هذا الكتاب ، بالإضافة إلى شعوري بأنه مبتور وناقص عن النسخة الأصلية .
ف الإجمال الكتاب ليس بالسيئ وليس بالجيد ويعتبر مرجع عن ماهية الحب عند الهنود باعتبارهم أكثر الشعوب اهتماما بذلك ( إلى جانب الضرما والأرثا )

[Meru · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is terrible. I gave it a two because I admit that it is slightly comical in a modern context, but it really just felt like a rape guidebook, which was awkward.

[kavi]

dnf @10

[Chetan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm planning on reading classical Indian literature in the coming year and I decided to start it off with probably what's most famous in the west. The supposed bible of sex, The Kama Sutra. The laws/discourses of sensuality.

Historically the Kama Sutra is a custom-made manual, that would teach young men the art of sensuality before marriage. The belief is that if a couple could share a happy, loving, mutually pleasurable, stable relationship. Every other facet of their lives would bask and prosper from it. In hope of that, this was taught so that couples could be one. Mind, body, and soul.

The Kama Sutra is about pleasure. The physical, the intellectual, and more importantly the spiritual. How women get pleasure. How men get pleasure. How to flirt. How to court. How to seduce, and the importance of consensual relations. The difference in body shapes, and the sizes of our sex organs. What positions benefit different physiques. The intimacy it creates. The different types of sexual unions. How to maintain and deepen a relationship further. How to be an ideal partner, to do right by each other. How to run a household. The belief was that love and sex are vital in one's life and that they should be perfected. So it can take its proper place on the periphery of one's spiritual life.

It also goes on to the subjects such as polygamy and how people change during a relationship. How and why couples should separate, be it age-gap relationships (what we might call groomed relationships today) or various types of abuses that can happen. These imbalances in a relationship can lead to adultery, which is justifiable and Kama Sutra promotes. Only to create balance for a stable relationship. A beneficial state of mind for one to progress further on the spiritual path.

To me, it feels as if there are two contradicting sides to this version of the Kama Sutra translated by Sir Richard Francis Burton. There is the traditional Indian side. That is influenced by Vedanta, Nyaya, and all the other Hindu schools of thought. Who has the highest respect for women, where the oldest and holiest scripture the Rig Veda is written by both genders. The culture that worships God in both her divine feminine and masculine form. You see their influences throughout the book when it comes to the subject of sex. Like in the manner in which sex organs are named, the vagina is called the perfume palace. Imagine if you can, the difference that is in this culture. Where the connotation is to celebrate our most intimate organs and actions, instead of the modern-day tendency to use them for verbal abuse.

Then you have the other side of this book, which has statements that contradict the cultural belief. The use of subtle misogyny, indicating that men are superior, and remarks of homophobia that go against the third gender that's a part of the culture of India. Many concepts are foreign and not found in any school of thought. Like the concept of harems, where women live in zoo-like conditions only to be enjoyed by a polygamous man. This can't be something that comes from the same ethos that created this refined sophisticated sexual dialogue.

It's hard to think that this culture would contribute this book in its current form to the world. There is no doubt that in the last 1500 years the Kama Sutra has had foreign influences creep in. These might have come from the translation to Victorian English or the Mughal conquest of India that preceded the British. In any case, the Kama Sutra is a must-read. You just need to go in with your eyes open or find a better translation.