One cannot but agree that the word “Kama Sutra” in the imagination of modern people evokes scenes of exotic decadence that attract and even seem a bit illegal. Translated into thousands of different languages, the oldest Sanskrit treatise in the world is actually a much more complex work than just listing practical sexual advice. He deeply and meaningfully describes the art of love, regulates the issues of sensual relations between partners in accordance with ancient Indian laws. The text sets out the curious subtleties that were practiced in ancient India, not applicable to modern life, but at least interesting topics for discussion.
It is believed that the Kamasutra treatise, which is the most famous of the collection of ancient Indian erotic texts, was written by a scientist, philosopher, and monk named Vatsyayana Mullanaga around the third century. Rather, he collected and revised in his work a number of already existing stories, religious in nature. In some ancient Indian scriptures there are stories that tell of how the Kama Sutra was created. The art of love, according to one myth, was bestowed upon mankind by the gatekeeper of the god Shiva, the sacred bull Nandi. One day he heard how the god Shiva and his wife Parvati indulged in intimate pleasures. The episode inspired the sacred bull so much that he uttered great words about love, about what role it plays in human life, which the sages wrote down to pass from generation to generation as instructions for the successful continuation of the human race. Another story tells us that the Vedic creator god Prajapati, associated with conception and procreation, recited 10, 000 chapters of the Kama Sutra. Later, the god Shiva gathered them together in a single text, and the son of the sage Uddalaki, Svetaketu, which is the quintessence of the personality of the seeker of knowledge, reduced it to 500 chapters. By the way, in the Mahabharata, Svetaket is credited with the saying that "a woman should be limited to one husband for life."
Written in a rather complicated Sanskrit form, the text of the Kama Sutra is the only one that has survived to this day from those of that historical period. In scientific circles, the ancient Indian art of love is studied in order to understand the life of society, the social mores of that time. It is believed that Vatsyayana Mullanaga himself, being a monk who accepted celibacy, creating his own work on the basis of sexual knowledge accumulated over the centuries, perceived such activity as a form of meditative practice. In the fifteenth century, the work Ananga Ranga was published, based on the Kama Sutra, but written in a more accessible form, not in Sanskrit. As a result, over the centuries, it has virtually supplanted the ancient text and remained the main source of knowledge about sexual pleasures. At that time, when the Europeans mastered (more precisely, colonized) the Hindustan Peninsula, they were passionate about Eastern texts. It was at this time that the participation of Anang Rank led to the fact that people again became interested in a more ancient source.
While the art of love in the context of sensory being is the essence of the treatise, it is attributed to the religious faith and traditions of the Hindu system. Ancient texts describe the four main goals in human life - dharma (virtue), artha (material well-being), kama (lust) and moksha (salvation). They rule three ages: childhood, youth and old age. The Vedic concept of “kama”, similar to the ancient Greek Eros, is one of the main cosmogonic principles, the sovereign world power. Vatsyayana, instructing the reader, says that a rational and righteous person should wisely and rationally organize his life so that he can practice religion, become rich and enjoy sensual pleasures, learn the true art of love.
A man who tries to learn and understand the desires of women, and also chooses the right time and place for all this, can easily win the love of even that woman who is considered impregnable. The text has some interesting concepts that are relevant in modern times. For example, practical information about reading the language of the female body, the recognition that there are differences between women, which form of love courtship to choose for each individual case.
Psychologists who have studied the text draw attention to the fact that it contains positive messages in terms of creating equal and gentle relations between a man and a woman. The exquisite art of love, which includes various affection, kissing, sexual positions, is designed to increase the physical connection between partners, to offer a creative and brighter aspect of the relationship.
