The Kama Sutra

The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, translated by Richard F. Burton The Kama Sutra - The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vatsyayana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses. "Kama" which is one of the four goals of Hindu life, means desire including sexual desire the latter being the subject of the textbook, and "sutra" literally means a thread or line that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Contrary to popular perception, especially in the western world, Kama sutra is not exclusively a sex manual; it presents itself as a guide to a virtuous and gracious living that discusses the nature of love, family life and other aspects pertaining to pleasure oriented faculties of human life. Kama Sutra, in parts of the world, is presumed or depicted as a synonym for creative sexual positions; in reality, only 20% of Kama Sutra is about sexual positions. The majority of the book, notes Jacob Levy, is about the philosophy and theory of love, what triggers desire, what sustains it, how and when it is good or bad. Vatsyayana - Vatsyayana is the name of a Hindu philosopher in the Vedic tradition who is believed to have lived around 2nd century in India. His name appears as the author of the Kama Sutra. Not to be confused with Paksilasvamin Vatsyayana, the author of Nyaya Sutra Bhashya, the first preserved commentary on Gotama's Nyaya Sutras.