KAMA SUTRA?!

One of the most recognized groups of text in the world is the ancient Indian text that is almost always referenced in popular culture, the Kama Sutra. This text was written by a Hindu philosopher named Vatsyayana between the 4th and 6th century, which was a time period well before the anatomical claims mentioned in Thomas Laqueur’s Making Sex: Body and Gender from Greeks to Freud. This example was chosen because it raises a question about how culture, relevant to region, influences the science and social science of sex. Before we can dive into the analysis of the Kama Sutra, let’s quickly review what the text is all about.

The Kama Sutra has thirty six chapters which are separated into seven parts. The first part of the book talks about the three goals of life which are: “the acquisition of knowledge, conduct of the well-bred townsman, and reflections on intermediaries who assist the lover in his enterprises.” The second part of the text is about the amorous advances and sexual union. Here we see the book providing details of up to sixty four different types of sexual acts, everything from different ways of kissing, sexual positions, and types of embraces. The second part is probably the most notable and popularized of all. The third part is about acquiring a wife. It’s five chapters long and is all about meeting a girl and making her feel comfortable, then eventually marrying her. Notice that it’s for a male’s point of view. The fourth part is about the duties and privileges of the wife which is only spread into two chapters. The fifth part is delves into other men’s wives and the behavior between man and woman. The sixth part is about courtesans, which are also noted during the Renaissance era in Europe. These six chapters are about advice of the assistants on the choice of lovers and looking for a steady lover. The seventh and final part is about improving physical attractions and arousing a weakened sexual power.

I think it’s important to get an idea of who the Kama Sutra is intended for. Is it written to provide a mutual sensation for both males and females? It doesn’t quite follow the one-sex model as Laquer emphasized throughout most of his article, but it does agree with his point that “context determines sex in the world of two sexes as well” in his conclusion (113). But could the book be more geared towards females? Or is it more geared towards the males? The Kama Sutra could possibly be more of a guide for men because of its hints for finding the other female and taking care of her. There is no guide for women on how to approach men, so this could mean that in the pre-Renaissance era in India, male dominance had an influence on culture, just as Laquer had suggested in Making Sex: Body and Gender from Greeks to Freud by mentioning that anatomically “…one saw only one sex made even words for female parts ultimately refer to male organs” (96). Maybe Vatsyayana believed that the best way to understand sexuality comes from the male perspective, since it was commonly referred to as the standard back in antiquity. Could the Kama Sutra have been written to further promote reproduction, though? Laquer did state that “the specific claim that female orgasm was necessary for conception was, moreover, known to be vulnerable since antiquity” (66). It’s very possible that this idea existed before the Renaissance era and in a distant land. Perhaps the Kama Sutra was a way to help provide the extra stimulus, arousal, and to intensify pleasure to insure fertilization. All the chapters in the book about different ways to perform intercourse and improving sexual attractions and arousing a weakened sexual power could be seen as a huge cultural factor to promoting and allowing successful conception. Perhaps Vatsyayana agreed with the notion presented by Laquer from the Renaissance era that “foreplay was taken as a requisite prelude to procreative intercourse” (67). Could the Kama Sutra still exist as the traditional means of conception in India in the present day? What contradicts this argument is the fact that nowhere in the brief descriptions of the Kama Sutra did it mention fertility or conception, or even having a family with kids. If Vatsyayana wanted to promote a means of fertility through his book, wouldn’t he have mentioned it so the readers knew what it was meant for? Or maybe back in that time period, it was widely known that the process of fertility could only be brought by the natural pleasures of intercourse.
Another question to keep in mind is if the Kama Sutra had any role in the overpopulation that is occurring in India with over one billion people.

"The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana Index." Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. .


Thomas Laqueur, New Science, One Flesh. Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990. Pp. 63-113.