4.1. Summary of Kāma-sūtra Book 4: Bhāryādhikārika

[Full title: Kāma-sūtra Adhikaraṇa IIV—Bhāryādhikārika (bhāryādhikārikam)]

The fourth book of Kāmasūtra titled Bhāryādhikārika [bhāryādhikārikam] or on duties and previlages of wife. This part contains two chapters and eight prakaraṇas and is the continuation of the previous book Kanyāsamprayukta.

Chapter one has two prakaraṇas, where the first prakaraṇa is about the life of an only wife or a virtuous woman. The term “ekacāriṇī” is used here to denote the virtuous woman. She is totally trusting, treats husband like god, always acts in ways compatible with him and takes all the responsibility for the household, and so on^[1]. Towards the parents, relatives, friends, sisters and servants of the husband, she should behave as they deserve^[2]. This prakaraṇa entirely dealt with the house management of the wife. She should keep the house well, cleaned and arrange various kinds of flowers in different parts of the house, make the floor smooth and polished so as to give the whole neat and becoming appearance. She then directed to set up and plant vegetables, spice, herbs, flowering plants etc. in a well-weeded plots of ground in the house and orchard, she makes charming plots of open ground and has a well-dug or a pool or a pond in the middle of it^[3]. She does not have any contacts with woman who is a beggar, religious mendicant, a Buddhist or Jain nun, promiscuous, a juggler, a fortuneteller or a magician who uses love-sorcery worked with roots. As regards meals, she should always consider what are the likes, dislikes, things good and cause injuries to her husband. If he has spent too much or spent the wrong amount, she must advice him in private. The wife is enabled to go to attend functions only with the prior permission of husband. She should lies down only after him and gets up before him. In the event of any misconduct on the part of her husband, she must not blame him excessively, though she be a little displeased^[4]. It is directed that the women should keep her body, teeth, hair and everything belonging to her tidy, sweet and clean. When she approaches husband should dress finely with gorgeous ornaments. At appropriate times of the year and when they happen to low price, she should buy furniture, vessels, perfumes, spices, medicines etc. Then, save the seeds of all sorts of edible plants and plant them appropriate seasons^[5]. She must calculate the annual income and adjust the expenditure to it. She collects string bags, cords, ropes and bark-fibers and must know about the wages and maintenance of servants. She must concentrate upon the tilling of fields, cure of the cattle, and upkeep of the carriages. She looks after the domestic animals and birds. The worn-out clothes should be given to those servants who have done good work. She may collect and stock wines and liquors. She should treat the parents of her husband as they deserve and should be liberal towards her servants and reward them on holidays and festivals; and not give away without the permission of husband^[6].

The second prakaraṇa of this chapter is on behavior of a wife during the absence of her husband. This topic may consider as an appendix of the previous. During the absence of husband, the wife should wear only her auspicious ornaments and observe the fasts in honor of the gods. While anxious to hear the news of husband, she should still look after her household affairs. She sleeps with her mother-in-law and accomplishes her tasks with the approval of mother-in-law and father-in-law. She also continues the works that have been begun by him before his journey. To the abode of her relations, she should not go except on; occasions of joy and sorrow accompanied by her husband’s servants and not remain there for a long time. The income should be increased and the expenditure diminished as much as possible. When he returns, she appears to him first in her ordinary dress and she honors the gods and brings gifts^[7].

The chapter ends by the concluding verses;

“The wife, whether she be a woman of noble family, a virgin widow remarried or a courtesan, should lead a chaste life devoted to her husband and doing everything for his welfare. Women acting thus acquire the goals of life, power, and position and generally keep their husbands devoted to them^[8].

Chapter two of this book contains six prakaraṇas. Of them, the first is on the conduct of the elder wife towards the other wives of a man. Firstly there are five things have been said as the causes of remarriage during the lifetime of the wife. They are; the folly and ill temper of the wife, husband’s dislike to her, the want of offspring, the repeated birth of daughters and the incontinence of the husband. So, from the very start, a woman should try to avoid this by making known her devotion, fine character and cleverness. She must force him for a remarriage if there is any of the above-mentioned reasons are seen. In addition, when she is being supplanted by the application of all her powers she should establish her own position as highest^[9]. When the husband is married and brought his co-wife to the house, the first wife should consider her as a sister. Making an extra-ordinary effort, she helps her dress and makes herself up in the evening and she makes sure that the husband knows about this. The elder wife should teach the erotic lessons to the junior wife. She should treat her children as her own, consider, care and respect the servants, friends and relatives of the junior wife more than her own. If there are many co-wives besides her, the elder should associate with one who is immediately next to her. If the husband gives more care or consideration to one of the co-wives, the elder wife should make quarrel between them by the help of other wives and in case there be a little quarrel, she should do all she can to work it up into a serious quarrel and herself take initiatives to solve the problem. This will make the elder wife lovable in the mind of husband^[10].

The second prakaraṇa is on the conduct of younger wife towards the elder ones. The younger wife must consider her senior co-wives, as like her mother and without her permission or knowledge, she has no right to give anything to anybody. Even to sleep with their husband also need permission of the senior. She must care and consider the children of the senior wife as her own. Treat husband in secret and do not tell her sufferings from co-wives to him. But, she can communicate this through a third person. The younger wife should try to attain special considerations from husband other than co-wives.

Gonardīya opines;

“Out of fear of the senior wife, the junior seeks only a secret love taken from husband. If the elder co-wife is unlucky in love and has no children, younger wife should sympathize with her and should ask their husband to sympathize in her, but should surpass her in leading the life of a chaste woman”^[11].

The third prakaraṇa deals about the re-married widows. A widow, who is tormented by the weakness of the senses and so find, again, a man who enjoys life and is well endowed with good qualities is called a widow-remarried.

The exponents from Bābhravya School says,

“A virgin-widow should not marry a person whom she may be obliged to leave because of his worst character, or of his being destitute of the excellent qualities of a man, or of his being obliged to have recourse to other person”^[12].

As the cause of a widow’s marrying again is her desire for pleasure, and as pleasure is secured by the possession of good qualities in her husband, joined to a love of enjoyment. It is therefore better to secure a person endowed with such qualities in the first instance. This is the opinion of Gonardīya School of erotic experts^[13].

By compiling both of the opinions raised by the predecessors, Vātsyāyana states:

“A woman (widow) may marry any person she likes and thinks that he will be suitable to her”^[14].

Then the duties of a remarried widow are described here. Where, she is directed to obtain money from husband for arranging drink parties, picnics, faith offerings and other gifts for her friends and relatives. If the women leave the men of her own accord, she must give back everything he has given her except for his love gifts. If husband throws her out, she does not give anything back. She should live in the house of her husband like one of the chief members of the family by treating other women of the family with kindness, generosity in servants and all the friends of the house with familiarity and good temper. She has skill and greater knowledge in the sixty-four arts, when there happening occasions for quarrel, she herself scolds the man. She should practice and apply the sixty-four arts of love in her husband in private. She should behave favorably to the co-wives and give ornaments and other gifts to their children. She must give even more things to his entourage and his crowd of friends. Finally, she is always in the mood for drinking parties, picnics, festivals and such amusements^[15].

The fourth prakaraṇa is on the conduct of a wife who disliked by husband. Here, such women are directed to make kindness and trust in the mind of husband. For this, she should approach one among the co-wives, whom the husband serves more than others. She should teach her all the arts with which she is acquainted. She acts as a nurse of the husband’s children in other wives. She should convince his friends and then gifts them to tell him about her devotion to him. In religious ceremonies, vows and fasts, she should be a leader. In bedroom, she requites her husband’s passion in a way that suits him and she does not scold or show her husband any contrariness. If the husband is attracted in any women, the unlucky wife should bring that woman for her husband. Out of all, behave herself in such a way as may lead him to look upon her as an ideal and devoted wife^[16].

The fifth prakaraṇa is on the women of the harem. It is said that the female attendants should bring flowers, ointments, clothes etc. from the wives of the king for the king. After receiving such items, the king should send things worn by him the previous day along with the presents to the attendants. In the afternoons, well-costumed king should visit and interact with the women of the harem, who should also be well decorated. The king should chats and jokes with the harem women according to their age and status. In exactly the same way, he approaches the remarried women, courtesans and the dancing girls in the harem. These should be done in their own private rooms only^[17]. The harem attendants should keep track of the roster come to him followed by the servants of the women, whose turn it is to spend the night with the king, of the women who has been passed over on her night and of the women who is in her period’s season. The attendants should place before the king accepts the ointment of one of them; she has been accepted and will sleep with the king that night^[18]. At festivals, musical concerts, exhibitions etc. all the wives of the king should be treated with respect and served with drinks. No the women of the harem not go out, or do women from outside enter, except for those whose purity is well known. Finally, the work, which the king’s wives have to do, should not be too fatiguing^[19].

The last prakaraṇa of this chapter and also this book is on a man’s management of many women. It is depicted in some verses, where some directions are given for the citizen that how to manage many wives. A man who has married many women, he must treat them equally. Neither disregards nor passes over their faults^[20]. He should not reveal to one wife the love, passion, blemishes in the body and confidential reproaches of the other^[21]. Do not give them opportunity to anyone of them to speak ill of another. If it happens, he should tell them that they have exactly the same illness in their character too^[22]. The man should keep his wives happy, one by confiding her privately, another by honoring in public and another with his love gifts^[23]. The man should individually enchant each of his women with pleasure trips, luxuries, gifts, honors to her family and specially with sexual pleasures^[24].

The subject concludes by describing the essence of the entire book:

“A young women who is of a good temper and conducts herself according to the percepts of the law texts, wins her husband’s attachment and obtain superiority over her co-wives”^[25].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 1. 1-2

[2]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 1. 3-5

[3]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 1. 6-8

[4]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 1. 9-20

[5]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 1. 23-29

[6]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 1. 32-41

[7]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 1. 42-47

[8]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 1. 48

[9]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 1-3

[10]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 4-15

[11]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 16-30

[12]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 31-33

[13]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 34

[14]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 35

[15]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 36-44

[16]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 45-54

[17]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 55-62

[18]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 63-64

[19]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 65-66

[20]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 67

[21]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 68

[22]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 69

[23]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 70

[24]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 71

[25]:

Kāmasūtra, 4. 2. 72