6. Scope

“The Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyana, as its very title indicates, deals with Kāma, the third end of life in the traditional list of four ends, viz. Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Mokṣa. The very aim and attitude of the work appear to be plebian; it has nothing to do with the subtle philosophical doctrines and dogmas. It may be argued that the work does not reflect the life of the common people but that of the epicure who wants to drink life to the less. But, the secular and earthy atmosphere of the work cannot be associated with people having a high purpose of life or a mission to achieve. That the work betrays carnal carving, and a desire to indulge in the gross sensual pleasures will be evident from the account that follows. So, it may be said to represent human aspirations of the commonest kind, if not those of the common people” (Sures Chandra Banerji, 1993: 188).

One of the aspirations behind the configuration of a text like Kāmasūtra may to divert people from the hands of priesthood and reroute them from the path of renunciation to love life. It is to be noted here that there never heard about a tuned life structure both in normal and sexual existed as prescribed in Kāmasūtra or allied texts, because they are only technical treatises.

Vātsyāyana quotes;

“The purview of Śāstra prevails only till the people are lacking in passion. When the cycle of pleasure starts, there is neither Śāstra nor any order”^[1].

This means, for an inclination like Kāma, only auto-created theories according to mind and occasion are practical and effective. Other textually prescribed theories are useful only in intellectual level. In short, Kāmasūtra is one of the textual productions which designed during the leisure hobbies of a rich community. Foredooming chapters are designed by footing upon this basic thought also.

Discussion on the role and status of the text Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyana among the other available documents in this genre is imoprtant. It is understood from the short descriptions provided on the post Kāmasūtra literature in the second chapter of this thesis that how the authors dealt the subject in its seriousness. There is nothing new in the subjects discussed in those works; only imitations and retellings of Vātsyāyana’s text can be seen. The topics usually discussed in almost all the post—Kāmasūtra literature are the wide descriptions about male and female types according to the size of sexual organs, medicinal applications for sexual treatments and mesmerism, different mantras and various types of complicated postures of intercourse.

In this context Sushil Kumar De argues:

“It can be undoubtedly said that accepting all the internal contradictions, Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyana is an exclusive text dealing almost all the aspects on sexuality. It approaches the subject with much seriousness, justice. In course of time Kāmasūtra became such a definitive treatise that it not only eclipsed all previous works but also diminished the value of later imitative attempts. We can dismiss these later works with just a mention here; for they present no features of essential interest. They are bound to follow authority and fail to evolve independence. They are, in effect, convenient manuals for the rouê, being metrical amplifications mostly of the sex-topics, but, curiously enough, they omit with rare exception the subject of the Veśyā” (1969: 104-105).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

śāstrāṇi viṣayastāvad yāvanmandarasā narāḥ | raticakre pravṛtte tu naiva śāstraṃ na vā kramaḥ || (kāmasūtra, 2. 2. 31)