Chapter 2.5 - Eight types of Biting

Biting, though painful, is an essential part in coition. Therefore an old English writer Robert Burton says "All love is a kind of slavery." Even Havelock Ellis accepts it and explains it thus- "The lover is his mistress's servant; he must be ready to undertake all sorts of risk to encounter many dangers, to fulfill many unpleasant duties in order to serve her and to gain her favour... That the infliction of pain is a sign of love is a wide-spread idea both in ancient and modern times. Van De Velde opines- "The normal love-bite generally occurs at the more intense moments of erotic play or during actual coitious, whether in the swift crescend #2 of sensation or the supreme moment. 1 Vatsyayana, who was a keen observer of human feelings and emotions, knew that even in the sphere of normal love a man will often inflict small pains on the woman whom he loves and all the time be curious that she should like them or even experience pleasure in them. Therefore he has discussed the idea of biting in detail in his book. He says that all the places that can be kissed and pressed 1. Psychology of Sex, p.177. 2. Ideal Marriage, p. 138. 181

4 3 with nails are also the places that can be bitten except the upper lip, the interior of the mouth and the eyes. Kokkoka mentions the same places for biting. The Anahga ranga also states the same idea thus. The places which are fit to be printed with nails are also places for biting except the upper lip, the interior of the mouth and the eyes. 5 165 Vatsyayana has given much importance to the qualities of teech. He says- "They should be equal, possessed of brightness, capable of being coloured, of proper proportions, unbroken and with sharp ends. Therefore Jayadeva depicts the beauty of the teeth of Radha through Lord Krsna, who address her thus - "0 beloved, the lustre of your teeth destroys the pitchy darkness, when you utter something."7 Bilhana remembers his beloved's teeth which 3. uttarosthamantarmukham nayanamiti muktva cumbanavadvasana radanasthanani | ka . su . 2.5.1. 4. antarmukhottararadacchadanetra varjya 'sthanesu cumbanavidhih kathitesu yojyah | rati . 9. 1. 5. nakhapradesesu radah prayojya osthananantarnayanani hitva | anamga . 9.30. 6. samah snigdhacchaya ragagrahino yuktapramana niridrastiksnagra iti dasanagunah | ka . su . 2. 5.2. 7. vadati yadi kincidapi dantaruci kaumudi harati daratimiramatighoram | gita . 10. 1 pr . 128.

168 are shining like pearls with a ting of a red. The adjectives which are attributed to the teeth, by Vatsyayana are all described by Vadirajatirtha, when he glorifies the teeth of Lord Krsna. 9 Vatsyayana gives eight types of biting, viz., the hidden bite, the swollen bite, the point, the line of points, the line of the coral, the line of the jewels, 10 the broken cloud and the biting of the boar. Kokkoka 11 accepts all these types. Kalyanamalla names only seven types of biting. He does not include the line of jewels 12 The Kamasutra further directs that the in the list. lower lip is the place on which the hidden bite, the swollen bite and the point are made. 13 -The swollen bite 8. sindurasamlulitamauktikadantakantimabadba hemakatakam rahasi smarami | caura . 16. 1 9. svacchamrdu smitadasa kalitaikadesa laksmikapolala litaksatahetubhutah satkundakuimalasama nibida mamantah krsnasya ramyaradanavatiravirastu || 10. gudhakamucchunakam bindurbindumala pravalamanirmanimala rukmini . 18.51. khandabhakam varahacarvitakamiti dasanacchedanavikalpah | ka . su . 2.5.4. || ratirahasya . 9.2.4. • 12. anamgaramga 9.32.36. 13. tadubhayam binduradharamadhya iti | ka . su . 2.5.7. "

1 * 167 14 and the coral bite are done on the cheek. Both the line of points and the line of jewels are to be impressed on 15 the throat, the armpit and the thighs. The line of points alone is to be impressed on the forehead and the thighs. 16 Breasts are the suitable place for broken cloud and biting 17 of the boar. Most of these places are chosen by the poets to describe the impression of teeth. Lips are the important place for biting. Kalidasa says that Siva enjoyed amorous sports, being impassioned at seeing the face of his beloved, whose eyes were reddened due to want of sleep, whose lower lip was injured owing to the deep tooth mark, kwhose hair was dishevelled and 18 whose tilaka mark was wiped away. While describing the love sport of Siva and Parvati, the poet says that Parvati cooled her lower lip, which was paining being bitten by Siva, in a moment with the cool crescent moon which was on the head of the Siva. 19 Kalidasa pictures the king 14. ucchunakam pravalamanisca kapole | ka . su . 2.5.8. 15. tasmanmaladvayamapi galakascavaksanapradesesu | ka T. su . 2.5. 140 16. lalatecovarvindumala | ka . su . 2.5.15. 17. khandabhakam stanaprsthaeva | varahacarvitakam stanaprsthaeva | ka . su . 2.5.16, 17. 18. sa prajagarakasayalocanam gadhadantapadataditadharam | akulalaka marasta ragavanpreksya bhinnatilakam priyamukham || kumara . 8.88. 19. dastamuktamadharosthamambaka vedanavidhutahasta pallava | sitalena nisvapayatksanam maulicandrasakalena sulinah || kumara . 8.18.

169 Agnivarna who was delighted by the sound of the flute which was being played by a female whose lips were bitten. 20 Magha shows that biting also is one of the means 21 to excite the mind and the body for love-sport. He depicts it in these words- "The love God, who was sleeping in the body of women was awakened by embracing tightly, by dragging hairs, by beating and by marking with nails and teeth. The poet in the description of the Hemanta season, refers to the wounds on the lips which were giving pain due to 22 the cold wind. Further he adds that these biting marks add to the beauty of the females, though they are 23 without any ornaments. The Kamasutra says, if the hiden bite is used forcibly it is called the swollen bite. When the lovers create some pain in biting, it becomes swollen bite. Such type of biting is pictured by Magha 24 20. Supra Fn.23, p. 21. bahupidanakacagrahanabhyamahatena nakhadantanipataih | bodhitastanusayastaruninamunmimila visadam visamesah || sisu . 10.72. 22. bhrsamaduyata yadharapallava ksatiranavarana himamarutaih | sisu . 6.58. 23. ZATATHURHutagi qatta gruytengutaduai auIHT: 1 aninyuh sriyamadhito yamamgananam sobhayai vipadi sadasrita bhavanti || 24. tadeva pidanaducchunakam | ka . su . 2.5.6. | HT••2.5.6• | f 1.8.55.

169 in these words- "When the lover bite the lower lip of his beloved, which was like a bimba fruit and which was resembling a sprout, her hand as if expressed the pain through the sound of the bangles. ..25 Nala, in Naisadhiyacarita, having seen Damayanti in the harem, describes her lips thus. The two sides of her lower lip close to the centre look somewhat swollen; am I not perhaps myself guilty of having bitten it with my teeth in my dalliance with her in dreams? Sriharsa .26 has mentioned here the biting in love-sport. He depicts it thus while she shook her hand, her lips being hurt by her lover's teeth, she was seen to give lessons to cupid in dancing, who was at that moment transported with 27 joy. On other occasion Nala says- "She does not get angry with me for biting her lips at night; does ever a bimba creeper get angry with a parrot which pecks at her fruits? 28 Here Nala substantiates the importance of biting 25. pallavopamiti samyasapaksam dastavatyathara bimbamabhisthe | paryakuja sarujeva tarunyastaralolavalayena karena || sisu . 10.53. 26. madhyopakanthavadharosthabhagau bhatah kimapyucchasita yadatyah | tatsvapnasambhoga vitirnadantadamsana kim va na mayaparadvam || naisa . 7.40. 27. iksitopadisativa nartitum tatksanoditamudam manobhavam | kantadanta paripiditadhara panidhunanamiyam vitanvati || naisa . 18.94. 28. nisi dastadharayapi taisa mahyam na rusyati | kva phalam dasate bimbilata kiraya kupyatu | naisa . 20.57.

in love-sport. But Damayanti surprises finding on her lower lip a cut left by her lover's teeth, which she 29 gently touched. Thus the poet sriharsa has described the idea of biting in various ways. 170 "30 Here In the Gita Govinda, Radha exhibits her race towards Krsna, who arrives in the morning thus- "I am feeling pain having seen the wounds on your lower lip. Krsna's lips are bitten by an unknown gopika. Eut Lord Krsna tries to nip her suspicion in the bud with these words- "Radha, if you have mistrust about me, please punish me. Bite my lips without showing any sympathy; bind me by the creeper of your arms; pain me by your ,,,31 dense breasts. Krsna here directs her to bite his lips. In this connection we see that the poet Jayadeva ´has described the notion of biting. The poetess GangadevI narrates that young ladies feigning anger, but glad at heart looked at the king, as he practised the acts of love, such as biting the lips, drawing the hair and kissing all over. Bana describes the young king Tarapida who enjoyed 32 29. dantadamsamadhare'pigamuka sasprsanmrducamaccakara ca | sa . 18. 129. 30. dasanapadam bhavadadharagatam mama janayati cetasi khadam | gita 8.5. pu . 119. 31. gro faufe ufa fadugaadii > dorvallibandha nibidastana pidanani | gita . 10.3. pr . 134. 32. digunayannadharavranavedanam kucakacagrahanaih paricumbanaih | Gacetamarfanatad fagnetaudean utan: 1 qyrt.5.60.

" the pleasures of youth in this way- "Sometimes being deeply excited by passion, he enjoyed amorous sports, which were charming on account of the jingling sound of the jewelled bracelets set in motion by the shaking of the hands when the lower lip was bitten. "33 The sage Vidyaranya in the Srimat Sankaradigvijaya describes the amorous sports of the king Amaruka in whose body the great Sankara had entered. king enjoys the females of the harem by biting their lips, by embracing and by beating with a big lotus. At the time of dalliance the 34 171 Cheeks are another prominent place for biting. Hence one poet says that- "It is not correct to say that they are sufferers who have wounds; because woulds of biting are on the cheeks of a young girl, but the sufferers are 35 her co-wives. Magha wonders having seen the wounds of 33. dastadharadhataka ratalacalanmanivalayakalakala ramaniyam " anamgaparavasah suratamatatana | kadam0 pr . 130. 34. sphatika phalake jotsna subhe manojnasirogrhe varayuvatibhirdivyannadhairdurodara kelisu | adharadasanam bavavaham mahotpala tadanam ... rativinimayam raja karsidglaham vijaye mithah || srimat 10.12. 35. yasyaiva vranastasyaiva vedana bhanati tajjano'likam | dantaksatam kapole vadhvah vedana sapatninam || •

biting on the cheeks thus- "The teeth have bitten the cheeks which are not face to face, having left the lips which are infront of them. Rudradeva asks: do the "36 wounds on the cheeks become ornaments. 37 Some poets have mentioned the names of the biting One of them says which are described by the Kamasutra. that the point biting should be done on the lip and the 38 line of jewels should be marked on the throat. Hence the poet Damodaragupta describes these two types of biting when he pictures a whore called ketaki, who was enjoyed by a man who was proficient in sexology; because the 'point' appears on her lips and 'the line of jewels' 39 on her throat. Here both the authors have used the words bindu and manimala in the same sense. Ratnakara refers to the line of points when he describes the lovesport. He has used the word Bindumala according to the 172 | 36. bhatu nama sadrsam dasanaikah patali dhavalagandatalesu | dantavasasi samanagunasrih sammukho'pi parabhagamavapa || sisu . 10.86. 37. kapole atharaksatani kim bhusanani bhavanti | yayati . 50. pu . 49. 38. Supra Fn. 13 and 15 p. 89,90. 39. Supra Fn. 56, p. 84. 40. adharabhuvinitambini janasya priyatamacumbanadamsabindumalah | 1 dadhura bhinavatopalaksyatamraccha visubhagah smararagabijasobham || hara . 27.82.

aphorisms of love. Ramabhadra Dixit in his spicaratilaka Bhana uses the word Pravalam instead of Pravalamani of Vatsyayana. 41 173 Some poets have pictured the description of biting in various types. Anantabhatta, the author of Campu Bharata depicts it when Arjuna enters the Himalaya mountain, as if he wants to remove all the poison which has entered his body on account of the biting of Ulupi who who was a Nagakanya, in love-sport. 42 One poet opines "O lovely one, why are you covering your lips which are like sprouts, with the garment? Really your breasts are looking beautiful which are caught by brave persons. Here the poet mentions biting of lips. The same idea is narrated by another poet through a female friend who was addressing thus- "O friend, why are you hiding your lip which was bitten because the secrets of the night are exhibited by the laziness in your eyes. Magha describes 44 43 41. Supra Fn.33, p. 42. uttapikaya ratidamsanaistairunmastakam mohamivapanetum | udgaviryausadhijanmabhumimumagurum sailamayam prapede || cam . bha . 3.29. 43. acchadayati kim mugdhe vastrenadharapallavam | khandita eva sobhante viradharapayodharah || su . ra. bham pr . 328.2. 44. sakhi dasanacatamadhare kim gopayati prayatnena | | samprati rajanirahasyam nayanalasya nivedayati || su . ra. bham . pr . 328.4.

3 174 a Khandita heroine who addresses her lover in this way- "You are concealing your limbs which have new nail-prints, with the upper garment. You are hiding by your hand your lips which are bitten. But is it possible to cover the fragrance which is spreading in all the directions and which is revealing your love-sport with another woman?" 45 Some poets have glorified those women who have the capability of bearing all sorts of pain of sex-quarrel. Damodaragupta sketches a prostitute who exhibits her fortune before her friends by showing the wounds of nails 46 and teeth that are done by a prince in love-battle. An unknown poet gives a picture of a woman, on whose body the nail marks like 'line' and the 'jump of the hare' the bitings like 'the line of jewels', 'the points' are displaying the capability of bearing all sorts of pains 47 in sexual sports. Here the poet has not only mentioned 45. navanakhapadamagam gopayatyamsukena sthagayati punarostham panina danta dastam | pratidisamaparastrimangasamsi visarpa nnavaparimalagandhah kenasakyo varitum || sisu . 11.34. 46. prakatitadasananakhaksatirabhidadhati rajaputraratiyudvam | apara purah sakhinam varavadhuratatana saubhagyam || kuttani • 335. 47. sasapadamanimalam candrarekhabhiramam lalitapulakajalam laksma bindupravalam | vapuranadhamamusya vakti kasyapi yunah suratakalahalila suksmamargibhiyogam || su .ra.bham . pu . 328.12.

} nail-marks like Sasapada, Rekha but also the biting like manimala, bindu and pravala which are narrated by the Kamasutra. Thus Dasanacchedya prakarana has influenced the · Sanskrit poets to a great extent. No poet has missed to describe the biting wherever he gets a chance. Biting, though it is a crude act, is an essential media to show the lover's intense passion. Therefore many poets have used it at various places. Kamasastra has helped the poets in describing the biting in different ways. L 175