People usually associate sexual emancipation with the 20th century, but its roots go way back. Namely, an ancient Sanskrit manuscript from India we know as the Kama Sutra is one of the earliest examples of philosophies on human sexuality, erotic love, and overall life enjoyment. It’s an inspiring book, and we’re here to explore it with you. So let’s check it out, shall we?
Kama Sutra Defined
In essence, the book is an old Indian Sanskrit text that talks about many aspects of human life. The topics range from the overall art of living to finding love and maintaining peace with your partner and family. The Kama Sutra was written by an Indian philosopher, Vatsyayana and was translated into English in 1883.
The Kama Sutra has 1,250 verses split into 36 chapters and 64 sections. All these sections cover social life, love, marriage, and sex positions. They talk about the nature of love, how it affects people, and what triggers it. Moreover, you can say it’s a theory of love and the philosophy about living. So let’s break it down.
See how Kama Sutra works as a philosophy.
Aside From Sex Positions, It Has Other Things to Offer
Like we’ve said, people usually associate the Kama Sutra with new ways of making love. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The most powerful stuff in it is about love and making the most of your life. Hence, it talks about marriage, socializing, finding the perfect partner, adultery, and many other things.
Considering when it was written, it treats women with respect. You can say it’s one of the first feminist books since its origins predate all modern feminist movements. The Kama Sutra talks about taking responsibility in your life, brushing over juvenile ideas of doing whatever you want. It treats its readers as true adults. (See how to take responsibility in life.)
Apart from its numerous verses and chapters, the Kama Sutra comes in seven volumes. All of them address different topics, so we’ll try to explain them one by one. Don’t worry — we won’t spoil anything. We’ll leave the best parts for you to enjoy once you get a copy of it.
Dattaka — General Principles
Dattaka is an introduction to the four basic principles of Hinduism. It explains the history and meaning of the values that make life a happy and prosperous experience. These four principles are — the Kama, Artha, Dharma, and Moksha. They translate into English as desire, wealth, righteousness, and liberation.
The Kama is essentially a combination of pleasure, love, and passion. On the other hand, Artha isn’t solely about money but more about prosperity. Dharma is the goal of living an honest and righteous life. Lastly, Moksha is about liberating yourself from the physicality of the world and venturing into the cycle of rebirth.
Suvarnanabha — Amorous Advances and Sexual Union
The second volume is what regular people find the most amusing about the Kama Sutra. Why? Well, it’s mostly about sex and pleasure. The Suvarnanabha goes into great detail about all sorts of sexual acts, such as simple kissing, embracing one another, and even slapping the hell out of your partner.
Moreover, it’s about 64 different sexual acts. Some of them are more gentle and rudimentary, while others, like slapping and grabbing, tend to be pretty aggressive. However, none of these acts suggests rape or sex without consent. After all, Westerners are no strangers to rough intercourse and S/M.
Ghotakamukha — Acquiring a Wife
India’s social structure isn’t all that different from what it was all those years ago. Sure, it’s more liberal and modern to some extent; however, castes still exist. Those castes come in four main social categories — Brahmins, Vaishyas, Shudras, and Ksatriyas.
As such, Ghotakamukha talks about finding a perfect partner according to your caste. It’s the least impressive part since it’s not that useful for people who live outside of India. Still, there are some newsworthy takes you can apply to your life too. These bits are about astrology and social compatibility based on the stars.
Gonardiya — Duties and Privileges of the Wife
Again, this part is pretty controversial nowadays. However, you need to take into consideration that the Kama Sutra is thousands of years old. But why? Well, it talks about cooking, cleaning, and all that stuff. However, it’s not all about being a lovely wifey whose only role is to please her loving hubby.
Gonardiya talks about female privileges too. It assumes that the woman is the head of the household; hence, she must take responsibility as an adult. These responsibilities are various, and some are somewhat taboo today, like cooking and cleaning.
Gonikaputra — Friends and Family
Finally, here’s something that’s not controversial nowadays. The Kama Sutra takes family pretty seriously, and the fifth volume is all about it. Of course, it’s also about friendship and companionship between people. In other words, Gonikaputra is a nonsexual section that doesn’t go into the juicy stuff.
Nevertheless, it’s a great read. You can incorporate all these concepts into your modern way of life. Friends and family make life what it is. If you’re struggling with your relationships with other people, Gonikaputra is bound to help you find at least some answers.
Charayana — Courtesans
Another reason why the Kama Sutra is still relevant as ever is its take on sex workers. Namely, it doesn’t judge selling one’s body as a prostitute. The Charayana talks about people’s relationship with them without making it immoral or questionable. Also, it ventures into some extra things like mending past relationships and making money.
Courtesans are helpful for people to up their sexual skills before they seek out a lifelong partner. Hence, it explains how both men and women need a quality sexual life for it to last. If they can’t meet their partner’s desires and expectations, it’s not a shame to move on. Pretty modern, isn’t it?
Kuchumara — Occult Practices
Finally, the Kama Sutra ends with sexual legends and myths. It talks about various ancient Indian tales that revolve around pleasure, desire, and lust. Calling it occult is maybe a bit too much, but it can be a bit creepy and dark. Nonetheless, that’s not all.
Kuchumara is also about personal hygiene. It mentions oils, perfumes, and grooming as key things for being healthy and attractive to potential partners. It’s somewhat confusing since it mixes occult stuff with baths and hygiene, but it’s a fun read overall.
Must-Try Sex Positions
Here are some Kama Sutra positions that you can try out with your partner. Keep in mind that they’re not all that easy to pull off, but they’re still worth your effort.
The Tigress
The first position we’d like to mention is the tigress. It’s not that hard to pull off. Namely, the man lies down on his back, and his lover sits on his penis while he’s facing her back. It’s similar to the reversed cowgirl, but the woman’s back should be straight and her legs pulled backward.
The Milk and Water Embrace
Our second pick is the milk and water embrace. It’s pretty simple yet effective for both partners. The man sits on a chair while his partner sits in his lap, making him face her back. He can kiss the back of her neck while allowing her to control the tempo.
Queen of Heaven
The Queen of Heaven is a position meant to expand the female’s vagina. It’s a combination of penile penetration and fingering. The man should wrap his thighs around his lover’s body while using his hands to open her up. It’s a bit tricky to pull off, but once you try it, you’ll quickly see if it’s for you or not.
The Padlock
The last position on this list is the padlock. The female needs to sit atop some high furniture and lean back, supporting herself with her arms. The man stands in front of her and penetrates her while she wraps her legs around his waist. For the padlock to work, you’ll need to find furniture that’s the same height as the man’s waist.