Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana
A gorgeous deluxe edition of the world's most celebrated guide to life, love, relationships and pleasure Little is known about Vatsyayana, who is reputed to have composed the Kama Sutra while observing a celibate's life in full meditation. In Sanskrit the word kama means desire, especially for sensual pleasure, and its proper pursuit was considered an essential part of a young, urbane gentleman's well-rounded education. Untold numbers of readers are curious about the Kama Sutra but put off by its clich d image as an erotic Oriental curiosity. This elegant edition offers a compelling modern translation of a classic Indian masterpiece-and a wry and entertaining account of human desire and foibles. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Vātsyyana was an ancient Indian philosopher who is most known for creating the Kama Sutra, the world's oldest book on human sexuality. He lived in India during the second or third centuries CE, most likely in Pataliputra (modern-day Patna).[1] He is not to be confused with Pakṣilasvāmin Vātsyāyana, the author of Nyāya Sutra Bhāshya, the first preserved commentary on Gotama's Nyāya Sutra He is credited for popularizing Tara as a tantric goddess among hill tribes. The goddess form of a 'yoni' goddess Kamakhya was created later when the cult moved to the east Garo highlands. In his book Kama Sutra, he expresses his interest in human sexual activity as a means of gaining spirituality.
This is what he wrote about himself at the end of the Kama Sutra: After reading and considering the works of Babhravya and other ancient authors, and pondering the meaning of the instructions given by them, Vatsyayana composed this treatise, according to the precepts of the Holy Scripture, for the benefit of the world, while leading the life of a religious student at Benares, and totally engrossed in his studies. Our work isn't meant to be solely a means of gratifying our desires. A person who understands the genuine principles of this knowledge, who maintains his Dharma (virtue or religious merit), Artha (worldly wealth), and Kama (pleasure or sensual delight), and who respects the people's customs, is certain to master his senses. In short, an clever and knowledgeable person who attends to Dharma and Artha, as well as Kama, without becoming a slave to his passions, would be successful in anything he undertakes.
Because he narrates Satakarni Satavahana, a king of Kuntal, killing Malayevati his wife with an instrument called Katamari by striking her in the passion of love, he is thought to have lived between the 1st and 6th centuries CE. This story is brought up by Vatsyayana to warn people about the dangers of some archaic habits of striking women while under the influence of sexual excitement. Vatsyayana must have lived after this monarch of Kuntal, as he is supposed to have lived and reigned. Varahamihira, on the other hand, examines the science of love in the eighth chapter of his Brihatsanhita, and appears to have borrowed heavily from Vatsyayana on the subject.
Varahamihira is thought to have lived in the sixth century, hence Vatsyayana's works must have been produced before that time.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780143106593 |
| ISBN 10 | 0143106597 |
| Title | Kama Sutra |
| Author | Vatsyayana |
| Series | Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Penguin Putnam Inc |
| Year published | 2012-01-31 |
| Number of pages | 240 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |