Salutation to Dharma, Artha and Kama
In the beginning, the Lord of Beings created men and women, and in the form
of commandments in one hundred thousand chapters laid down rules for
regulating their existence with regard to Dharma,(1) Artha,(2) and Kama.(3)
Some of these commandments, namely those which treated of Dharma, were
separately written by Swayambhu Manu; those that related to Artha were
compiled by Brihaspati; and those that referred to Kama were expounded by
Nandi, the follower of Mahadeva, in one thousand chapters.
Now these `Kama Sutra' (Aphorisms on Love), written by Nandi in one
thousand chapters, were reproduced by Shvetaketu, the son of Uddvalaka, in
an abbreviated form in five hundred chapters, and this work was again similarly
reproduced in an abridged form, in one hundred and fifty chapters, by
Babhravya, an inheritant of the Punchala (South of Delhi) country. These one
hundred and fifty chapters were then put together under seven heads or parts
named severally
Sadharana (general topics)
Samprayogika (embraces, etc.)
Kanya Samprayuktaka (union of males and females)
Bharyadhikarika (on one's own wife)
Paradika (on the wives of other people)
Vaisika (on courtesans)
Aupamishadika (on the arts of seduction, tonic medicines, etc.)
The sixth part of this last work was separately expounded by Dattaka at the
request of the public women of Pataliputra (Patna), and in the same way
Charayana explained the first part of it. The remaining parts, viz. the second,
third, fourth, fifth, and seventh, were each separately expounded by
Suvarnanabha (second part)
Ghotakamukha (third part)
Gonardiya (fourth part)
Gonikaputra (fifth part)
Kuchumara (seventh part), respectively.
Thus the work being written in parts by different authors was almost
unobtainable and, as the parts which were expounded by Dattaka and the
others treated only of the particular branches of the subject to which each part
related, and moreover as the original work of Babhravya was difficult to be
mastered on account of its length, Vatsyayana, therefore, composed his work in
a small volume as an abstract of the whole of the works of the above named
authors.
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