All the places that can be kissed are also the places that can be bitten, except
the upper lip, the interior of the mouth, and the eyes. The qualities of good teeth
are as follows: They should be equal, possessed of a pleasing brightness,
capable of being coloured, of proper proportions, unbroken, and with sharp ends.
The defects of teeth on the other hand are that they are blunt, protruding from
the gums, rough, soft, large, and loosely set.
The following are the different kinds of biting:
l The hidden bite
l The swollen bite
l The point
l The line of points
l The coral and the jewel
l The line of jewels
l The broken cloud
l The biting of the boar
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When love becomes intense, pressing with the nails or scratching the body with
them is practised, and it is done on the following occasions: on the first visit; at
the time of setting out on a journey; on the return from a journey; at the time
when an angry lover is reconciled; and lastly when the woman is intoxicated.
But pressing with the nails is not a usual thing except with those who are
intensely passionate, i.e. full of passion. It is employed, together with biting, by
those to whom the practice is agreeable.
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It is said by some that there is no fixed time or order between the embrace,
the kiss, and the pressing or scratching with the nails or fingers, but that all
these things should be done generally before sexual union takes place, while
striking and making the various sounds generally takes place at the time of the
union. Vatsyayana, however, thinks that anything may take place at any time,
for love does not care for time or order.
On the occasion of the first congress, kissing and the other things mentioned
above should be done moderately, they should not be continued for a long
time, and should be done alternately. On subsequent occasions, however, the
reverse of all this may take place, and moderation will not be necessary, they
may continue for a long time, and, for the purpose of kindling love, they may
be all done at the same time.
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Kind of Union
Man is divided into three classes, viz. the hare man, the bull man, and the
horse man, according to the size of his lingam.
Woman also, according to the depth of her yoni, is either a female deer, a
mare, or a female elephant
This part of the Kama Shastra, which treats of sexual union, is also called `Sixtyfour'
(Chatushshashti). Some old authors say that it is called so, because it
contains sixty-four chapters. Others are of opinion that the author of this part
being a person named Panchala, and the person who recited the part of the Rig
Veda called Dashatapa, which contains sixty-four verses, being also called
Panchala, the name `sixty-four' has been given to the part of the work in honour
of the Rig Vedas. The followers of Babhravya say on the other hand that this part
contains eight subjects, viz. the embrace, kissing, scratching with the nails or
fingers, biting, lying down, making various sounds, playing the part of a man,
and the Auparishtaka, or mouth congress. Each of these subjects being of eight
kinds, and eight multiplied by eight being sixty-four, this part is therefore named
`sixty-four'. But Vatsyayana affirms that as this part contains also the following
subjects, viz. striking, crying, the acts of a man during congress, the various
kinds of congress, and other subjects, the name `sixty-four' is given to it only
accidentally. As, for instance, we say this tree is `Saptaparna', or seven-leaved,
this offering of rice is `Panchavarna', or five-coloured, but the tree has not seven
leaves, neither has the rice five colours.
However the part sixty-four is now treated of, and the embrace, being the first
subject, will now be considered.
Now the embrace which indicates the mutual love of a man and woman who
have come together is of four kinds:
l Touching
l Rubbing
l Piercing
l Pressing
The action in each case is denoted by the meaning of the word which stands for
it.
When a man under some pretext or other goes in front or alongside of a woman
and touches her body with his own, it is called the `touching embrace'.
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When Kama is practised by men of the four castes according to the rules of the
Holy Writ (i.e. by lawful marriage) with virgins of their own caste, it then
becomes a means of acquiring lawful progeny and good fame, and it is not also
opposed to the customs of the world. On the contrary the practice of Kama with
women of the higher castes, and with those previously enjoyed by others, even
though they be of the same caste, is prohibited. But the practice of Kama with
women of the lower castes, with women excommunicated from their own caste,
with public women, and with women twice married,1 is neither enjoined nor
prohibited. The object of practising Kama with such women is pleasure only.
Nayikas,2 therefore, are of three kinds, viz. maids, women twice married, and
public women. Gonikaputra has expressed an opinion that there is a fourth kind
of Nayika, viz. a woman who is resorted to on some special occasion even
though she be previously married to another. These special occasions are when
a man thinks thus:
This woman is self-willed, and has been previously enjoyed by many others
besides myself. I may, therefore, safely resort to her as to a public woman
though she belongs to a higher caste than mine, and, in so doing, I shall not be
violating the ordinances of Dharma.
Or thus:
This is a twice-married woman and has been enjoyed by others before me;
there is, therefore, no objection to my resorting to her.
Or thus:
This woman has gained the heart of her great and powerful husband, and
exercises a mastery over him, who is a friend of my enemy; if, therefore, she
becomes united with me she will cause her husband to abandon my enemy.
Or thus:
This woman will turn the mind of her husband, who is very powerful, in my
favour, he being at present disaffected towards me, and intent on doing me
some harm.
Or thus:
By making this woman my friend I shall gain the object of some friend of mine,
or shall be able to effect the ruin of some enemy, or shall accomplish some
other difficult purpose.
Or thus:
By being united with this woman, I shall kill her husband, and so obtain his vast
riches which I covet.
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Having thus acquired learning, a man, with the wealth that he may have gained
by gift, conquest, purchase, deposit,1 or inheritance from his ancestors, should
become a householder, and pass the life of a citizen.2 He should take a house
in a city, or large village, or in the vicinity of good men, or in a place which is
the resort of many persons. This abode should be situated near some water,
and divided into different compartments for different purposes. It should be
surrounded by a garden, and also contain two rooms, an outer and an inner
one. The inner room should be occupied by the females, while the outer room,
balmy with rich perfumes, should contain a bed, soft, agreeable to the sight,
covered with a clean white cloth, low in the middle part, having garlands and
bunches of flowers3 upon it, and a canopy above it, and two pillows, one at the
top, another at the bottom. There should be also a sort of couch besides, and at
the head of this a sort of stool, on which should be placed the fragrant
ointments for the night, as well as flowers, pots containing collyrium and other
fragrant substances, things used for perfuming the mouth, and the bark of the
common citron tree. Near the couch, on the ground, there should be a pot for
spitting, a box containing ornaments, and also a lute hanging from a peg made
of the tooth of an elephant, a board for drawing, a pot containing perfume,
some books, and some garlands of the yellow amaranth flowers. Not far from
the couch, and on the ground, there should be a round seat, a toy cart, and a
board for playing with dice; outside the outer room there should be cages of
birds,4 and a separate place for spinning, carving and such like diversions. In
the garden there should be a whirling swing and a common swing, as also a
bower of creepers covered with flowers, in which a raised parterre should be
made for sitting.
Now the householder, having got up in the morning and performed his
necessary duties,5 should wash his teeth, apply a limited quantity of ointments
and perfumes to his body, put some ornaments on his person and collyrium on
his eyelids and below his eyes, colour his lips with alacktaka,6 and look at
himself in the glass. Having then eaten betel leaves, with other things that give
fragrance to the mouth, he should perform his usual business. He should bathe
daily, anoint his body with oil every other day, apply a lathering substance7 to
his body every three days, get his head (including face) shaved every four days
and the other parts of his body every five or ten days.8 All these things should
be done without fail, and the sweat of the armpits should also be removed.
Meals should be taken in the forenoon, in the afternoon, and again at night,
according to Charayana. After breakfast, parrots and other birds should be
taught to speak, and the fighting of cocks, quails, and rams should follow. A
limited time should be devoted to diversions with Pithamardas, Vitas, and
Vidushakas,9 and then should be taken the midday sleep.10 After this the
householder, having put on his clothes and ornaments, should, during the
afternoon, converse with his friends. In the evening there should be singing,
and after that the householder, along with his friend, should await in his room,
previously decorated and perfumed, the arrival of the woman that may be
attached to him, or he may send a female messenger for her, or go for her
himself. After her arrival at his house, he and his friend should welcome her,
and entertain her with a loving and agreeable conversation. Thus end the duties
of the day.
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Man should study the Kama Sutra and the arts and sciences subordinate
thereto, in addition to the study of the arts and sciences contained in Dharma
and Artha. Even young maids should study this Kama Sutra along with its arts
and sciences before marriage, and after it they should continue to do so with
the consent of their husbands.
Here some learned men object, and say that females, not being allowed to
study any science, should not study the Kama Sutra.
But Vatsyayana is of opinion that this objection does not hold good, for women
already know the practice of Kama Sutra, and that practice is derived from the
Kama Shastra, or the science of Kama itself. Moreover, it is not only in this but
in many other cases that, though the practice of a science is known to all, only
a few persons are acquainted with the rules and laws on which the science is
based. Thus the Yadnikas or sacrificers, though ignorant of grammar, make use
of appropriate words when addressing the different Deities, and do not know
how these words are framed. Again, persons do the duties required of them on
auspicious days, which are fixed by astrology, though they are not acquainted
with the science of astrology. In a like manner riders of horses and elephants
train these animals without knowing the science of training animals, but from
practice only. And similarly the people of the most distant provinces obey the
laws of the kingdom from practice, and because there is a king over them, and
without further reason.1 And from experience we find that some women, such
as daughters of princes and their ministers, and public women, are actually
versed in the Kama Shastra.
A female, therefore, should learn the Kama Shastra, or at least a part of it, by
studying its practice from some confidential friend. She should study alone in
private the sixty-four practices that form a part of the Kama Shastra. Her
teacher should be one of the following persons: the daughter of a nurse brought
up with her and already married,2 or a female friend who can be trusted in
everything, or the sister of her mother (i.e. her aunt), or an old female servant,
or a female beggar who may have formerly lived in the family, or her own sister
who can always be trusted.
The following are the arts to be studied, together with the Kama Sutra:
l Singing
l Playing on musical instruments
l Dancing
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