The
Kamasutra is a "
sutra"-genre text consisting of intensely condensed, aphoristic verses. Doniger describes them as a "kind of atomic string (thread) of meanings", which are so cryptic that any translation is more like deciphering and filling in the text. Condensing a text into a sutra-genre religious text form makes it easier to remember and transmit, but it also introduces ambiguity and the need to understand the context of each chapter, its philological roots, as well as the prior literature, states Doniger. However, this method of knowledge preservation and transmission has its foundation in the Vedas, which themselves are cryptic and require a commentator and teacher-guide to comprehend the details and the inter-relationship of the ideas. The
Kamasutra too has attracted commentaries, of which the most well known are those of 12th-century or 13th-century Yaśodhara's
Jayamaṅgalā in the Sanskrit language, and of Devadatta Shastri who commented on the original text as well as its commentaries in the Hindi language. There are many other Sanskrit commentaries on the
Kamasutra, such as the
Sutra Vritti by Narsingha Sastri. These commentaries cite and quote Hindu texts such as the
Upanishads, the
Arthashastra, the
Natyashastra, the
Manusmriti, the
Nyayasutra, the
Markandeya Purana, the
Mahabharata, the
Nitishastra and others to provide the context, per the norms of its literary traditions. The extant translations of the
Kamasutra typically incorporate these commentaries, states Daniélou. In the colonial era marked by sexual censorship, the
Kamasutra became famous as a pirated and underground text for its explicit description of sex positions. The stereotypical image of the text is one where erotic pursuit with sexual intercourse include improbable contortionist forms.) along with many simple to complex variations in sex positions to explore. It is also a psychological treatise that presents the effect of desire and pleasure on human behavior. For each aspect of
Kama, the
Kamasutra presents a diverse spectrum of options and regional practices. According to Shastri, as quoted by Doniger, the text analyses "the inclinations of men, good and bad", thereafter it presents Vatsyayana's recommendation and arguments of what one must avoid as well as what to not miss in experiencing and enjoying, with "acting only on the good". For example, the text discusses adultery but recommends a faithful spousal relationship. The approach of
Kamasutra is not to ignore nor deny the psychology and complexity of human behavior for pleasure and sex. The text, according to Doniger, clearly states "that a treatise demands the inclusion of everything, good or bad", but after being informed with in-depth knowledge, one must "reflect and accept only the good". The approach found in the text is one where goals of science and religion should not be to repress, but to encyclopedically know and understand, thereafter let the individual decide. The text states that it aims to be comprehensive and inclusive of diverse views and lifestyles.
Flirting and courtship The 3rd-century text includes a number of themes, including subjects such as flirting that resonate in the modern era context, states a
New York Times review. The text states that a person should be realistic, and must possess the "same qualities which one expects from the partner". It suggests involving one's friends and relatives in the search, and meeting the current friends and relatives of one's future partner prior to the marriage. Another example of the forms of intimacy discussed in the
Kamasutra includes
chumbanas (kissing). Other techniques of foreplay and sexual intimacy that are described in the
kamasutra include; various forms of holding and embraces (
grahana,
upaguhana), mutual massage and rubbing (
mardana), pinching and biting, using fingers and hands to stimulate (
karikarakrida,
nadi-kshobana,
anguli-pravesha), three styles of
jihva-pravesha (
french kissing), and many styles of fellatio and cunnilingus.
Adultery The
Kamasutra, states the Indologist and Sanskrit literature scholar
Ludo Rocher, discourages adultery but then devotes "not less than fifteen sutras (1.5.6–20) to enumerating the reasons (
karana) for which a man is allowed to seduce a married woman". Vatsyayana mentions different types of
nayikas (urban girls) such as unmarried virgins, those married and abandoned by husband, widow seeking remarriage and courtesans, then discusses their kama/sexual education, rights and mores. In childhood,
Vātsyāyana says, a person should learn how to make a living; youth is the time for pleasure, and as years pass, one should concentrate on living virtuously and hope to escape the cycle of rebirth. According to Doniger, the
Kamasutra teaches adulterous sexual liaison as a means for a man to predispose the involved woman in assisting him, as a strategic means to work against his enemies and to facilitate his successes. It also explains the signs and reasons a woman wants to enter into an adulterous relationship and when she does not want to commit adultery. The
Kamasutra teaches strategies to engage in adulterous relationships, but concludes its chapter on sexual liaison stating that one should not commit adultery because adultery pleases only one of two sides in a marriage, hurts the other, it goes against both
dharma and
artha.
Same-sex relationships The
Kamasutra includes verses describing homosexual relations such as oral sex between two men, as well as between two women. Lesbian relations are extensively covered in Chapters 5 and 8 in Book 2. The text also mentions "pretend play",
sadomasochism, and
group sex. According to Doniger, the
Kamasutra discusses same-sex relationships through the notion of the
tritiya prakriti, literally, "third sexuality" or "third nature". In
Redeeming the Kamasutra, Doniger states that "the Kamasutra departs from the dharmic view of homosexuality in significant ways", where the term
kliba appears. In contemporary translations, this has been inaccurately rendered as "eunuch" – or, a castrated man in a harem, and the
royal harem did not exist in India before the Turkish presence in the ninth century. The Sanskrit word
Kliba found in older Indian texts refers to a "man who does not act like a man", typically in a pejorative sense. The
Kamasutra does not use the pejorative term
kliba at all, but speaks instead of a "third nature" or, in the sexual behavior context as the "third sexuality". as well as oral sex and the use of sex toys between women.
Svairini, a term Danielou translates as a lesbian, is described in the text as a woman who lives a conjugal life with another woman or by herself fending for herself, not interested in a husband. Additionally, the text has some fleeting remarks on bisexual relationships. == Translations ==