The Kamasutra

Summary

The first complete edition of the Kamasutra. It contains a crisp introduction; the original Sanskrit; a new, accurate and readable English translation; fifty full-page illustrations using period clothing, jewelry, and settings; and a thorough index.


Endorsement

“The Kamasutra enjoys a prominent place in the pantheon of pleasure. Too often bowdlerized or bastardized, it has been difficult for English speakers to comprehend the work in all its complexity. This new translation is at once accessible and comprehensive, and should serve as the definitive English version.”
—Leopold Froehlich, Playboy


Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Part One: General Matters 1
One: Summary of the Guide 3
Two: The Three Aims of Life 10
Three: Exposition of the Skills 18
Four: Lifestyle of the Elegant Man 25
Five: The Lover and His Companions 38

Part Two: Sexual Intercourse 47
One: Sexual Unions 49
Sexual Intercourse with Regard to Size, Endurance and Temperament 49
The Variations of Love 58
Two: Embraces 61
Three: Ways of Kissing 77
Four: Forms of Scratching 85
Five: Biting and Behaviors 92
Ways of Biting 92
Behavior Typical of Women from Different Provinces 95
Six: Positions and Unusual Acts 100
Different Sexual Positions 100
Unusual Sexual Acts 118
Seven: Slapping and Moaning 130
Eight: Imitation and Techniques 138
Imitating the Sexual Role of a Man 138
Sexual Techniques of a Man 141
Nine: Oral Sex 151
Ten: Sex: Beginning, Ending, Types, Quarrels 165
The Beginning and Conclusion of Sexual Intercourse 165
Different Kinds of Sex 172
The Lovers’ Quarrel 175

Part Three: Young Women 181
One: Choosing a Bride 183
Rules of Courtship 183
Deciding a Match 188
Two: Winning Her Confidence 191
Three: Approaches and Gestures 200
Approaching a Young Woman 200
Indications through Gestures and Facial Expressions 209
Four: Advances 213
Advances a Man Can Make on His Own 213
Approaching a Man One Desires 219
Winning a Young Woman by Advances 222
Five: Stratagems for Weddings 225

Part Four: The Wife 233
One: The Only Wife 235
Conduct of an Only Wife 235
Conduct of a Wife Whose Husband is Abroad 244
Two: The Other Wives 248
Conduct of the Senior Wife to the Co-Wives 248
Conduct of the Junior Wife 251
Conduct of the Remarried Woman 253
Conduct of an Unloved Wife 256
Matters Pertaining to the Harem 258
Conduct of a Man with Several Wives 261

Part Five: Other Men’s Wives 265
One: Seducing Successfully 267
Exposing the Nature of Men and Women 267
Causes of Resistance 270
Men Who Have Success with Women 275
Women Who are Easily Won 276
Two: Intimacy and Advances 279
Ways to Intimacy 279
Making Advances 284
Three: Examination of Inclinations 287
Four: Tasks of the Female Messenger 294
Five: The Erotic Desire of Rulers 309
Six: Harems and Wives 320
Life in the Harem 320
Guarding One’s Wives 329

Part Six: Courtesans 333
One: Friends and Lovers 335
The Appraisal of a Friend, Suitable and Unsuitable Lovers, and Reasons for Approaching a Lover 335
How to Acquire One 341
Two: Compliance with the Lover 345
Three: Money, Indifference and Disposal 358
Ways to Make Money 358
Signs and Recognition of Indifference 362
Methods for Driving the Lover Away 364
Four: Restoring a Broken Relationship 368
Five: Types of Profit 378
Six: Profit, Loss, Risk and Types of Available Women 388
Considering Profit and Loss, and their Consequences and Risks 388
Types of Available Women 400

Part Seven: Advanced Methods 403
One: Luck, Spellbinding and Aphrodisiacs 405
Two: Passion, Enlargement and Techniques 419

Contributors 433

Index 435

Lars Martin Fosse holds a master's and doctorate from the University of Oslo, and also studied at the Universities of Heidelberg, Bonn, and Cologne. He has lectured at Oslo University on Sanskrit, Pali, Hinduism, text analysis, and statistics, and was a visiting fellow at Oxford University. He is one of Europe's most experienced translators.