When you hear the words 'Kama Sutra', what comes to mind?
If you're thinking it has to do with acrobatic sex positions, you're not alone. However, sex attitudes are only one of many diverse topics discussed in the ancient Indian text known as the Kama Sutra.
To find out what the Kama sutra really is, we spoke to Indian sexuality experts about its history, misconceptions and some of its most valuable teachings!
What is;
The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian treatise on a good love life!
Although best known for one of its sections on how to have better sexual experiences, the book is not primarily about sex. Originally written to teach young, wealthy men how to live well, it includes instructions on a wide variety of subjects, including how to build a house, how to find a wife, how husbands should treat each other, and more.
"It's a book about how to live life and appreciate things better." Reported by a sexual health consultant and gender equality advocate!
The word 'kama' translates to 'love, desire and pleasure. A 'sutra' is a specific type of Indian literature, usually written in aphorisms and intended to be didactic. Hence, 'kama sutra' basically translates to 'pleasure manual' - although again, it's about pleasure in the broadest sense!
His writing
The Kama Sutra is believed to have been written around 300 AD. by a Hindu philosopher named Vātsyāyana Mallanaga, about whom historians know very little. However, the book is actually considered to be a collection of earlier texts that the author simply compiled. And according to experts, some believe that much of the book may have been written by women!
“They say he got all his information from texts written a thousand years ago and that he pretty much copied and pasted the bits he liked. He says so in his introduction", explains the expert. According to Indian mythology, he says, some of these original texts are believed to have been written by the wife of the God of Love himself, Kama. Other stories consider courtesans of the time they paid for the book to be written, he says.
The expert researcher personally believes that the famous section on sex (part two of the seven sections, with the known positions of sex) may have been written by a woman because of the way it focuses so much on female pleasure, which was still radical at the time of writing!
While its authorship still remains a mystery, the Kama Sutra became a very important and widely circulated text throughout the region that later became India. According to the expert, there have been hundreds if not thousands of editions of the Kama Sutra. "Literally every kingdom in what we call India would have its own version written down," he explains, though he says that over time, as different cultures and different ideas of morality came into play in the region over the course of history, the text it has gradually fallen since it was prominent.
Western world – approach to kama sutra
Then, in 1883, a British explorer named Richard Burton published a translation of the book that became massively popular throughout Europe and the world. "A lot of it translates very poorly," says the expert. Burton's version focused heavily on the erotic themes of the Kama Sutra and specifically on sex attitudes, which is where today's misunderstandings about the text stem from.
"Unfortunately, as a result of Richard Burton's translation and Western interpretations, it has now been marketed as a 'solution' to sexual health problems," adds another expert. “I don't know an Indian woman who hasn't had a white man ask her if she can do some of the moves from the Kama Sutra. Common misconceptions are that it is a book about sex positions and that all Indians are Kama Sutra experts. Error".
Great teachings
While the Kama Sutra talks about many topics, below are some of the teachings from it related to pleasure and sexuality:
1. Sex is pleasure
The Kama Sutra is about pleasure at its core and you emphasize the idea that sex should always feel good for both of you.
It should always be happy, it should be wonderful, it should be completely mutually enjoyable, otherwise, it's not worth it!
Note that the Kama Sutra never talks about sex drive, sexual fluids, or the physical act of intercourse in great detail – it simply refers to ways to increase the physical sensations and amorous pleasure of sexual experiences!
2. Prioritize women's pleasure during sex
The Kama Sutra places great emphasis on female pleasure, says the Indian expert. “It tells women how to please a man, but the focus is on how it takes a lot longer for a woman to enjoy herself. You have to give her that time. You have to kiss her like this, you have to do this to her. So that's what it's all about," he explains. "If it takes her three days to orgasm, then you're going to try for three days."
One version of the text explains that men should make sure their wife is completely happy for the good of their business, according to the Indian. Logic says: If your woman is happy in her life and in the bedroom, she will support you in your work and in all your endeavors. But if she's unhappy, she'll find other lovers or spend your money or else make your life miserable!
Other versions compared love to the skills of a warrior, making connections between sex positions and battle positions.
More generally, Hindus says that a mutually happy relationship was considered the foundation of a healthy society. “Literally every king of every kingdom who sat on the throne would have [a copy of the Kama Sutra] written because they believed that if a couple truly shared mutually pleasurable intimacy, then their relationship would be stable. The relationship was stable, society would be stable. And if society was stable, the kingdom would be stable,” he explains. "Thus the stability of the kingdom depended on the pleasure of the woman."
3. Penetration isn't everything
The Kama Sutra makes it clear that penetration is not the be-all and end-all of good sex. "This is not a matter of pleasure. It's not just penetration," says our Indian. "Sex isn't all about that."
He also notes that many non-penetrative activities are described in the Kama Sutra as potential sources of pleasure. For example, she says the book tells men to take portraits of their lover before sex, as a way to create moments of intimacy, eye contact, and creating special time together. It also describes activities like juggling, using perfumes and jewelry, and specific types of kissing and “love bites” as essential parts of intimacy!
“I think sex, for most people, is about penetration, isn't it? And nothing more. And for most women, that doesn't even count as pleasure. There is nothing exciting about it. It's the least exciting thing. "says the Indian. "There are so many other things in the sexual act that we need to discover and apply."
He notes that men are instructed to make sure the woman has at least two orgasms before even penetrating!
4. Size does matter
When it comes to intercourse with the penis in the vagina, the Kama Sutra teaches that size does, in fact, matter.
"It says that if two people are going to have sex, then one of the first criteria is that the sexual organs should match in size," explains the Indian. “If the woman is too tight and the man has a large mole, it will lead to pain and if the woman has a large vagina and the penis is small, there will be absolutely no sensation. So the idea is that the instruments should be the same size'!
This is why the Kama Sutra talks so much about sex positions in the beginning, says the expert! "If two partners' sexual organs don't match in size, they should get into specific positions meant to help maximize sensation and pleasure (and/or minimize any sexual pain). These are the sex positions described in the Kama Sutra.
"So, for example, if the woman has a large vagina and the man has a small penis, he recommends that the woman lie on her side. She should pull her legs up a bit. This makes [her vaginal opening] a little smaller, [and then] the man will have to come in from a certain angle so he can feel the friction inside her a little more,” explains our expert. "That's what [sexual positions] were originally intended for."
5. Pleasure can come from sources other than sex
Although sexuality and intimacy are a big theme throughout the Kama Sutra, the book's point was not simply to teach people how to have good sex.
"While we think of sex when one hears the word kama sutra, what it's really about is finding self-love, being a dutiful husband and learning to appreciate the arts," explains the other Indian. "It teaches us to derive pleasure from inherently non-sexual activities"!
