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92 pages

English

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Five Arrows of Kama presents five of the best erotic texts from medieval India Pururavasa Manasijasutram, Narmakelikutuhala Samvadam, Smarapradipika, Manmatha Samhita and Kadambari Swikaranakarika. Portraying delightfully different ways of living and loving, these texts discuss sex with disarming simplicity and in ways that remain relevant to the modern world. They recommend the pursuit of sexual pleasure, but not without mutual respect and knowledge, for, as the Kadambari Swikaranakarika says, only after having studied and experienced love can one hope to attain moksha. Relegated till now to the dusty obscurity of library shelves, the five literary gems collected in translation here for the first time prove that the iconic Kamasutra, perhaps India s best known export, is neither the first nor the last Indian book on sexuality. Illustrated with original miniatures and paintings, and including individual introductions to each of the five texts by the translator Sandhya Mulchandani, Five Arrows of Kama goes beyond the ancient lessons of the Kamasutra to reveal the pleasures and secrets of the art of love making. Desire makes a young woman look for sex. The man s desire depends on her. Pururavasa Manasijasutram [Krishna to Radha:]When I unfastened your chunari and blouse, all I wanted was to experience the bliss of Brahma. This body of yours needs my complete attention and your spontaneous surrender. Narmakelikutuhala Samvadam One should have intercourse with a woman after acquiring complete knowledge of all aspects of the sexual act. Only when the needs of both partners match, can ecstasy be attained. Smarapradipika Heterosexual intercourse with women is the first kind; the second is anal sex, both with men and women; the third kind is masturbation; and the fourth requires the use of artificial devices. Manmatha Samhita Experiencing the bliss of sipping kadambari is highly recommended. Liquor is favoured because besides an elevated sense of well being, it also enhances sexual performance. Kadambari Swikaranakarika

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Erotic art

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Publié par	Penguin Books Ltd
Date de parution	01 novembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	2
EAN13	9788184752908
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	3 Mo

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Five Arrows of Kama
The Art of Love, Sex and Desire
Selected and Translated by Sandhya Mulchandani
Contents
Introduction
Kamadeva
{ 1 } Pururavasa Manasijasutram
{ 2 } Narmakelikutuhala Samvadam
{ 3 } Smarapradipika
{ 4 } Manmatha Samhita
{ 5 } Kadambari Swikaranakarika
Bibliography
Translator s Note
Acknowledgements
Illustration Credits
Copyright Page

May Kama s well-directed arrow, which is winged with pain, barbed with longing, and has desire for its shaft, pierce thee in the heart.
W.J. Wilkins Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic
Introduction
Humans are governed by powerful sentiments such as heroism, envy and covetousness, love and sexual desire-perhaps the most primal emotion. Why are we so obsessed with sex? What is it that makes us behave the way we do when in love? These questions have been the subject of much debate and analyses, but of one thing we can be certain: sexual desire remains one of mankind s least understood urges.
According to Hindu cosmology, desire, personified as Kama, is an essential aspect of the cosmic being and the cause behind every longing. Sexuality and spirituality were not separate realms, and ancient Hindus celebrated life and love as a continuous utsav or carnival. Treated as both art and science, sexuality has been researched, discussed and analyzed for well over three thousand years on the Indian subcontinent. From the Rg Veda to the Kamasutra , the sexual urge has been explored-without guilt, hypocrisy or duplicity.
But ancient Indians believed this pleasure had to be tempered with knowledge of dharma. Eroticism was considered valuable only if it did not infringe on the rights and sentiments of others: the pursuit of pleasure needed to be carried out with sensitivity, reverence for life and most importantly, self control. It comes as no surprise then that chastity belts are unheard of in India. In fact, the penalty for adultery in ancient India was never more rigorous than a ritual bath or a donation. Says the sage Vatsyayana, author of the Kamasutra , Reasonable people aware of the importance of virtue, money and pleasure, as well as social convention, will never let themselves be led astray by passion.
By the medieval period, however, the liberal beliefs of the ancients had undergone a marked change. Monogamy became the norm and the other woman , who occupies pride of place in the Kamasutra , disappeared. For all its emphasis on marital fidelity, this era witnessed the emergence of the religious-erotic cult of Radha and Krishna. Tantra philosophy, which believed in the compatibility of human sexuality and spirituality, emerged in the early medieval period. Sexuality was liberally expressed in temple art and architecture. In contrast to medieval synagogues, churches and mosques, all forms of sexual expression-hetero- and homosexual, auto-eroticism, even group sex and bestiality-were displayed almost defiantly on the walls of temples in Khajuraho, Konark and Palampet, among others. Eroticism also found its way into the literature of the time. Sample these lines from the Rtusamhara by the great Sanskrit playwright Kalidasa:
Enjoyed long through the cold night in love-play Unceasing by their lusty young husbands in an excess of passion, driving, unrelenting, women just stepped into youth move at the close of night slowly reeling, wrung-out with aching thighs.
(Kalidasa, The Loom of Time , translated by Chandra Rajan)
Several erotic texts were written between the tenth and eighteenth centuries in keeping with the tradition of the Kamasutra .

The earliest of these texts is, surprisingly, a Buddhist one called Nagarasarvasvam ( A Guide for a Townsman ), written by a monk Bhikshu Padmasri in the tenth century. Two of the most famous medieval erotic texts are Rati Rahasyam ( The Secrets of Love ), written by the poet Kukkola in the twelfth century, and Ananga Ranga , written by Kalyanamalla in the fifteenth century. The Ratishastra , which discusses procreation and ideal behaviour expected of married couples in Hindu homes, also reflects the values and norms of medieval Indian society. Many other texts such as Janavashya , Ratiratnapradipika , Panchasayaka and Manmathasutra followed well into the eighteenth century.
Attitudes towards sexuality in contemporary Indian society are vastly different from those of the past. Insecurities abound as old values crumble and get replaced by new, uninformed notions and a prurient popular culture. As traditional norms are challenged in a rapidly changing India, sexual repression and violence have become the norm.
Delving into some of our erotic texts could help put into perspective some of the problems we face today. These texts are not meant to be titillating reading on the sexual proclivities of India s past. Rather, by highlighting love and respect, they emphasize the right of every man and woman to seek sexual pleasure. They stress, with wit and humour, that sex, like everything else in life, requires energy and attentiveness, and when learnt and practised, can be developed into a fine art.
Five medieval texts that have survived the ravages of time are included in this book- Pururavasa Manasijasutram , Narmakelikutuhala Samvadam, Smarapradipika , Manmatha Samhita and Kadambari Swikaranakarika .
These, along with other medieval erotic texts, have often been dismissed by modern scholars as mere imitations of the Kamasutra with little literary value and almost no new data. Many other texts have been lost and several others languish as manuscripts or mouldy Sanskrit texts in the dusty backrooms of long forgotten libraries. A closer examination, however, shows that these texts are quite different from the Kamasutra : overt displays of affection are discouraged, foreplay and oral sex assume more importance, and much more is known about impotency, premature ejaculation, menstruation, orgasms and the G-spot. In addition, these texts discuss monogamy, polygamy, prostitution, infidelity, etc.-issues that do not feature in the Kamasutra .
Frank and forthright, these texts make no concession or apology for their explicitness, and do not attempt to couch facts in symbolism and metaphor. Nor are they jaded treatises on sexual positions. The Kadambari Swikaranakarika ventures into areas the Kamasutra does not even mention-it recognizes the fact that women need more time to get aroused and recommends the use of alcohol to intensify arousal. The Manmata Samhita advises masturbation and the use of dildos for maintaining sexual fidelity. Verses from the Pururavasa Manasijasutram would not seem out of place in a fashion magazine: Striking against the sardagrdi [the G-spot] is the primary cause for seeing the light of supreme consciousness.

Today, the erotic sentiment has fallen prey to a dubious morality that equates sex with sin and desire with guilt. These texts will provide a glimpse of the maturity and honesty that animated our ancestors.
Kamadeva
According to Hindu cosmology, Kamadeva, the god of love, sex and desire came into being at the very beginning of time. Kama represents a wide range of emotions, including aesthetics, love, lust and sexual enjoyment. Usually depicted as a handsome young man, he is often accompanied by his wife Rati, passion, and their companion, Vasanta, spring.
Kamadeva s vehicle, a parrot, has strong sexual and romantic connotations-its red beak represents unfulfilled desire and its green body, the fecund earth. His flag bears a fish or a crocodile and he adorns himself with lotus flowers and conch shells. He carries a bow made from sugarcane stalk and strung with a row of bees. His quiver has five flower-tipped arrows and each of these arrows represents, among other things, the five senses from which all pleasures emanate-sound, sight, taste, touch and smell-and the five parts of the body where sexual desire is deeply felt-the heart, the breast, the eyes, the forehead and the vagina.

Kamadeva is also known as Ragavrinta (stalk of passion), Manasija (one born of the mind; see Pururavasa Manasijasutram in this volume), Manmatha (one who affects the heart; see Manmatha Samhita in this volume), Madan (intoxicating), or simply, Kama (love, sex, longing or desire). Kama s names stress the incorporeal nature of desire and an interesting legend describes how Kama became Ananga (formless, without a body) and was later reborn as Pradyumna.
Once, when Shiva was in deep meditation, a troublesome demon called Taraka began harassing the gods who were powerless against him. It had been prophesied that only a son born of Shiva and Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas, could destroy Taraka. Parvati was already in love with Shiva, but the meditating lord remained oblivious to her and the world. Finally, Indra, the king of the gods, secured Kama s services to break Shiva s concentration so that he could fall in love with Parvati. As Kama and his wife Rati set about their allotted task, their companion Vasanta created a gentle breeze, flowers in bloom, birdsong and the sweet smell of mango flower blossoms. Kama shot one of his arrows at Shiva and broke his meditation.
Angered by this intrusion, Shiva opened his third eye, the fount of anger, gazed upon Kamadeva and burnt him to cinders. Moved by Rati s plea, Shiva promised to resurrect Kama, now Ananga, and assured her that he would be reborn as Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmini.

When Pradyumna was six days old, he was kidnapped by Sambara, a demon, for it was ordained that Pradyumna would kill Sambara. The demon threw the baby into the sea, where a fish swallowed him. In a strange twist of fate, the fish was caught and brought back to Sambara s home, where his wife Mayadevi discovered a beautiful child inside the fish. She took charge of the child and raised him as her own.
Later, when he heard the truth of his birth, the valiant Pradyumna was filled with wrath and killed Sambara. And it was then that he realized that his mot