Like all things which keep us deliciously intrigued, no one can quite agree on the facts surrounding the Kama Sutra. We know it was compiled between the first and fourth century by an elderly Indian sage called Mallanaga Vatsyayana, but little is known of him. Some historians swear he was celibate; others say after studying ancient texts, he put the advice into practice and went for it!
It’s also thought Vatsyayana didn’t actually write the Kama Sutra, even though he’s generally referred to as the author. Folklore says he studied writings of holy men before him and discovered that Nandi, the white bull, stood guard for the mighty gods Shiva and Parvati outside their bedroom while they made love for
10,000 years. (And you thought that 40 hour romp was something worth boasting about!) Nandi swore never to speak of the sex secrets he saw and heard, but just like a fallible human, broke his vow and blabbed.
The words Nandi spoke “fell as flowers” and the flowers were gathered, strung onto thread, then woven into a book of 1,000 chapters. As time passed, the book got shortened as eventually condensed to 150 chapters. Vatsyayana managed to compact it into seven parts (only one of which deals exclusively with sex, by the way).
The Kama Sutra is basically a guide to live and love. It’s addressed to men, but Vatsyayana heartily recommends young women also flip through it before marriage (with their fiancé’s consent, of course.) At the time the Kama Sutra was written, there was no shame associated with sex – Hindus thought sex wasn’t just natural and necessary, but sacred. A veritable sexfest apparently! (Time machine, anyone?)
In 1883, the Kama Sutra was translated by Sir Richard Burton and Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot. So risqué was it for the Western world, they had to create their own company to publish it. Even then, it was only available through subscription and mainly read by scholars or upper class gentlemen with an appetite for erotica.
Published for general release in the U.S. and U.K. in 1962, it has remained the world’s most famous sex book, even if most people are under the misconception that it’s a “positions book” with lots of naughty drawings.
The following positions are original Kama Sutra staples. Some of them look ridiculously easy, others impossibly difficult. But don’t be fooled. A lot of what’s actually happening can’t be seen and the acrobatic positions aren’t designed for traditional thrusting. All is not as it seems!
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