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Kamashastra and Classical Sanskrit literature (study)

by Vishwanath K. Hampiholi | 1986 | 78,921 words

This essay in English studies the influence of Kamashastra on classical Sanskrit literature by exploring the significance of Kama (sexual desire) within Indian philosophy and literature. It is highlighted tat ancient Indians valued both spiritual and worldly aspects of life. The treatise "Kamasutra" by Vatsyayana is highlighted as a pione...

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The third adhyaya instructs how to court a girl from her childhood. It narrates also the gestures of the girl in whose mind love has arisen. Vatsyayana gives a detailed picture of plans or means which help a man to attract a girl from her childhood. Among those various plans, one plan is that, he should meet her privately and give her some presents, and he should express the fear of the elders...75 Vatsyayana advises the lovers to express the 72. Supra Fn.18 of this chapter. 1 73. vadhusu balasu vihaya mardavam yah auvaretsahasamaksamah puman | na tah striyah kevalamavayolayam 116 srutam samastasca na visvasantitam || a || rasamadana . 58. 74. balam balannamumjita viragotpattisankaya | bhu-jitacettrapabhitityajanakramasamgatam || naisa . 20.39, vyakhyana . 75. pracchannadanasya tu karanamatmano gurujanadbhyam khyapayed deyasya canyena sprhaniyatvamiti | ka . su . 3. 3.16.

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259 fear of guardians as an obstacle in their love-affairs. Kalidasa depicts Sakuntala in the same manner. When Dusyanta asks her for secret love, she states- "I am really no mistress of myself though tormented by love."76 When she expresses her fear of elders, Dusyanta takes her into confidence by saying- "o timid one, away with the fear of the elders. The revered Lord of the group, who knows duties, will not, on consideration, find fault with In this context alam gurujana-bhayena of Kalidasa and gurujanad bhayam khyapayet of Vatsyayana are quite you. #77 identical. $ Vatsyayana states that young women love those men who are handsome and with whom they are acquainted. Though they fall in love, they will not express it openly. 78 The same idea is elaborated by Visnusarman in his Mitrabheda plan thus- "Ladies love him, who requests them; who $79 goes near to them; who wooes them ever and anon. 11 76. madanasantapta'pi nakhalvatmanah prabhavami | abhi . pra . 67. 77. bhiru alam guruja nabhayena | drstava te viditadharma tatrabhavannatra dosam grahisyati kulapatih api ca | tatraiva | 78. yuvatayo hi samsrstamabhiksnadarsanam va purusam prathamam kamayante STA YHTAT KTY J atlaydia sfa grutata: 1 at.A. 3. 3. 23. 79. striyam ca yah prarthayate sannikarsam ca gacchati | isacca kurute tevam tamevecchanti yositah || pam . ca. 152. 3

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: } Therefore sakuntala, Damayanti, Ratnavali, Kadambari etc. fell in love having seen the handsome figure of their lovers. Malavika, Malati, Priyadarsika, Vasantasena etc. expressed their love, when their lovers were acquainted with them. Generally the females will not express their love like males. Hence Draupadi in Campubharata narrates "When women and men fall in love, the females will not exhibit it due to bashfulness. But males will not hide it 180 The Kamasutra further describes some outward signs 81 and actions of a girl, who wants to show her love. She never looks the man in the face and becomes abashed 82 when she is looked at by him. Under some pretext or 83 other she shows her limbs to him. The same characters 84 are also stated by the Ratirahasya. Most of the heroines 80. stripumsayorbhavatatau mitho yau purvastayovridatarah patena | cirayate sprstacimtu svarupam parastu tannotsahate'numantum || cam . bha . 6.61. 81. taningitakaranvaksyamah | ka . su . 3.3.24. 82. sammukham na viksate tam tu viksita vridam darsayati | ka . su . 3. 3.25. 83. rucyamatmano' ingamapadesena prakasayati | ka . pu . 3.3.26. 84. abhimukhamalokayate lajjamalambate muhurta ca || ruciram na ciram vyajavdhanakti gatram pada bhuvam likhate || rati . 13-50, 51. · 260

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261 behave according to the direction of the Kamasutra. Sarmistha, having seen the king Yayati diverts her glance. nai And she leaves that place, through bashfulness, though the king directs her to be there for a moment. Hence the king says- "It appears that she has gone disregarding my instruction. However her attitude is not averse to me. Or rather the minds of women folk are perplexed at the time of their first union." "86 85 In the Viddhasalabhanjika, the king Vidyadharamalla tries to raise his beloved's face, which was hung down 87 due to bashfulness. Malayavati having seen Jinutavahana speaks to her friend thus- "I cannot remain here in close proximity to this man. Friend, on account of my excessive alarm I cannot stand face to face with him." And afterwards she looks bashfully at Jimuta with down-cast looks and 85. iti aigulivyajamalambya mukham parivartayati | yayata . pr . 8. 86. tadanadrtya gateti gamyate mayi tasyah vimukhi na samsthitih | athava navasamgame mano mahilanam bhajate vimudhatam || yayati 2.7. 87. tarangasadrso' igane patanu citramindivaram sphutikura radacchadam bhajatu vidrumah svetatam | ksanamvapurapavrnu sprsatu kamcanam kalika- mudancaya mukham managbhavatu ca dvicandram nabhah || vidadha 3-27. � 2

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88 slightly turns away her face from him. Malavika, in pramadavana, having seen Agnimitra is abashed (according 89 to the direction of Vatsyayana.) Dusyanta describes the same type of behaviour of Sakuntala thus- "She does not stand with her face turned towards my face, but her vision for the most part does not posses any other object. 90 Here Sakuntala hesitates to look in the face of her lover on account of bashfulness. 262 In the Kuttanimata, Malati behaves properly to attract a new lover. She shows the gestures tending to excite amorous sensations, exposes the limbs which are beautiful due to sex-sport, makes visible her secret parts, snaps the fingers with thumb and smiles gently. Showing 91 88. ha je atisadhvesena na saknomyetasyabhimukhi sthatum | 8 nayakam sa lajjam tiryakpasyanti kimcitparavrttamukhi tisthati 89. malavika lajjam natayati | mala . pr . 68. 90. kamam na tisthati madanana - sammukhina naga . pr . 52. bhuyisthamanyavisaya na tu drstirasyah || abhi . 1.30. 91. suslisto havavidhirmadana lasanatratim lalitam | gudhasthanaprakatanamaigulivisphotanam smitam subhagam || kuttani - 692.

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263 some secret parts is to kindle the love-fire of their lovers. Hence Malati exhibits her body. Vatsyayana directs that it should be dome under some pretext. Hence the poet Kalidasa brings Malavika in thin clothes which manifest the beauty of all the limbs, before Agnimitra, Under the 92 pretext of dancing competition. Some women, in kavyas, exhibit their secret limbs under the pretext of plucking the flowers. Bharavi sketches a woman who exhibits her hips, her breasts, three folds of flesh and hairs on the 93 stomach under the pretext of plucking the flowers, The Kamasutra proceeds thus- "A girl, who wants to express her love, looks secretly at her lover though he 94 has gone away from her side; hangs down her head, when she is asked some question by him, answers in indistinct 95 words; and delights to be in his company for a long time. 96 92. sarvamgasausthavabhivyaktaye viralanepathyayoh patrayoh praveso'stu | J mala . pr . 26. 93. kalatrabharena vitolani vina galadadukula stanasalinorasa | valivyapaya sphutaromarajina nirayatatvadudarena tamyata || kirata . 8. 17. 94. pramattam pracchannam nayakamatikrantam ca viksate | ka . su . 3.3.27. 95. prsta ca kincitsasmitamavyaktaksaramanavasitartham ca mandam mandam adhomukhi kathayati | ka . su . 3.3.28. 96. tatsamipe ciram sthanamabhinandati | ka . su . 3.3.29. 97. kimcitsatayomukha mavisadavarnakramam smitaprayam || vadati tadantika samsthitimanusarati vyajato - dirgham || rati . 13.52, 53.

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264 97 Kalyanamalla narrates the same in his erotic text. All 1 these aphorisms narrate that the girl looks at her lover under some pretext, answers when she (_ is asked, and desires not to be far from him. Therefore Dusyanta recollects his beloved's behaviour, who looks at him under the pretext of extricating her garment, though it was not really entangled in the branches of the tree. A poet remembers the occasion of his 98 beloved's departure and narrates- "She, who glanced on me repeatedly having turned her face, pained my heart by her side-glances which are like arrows coated with nectar as 99 well as with poison. In the Dasakumara-carita, Mitragupta 97. kimcitsprstadhomukha mavisada varnakramam smitaprayam || 1 vadati tadantika samsthitimanusarati vyajato dirgham || rati . 13.52, 53. 98. darbhaikurena carana cata ityakande tanvi sthita katicideva padanigatva | asida vivrttavadana ca vimocayanti sakha suvalkalamasaktamapi drumanam | abhi .2.12. 11 . yantya muhurvalitakandharamananam ta- davrttavrntasatapatranibhavahantya | digdho mrtena ca visena ca paksmalaksya gadham nikhata iva me hrdaye kataksah || malati . 1. 32.

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1 $ 265 sketches Kandukavat in the same manner where he states- "She passed a side-long glance, as though it were the blue lotus shaft of the flower-arrowed God, and appearing to see, as she often turned, under some pretext or other the full orb of the moon of her face, whether her heart that 100 she had sent towards me had returned or not. 11 Padmavati looks at srinivasa with side-glances repeatedly under some pretexts, when she was leaving him 101 in the forest. In all the above examples a girl, in her first love or in her first meeting, never looks towards her lover straightly but beholds him with side-glances, that too under some pretext. Vatsyayana has said that a girl never wants to leave the company of her lover. If time comes to leave him, she 100. kuvalaya - praramiva kusumasarasya mayyapagam samarpayanti, 77 sapedesama sakrdavartyamanavadanacandramandalataya svahrdayavi matsamipe preritam pratinivrtam na vetyalokayanti, saha sakhibhih kumaripuramagamat | dasa . pr . 153. 101 tatah padmavati sasakhikadamba taralatarataraya drsa avrtyavrtya * savyajam pasyanti vanatprasthita | srinivasa . pr . 59.

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+ shows her unwillingness and desires to be there only under some pretence. Kalidasa pictures Sakuntala in the same manner. Hence in the first act, Sakuntala is not ready to leave that place. Therefore she says- Anasuya, my foat is deeply pricked by the point of a young kusa blade and my garment is stuck fast to a kuravaka branch. 102 Wait for me so long as I extricate it. In the third act also, when she has to face the separation of Dusyanta having heard the arrival of Gautami from her friends, she hides him behind the branches and at the time of the departure she states- "O bower of the creepers, the remover of my sufferings, I take leave of you, to enjoy 103 again." Then she exits with sorrow. In this context we clearly see that she was not ready to lose his company. Kalidasa has depicted Sakuntala according to the tenets of Vatsyayana. 102. anasuye, abhinavakusasucya pariksatam me caranam | kurabakasakha parilagnam ca valkalam | tavatparipalayatam mam bhavadetanmocayami | abhi .29. 103. latavalaya samtapaharaka, amantraye tvam bhuyo'pi paribhogaya | 1 duh khana niskranta sakuntala sahetarabhih | abhi . pu . 69. 266

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267 Priyadarsika of Sriharsa also acts like Sakuntala. Having seen Vatsaraja, who was hiding behind the Kadaligrha, she says to her friend thus- "O Indivarika, my laps laps Hence we will go slowly. "104 stunned due to excess cold. She looks at the king under this pretext. Thus she shows her unwillingness to leave that place. When Malayavati is enjoying the company of Jimutavahana, an attendant comes and narrates the order of her elders, which leads to their separation. Malayavati's mind starts to swing as she is ready neither to discard the order of the elders, 105 nor to abandon the pleasure of looking at her lover. Here, the girl, Malayavati, expresses her unhappiness at loosing that good company. She Further the Kamasutra tells some more signs of a girl who wants to express her love. They are as follows: speaks to her attendants in a peculiar tone with the hope of attracting his attention towards her, when she is at a distance from him, and does not want to go from that 104. ha je indivarike atisisirataya salilasyorustambha iva samutpannah | tatah sanaihsanaih gacchavah | priya . pr . 175 105. ekato guruvacanamanyato dayitadarsanasukhani | gamanagamanamudhamadyapi dolayate me hrdayam || naga . 1. 18.

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place. 106 She having seen something, smiles and narrates 107 tales to somebody to attract him. She embraces and kisses before him a child sitting on her lap and draws ornamental marks on female servants. 108 She confides in her lover's friends, respects and obeys them. 109 When Vidusaka asks Dusyanta- "How do you knɔw that Sakuntala is interested in you?" Dusyanta replies- "When I faced her, glance was withdrawn by her; ner laughter had its rise from some other cause. Hence, her love whose course was checked by modesty, was neither 110 fully revealed nor fully concealed. Here Sakuntala 106. dure sthita pasyatu mamiti manyamana parijana savadanavikaramabhasate tam desam na muncati | ka . su . 3.3.30. 107. yaktikancida drstava vihasitam karoti tatra kathamavasthatartha manudadhnati | ka . su . 3.3.31. 108. balamyakagatasyalinganam cumbanam ca karoti paricarikayastilakam ca racayati | ¶T. H. 3.3.32. 109. tanmitresu visvasiti vacanam caisam bahumanyate karoti ca | ka . sa. 3.3.34. 110. abhimukha mayi samhrtamiksitam hasitamanyanimittakrtodayam | vinayavaritavrttiratastaya na vivrto madanau na ca samvrttah || 2.11. 260

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: has expressed her love by not looking at his face and by smiling without any reason, which are mentioned by the Kamasutra. 269 ,111 Some poets have added some more characteristics and described them whenever they got an opportunity. Damodaragupta describes Malati who was expressing her love thus- "She loosens her waist-knot, makes correct her braid frequently, bites her lower lip, kisses the child etc. Pravarasena in the Setubandha, describes a girl thus- "She touches her curly hair which are hanging on her forehead; she plays with her bangles; she checks her cloths, she utters something to her friend, when her lover is looking at her. Srinivasa recollects the expression 112 showed by Padmavati and comes to the conclusion that she 113 is loving him. Thus we see that the poets have followed 11. nivibandhavimokso muhurmuhuh kesapasavislesah | svadharadaganagrahanam balaka paricumbanam ratotsukata || kuttani - 693. 112. alakam sprsati vilaksyah pratisarayati valayam yamayati nivasanam | moghamalapati sakhim dayitalokanartito vilasini - sarthah || setu 10.70. 113. athava kim tadadyapi na nisciyate | kathamanyatha kunita- tribhagena caksusa savyajam mamiyam pasyet | niruddho'pi ko'pi vikarah kathamasyah prasaredagesu | svedalavakta jalakairalamkriyeta | bhinavasphatika bhittidhavala kapolapali | katham uttambhayeduttaram vasah romaharsodabhedah | katham nartayedra ksinanala iva latamuskampah | katham sithili bhavennivibandhah | katham bhuvama likhaccarananakhamanih | srinivasa . pr .56.

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the Kamasutra. 270 Further, Vatsyayana has said that the girl, who wants to express her love, respects the friends of her lover. Mahasveta behaves in the same manner. Having heard about the arrival of Kapinjala, the friend of Pundarika, Mahasveta bows down and gives him a seat. She washe] the feet of Kapinjala, though he tries to avoid it. She sits on the earth near him to hear his words. The description 114 of hospitality sketched by Bana is, no doubt, according to the words of the Kamasutra. Vatsyayana ends this adhyaya with these words: One should win over a young girl by child-like sports, a damsel come of age by his skill in the arts, and a girl that loves 115 him by having recourse to persons in whom she confides. Hence Dandin describes many princes who win the hearts of young ladies by displaying their proficiency in the arts. The words of Vatsyayana are accepted by sudraka; hence he 114. utthaya ca krtapranama sadaram svayamasanamupaharam | upavistasya ca baladanicchato'pi praksalya caranavupamrjya cottariyamsuka pallavenavyavadhanayam bhumaveva tasthantike samupavisam | kadam � pr . 238. 115. balakridanakai bala kalabhiyauvane sthita | vatsala capi samgrahya visvasya janasamgrahat || ka . 3. 3.3.44.

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271 states- "An elephant can be held by means of a tying-rope; a horse by means of reins and a woman by the heart...etc. In this way the poets have described various characteristics of a girl who desires to express her love, according to the aphorisms of love of Vatsyayana. 116

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