16 Facts You Need to Know About Kamasutra

The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text that is known is the West mostly as a sex manual. However, the truth about Kamasutra is much deeper. It is actually the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. The collections of Vedic teachings and advice represented by the Kama Sutra is a guide to get the most out of life by being fully present to all it offers us which includes sex as well.

Here are 16 lesser known facts about Kamasutra.

1. In Sanskrit, ‘Kama’ means desire and ‘Sutra’ means something that holds things together. Thus, ‘Kamasutra’ means the guidelines throughout which all your sexual desires can be fulfilled and held together.
2. Generically known as ‘Kamashastra’, it is the oldest and most notable group of texts.
3. It is all about the standards of human sexual behavior written in the Sanskrit language.
4. Vatsyayana is the author of Kamasutra. He is considered to be a philosopher of Vedic tradition and had lived around 2^nd century CE.
5. The Kama is one of the four goals of Hindu way of life. Other goals being: Dharma– virtuous living; Artha -material prosperity and Moksha– liberation.
6. Kamasutra says that dharma is better than artha and artha is better than kama. Thus, artha should be practised by the king so that the livelihood of men can be sustained.
7. While the sexual positions depicted in the Kamasutra is the most famous throughout the world, these depictions only cover 20% of the entire book.
8. The other 80% talks about the theories and philosophies of life, which can initiate desire, and teaches how one can sustain this love.
9. There are 1,250 verses divided into 7 parts and 36 chapters in Kamasutra written by Vatsyayana.
10. These 7 parts were abridged works from Dattaka – Part 1; Suvarnanabha – Part 2; Ghotakamukha – Part 3; Gonardiya – Part 4; Gonikaputra – Part 5; Charayana – Part 6; and Kuchumara – Part 7.
11. Vatsyayana in Kamasutra says that youth is the time for practicing pleasure and as he progresses through life, he needs to concentrate on virtuous living, and hope to escape the cycle of rebirth.
12. Kamasutra explains how two lovers can be so busy in the battle of sex and friction while pursuing pleasure that they get caught up in fierce energy and ignore the dangers of life.
13. The attitude of the book is different to other books, as it not only serves as a guide to warn against destruction, it also serves on the path to find pleasure.
14. Kamasutra is completely different to Tantric-Sex.
15. The English translation of the holy book was published privately in 1883 by the author Sir Richard Francis, under the work of Indian archaeologist Bhagwan Lal Indraji.
16. The most note-worthy translation of Kamasutra was done by Indra Sinha in 1980, which was published publicly. The chapters of the book started to circulate famously on the internet around the 1990s and today, it is what has known to be the “Book of Love and Sexual Pleasure” amongst the global citizens.