The word 'Kama' can roughly be translated to 'love'. Within the
Kamasutra however, it is not necessarily the love between one person and
another; more the 'science of sex', incorporating pleasure and sensual
gratification. So it is more associated with making love than being in
love. Kama is described as gaining pleasure to the point of satisfaction
from the senses of sight, taste, hearing, smell and touch; or the
'senses of eroticism' and the pursuit of pleasure. "The
consciousness of pleasure which arises from that contact is called Kama."1
In order to to fully utilise the 'senses of eroticism' you should use
hands, feet, tongues, the anus and of course the sexual organs, paying
particular attention to the lower half of the body i.e. the vagina and
the penis. The 'senses of eroticism' can give great pleasure but the
ultimate goal is 'phala' or ejaculation. Kissing and biting are
encouraged as an integral part of foreplay adding greatly to the
eroticism. It is stated that if the rules of the Kamsutra are followed,
partners will be satisfied and will not therefore be inclined to become
unfaithful.
Adolescent girls should seek a teacher of the arts of sexual union
taught in the Kamasutra, this teacher should be a woman that is used to
sleeping with men or a girlfriend, aunt, sister or servant that is used
to sleeping with men; strangely the other choice of sexual teacher for a
young girl is a nun!
There is a social standing to be achieved from one's knowledge of
Kama and the senses of eroticism; for example it is discussed that any
woman who has been enjoyed by five men is a fit and proper person to be
enjoyed! Although a long list of exclusions applies to this rule such as
women who smell bad, openly express their desire for sexual intercourse
and those that gossip too much.
`The man who is ingenious and wise, who is accompanied by a
friend, and who knows the intentions of others, as also the proper
time and place for doing everything, can gain over, very easily, even
a woman who is very hard to be obtained.'
1
It is warned that man should not prejudice his pursuit of the three
aims in life (dharma, artha and kama, or virtue, prosperity and love.)
by concentrating too heavily on Kama as a heavy reliance on the
pursuit of pleasure alone will lead them to ruin.
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1. Quotations from the
Kamasutra as translated by Sir Richard Burton, 1883
