Kama Sutra

Description

This ancient Sanskrit work considers desire as one legitimate part of a well-lived human life. Written in a compressed sutra form that mixes aphoristic verse, prose, and poetry, it ranges far beyond the sexual positions with which it is popularly associated. Its subjects include courtship, attraction, social accomplishment, choosing partners, marriage, adultery, and sexual practice, as well as the emotional conditions that awaken or sustain pleasure. Attention to varied regional customs and lifestyles makes the work both prescriptive and observant: it catalogues possibilities while asking individuals to understand them before deciding what is good. The text offers a broad inquiry into how erotic fulfillment interacts with behavior, intimacy, social convention, and the larger art of living.

Themes