I'll show you my yoni if you show me your lingum..... (Kama Sutra - Vatsyayana)

Member Name: Joanna Hudson

Product:	Kama Sutra - Vatsyayana
Date:	10/10/01 (5123 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: insight into anciant hindu life, Some great advice on lovemaking, Advice on how to overcome marital problems

Disadvantages: Some impossible positions, Dangerous potions

The Kama Sutra is a guide to help everyone, whether male or female, gain knowledge of the art of lovemaking. It was written nearly 2000 years ago by the Hindu sage Vatsyayana in the city of Benares on the River Ganges.

Many have tried to translate the book of love into English; the original is probably still the best translation. The Kama Sutra (which means ‘aphorisms on love’) was originally transcribed to English in 1883 by two men, F F Arbuthnot and Sir Richard Burton. Arbuthnot thought the Kama Sutra would be a good way for the genteel Victorian male to learn about sex, and also thought it a good aid to help marriages stay strong and happy. Burton, on the other hand, was interested in this project because, quite frankly, he was obsessed with sex.

So, the love teachings were written into English and became one of the most well read, most popular and most practised sex manuals ever written.

The Kama Sutra is segmented into seven parts, and these parts are then separated into several chapters. They cover a wide range of subjects, some of which are not at all relevant in today’s society, but interesting none the less. In fact, these parts of the book give a good insight into what life must have been like in India two millenniums ago.

The Kama Sutra is not just about sex, there is far more to this book than that. It is about how to live with your fellow human beings. It explains how you should treat your friends and family, and how you should expect to be treated by them. It gives advice on life, friendship and how to gain religious enlightenment.

Part I: Introductory

This basically gives a general synopsis of the Hindu way of life. It explains how to live a good and religious life, by letting Dharma, Artha (no, not you Art!) and Kama into your life. Dharma is attained by studying the Vedas, the Holy book of Hinduism, and by going to religious leaders for guidance. Artha is attained by learni
ng skills and gaining financial independence. Kama is all the great things in life, the way to enjoy Kama is by studying and practising the Kama Sutra

This part also explains how to live from day to day, how to present yourself in public, and how to arrange your houses so they are clean and respectable.

The last chapter in this part gives advice on the kind of women that are unsuitable for lovers, and what kind of women who are suitable as friends, but not lovers. For example, women who are smelly, a near relation or are promiscuous are not suitable for lovers, which seems like pretty good advice to me!

Part II: Of Sexual Union

This part begins by explaining the different types of men and women. Both sexes are separated into three groups according to the size of the man’s penis (called ‘lingum’ in the book) and the depth of the woman’s vagina (referred to as ‘yoni’ in the book). It is advised that you only copulate with a person who has a compatible yoni or lingum. It is also advised that you should only have sexual relations with someone who has the same amount of desire or libido as you, otherwise problems will arise (or not arise, as the case may be!)

The further nine chapters in Part II explain all the intimacies of love making, from the very first touch and kiss to how to finish love making.

The advice starts off very simply, explaining the different forms of kissing and holding, to then go onto tell the reader how to practice biting, striking and scratching. Basically, biting, scratching etc seems to be an early form of the ‘love bite’ it is a way of marking your territory.

When it comes to the actual practice of love making, there really is some good advice here on several different sexual positions that can bring pleasure to every type of lingum or yoni! It also explains that some men like to make love to two lovers at once (this is called ̵
6;united congress), and some men like to make love to many, many women at the same time, which is comically called ‘congress of a herd of cows’!

There is also a chapter about oral sex, which is very descriptive and, without giving too much about myself away, it has certainly helped me give my partner a pleasant evening or two in the past! This chapter is also interesting because the male servants were the ones who performed the ‘mouth congress’ as it is called was usually performed by the on their male employers. This was not considered homosexuality; it was just a part of the job if you were a servant.

I think the most comical section of this part of the book is within the last chapter, which explains how to overcome quarrels with your lovers. A typical quote from this chapter:

‘A woman who is very much in love with a man can not bear to hear the name of her rival mentioned…if such takes place, a great quarrel arises….at this time, the lover should attempt to reconcile her with conciliatory words, but she, with increased anger, should bend down his head by pulling his hair, and having kicked him once, twice or thrice on his arms, head, bosom or back, should then proceed to the door of the room’

Part III: About the Acquisition of a Wife

This part has some wonderful advice, which would be helpful to anyone who is suffering relationship difficulties, particularly of a sexual nature.

Firstly, it explains which type of women make good wives, how to win over and then subsequently marry this kind of woman. It tells how to court women, how to win over women who are ‘hard to get’ and how to please them.

The most beautifully written and romantic part of the Kama Sutra is in my opinion the chapter called ‘creating confidence in the girl’. It explains how to make your new wife relaxed and how to bring romance into the relationship. It tells
the men not to rush in and have sex on the first night. Instead they should wait, bring romance into the relationship by bathing and massaging the new bride for several days. Each day the massage becomes more personal and sexual, he should tell her every day how much he loves her and cares, and eventually the new bride will feel so loved and relaxed with her husband that sex becomes a totally natural and loving act.

Also included in Part III is the etiquette of dating, how both sexes should act around one another, how a girl can win over a man’s heart (and no, it’s not through his stomach!). It also explains the different kinds of marriages and relationships, and how to overcome problems such as a wife who doesn’t want to have sex!

Part IV: About a Wife.

This is a very short part, which is aimed at women. It explains how to be a good and virtuous wife. This whole chapter is very old fashioned and not at all a good example for today’s women! It basically discusses how to keep the house clean, how to keep your husband happy and how to stay looking attractive.

The second chapter gives advice on how the eldest wife should act around her husband’s younger wives and how to keep the household argument free. It seems as though the eldest wife is really a mother figure to all the other wives and is to be treated with great respect.

Part V: About the Wives of Other Men.

This chapter lists several types of men and women, all the women that are talked about in this part are all married to other men.

Some examples of women who are easily gained over: A woman who is always staring at you, a woman whose husband has taken a new wife without just cause, a woman who stands at the doors of their houses. There is also a list of men who are considered attractive to the opposite sex: Men skilled in telling stories, men well versed in the science of love, men who are good looking.

It
also teaches men how to understand what a woman is thinking by the way she acts around him. It advises how to win over hard to get women and how to tell if a woman is in love or just horny.

Part VI: About Courtesans.

In India 2000 years ago courtesans were considered respectable pillars of society, often better educated than other women, and also more enjoyable company. They were not looked on with distaste the way prostitutes are looked upon in the west. Sex was not just considered as a way of releasing sexual tension. It was considered essential to the body, mind and soul and so to go to a courtesan was almost considered a good thing to do.

This chapter is written for courtesans as a guide of how to behave around different types of men and how to be attractive and accommodating. It explains that she should act as if she were a wife to her lover, and should make the man feel loved, even if she has no feelings towards him.

There is also advice on how to make a large amount of money. This advice includes drowning the man with compliments, telling him you need to buy something when you don’t, and performing household duties. It also explains how to get rid of a client who is falling in love and wants the courtesan to be his wife.

Part VII: About the means of attracting others to yourself.

The last part of the book of the Kama Sutra gives lots of recipes and concoctions in order to make yourself a better lover. Basically, these potions were the viagara of yesteryear. There is also ways of how to make the mans lingum bigger (this involves rubbing insects and brushes on your penis and doesn’t sound like a very good idea to me, it sounds painful!). There is a warning at the beginning of the chapter warning not to actually take any of these concoctions, as they could be dangerous. They are, however, very interesting to read about and gives a little insight into life of Hindu’s 2000 years ago.


Overall the Kama Sutra is a very interesting and enjoyable book to read. It is incredibly informative and detailed and although some of the chapters have little relevance in today’s western world, there is still a lot to be gained by reading it.

In the copy I have there are numerous paintings of over 60 of the different sexual positions. These pictures are very explicit but I think are very beautiful. I must admit I have not tried all the positions in the book as a few look quite dangerous! Also, the women’s ‘yoni’s’ in the pictures all seem to be in the wrong place, usually where the belly button should be!

I would definitely recommend anyone to buy the illustrated version of the Kama Sutra, not only to help your sex life but also to learn a little about what life must have been like thousands of years ago. The beautiful thing about this book is that, unlike other more modern sex manuals, it is not solely concentrating on ‘doing it’. It gives advice on overcoming marital problems, how to help each other feel more confidant and how to treat the people around you.

I will leave you with a quote from this wonderfully colourful book.

‘ A man acting according to the inclinations of a girl should try to gain her over so that she may love him and place her confidence in him. He who knows how to make himself beloved by women, as well as to increase their honour and create confidence in them, this man becomes an object of their love, but he who neglects a girl, thinking she is too bashful, is despised by her as a beast ignorant of the working of the female mind. A girl forcibly enjoyed by one who does not understand the hearts of girls becomes nervous, uneasy and dejected, and suddenly begins to hate the man who has taken advantage of her. And then, when her love is not understood or returned, she sinks into despondency, and becomes either a hater of mankind altogether, or, hating her o
wn man, she has recourse to other men.’

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