Games Of Love

Chapter Ten

Preludes And Conclusions To The Games Of Love

[Rata àrambha-avasànika]

Having described superior coition after the other kinds, Vàtsyàyana explains how to behave before and after the sexual act. The signs of affection must be continued before and after copulation. Whatever the operational order, the performance must include embraces and other signs of affection that continue afterward, particularly in the case of an occasional fling [prakìróakanyà], prior to copulation and also at the end, in order to create a bond.

The preliminary actions are now described.

1 Accompanied by his friends and servants, having taken a bath and being elegantly dressed, the citizen enters the chamber of love [rati-àvàsa] of his dwelling, which is carefully decorated, ornamented with flowers, and perfumed with scented smoke. He invites the woman to drink with him, and they commence drinking together.

The citizen is surrounded by his friends and servants, masseurs, carriers of betel, cupbearers, and others. The chamber of love, designed for amorous games, is located outside the house. It contains a bed, and thus completes the dwelling.

Women are of two kinds, those who take care of their body and bathe in a bathroom [nepathya-graha], and those who are not very refined and should be eliminated as soon as one sees them. Once together, a little drink is necessary to enhance the mood, but not too much since drink may disturb the girl’s mind. First she must be greeted with pleasant words, asking her news, and so forth, to begin with. After this, strong liquor [saraka] is taken.

2 He sits to the right of the girl, strokes her hair, and the edge of her robe, and without her knowledge undoes the part that passes between the thighs [nìvì], for libidinous purposes. He embraces her with his left arm.

He places himself on her right, holding his cup in his right hand and embracing her with his left arm. To start with, he strokes her hair and other places, then encircles her waist with his left arm; trying not to frighten her, if she is shy.

3 In order to introduce the matter, he amuses her with funny stories, making her laugh, and speaks hintingly of indecent and secret things,

At the start, very gradually he chatters. “Do you remember, my beauty, what happened here or there. You laughed so heartily!” Then, changing the subject, he goes on to speak of indecent and gross matters. Briefly he tells of hidden things, behavior that is difficult to get to know, or vulgar, little known details about people, on whose account he tells stories of which both would like to know the ending, just as in a novel [parikathà].

In order to stimulate her, he tells indecent and immoral stories, in the form of riddles, laughing and being amused the while.

4 Then comes vocal and instrumental music, whether or not accompanied by dancing. After which they talk about art, then once more, he encourages her to drink.

If she does not know how to dance, she mimes the words of the song by moving her body in a kind of sitting dance. Otherwise, they simply listen to the singing. As regards instruments, the vìnà should be played, as well as other string instruments, with an ivory plectrum. Other kinds of instruments are not suitable. In speaking of art, in order to demonstrate his talent, he shows her his phallic drawings. Then, letting the matter fall, he encourages her to drink once more.

5 Once pleasure has been awakened, having scented her with flower essences and offered her betel, he sends away the others present. As previously explained, he stimulates her by his embraces and begins to undo the folds of her garment as indicated. He then begins erotic games.

Having sent the servants away, he begins his enterprise in the manner foreseen. Betel is served as a pretext for sending friends and servants away. In the manner already explained, they prepare to make love. He plucks up courage, tears off her robe, persuades her laughingly to lie down and, when she does, he slips off his own clothes and mounts her according to the various procedures for sexual possession.

6 Having finished copulating [rata], free from desire, having become modest, without intimacy, they both go separately to the toilets [àcàra bhùmì]. On returning without any embarrassment, they seat themselves comfortably, greeting each other, taking betel, and rubbing each other with sandalwood paste. He smears the girl’s body with it and then makes her sit down.

Having made love as already described, their desire exhausted, they find familiarity lacking, as if they did not know each other, modest, embarrassed by one another, like strangers. Then they both go and wash, embarrassed by the sight of the virile organ. This is why they go separately to the latrines [àcàra bhùmì]. They do not go and wash themselves together in the bathroom [úauca bhùmì]. They then return to an agreeable place, not the one in which they have copulated. Taking betel, they eat it to beautify and scent their mouths. Then, with very fine powder, they rub the body’s bruises, whether external or internal. During the hot season, they utilize ointment of sandalwood or other seasonal products for the outside of the body. Then, if he wishes to, he also comes and sits down.

7 Putting his arms around her, he holds a cup in his hand and, with gentle words, invites her to drink. Then, according to the season, he offers her a light meal of sweetmeats and other preparations, which both share heartily.

Or else they remain clasped in each others arms, one against the other, like sesame seeds.

8 Then, conversing sweetly and gently, they take a pleasant meal, a clear soup tasting of mulberries, appetizing grilled meats, drinks of ripe fruit juice, dried meat, lemons and tamarind fruits, according to the customs of the country. Then, at their ease, they drink sweet liquors, while chewing from time to time sweet or tart things.

The soup may be of two kinds, meat extract or boiled rice liquid. The meat broth implies the killing of animals. A clear and tasty broth is thus obtained. The meat extract is better than the rice broth, which is sour, since it is invigorating. The roast meat is an appetizer before drinking mango juice. Pieces of tamarind fruit in sugarcane juice, with peeled and seeded lemons, taken with small lumps of sugar to stimulate, according to the custom of the country. Eating them while drinking is a way of getting into the mood. While drinking, they pick sweet or sour tidbits from time to time.

9 Climbing to the terrace on top of the house to take advantage of the moonlight, they give themselves over to pleasant conversation. She lays her head on the boy’s knees to look at the moon. He explains the figures of the constellations to her: Arundhatì the faithful, Dhruva the polestar, the garland of the seven Rishi [the Great Bear], Thus, their games of love come to an end.

If it is too hot indoors and the moon is shining, they climb up to the terrace of the main house to sit and watch it. Whether it is hot or not, they take betel with them to eat. Their satiated eroticism having no further attraction, he continues to talk, telling her love stories-Leaning on the boy’s knees, she stares at the vault of the sky, where the moon is a pleasure to the eye. He explains the figures of the constellations to her and their different components. Women are often unaware of the geography of the stars. There is the divine Arundhatì, who is hard to see. Anyone who is unable to see her will die within six months. And there is Dhruva, the unmoving polestar, which, if one can see it during the day, cancels all other defects. And there are the Seven Sages, the Great Bear, well installed in their right place. Thus he shows them to her.

He also shows her the Heavenly Ganges (the Milky Way). Then, their minds at peace, the both go and sleep in their separate apartments.

Two texts are quoted in this connection.

10 “After making love, one’s behavior should be affectionate. A solid attachment is established through friendly conversation.”

Every word they say to each other after making love express the woman’s gentleness and the man’s love, as in the welcome given at the beginning. She is impressed by her reception, the flood of scents, the drinks, and all the other things, as well as by the soothing conversation, which are the starting point for the birth of a lasting affection.

There is a famous saying on this subject, “Embraces, kisses, small tender words, and confidences double the desire to unite together physically.”

11 “Mutual affection is expressed by changes of mood, sometimes by disputes, sometimes by tender looks.”

Once trust is established, a reciprocal attraction is felt by both man and woman after making love, which is shown in different attitudes. Some people remain clasped to each other, while others separate. Some seem to be seized by anger, while other throw loving glances. Sometimes they pretend to quarrel, seized by sudden anger, then, changing their behavior, they become loving and affectionate again, or else they look around them. All these attitudes increase their love in the same way as the preliminaries to intercourse.

Changes of humor stimulate desire and increase mutual attraction. One moment they turn away from each other in fury, and then the next moment they laughingly exchange loving looks.

12 The rounds and songs about faithful lovers [ràsaka] from the Làta country, whose passion makes eyes fill with tears, have been compared to the moon’s halo.

The women of Làta country and of other regions, led by Kåûóa the cowherd, dance round dances while listening to the songs, their eyes turning up and dimming under the effect of love, when they see the object of their passion. They are compared to the ceaselessly moving orb of the moon, in prey to their devotion.

15 He speaks to her of the wonder of love, born at their first meeting, and of the pain felt in separating, just as the poets have described. Then, after these evocations, they embrace and exchange passionate kisses. United by their experience, their passion grows.

Love at their first meeting is sometimes born of a fleeting impression, sometimes from a simple glance. Then separation causes them savage pain. Once their love is proclaimed, they both hope to make an end to separation, a bond of mutual trust is created, which the one feels for the other. The beginning of love, whether in the adult or in adolescents, will be described in the twentieth chapter.

Thus talking about love and of their mutual attraction, while clasping and embracing each other, their contentment and passion grow.

The preludes and conclusions form part of the act of love (rata-avayava). Once stimulated, desire leads to various kinds of amorous relations. The various kinds of amorous relations are as follows:

14 Ràgavat, passionate love, born of physical attraction;

• Àhàryaràga, love born from habit, the result of affection produced by long cohabitation;
• Kritrimaràga, feigned love, without true feeling; Vyavahitaràga, substitute love, through an interposed party. The man sleeps with his “wife, ‘while thinking of another woman;
• Potàrata, neutral sex, without feeling, practiced with servant-women or female porters;
• Khalarata, degrading love, to satiate one’s basest instincts, practiced with a corrupt woman or some gross individual.

Such are the various kinds of erotic attraction [rati], whether good or bad.

15 Ràgavat, passionate love born of physical attraction

Born in both parties at first sight, .this attraction grows with the efforts made to realize it. This kind of attraction is also found on returning from a journey, or on meeting again after a quarrel.

Desire born from a first glimpse of someone’s pleasant appearance, which develops with information brought through a messenger and other efforts to manage to unite, is called ràgavat, passionate love. It is the same desire felt on returning after a journey, stimulated by absence, or else when, after a quarrel, peace is made and one makes love joyously and with pleasure. This is what is known as passionate love.

16 This attachment increases until its goal has been attained.

Passionate desire fires itself and lasts until it is fulfilled.

17 Àhàryaràga, affection born of habit

Only an ordinary attraction exists to begin with, but little by little, it grows. This is desire born of force of habit.

To begin with only an ordinary attraction existed, a feeling of congeniality, born of a physical appearance that caused a simple desire, not the union of two hearts. Sexual attraction is consequently relative. At the outset, during their first experiences, they nevertheless feel a certain satisfaction. Later on, sexual attraction is established by routine copulation [maithuna]. They attain true erotic satisfaction. Love born of consummation also leads to true affection.

Ordinary attraction means that the lover or his mistress have a simple desire for each other, but not true erotic attraction. However, a mutual desire develops from such an ordinary attraction by practice, and creates true affection. This is what is termed love born of consummation (Àhàryaràga).

18 Becoming gradually more excited by practicing the sixty-four positions, with common accord, a true passion [ràga] grows up.

The woman is aroused by the mere desire for erotic exercises.

19 Kritrimaràga, feigned love

Here, it is a matter of an occasional relation, while true love is for someone else. This is false desire.

Whether for good or bad reasons, it is not a case of true attraction, because the feelings of both one and the other are elsewhere. The woman is tied to another man, and the man to another woman. The enjoyment they experience in making love together is a false passion [Kritrimaràga],

20 In such forms of intercourse, it is better to consult the texts.

In these two kinds of union, unlike the others, there is no spontaneous attraction. At the moment of intercourse, therefore, it is useful to consult about the methods of practicing the various forms of embrace, etc. This is why the texts are useful for information on local customs, conventions, states of mind, etc.

21 Vyavahitaràga, substitute love

The man whose heart is tied to another makes love with his wife while thinking of the other woman. All the marks of affection and erotic acts take place by the interposition of another party. This is substitute love [Vyavahitaràga].

The state of a man who, even without other ties, or without being stimulated by another attachment, makes love without feeling is called false desire [kritrima]. Unless he does it in the hope of begetting a child, he finds no satisfaction due to lack of passion. On the other hand, if he performs with the thought of the one he loves in mind, he finds an ardor and excitation in the sexual act, which is expressed in his erotic performance. Since his performance is directed at the one he loves, it is love by substitution of the party [vyavahita]. In reality, he is uniting with the girl of his heart.

After which, occasional sexual relations are contemplated.

The first three kinds of spontaneous, habitual, or occasional sexual relations are morally acceptable and are considered pure [shuddha]. The following kinds, on the other hand, are not acceptable, since they should not be practiced by men and women of different social class. Their advantages and inconveniences are described by way of example.

22 Potarata, neutral isex

This refers to occasional sexual relations, due to the need for sexual satisfaction, with persons of no account, water-bearers, servant-women, inverts, etc.

This concerns water-bearers, or servants of a very lowly condition, but also wandering monks and bisexual scribes. This is neutral sex (Potàrata).

23 This kind of behavior is not recommended.

This kind of embrace is not respectable, or gracious. It only supplies a semblance of sexual satisfaction. In such cases, there is no need to embrace or kiss, since they are merely a convenience.

24 Khalarata, degrading sex

This is the case when a prostitute gives her body to a gross peasant to satisfy her perverse taste for adventure with people unlike an agreeable lover. It is the case of prostitutes, and courtesans who live on their charms, who, not being able to obtain what they desire, make use of gross individuals such as, for example, cowherds. This is degrading sexuality.

25 It Is the same for a gentleman who sleeps with village girls, shepherd girls, cowgirls, etc.

For a gentleman, relations with peasants are degrading, they are merely substitutes for love. Such forms of sexual release, like neutral sex [Potàrata] are only possible if one disguises oneself. Of village girls, the only attractive ones are the cowgirls of the Vraja country, all the others are savages [shabara].

For a person who is skilled in the art of love, relations with cowgirls, buffalo keepers, etc., are degrading.

Only when mutual confidence (visrambha) is established, with its moments of passion, quarrels, and so on, can one practice sex without barriers.

26 Ayantritarata, sex without barriers

When mutual trust is well established, it is possible, with perfect agreement, to practice sex without barriers.

Mutual trust is born of long association, of a perfect adaptation of the one to the other. What the man embarks on, the woman agrees to. Sex without barriers means without restrictions, including special tastes [citrarata], inversion of roles [puruûàyitam], and other practices, which have been described in detail.

After which, loving quarrels [pranaya-kalaha] are described.

Lovers’ quarrels

When sex without barriers is established, deriving from mutual trust, disagreements born of mutual affection are known as lovers’ quarrels. The reasons for such quarrels are explained.

Just as sexuality without barriers is born of mutual trust, so too with lovers quarrels.

27 As his mistress’s affection increases, she can no longer bear hearing the names of his other wives, or allusions to them, or not very flattering remarks about her own family, or disagreeable words from him.

Her affection developing as her trust increases, she can no longer bear any allusion, whether light, medium, or excessive, nor that her lover should say anything disagreeable to her. This is the source of quarrels. She no longer endures the boy’s faults, such as allusions to his other wives, or mentioning their qualities, or displeasing remarks about her own family, or his visits to his other women, his accepting betel from them, or making love with them, since it all implies his disaffection. As a result, she shows her exasperation.

28 So she of the beautiful eyebrows, in anger, weeping with rage, her head and body trembling, seizes the boy by his hair so as to hit him, then, throwing herself onto the ground, she tears off her necklaces and jewels.

When his other wives are mentioned, her fury is expressed in word and deed. Raising her eyebrows, the quarrel takes on the form of a succession of blazing words. In action, it becomes a fit of crying. In her affliction, she twists with pain, trembles, strikes herself, or else she seizes the boy by his hair to hit him. Tearing off her necklaces and jewels, she throws herself to the ground, but does not lie next to him. 

29 What does the boy do, thus ill-treated? Lovingly, he throws himself at her feet to obtain her forgiveness and, assuaging her with loving words, he takes her in his arms and puts her back on the bed.

Never should he mock the girl lying on the ground.

30 Without replying to his words, which only increase her anger, she seizes him by the hair. Raising his face, she strikes with her feet at his arms, his face, his breast, and back, and repeats it two or three times. Then she goes as far as the door and, sitting on the threshold, weeps waterfalls of tears.

Once she has hit him hard for his faults, she goes as far as the door and sits there, letting fall floods of tears.

31 Dattaka explains that, however furious she may be, she will never cross the threshold, because then she would be at fault. Drawing near, he does his best to pacify her with skillful words, seeking the right word to satisfy the lamenting one. When she has calmed down, the boy clasps the loving girl in his arms.

She remains on the threshold, neither outside, nor inside, because crossing the threshold would put her in the wrong.

Even in anger, she cannot go elsewhere. Dattaka is mentioned out of respect, since his opinion cannot be contradicted.

Approaching the girl with her eyes full of tears, tapping her foot, the boy gradually manages to put an end to her anger. Having calmed her with his skillful words, he throws himself at her feet and thus manages to give her pleasure. Then he takes her in his arms and, with affectionate words, calms her sorrow. Once she is satisfied, she shows her desire to make love.

Otherwise, if out of an excess of rage, she remains on the floor, we boy in turn gets angry and dreams of marrying a girl of a good family.

Dattaka explains that, however furious she may be with her lover, she may not cross the threshold. She hesitates at leaving the house, since the problem would be how to get in again. This is why he has to pacify her on the threshold. Even when she has calmed down, she seeks to soften her lover’s heart with her moans, then, desirous of making love, she throws herself into his arms.

If she is a courtesan, who lives elsewhere, her behavior is as follows:

32 If, as a result of a quarrel, she retires to her own house, the boy goes to her seeking to persuade her.

How then does the boy manage it?

33 The lover sends his secretary [pìthamarda], a companion in debauch [vita], or his confidant [vidhùshaka] to the angry girl, in order to pacify her. Once she has calmed down, she returns with them to his house and takes her place.

If she persists in her anger, her lover sends messengers to bring her back. When they have calmed her fury, they come back with her. The lover then throws himself at her feet. Since it is forbidden for a man to throw himself at a woman’s feet outside the house, she goes in with him, trampling his pride with her feet, and sits down in her lover’s dwelling with the intention of making love throughout the night. In this connection, a few quotations:

34 “In practicing the sixty-four positions described by the sons of Babhru with the best women, a man realizes his aim in lire.

This is possible if he knows the sixty-four embraces. If he does not know them, even if he knows other treatises on eroticism, not only will he not be able to realize himself in this field, but he is certain to fail in the others.

If other treatises are all that he knows, be can only reach the approaches of perfection.

35 “Even if he is expert in all other kinds of knowledge, he who is ignorant of the sixty-four arts is not respected in the assembly of the wise, who are expert in the three kinds of wisdom.”

Although a boy may be expert in the various sciences, if he is ignorant of the sixty-four arts, of embraces, kisses, and so on, how can he be respected in the assembly of the wise men who are expert in the means of attaining the three aims of life: ethics, material success, and eroticism?

36 “He who is expert in this subject, even if he is ignorant of the other forms of knowledge, holds pride of place in conversation at meetings of either men or women.”

Since he shines in the learning that represents knowledge of erotic practices.

How can the sixty-four arts be an object of worship [pùjyatvat]?

37 Respected by cultivated people and venerated by the humble, adored in the world of prostitutes, who would not worship that which makes people happy?

This means of giving life, which is at the same time the fount of pleasure, deserves to be worshiped.

Experts in the three aims respect the sixty-four arts as a means of assuring women’s faithfulness.

They are venerated by courtesans as a means of earning their living. Even those who are not very commendable, understanding their usefulness, respect them.

Who therefore would not venerate arts that are the object of veneration for all?

On this question, it is important to know the point of view not only of those who agree, but also of those who do not.

38 This art of loving so pleasing to women, whether young girls, wives, or holy women, which allows children to be begotten, has been described by sages in the sacred books.

Who would not venerate the teachings of the sages? The sixty-four amorous practices, the source of pleasure, should be practiced by every married man, since they bring happiness and lead to success, cause motherhood, are pleasing to women, and have been described by the masters of knowledge, the àcàrya.

Those that know venerate these practices, especially women.

39 A man who is expert in the sixty-four arts is much appreciated by young girls, other men’s wives, prostitutes, and by his own wife.

Amorous approaches are a bond in the couple’s life. They are the visible or invisible cause of the opening out of the vagina (yoni), ejaculation (skhalana), and satisfactory copulation (maithuna).

According to the texts:

The preludes to the act are essential; they involve touching, smelling, speaking, and looking.

In the act of love, from beginning to end, touching predominates, not only in the case of human beings, but also for insects and animals.

Among spiders, a mere contact produces violent enjoyment. Crabs are also sensitive to contact.

In their amorous games, elephants have a complete orgasm at first touch.

Cows, buffalos, deer, dogs obtain a lively orgasm by the reciprocal use of their tongue.

During the amorous preliminaries, women often resist certain contacts and their refusal must be respected, since for them touching is the first erotic experience.

Vàtsyàyana attributes great importance to kissing during the preliminaries, as well as during the sexual act itself, since kissing is the best way of arousing desire in copulation. This is why it is practiced by all men and even by animals as a prelude to the act.

Between the lips and the bottom of the gums, there is a highly sensitive area, which, in a certain way, is similar to the one between the lips and interior of the vagina. At the tongue’s contact, a powerful current of excitation appears in the lips and throat, strengthening sexual desire.

Each man and woman has a smell of his or her own. There is a connection between body odors and sexual excitation. At the moment of orgasm, man and woman give off a particular smell. Such smells excite and strengthen blood circulation and increase erotic ability. An erotic feeling sometimes occurs while listening or reading news of a defeat or the murder of a neighbor of one or other of the lovers, or if one sees or hears that a pretty girl of good family has given herself to an ugly person of low extraction. Faced with unexpected events of this kind, body odors are manifest more strongly. Experts say that substances that are pleasant to the taste and human smells are very similar. This is why women, in order to increase their natural odor, utilize ointments, essences, and flowers.

Scented substances may also be utilized to dissimulate or increase the odor of one’s organs. Saffron, musk, amber,, and sandalwood are all substances whose smell blends with that of the woman and encourages sexual excitation. This is why they are traditionally used by women. There is no doubt that body odors create an attractive atmosphere.

The sound of music, jokes, interesting stories all create a certain physical excitement. Rhythm forms part of our nature, which is why we find it pleasant and why it can be a source of excitation and enthusiasm. Singing and music are incitements to love. It is a matter of experience that music reaches the center of female sexuality.

Women find an emotional attraction in the sound of their lover’s voice. Women can be hypnotized by a man’s voice and be attracted by him. This is why Vàtsyàyana attributes great importance to hearing.

In attraction through sight, beauty plays an essential role. It is by means of sight that lovers are attracted to each other. In the sexual life, sight is a weapon of primary importance. The poet Bihari speaks of the beauty of “clear, dark, or reddened eyes”: “. . . clear, dark, or reddened, full of ambrosia or venom, each man should consider with prudence whether they are bringing him life or death.” Everybody, young or old; seeks to mate and strive to carry it through. Every eye is thirsty for beauty and the desire it inspires is essential in the life of the couple.

If the birth of desire, the development of love, and even lovers’ quarrels are studied from a psychological point of view, it can be perceived that both man and woman act out of egoism. According to the Samkhya, egoism is connected with the notion of self. It is in contact with things that one becomes conscious of self. Every action of the individual is based on egoism, interest, or eroticism.

“All love comes from egoistical desire.” The ego is located in the very center of our faculties. It is the ego that unites the conscious and unconscious parts of our mental mechanism, which acts and perceives. According to the Yoga Vasiûþha, “Just as a great tree holds only by its foots, so self upholds the body. If the ego is erased, the body is destroyed, just as the tree falls if its roots are cut.” The body is destroyed when the ego disappears.

Egoism (ahaýkàra) directs a person’s knowledge, feelings, and actions. The senses are the horses of this chariot that is our body. The mind controls the senses, as if they were horses. Both mind and intellect depend on self. The mind (manas) appears as the territory of the desires, and beyond, all the other things develop gradually.

The mental centers are where the sources of the senses are located — sight, hearing, smell — and where the various sensations are reflected.

The reflection of these sensations is the cause of our experience of the real (pratyakûa).

Vàtsyàyana indicates the methods of embracing, lying together, and other actions after the act of love, which he terms the conclusion of the coition (ratàvasanika). In reality, if these things are looked at with discernment, one would rather prefer to make an end of it, and these acts thus constitute obstacles. After making love, a man’s erotic power and desire are weakened. During the act itself, both man and woman feel an acute excitation, which increases their sexual power, but after reaching orgasm, they are both lacking in enthusiasm, and cool. Certain activities are useful in reawakening the ability to enjoy and strength to resist.

It is evident that the aim of these postcoital acts is not to make an end but to reawaken desire, and each desire seeks its conclusion. When desire is aroused, this excitation can awaken either favorable or hostile reactions. This kind of reaction is called feeling (bhàva) in the text of the Kàma Úàstra.

When this growing feeling culminates, it is termed excitation. It can be said that when feeling is awakened, ardor appears. If the feeling is connected with a memory, it can be pleasant or unpleasant. The unpleasant feeling is of conflict. Memory can engender love or rejection. Lovers’ quarrels are a feature of even the best couples. Their pungency and the passions they arouse have often been described in poetry, drama, and histories of literature. Everywhere one hears stories of lovers’ quarrels. Considering lovers’ quarrels as characteristic of the behavior and sentiments of the couple, love quarrels are described in charming terms, full of devotion, in Vaiûóava literature, the lives or the saints, Sufi texts, and on the subject of Ràma and Sìtà, Kåûóa and Ràdhà, Lakûmì and Viûóu, Prakåti and Puruûa, the supreme being. Replying to Viûóu, the goddess Lakûmì praises lovers’ quarrels:  “Against custom, you have spent the whole night in the chamber where I sleep. Tell me, Lord of the Gods! Is that respectable behavior, despite my desire to stay forever at your feet?”

The great poet Jayadeva, in the eighth and tenth chapters of the Gìtà Govinda, gives a very lively and charming description of the lovers’ quarrels of Ràdhà and Kåûóa. In Ujjvala Nìlamaói, Rùpagosvàmi describes lovers’ quarrels. All the dramatic authors, Bhàsa, Kàlidàsa, Harûa, etc., have illustrated lovers’ quarrels in their plays and poems. The whole of Sanskrit literature is suffused with the Kàma Sùtra.

Here ends the Tenth Chapter

Preludes and Conclusions to the Games of Love

and the Second Part entitled Amorous Advances

of the Kàma Sùtra by Vàtsyàyana