Amorous
Advances
(Samprayoga)
Chapter One
stimulation of
erotic desire
[rata avasthàpana]
In order to seduce a woman, it is necessary to know erotic
technique. The penis should not be introduced without preparation. To achieve
one’s ends, preliminaries are indispensable, the methods of which will be
indicated. For erotic success, the peculiarities of both parties must be known
before commencing to embrace. Skill is required to cause excitation, taking
into account the dimensions of the sexual organ, the duration of the act, and
the degree of emotional lability.
There are different types of man and woman according to the size of their
organs, their moment of sexual enjoyment, and the violence of their sexual
impulse (kàma samvega).
Having determined the right moment and state of mind for introducing
the penis, its size must be considered before starting action.
1 According to the
size of his sexual organ, a man is called a hare [shasha], bull [våûa], or
stallion [ashva]. The woman, according to type, is called doe [mågì], mare
[vàdavà], or cow-elephant [hastinì],
2 . Those that are
matched form three balanced pairs.
3 On the other hand,
unequal relations number six.
In cases where the man is superior, there are two forms:
superior and ultrasuperior coition. Similarly, there are two forms of inferior
and ultrainferior coition, the rest being equal. Although it is possible to
unite organs of superior or inferior size, relations between equals are
preferable, the worst being the coupling of extremes. Those between
intermediates are neither good nor bad.
4
Relations on equal terms are preferable to those between superior and inferior
organs. There are thus nine sorts of sexual relations according to size.
The stallion and the mare can have an acceptable union. The
bull with the doe is bearable up to a certain point. But the cow-elephant with
the bull and the mare with the hare are not recommended.
A successful sexual relation must be preceded by preliminaries. This is
the reason why this part is entitled “Amorous Advances” (Samprayoga). Since the
sexual organs are the instruments of copulation, Vàtsyàyana commences by
indicating their dimensions. It is because of the size of their organ that men
are called hare, bull, or stallion and the women doe, mare, or cow-elephant.
This classification does not merely refer to the physical aspect, but also
implies a certain kind of temperament. It may be asked why, since he does not
speak | of the other parts of the body, he gives a detailed explanation of the
I shape and size of the sexual organs. The reason is that we are dealing with
erotic science, which is largely based on the said organs. The Taittirìya
Upaniûad, speaking of sexuality in terms of prajà — the begotten, prajana —
procreation, and prajàti — the begetter, refers to categories that are similar to
those of the Kàma Sùtra. Knowledge of the various parts of the body is
itself part knowledge of the divine plan, and its study leads to knowledge of
god (brahmavid), through perception of the divine plan in the human sphere.
According to the Atharva Veda, the man who realizes that his body
is the image of the heavenly city (brahma nàgarì) that floats in eternity perceives the creator
through the divine work, or in other words, in corporeal faculties, such as
vision, life, procreation. The man who realizes that he only resides in the
divine city that is his body, is called puruûa (city-dweller). Until old age,
he will keep his sight an his other senses, as well as the breath of life.
Ayodhyà (the invincible) is the name of that city of the gods, with nine
centers (cakra) and nine gates, over which reigns the light of intelligence and
where, in a oilded sheath (hiraóyamaya koúa), lies paradise (svarga), made of
bliss and enjoyment. This gilded sheath, the image of paradise, is fixed to the
soul at three points and in three regions, in which dwells the divine principle
(brahma deva), or intelligence. As a result, he who knows the secrets of the
body and the conduct suited to the heavenly city becomes invincible (ayodhyà)
and attains all his desires.
The body is the product of the male seed and the female seed, coming from
the father and the mother, from whom the child inherits his appearance, his
tendencies, and his weaknesses. This body that is transmitted by heredity lasts
eternally, and for this reason is known as the immortal city (amaravati). It
must be kept with care. The description of the size, length, depth of the penis
and the vagina concerns not only pleasure, but also the product of their union.
The fetus is the product of semen, and represents the physical achievement of
the substance of a living being. Through him is manifest the invisible,
inconceivable, indescribable presence of the soul, and its power.
If we consider only the pleasure of the union, copulation is limited to
sighs, pleasure, and ejaculation. What is most important in the sexual act,
however, are the transmittable characteristics, the shape of the body and the
size of the organs. Vàtsyàyana contemplates three types of man: the hare, whose
organ is six fingers long, the bull, whose organ is eight fingers, and the
stallion whose organ is twelve fingers. As far as women are concerned [the doe,
the mare, and the cow-elephant], it is a question of the width and depth of
their vagina. Those whose sizes “latch are termed equal.
The stallion man has elongated ears, head, and lips, a thin body, thick
hair, long fingers, a luminous look, heavy thighs. He is fast and has beautiful
nails.
The hare man has small feet, figure, buttocks, hands, and ears, a gentle
voice, beautiful and well-spaced teeth, a lively body. Always with a smile, his
face is round and his nails hard.
The bull has a thick neck, an impressive bearing, red palms, an assured
air, clear skin, a nice round stomach. He is always lucky.
The doe woman has beautiful hair, a thin body, golden skin; her San is as
cold as the ray of the moon. She has strong teeth, a low voice, abundant hair,
and a lymphatic temperament. She eats little, her face is narrow, her sexual
secretions are scented. She never cries out.
The mare has wide, strong nostrils, is slightly knock-kneed, has thick
thighs, and her sexual organ is always hot. She has tender fat arms on which
drops of sweat appear; her body is of a clear color, her sexual secretions
smell of meat, her limbs are regular, her belly small. She is of bilious
temperament.
The cow elephant is tall. She has a massive body, often has long teeth,
and her skin is reddish in color. Her constitution is dominated by the element
of air. Her body is strong and harmonious. She is now cold, now hot, speaks
much, is changeable, her menses smell like elephant’s sweat.
In his Ratirahasya, Koka describes four kinds of female partners,
whom he calls padmini (lotus), chitrim (whimsical), shankhini (fairy) and
hastinì (cow-elephant).
The lotus woman (padmini) has tender limbs like lotus stems; her sexual
secretions smell of lotus. She has the eyes of a startled doe; the edges of her
eyes are red. She hesitates, out of modesty, to expose her beautiful breasts.
Her nose resembles a sesame flower. She is virtuous and respectful by nature.
Her face is white like a jasmine flower. Her sanctuary of Eros seems like a
full-blown lotus. Her body is thin and light and she walks delicately like a
goose. Her words are mixed with sighs, like a goose, her figure is slight, her
belly divided into three parts. She eats little, is modest and wise, but proud.
She loves beautiful clothes and flowers.
The bearing of chitrini (the whimsical) is graceful. She is of average
height and her figure is slight. She has opulent buttocks and thighs, and thick
lips. Her sexual secretions smell of honey. Her neck is marked with three
lines, and her voice is like that of a partridge. Her sanctuary of Eros is
rounded and soft inside. She is skilled in artistic techniques, has little hair
on her body, and abundant sexual secretion. She appears agitated, loves
caresses, kisses, and other external forms of lovemaking. She likes unusual and
colorful clothes and jewels. She eats little and has a sweet tooth.
Shankhini, the fairy, is tall, with a well-fleshed body. Her fingers are
long. When she is angry, tiny veins shine on her body. She loves red flowers
and clothes. Cupid’s den is covered with thick hair. Her buttocks are
elongated, her sexual secretions smell like ashes. When making love, she likes
to dig in her nails. She is of bilious temperament) spiteful and
scandalmongering.
The cow-elephant has an ugly bearing and not very graceful body-She is
tall. Her features, fingers, thighs, and buttocks are massive, her hair
yellowish. Her body is strong. She has a cruel nature. Her sexual secretions
smell like an elephant in rut. She likes sharp, sour food and cold dishes. Her
lips are very thick, her vagina is very deep. She stammers and eats standing.
Vàtsyàyana and Koka’s descriptions of men’s and women’s characteristics
are given with a view to promoting properly matched sexual relations. Whatever
the moral or social point of view, whether it is a question of marriage or
individual amusement, the main point is always the union of man and woman. So
long as sexual relations between them do not take place, even if they are
married from a religious or spiritual point of view, or if there are
considerations of a social or political nature, or simply affectionate
relations, these considerations are of no importance.
Before a marriage, the astrologers compare horoscopes in which eight
points must be taken into account: racial compatibility (caste), compatibility
of character, the state of the heavens at birth, sexual type (hare, etc.), the
planets and their conjunctions, social standing, state of health according to
the Àyur Veda, character.
When sexual relations take place:
5 Feeble temperaments
[mandavega] are those that during amorous advances show little ardor, whose
semen does not flow abundantly, and who do not support being bitten, scratched,
etc.
He desires action, yet if he obtains no result after a while,
he gives up. There is thus a contrast between cause and effect. The cause is
his erotic desire, which is why he makes amorous advances, but the result is
the absence of any erection. Failure may be relative, middling, or total during
relations with the woman he loves, even if he is mentally excited. The sperm
ejaculated is not abundant. Furthermore, he cannot stand the girl’s attempts to
bite or scratch. A feeble temperament is shown by lack of desire or inability
to sustain an erection.
6 On the other hand,
there are also middling [madhyama] and passionate [chanda] temperaments, and
the same goes also for women.
7 Here too, as for
size, there are nine sorts of coition [rata].
8 Similarly, as far
as the duration of the act is concerned, there are rapid, average, and slow
men.
When their sexual drive is similar, a couple is well matched. If their
speed is not the same, enjoyment is not perfect.
If there is a difference in the capacity for enjoyment between man and
woman, there can be no true satisfaction in love. This is why the organs must
be matched and the moments of enjoyment and ejaculation correspond. Otherwise,
copulation is animal. However, many authors doubt that it is possible for the
woman to reach orgasm at the same time as the man.
9 As far as women are
concerned, opinions vary.
10 Since, according
to Auddalaki Úvetaketu, her sexuality is less strong than the man’s.
Because she has no ejaculation of sperm. Then why does she
unite, with the man?
11 Only friction with
the man’s penis calms the itching of her vulva.
With the prospect of sexual relations, an itch appears which
can only be calmed by copulation. The itch, arising from desire, may be subtle,
feeble, average, or strong. Its intensity is the effect of the god of love.
This is why she seeks a man and is only calmed by sustained action. Otherwise
it becomes intolerable. But she can also satisfy herself with an instrument of
some kind.
12 Although she can
bring herself to sexual enjoyment, she prefers another form of satisfaction.
Although she can satisfy herself, she needs other forms of
pleasure. Having calmed her itch with the aid of a small stick or an earpick,
her desire grows for other sensations such as kisses. With other sensual
pleasures in mind, she seeks the means for them and, in particular, feels the
lack of the fertilizing emission of sperm. Finding herself in a continual state
of excitement, she desires to enjoy a man.
By practices such as kisses, caresses, bites, and blows, which stimulate
her erotic desire, she experiences true sensual pleasure that she can only
achieve in union with a man.
How can one know whether a woman does or does not experience
sexual enjoyment similar to a man’s?
13 Neither man nor
woman can know the pleasure experienced by the other. One cannot perceive a
man’s feelings. How could one describe his sexual enjoyment?
A man’s feelings, by their very nature, are beyond the range
of the senses. How could he know the feelings of a woman, which words cannot
describe? A woman enamored of a man gives him pleasure by her behavior, but
even if she questions him about it, she will not be able to know the nature of
his feelings, nor know whether his enjoyment is different to hers, since it
cannot be expressed in words. Auddalaki expresses a doubt as to whether her
experience is different to a man’s. According to him:
14
“How can one know therefore whether a woman feels a pleasure similar to a
man’s? A man’s excitement ceases once he has ejaculated. A woman’s need is not
satisfied at that point, since woman’s nature is not like a man’s.”
A man calms down when he has come, when he has taken his
pleasure. He no longer desires the woman, even if he loves her. Women are not
the same. If she came like a man, she would be willing to separate from the
instrument in order to rest, but it is not so. Even if the man does not want to
go on, she wants him to stay inside her. Sometimes, if the opportunity arises,
she will continue with another. “If there is no wood, fire does not spread in
the water. Among human beings, death makes no distinction between man or woman.” The woman’s desire does not calm down
after she has been satisfied like that of a man after ejaculation.
15 One thing certain
is that a man whose activity lasts long pleases women, while on the other hand
they complain of men who reach orgasm rapidly.
Satisfied tranquility is not to be found among women after an
erotic experience with a man who reaches orgasm quickly. Women love and are
pleased by men who ejaculate after long copulation. A man whose ardor is rapid,
who ejaculates quickly, detaches himself after experiencing his pleasure. Men
who have a habit of finishing quickly are not well looked upon. It is on this
that women’s attachment or contempt depends, and on this basis they decide
which deserve to be used or not. The wife of a man who has difficulty in making
her reach orgasm becomes hostile to him. Thus it is that, from a certain point
of view, a ‘woman’s love or indifference is connected with the man’s
possibility of making her reach orgasm. Women appreciate the virility of a man
who performs the longest copulatory act. It is almost impossible for a woman to
desire to sleep with someone who ejaculates quickly. Love’s delight is only
possible if she reaches orgasm at the same time as the man of whom she is
enamored.
This is why the man who pleases women is the one who gives them complete
pleasure, and not the contrary.
16 Yet it is not so.
Once her itch has been calmed, she wants the act to continue for a long time.
Duration is thus an essential element.
The penetration of the penis does not give rise to a feeling
of love, even though it is sufficient to calm the excitement that rapid action
suffices to eliminate. If women desire long — and even prolonged — action, it
is not to reach an ejaculation, which they do not have, or to calm their itch.
It cannot be stated that ejaculation or being freed from an itch is the reason
for their attachment. With a man who ejaculates quickly, they can in no way
manage to experience pleasure. The woman therefore does not behave like a man.
A woman’s desire does not stop when she has reached orgasm.
She experiences a continual enjoyment. Her need for a man continues even
when the itching of her clitoris has been calmed, which is why her need for
signs of affection is independent of her desire for enjoyment.
A verse of Auddalaki Úvetaketu expresses his point of view:
17 “In coupling, the
friction of the man’s member calms the woman’s excitement. But it is in signs
of affection [abhimàna], kissing and caressing, that she finds her pleasure.”
From another source:
18 According to the
sons of Babhru, a young woman gets a taste for the thing if the duration of the
act is prolonged. If the man repeats his performance, it is the best way to
achieve it. If, for lack of duration, she does not experience enjoyment, she is
unable to conceive.
Procreation depends on both. From the moment she is
penetrated by the instrument [yantra], a woman needs uninterrupted continuity.
She wants to be possessed by the man. She shrinks at the contact, like a
cracked vase losing its water. When the man has achieved his pleasure, the
woman only reaches hers if [the act] continues, but in the meantime, the man
has reached the end of his pleasure and pours out his semen.
According to size and according to different durations of the
act, there are differences in orgasm. For procreation, a simultaneous orgasm
must be reached. It has been said elsewhere that a woman only conceives if she
is fully satisfied during the procreative act. According to Charaka, the author
of the great medical treatise, “Having vigorously spurted out his sperm, his
member subsiding, the man, proud of himself, is no longer interested. Once his
semen has been seized by the vagina, his virile member is satisfied and the man
has a feeling of achievement.”
He does not scatter his seed to get rid of it, as the woman
does with her menses. Inflamed by desire, the man and woman establish body
contact. Like a fire stimulated by a poker, the sperm excites the menstrua. Who
at that moment can imagine the result, know whether the semen is used to
impregnate the woman? However, it happens that, on contact with a man, the
woman is impregnated, since that is the goal of copulation.
According to the Úuúruta [medical treatise], sperm is produced with a view to
procreation. Amorous desire is the outcome of the generating substance, which
seeks the opportunity to encounter an ovum. The spermal substance is produced
by the spinal cord.
The disciples of Babhru say that a man achieves sexual enjoyment at the
moment of ejaculation, after which he has finished. When the woman begins to
experience pleasure, however, her pleasure continues without interruption. It
is a well-known fact that if she has, no desire to reach orgasm and experiences
no pleasure, fecundation does not take place.
19 Not having been
proved, these two opinions must be examined.
In the case of rapid enjoyment, there is only the feeling of
copulation. The excited man achieves his purpose. However, if she is
unsatisfied and he does not recommence action, a problem arises. Even to calm
the tickling of the clitoris, a certain time is needed. When this excitement appears, rapid action does
nothing to calm it. During penetration, the titillation does not last long. The
desire to conceive not having
been satisfied, a continuation of the union is therefore desired. Rapid action is pleasant for the man,
but a lengthy duration puts the woman into a good humor. From the man’s point
of view, it is also quite satisfactory, since both experience the same
pleasure.
The questions raised by the sons of Babhru and Auddalaki will be solved
later. This is why:
20 The woman develops
a taste for it by means of continual stimulation. At the start, she is
moderately interested, and is not ready to put up with much. Then, gradually,
developing a taste for the union, she no longer defends her body. In the end,
if he wishes to rest, she will not allow him to do so.
The question is, if the woman experiences pleasure throughout
the act, what is the reason for which, at the outset, when the excited man is
growing agitated, the woman stays calm, without any impulse, refusing to be
scratched, bitten, or massaged, when in the end it is she who wants the man to
continue in action? In reality, it is a mistake to believe that a woman
experiences pleasure from the start to the finish.
At the beginning of coition, she is moderately interested,
and does not wish to be bitten, scratched, etc., she is not ready to put up
with it. But little by little, gradually, during the union her indifference
changes. With no consideration for her body, she is ready to put up with
everything. Then, at the end, when he desires to free himself, it is she who,
after one performance, wants another.
21 When the potter
starts his wheel moving, the speed, initially slow, increases little by little,
then slows down and stops. It appears that it is the same in exciting a woman
from the beginning to the end.
22 According to the
text of the Bàbhravyas, man experiences pleasure up to ejaculation, while the
woman’s pleasure is continuous. When he has ejected his semen, he seeks rest,
whereas she wishes to continue.
23 Vàtsyàyana’s
opinion is that a woman, like the man, experiences the same sexual enjoyment
from start to finish.
24
How is it possible for two beings belonging to the same species and practicing
the same act not to feel the same pleasure?
25 Differences exist
only in advances and in secondary actions [caresses, kisses, etc.],
26 Vàtsyàyana does
not believe that there is any difference in the pleasure itself. Difference of
sex is a fact of birth. It is generally admitted that the man is active and the
woman passive. The man’s action is therefore different to the woman’s. The man
thinks that he is enjoying the woman, while the woman thinks that the man is
enjoying her. There is thus a difference in attitude and experience, but not in
enjoyment.
Difference in behavior is innate: it ,is a question of
nature. Man and woman have an identical structure. The organ [meha] of the one
is open, while the other’s is erect. If one of these organs seizes, the other
is seized. There is a difference in action and, consequently, in behavior.
There is only a difference in behavior and in emotive aspects. He enjoys the
girl selfishly, but the desire for caresses arises in both of them. They are
only different in the action they agree upon during the act. Which confirms the
author’s thesis.
27 A difference in
behavior does not imply a difference in result. The difference in behavior is
the result of the characteristics of him who acts and the characteristics of
her who submits to the act, but there is no difference in the effect.
Once more, the objection can be raised that if there is a
difference of behavior and action between man and woman, why should there not e
any difference in the pleasure of coition? The answer is that there cannot be.
Although there is a difference in their organs, there is no reason why the goal
of the union, which is enjoyment, should be different, since both man and woman
belong to the same species.
28 When two actors do
a job together, the job accomplished is one. Each pursues his own goal, which
is, however, connected with that of the other. When a man and woman unite for the
same purpose, which is enjoyment, it would appear mistaken to say that the
pleasure they both receive from the union could be of a different nature.
29 This is not so. It
is clear that the couple pursue a common goal, like rams fighting, like two
halves of a fruit, like a wrestling match.
There is no
difference in the actor, even if there is a difference of role. As far as
behavioral differences are concerned, they are established in advance at birth,
but for both, the obtaining of pleasure must be similar.
The reality of different kinds of couples must be considered,
suci as rams fighting, the two halves of a fruit, a pair of wrestlers. The
rams, fruits, and wrestlers seek the same goal. It may be said that with the
rams, fruits, and wrestlers, there is no sexual difference, but between man and
woman there is no difference in nature since both an human beings. Sexual
difference is a part of their nature. The result is that the experience of
pleasure must be the same for both.
30 Because they
belong to the same species [jàti] man and woman seek the same pleasure in
sexual relations. This is why desire must first be stimulated by preliminary
attentions.
The woman has to be excited with kisses, caresses, kneading,
and other exterior play in such a way as to arouse her desire before the man’s.
After which, to satisfy his own desire, the man can copulate rapidly.
31 Similarity having
been demonstrated, there are nine forms of the sexual act according to the
moment, desire, and the size of the organs.
32 In order to
describe the sensual delight [ànanda] of pleasure [rati], the words rasa
[taste], rati [pleasure], prìti [love], bhàva [sensation], vega [ardor], and
samàpti [conclusion] are employed. And for the sexual act, sambhoga or surata
[copulation], samprayoga [amorous advances], rata [coition], raha [being alone
together], shayana [to sleep], and mohana [to seduce].
33 According to organ
size, moment, and mood, there are nine forms of balanced sexual relations.
Going outside the norm, these possibilities are so numerous that it is
impossible to count them.
34
According to Vàtsyàyana, one should copulate after reflecting on the
contradictory arguments concerning these different forms of sexual relations.
Unequal relations should be shunned in favor of equal relations,
and should not be risked without thought regarding size, moment and mood and
bow to proceed with the union. One must be aware of inequalities and ascertain
whether the relation is practicable or not.
According to the Bàbhravyas:
When the male organ slides into the other, the best result is
when both mood and moment are shared. If the organ causes an injury on
penetrating, the act must be interrupted. If moment and mood are not shared,
the relation is of no interest. Relations between corresponding types are the
best. Unequal relations make for bad copulation. In all intermediate cases, the
relation is better if it is from strong to feeble. The very strong should
always choose the moment; hares too should seek the right moment. The
cow-elephant has to be touched everywhere, especially her vulva. With a mare, a
ram will need a lot of time. Due to the difference in size, he will need to
make a considerable effort. The power offeree is not always sufficient. A
stallion, even when excited, needs a lot of time. The man with an inadequate
duration and size must do the best he can.
35 On starting the
act, the man’s ardor is so strong that he seeks to conclude as quickly as
possible, but later on, it is otherwise. In reaching sexual enjoyment, the
woman’s behavior is exactly the opposite.
From the beginning of the act until ejaculation, the man’s ardor is so
strong that he tries to reach his conclusion immediately. If, however, he
performs copulation a second time, the man takes a long time ejaculate. This
suits the woman’s nature. During the first inter-course, her feeble erotic fire
gradually lights and lasts very little. The second time, it lasts longer.
Therein lies the difference between male and female sexuality.
36 All agree on the
point that in sexual intercourse, the man reaches orgasm more quickly than the
woman.
By nature, woman is submissive, but even if she is not, she
quickly learns the art of kissing, caressing, and using her hands to attract
affection. Only her passivity is natural, the rest is artifice. She seems
passionate when she feels very little passion. Man too is often tender by
nature, the rest is invented. That is the opinion of the ancient masters, to
which all agree.
37 However submissive
or reticent the “woman may be by nature, she is quick at learning the games of
love, the specialists explain.
External acts, kisses, and caresses make a gentle woman
rapidly discover the pleasure of love and she finally becomes enterprising. It
is the same for a woman who is not very cooperative to begin with. Man is also
tender by nature. All the rest is fabricated. On this subject, the whole world
agrees, if one thinks about it.
The authors of treatises on eroticism consider that, due to the sweetness
of her nature, a woman is more rapidly stimulated than the man. The fires of
desire are rapidly lighted by kisses and caresses. This contradicts the
opinions given previously.
38 What has been said
up to now concerning sexual relations has been said briefly, being intended for
intelligent men. We will now explain in greater detail for people who are hard
of understanding.
According to Auddalaki Úvetaketu:
“The woman feels an itch in her sexual organ that is partly calmed during
sexual intercourse, but continues after the man’s ejaculation, since the
woman’s desire is not assuaged.”
According to the Bàbhravyas, there is a great difference between the
sexual enjoyment of the man and of the woman. At the outset of intercourse, the
woman experiences violent pleasure, while the man experiences pleasure at the
moment of ejaculation. The woman’s pleasure can be compared to the action of
the potter’s wheel, slow to start with, then fast in the middle, and slow at
the end, but with a continuous movement.
According to Vàtsyàyana, amorous attraction (prìti) is of four kinds:
born of habit, of the imagination, of memory, or of interest. Man is the active
element (kartà), and woman the passive support (àdhàra). In copulation, the man
plays the dominant role, but the woman has to cooperate. If the woman stays
indifferent or frigid, neither of the two will really experience pleasure. When
the man’s member penetrates the woman, they are gradually stirred up by the
friction. The man’s desire stops when he has ejaculated, and, if the woman has
also reached orgasm at that moment, their intercourse is a success. For
success, preparations are required. This is why Vàtsyàyana takes organ size
into account for successful copulation. The man and the woman have to be
excited before starting action. When both man and woman are greatly inflamed,
the itching of the vulva and the nerves of the sexual region being involved,
the pleasure is much more intense.
It should also be noted that the first encounter may be a failure, if
loveplay is not known. The man must be more careful than the woman in the act
of copulation, since he does not know how to restrain himself, while the woman
is always hesitant. The responsibility lies with both.
In his Nàgarasarvasva, Padmashri explains how to prepare for
sexual intercourse. In order to stimulate her partner, the woman should
alternately hide and expose her body. She should approach the man, stimulating
him and resisting. If he takes her hand, she should show reluctance. If he
seizes it, she should appear astonished, startled like a doe, and hide her sex,
then gradually let herself go. Any place that he seeks to touch, look at,
scratch, or bite, she should hide, then suddenly let herself go eagerly. While
he is caressing, biting her, and so on, she should sigh and protest and then
abandon herself to it.
The question of knowing on what basis the man and woman are attracted to
each other remains open. Attraction and enjoyment are mental phenomena.
39 Those who know the
mechanics [tantra] of relations say that attraction [prìti] is born in four
ways: from practice [abhyàsa], from imagination [vicàra = abhimàna], from
substitution [sampratyapàda], or from the object [vishaya].
40 Love born from
practice [abhyàsa]
All activities of the
senses, starting with speech, require continuous practice in order to manifest
themselves. Love is born of long practice, like the love of hunting for the
hunter.
In saying, “starting with speech,” allusion is made to dancing, singing,
playing instruments, drawing, sculpture, etc.
41 Imaginary or
intellectual love [abhimàniki]
A person with no
previous experience of a form of action can develop an attraction born of
imagination (samkalpa), which is termed imaginary [abhimàniki].
One may desire something without having any experience of the
act, like a hunter without experience who develops a passion for hunting. It is
different for someone who is used to it. If one has no experience of the thing,
of how it is performed, as with other physical activities, one’s interest for
it is imaginary. Imaginary love, which is a kind of affective condition, is
termed pure mental invention.
Imaginary love without any experience is a mental condition, and is
distinct from the love of real objects. Why is it contemplated in this
treatise?
Sexual fantasies.
42
This is a matter of activities such as buccal coition for inverts or for women,
or else kisses, caresses, etc.
It has to do with acts that inverts and women do with their
mouths instead of the vagina. By practicing them, a love for the physical act
gradually develops. It is the same, although they belong to another order, for
kisses and caresses, as well as scratches, bites, blows, etc., which, even
among those who have no experience of them, exist at the level of fantasies. In
such a case, they are often sought by a form of intellectual eroticism
connected with a desire that is not of a physical nature. It is an experience
tied to the feeling of touch. Pain inflicted on the body, which cannot be
called love, represents a purely mental satisfaction, and is not of a physical
nature.
43 Substitute love
[sampratyaya]
In the absence of
someone, one becomes attached to another. This kind of tie is called substitute
attachment.
In the absence of somebody, or of a former love, a man or
woman can mentally transfer their feelings to another person, attributing to
the new object the qualities of the other. Since this kind of attachment is
born of an attribution, the authors of the Kàma Úàstra call it substitute love.
When the features of an unknown person evoke those of a loved one, it is
a substitute attraction.
44 Mercenary love
[vishayàtmika]
Whether manifested
openly or implicitly, love based on the desire for material goods, in which
gain is primordial, is of another nature.
Love for objects of the senses is common to all. But love born of the
desire for objects of the senses is another matter.
45
Having examined from a theoretical point of view the various forms of affective
ties described in the texts, each man must act as he prefers.
The temperament and state of mind of both man and woman must
be taken into account, so that a mutual affection can develop.
End of the First Chapter
Stimulation of Erotic Desire
of the Second Part entitled Amorous Advances
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar