By now you have probably heard the word «kamasutra» hundreds or thousands of times. But do you know what it is? Myths out! We tell you openly what kama-sutra means and why you are taking time to discover it.
Kamasutra: what is it?
The «kamasutra» is more than just a book with positions on sex. It has its history!
We are facing an ancient Hindu book that talks about the sexual behavior of human beings. Hence its name kama (sexual pleasure) and sutra (thread, short phrase).
In the kama sutra, sex is reflected as a «divided union.» For its author, sex in itself was not a bad thing, but it was in the case of doing it frivolously. So the book allows you to enjoy sex on a deeper level. It is a kind of technical guide to enjoy more in the sexual sphere, with the various practices.
It was written by Vatsiaiana. In fact, it is called Vātsyāyana kāma sūtra and means «The aphorisms about sexuality.» But, as we tell you, it stands out for its antiquity, since it is estimated that it was written in the Gupta period, between 240 and 550 AD. An important history that is preserved until today.
The most popular English translation was the one made by ‘Sir Richard Francis Burton’ in 1883. But there is also the one he made in the 70s, ‘Indra Sinha’.
However, despite being so old, it has undergone changes and evolutions throughout all these years. In the beginning, the illustrations were even drawn by hand, but today we find books with real photographs or erotic videos of an educational nature where they detail how to do each position.
36 chapters
The «kama sutra» book as such, is made up of 36 chapters and 7 different topics. In addition, each one was written by their corresponding expert.
The adventure begins with a simple introduction about sex, how important it is for men and what women are like. The sexual act follows, where he delves into kisses, sexual games, orgasms, oral sex, threesomes, taboos…
Surprisingly, the following is about choosing a wife. A total of 5 chapters in which courtship and marriage are discussed. This is followed by two others on the proper conduct of a wife.
After these pages we find another 6 chapters in which we talk about seduction, about the wives of others. The courtesans follow and it ends with 2 chapters on how to attract other people. This is the original kama sutra.
The positions
Despite these themes, the kamasutra book is famous for the postures, which are still practiced today and there are even couples who take it as a challenge to do them all.
What were these sexual positions like according to Vatsiaiana? I believed there were 12 basic ways of making love and about 8 positions.
However, in the kamasutra we find 64 arts. This is how the author finely calls the different positions or ways of making love.
In fact, the chapter in the kamasutra that mentions these arts is the most popular. That is why it is confused with the kama sutra, when the truth is that it is only part of this book.
The importance of pleasure
Pleasure is also mentioned in the book. In fact, it shows advice on how to be a good person and ideas for relationships. That is, it is much more than sex, it is a union.
However, despite the depth of the original book, when we talk about the kamasutra today, a book full of sexual positions automatically comes to mind. Of positions to have sex.
What are some of the main ones? The T of the trephine, the mat, the puppy with pillows, the morning glory, the ladle… these are just some of the most pleasant positions with which you can achieve orgasm more quickly.
Although the original book was much more than sexual positions, we invite you to read it, to discover its different versions but also to enjoy knowing and practicing the different positions collected in the kamasutra.
Why don’t you try them all?
The best thing to do is to buy the book and try to do all these positions one by one, until you find your top 5 favorites! The important thing is that you know the history of this book well, because you probably did not know how deep it is.
In fact, sexual positions have evolved and there are kamasutra books with more and more positions and sexual games that can be done to enjoy relationships. Impossible postures, funny, easy, flexible… everything!
Has the story of the book surprised you? What is your preferred posture?