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ON PERSONAL ADORNMENT; ON SUBJUGATING THE HEARTS OF OTHERS; AND ON TONIC MEDICINES 

 

WHEN a person fails to obtain the object of his desires by any of the ways previously related, he should then 

have recourse to other ways of attracting others to himself. 

Now good looks, good qualities, youth, and liberality are the chief and most natural means of making a person 

agreeable in the eyes of others. But in the absence of these a man or a woman must have resort to artificial 

means, or to art, and the following are some recipes that may be found useful. 

An ointment made of the tabernamontana coronaria, the costus speciosus or arabicus, and the flacourtia 

cataphracta, can be used as an unguent of adornment. 

If a fine powder is made of the above plants, and applied to the wick of a lamp, which is made to burn with 

the oil of blue vitrol, the black pigment or lamp black produced therefrom, when applied to the eyelashes, has 

the effect of making a person look lovely. 

The oil of the hogweed, the echites putescens, the sarina plant, the yellow amaranth, and the leaf of the 

nymphae, if applied to the body, has the same effect. 

A black pigment from the same plants produces a similar effect. 

By eating the powder of the nelumbrium speciosum, the blue lotus, and the mesna roxburghii, with ghee and 

honey, a man becomes lovely in the eyes of others. 

The above things, together with the tabernamontana coronaria, and the xanthochymus pictorius, if used as an 

ointment, produce the same results. 

If the bone of a peacock or of a hyena be covered with gold, and tied on the right hand, it makes a man lovely 

in the eyes of other people. 

In the same way, if a bead, made of the seed of the jujube, or of the conch shell, be enchanted by the 

incantations mentioned in the Atharvana Veda, or by the incantations of those well skilled in the science of 

magic, and tied on the hand, it produces the same result as described above. 

When a female attendant arrives at the age of puberty, her master should keep her secluded, and when men 

ardently desire her on account of her seclusion, and on account of the difficulty of approaching her, he should 

then bestow her hand on such a person as may endow her with wealth and happiness. 

This is a means of increasing the loveliness of a person in the eyes of others. 

In the same way, when the daughter of a courtesan arrives at the age of puberty, the mother should get 

together a lot of young men of the same age, disposition, and knowledge as her daughter, and tell them that 

she would give her in marriage to the person who would give her presents of a particular kind. 

After this the daughter should be kept in seclusion as far as possible, and the mother should give her in 

marriage to the man who may be ready to give her the presents agreed upon. If the mother is unable to get so 

much out of the man, she should show some of her own things as having been given to the daughter by the 

bridegroom

Or the mother may allow her daughter to be married to the man privately, as if she was ignorant of the whole 

affair, and then pretending that it has come to her knowledge, she may give her consent to the union. 

The daughter, too, should make herself attractive to the sons of wealthy citizens, unknown to her mother, and 

make them attached to her, and for this purpose should meet them at the time of learning to sing, and in places 

where music is played, and at the houses of other people, and then request her mother, through a female 

friend, or servant, to be allowed to unite herself to the man who is most agreeable to her. 1 

When the daughter of a courtesan is thus given to a man, the ties of marriage should be observed for one year, 

and after that she may do what she likes. But even after the end of the year, when otherwise engaged, if she 

should be now and then invited by her first husband to come and see him, she should put aside her present 

gain, and go to him for the night. 

Such is the mode of temporary marriage among courtesans, and of increasing their loveliness, and their value 

in the eyes of others. What has been said about them should also be understood to apply to the daughters of 

dancing women, whose mothers should give them only to such persons as are likely to become useful to them 

in various ways. 

Thus end the ways of making oneself lovely in the eyes of others. 

If a man, after anointing his lingam with a mixture of the powders of the white thorn apple, the long pepper 

and, the black pepper, and honey, engages in sexual union with a woman, he makes her subject to his will. 

The application of a mixture of the leaf of the plant vatodbhranta, of the flowers thrown on a human corpse 

when carried out to be burnt, and the powder of the bones of the peacock, and of the jiwanjiva bird produces 

the same effect. 

The remains of a kite who has died a natural death, ground into powder, and mixed with cowach and honey, 

has also the same effect. 

Anointing oneself with an ointment made of the plant emblica myrabolans has the power of subjecting women 

to one's will. 

If a man cuts into small pieces the sprouts of the vajnasunhi plant, and dips them into a mixture of red arsenic 

and sulphur, and then dries them seven times, and applies this powder mixed with honey to his lingam, he can 

subjugate a woman to his will directly that he has had sexual union with her, or if, by burning these very 

sprouts at night and looking at the smoke, he sees a golden moon behind, he will then be successful with any 

woman; or if he throws some of the powder of these same sprouts mixed with the excrement of a monkey 

upon a maiden, she will not be given in marriage to anybody else. 

If pieces of the arris root are dressed with the oil of the mango, and placed for six months in a hole made in 

the trunk of the sisu tree, and are then taken out and made up into an ointment, and applied to the lingam, this 

is said to serve as the means of subjugating women. 

If the bone of a camel is dipped into the juice of the plant eclipta prostata, and then burnt, and the black 

pigment produced from its ashes is placed in a box also made of the bone of a camel, and applied together 

with antimony to the eye lashes with a pencil also made of the bone of a camel, then that pigment is said to be 

very pure, and wholesome for the eyes, and serves as a means of subjugating others to the person who uses it. 

The same effect can be produced by black pigment made of the bones of hawks, vultures, and peacocks. 

Thus end the ways of subjugating others to one's own will. 

 

Now the means of increasing sexual vigour are as follows: 

A man obtains sexual vigour by drinking milk mixed with sugar, the root of the uchchata plant, the piper 

chaba, and liquorice. 

Drinking milk, mixed with sugar, and having the testicle of a ram or a goat boiled in it, is also productive of 

vigour

The drinking of the juice of the hedysarum gangeticum, the kuili, and the kshirika plant mixed with milk, 

produces the same effect. 

The seed of the long pepper along with the seeds of the sanseviera roxburghiana, and the hedysarum 

gangeticum plant, all pounded together, and mixed with milk, is productive of a similar result. 

According to ancient authors, if a man pounds the seeds or roots of the trapa bispinosa, the kasurika, the 

tuscan jasmine, and liquorice, together with the kshirakapoli (a kind of onion), and puts the powder into milk 

mixed with sugar and ghee, and having boiled the whole mixture on a moderate fire, drinks the paste so 

formed, he will be able to enjoy innumerable women. 

In the same way, if a man mixes rice with the eggs of the sparrow, and having boiled this in milk, adds to it 

ghee and honey, and drinks as much of it as necessary, this will produce the same effect. 

If a man takes the outer covering of sesamum seeds, and soaks them with the eggs of sparrows, and then, 

having boiled them in milk, mixed with sugar and ghee, along with the fruits of the trapa bispinosa and the 

kasurika plant, and adding to it the flour of wheat and beans, and then drinks this composition, he is said to be 

able to enjoy many women. 

If ghee, honey, sugar and liquorice in equal quantities, the juice of the fennel plant, and milk are mixed 

together, this nectar-like composition is said to be holy, and provocative of sexual vigour, a preservative of 

life, and sweet to the taste. 

The drinking of a paste composed of the asparagus racemosus, the shvadaushtra plant, the guduchi plant, the 

long pepper, and liquorice, boiled in milk, honey, and ghee, in the spring, is said to have the same effect as the 

above

Boiling the asparagus racemosus, and the shvadaushtra plant, along with the pounded fruits of the premna 

spinosa in water, and drinking the same, is said to act in the same way. 

Drinking boiled ghee, or clarified butter, in the morning during the spring season, is said to be beneficial to 

health and strength and agreeable to the taste. 

If the powder of the seed of the shvadaushtra plant and the flower of barley are mixed together in equal parts, 

and a portion of it, i.e. two palas in weight, is eaten every morning on getting up, it has the same effect as the 

preceding recipe.

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OF THE WAYS OF EXCITING DESIRE, AND MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS, AND RECIPES 

 

IF a man is unable to satisfy a Hastini, or Elephant woman, he should have recourse to various means to excite 

her passion. At the commencement he should rub her yoni with his hand or fingers, and not begin to have 

intercourse with her until she becomes excited, or experiences pleasure. This is one way of exciting a woman. 

Or, he may make use of certain Apadravyas, or things which are put on or around the lingam to supplement its 

length or its thickness, so as to fit it to the yoni. In the opinion of Babhravya, these Apadravyas should be 

made of gold, silver, copper, iron, ivory, buffalo's horn, various kinds of wood, tin or lead, and should be soft, 

cool, provocative of sexual vigour, and well fitted to serve the intended purpose. Vatsyayana, however, says 

that they may be made according to the natural liking of each individual. 

The following are the different kinds of Apadravyas: 

'The armlet' (Valaya) should be of the same size as the lingam, and should have its outer surface made rough 

with globules. 

'The couple' (Sanghati) is formed of two armlets. 

'The bracelet' (Chudaka) is made by joining three or more armlets, until they come up to the required length of 

the lingam. 

'The single bracelet' is formed by wrapping a single wire around the lingam, according to its dimensions. 

The Kantuka or Jalaka is a tube open at both ends, with a hole through it, outwardly rough and studded with 

soft globules, and made to fit the side of the yoni, and tied to the waist. 

When such a thing cannot be obtained, then a tube made of the wood apple, or tubular stalk of the bottle 

gourd, or a reed made soft with oil and extracts of plants, and tied to the waist with strings, may be made use 

of, as also a row of soft pieces of wood tied together. 

The above are the things that can be used in connection with or in the place of the lingam. 

The people of the southern countries think that true sexual pleasure cannot be obtained without perforating the 

lingam, and they therefore cause it to be pierced like the lobes of the ears of an infant pierced for earrings. 

Now, when a young man perforates his lingam he should pierce it with a sharp instrument, and then stand in 

water so long as the blood continues to flow. At night, he should engage in sexual intercourse, even with 

vigour, so as to clean the hole. After this he should continue to wash the hole with decoctions, and increase 

the size by putting into it small pieces of cane, and the wrightia antidysenterica, and thus gradually enlarging 

the orifice. It may also be washed with liquorice mixed with honey, and the size of the hole increased by the 

fruit stalks of the simapatra plant. The hole should also be anointed with a small quantity of oil. 

In the hole made in the lingam a man may put Apadravyas of various forms, such as the 'round', the 'round on 

one side', the 'wooden mortar', the 'flower', the 'armlet', the 'bone of the heron', the 'goad of the elephant', the 

'collection of eight balls', the 'lock of hair', the 'place where four roads meet', and other things named 

according to their forms and means of using them. All these Apadravyas should be rough on the outside 

according to their requirements. 

The ways of enlarging the lingam must be now related. 

When a man wishes to enlarge his lingam, he should rub it with the bristles of certain insects that live in trees, 

and then, after rubbing it for ten nights with oils, he should again rub it with the bristles as before. By 

continuing to do this a swelling will be gradually produced in the lingam, and he should then lie on a cot, and 

cause his lingam to hang down through a hole in the cot. After this he should take away all the pain from the 

swelling by using cool concoctions. The swelling, which is called 'Suka', and is often brought about among 

the people of the Dravida country, lasts for life. 

If the lingam is rubbed with the following things, the plant physalis flexuosa, the shavara-kandaka plant, the 

jalasuka plant, the fruit of the egg plant, the butter of a she buffalo, the hastri-charma plant, and the juice of 

the vajrarasa plant, a swelling lasting for one month will be produced. 

By rubbing it with oil boiled in the concoctions of the above things, the same effect will be produced, but 

lasting for six months. 

The enlargement of the lingam is also effected by rubbing it or moistening it with oil boiled on a moderate fire 

along with the seeds of the pomegranate, and the cucumber, the juices of the valuka plant, the hastri-charma 

plant, and the eggplant. 

In addition to the above, other means may be learnt from experienced and confidential persons. 

The miscellaneous experiments and recipes are as follows: 

If a man mixes the powder of the milk hedge plant, and the kantaka plant with the excrement of a monkey and 

the powdered root of the lanjalika plant, and throws this mixture on a woman, she will not love anybody else 

afterwards

If a man thickens the juice of the fruits of the cassia fistula, and the eugenia jambolana by mixing them with 

the powder of the soma plant, the vernonia anthelmintica, the eclipta prostata, and the lohopa-jihirka, and 

applies this composition to the yoni of a woman, and then has sexual intercourse with her, his love for her will 

be destroyed. 

The same effect is produced if a man has connection with a woman who has bathed in the buttermilk of a 

she-buffalo mixed with the powders of the gopalika plant, the banu-padika plant and the yellow amaranth. 

An ointment made of the flowers of the nauclea cadamba, the hog plum, and the eugenia jambolana, and used 

by a woman, causes her to be disliked by her husband. 

Garlands made of the above flowers, when worn by the woman, produce the same effect. 

An ointment made of the fruit of the asteracantha longifolia (kokilaksha) will contract the yoni of a Hastini or 

Elephant woman, and this contraction lasts for one night. 

An ointment made by pounding the roots of the nelumbrium speciosum, and of the blue lotus, and the powder 

of the plant physalis flexuosa mixed with ghee and honey, will enlarge the yoni of the Mrigi or Deer woman. 

An ointment made of the fruit of the emblica myrabolans soaked in the milky juice of the milk hedge plant, of 

the soma plant, the calotropis gigantea, and the juice of the fruit of the vernonia anthelmintica, will make the 

hair white. 

The juice of the roots of the madayantaka plant, the yellow amaranth, the anjanika plant, the clitoria ternateea

and the shlakshnaparin plant, used as a lotion, will make the hair grow.An ointment made by boiling the above roots in oil, and rubbed in, will make the hair black, and will also 

gradually restore hair that has fallen off. 

If lac is saturated seven times in the sweat of the testicle of a white horse, and applied to a red lip, the lip will 

become white. 

The colour of the lips can be regained by means of the madayantika and other plants mentioned above. 

A woman who hears a man playing on a reed pipe which has been dressed with the juices of the bahupadika 

plant, the tabernamontana coronaria, the costus speciosus or arabicus, the pinus deodora, the euphorbia 

antiquorum, the vajra and the kantaka plant, becomes his slave. 

If food be mixed with the fruit of the thorn apple (dathura) it causes intoxication. 

If water be mixed with oil and the ashes of any kind of grass except the kusha grass, it becomes the colour of 

milk

If yellow myrabolans, the hog plum, the shrawana plant, and the priyangu plant be all pounded together, and 

applied to iron pots, these pots become red. 

If a lamp, trimmed with oil extracted from the shrawana and priyangu plants, its wick being made of cloth and 

the slough of the skins of snakes, is lighted, and long pieces of wood placed near it, those pieces of wood will 

resemble so many snakes. 

Drinking the milk of a white cow who has a white calf at her foot is auspicious, produces fame, and preserves 

life

The blessings of venerable Brahmans, well propitiated, have the same effect. 

There are also some verses in conclusion: 

'Thus have I written in a few words the "Science of love", after reading the texts of ancient authors, and 

following the ways of enjoyment mentioned in them.' 

'He who is acquainted with the true principles of this science pays regard to Dharma, Artha, Kama, and to his 

own experiences, as well as to the teachings of others, and does not act simply on the dictates of his own 

desire. As for the errors in the science of love which I have mentioned in this work, on my own authority as an 

author, I have, immediately after mentioning them, carefully censured and prohibited them.' 

'An act is never looked upon with indulgence for the simple reason that it is authorised by the science, because 

it ought to be remembered that it is the intention of the science, that the rules which it contains should only be 

acted upon in particular cases. After reading and considering the works of Babhravya and other ancient 

authors, and thinking over the meaning of the rules given by them, the Kama Sutra was composed, according 

to the precepts of Holy Writ, for the benefit of the world, by Vatsyayana, while leading the life of a religious 

student, and wholly engaged in the contemplation of the Deity.' 

'This work is not intended to be used merely as an instrument for satisfying our desires. A person, acquainted 

with the true principles of this science, and who preserves his Dharma, Artha, and Kama, and has regard for 

the practices of the people, is sure to obtain the mastery over his senses.' 

'In short, an intelligent and prudent person, attending to Dharma and Artha, and attending to Kama also, 

without becoming the slave of his passions, obtains success in everything that he may undertake.' 

 

THUS ends, in seven parts, the Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, which might otherwise be called a treatise on men 

and women, their mutual relationship, and connection with each other. 

It is a work that should be studied by all, both old and young; the former will find in it real truths, gathered by 

experience, and already tested by themselves, while the latter will derive the great advantage of learning 

things, which some perhaps may otherwise never learn at all, or which they may only learn when it is too late 

('too late' those immortal words of Mirabeau) to profit by the learning. 

It can also be fairly commended to the student of social science and of humanity, and above all to the student 

of those early ideas, which have gradually filtered down through the sands of time, and which seem to prove 

that the human nature of today is much the same as the human nature of the long ago. 

It has been said of Balzac the great, if not the greatest of French novelists, that he seemed to have inherited a 

natural and intuitive perception of the feelings of men and women, and has described them with an analysis 

worthy of a man of science. The author of the present work must also have had a considerable knowledge of 

the humanities. Many of his remarks are so full of simplicity and truth, that they have stood the test of time, 

and stand out still as clear and true as when they were first written, some eighteen hundred years ago. 

As a collection of facts, told in plain and simple language, it must be remembered that in those early days 

there was apparently no idea of embellishing the work, either with a literary style, a flow of language, or a 

quantity of superfluous padding. The author tells the world what he knows in very concise language, without 

any attempt to produce an interesting story. From his facts how many novels could be written! Indeed much of 

the matter contained in Parts III, IV, V and VI has formed the basis of many of the stories and the tales of past 

centuries

There will be found in Part VII some curious recipes. Many of them appear to be as primitive as the book 

itself, but in later works of the same nature these recipes and prescriptions appear to have increased, both as 

regards quality and quantity. In the Anunga Runga or 'The Stage of Love', mentioned at page 85 of the 

Preface, there are found no less than thirty-three different subjects for which one hundred and thirty recipes 

and prescriptions are given. 

As the details may be interesting, these subjects are described as follows: 

For hastening the paroxysm of the woman 

For delaying the orgasm of the man 

Aphrodisiacs 

For thickening and enlarging the lingam, rendering it sound and strong, hard and lusty 

For narrowing and contracting the yoni 

For perfuming the yoni 

For removing and destroying the hair of the body 

For removing the sudden stopping of the monthly ailment 

For abating the immoderate appearance of the monthly ailment 

For purifying the womb For causing pregnancy 

For preventing miscarriage and other accidents 

For ensuring easy labour and ready deliverance 

For limiting the number of children 

For thickening and beautifying the hair 

For obtaining a good black colour to it 

For whitening and bleaching it 

For renewing it 

For clearing the skin of the face from eruptions that break out and leave black spots upon it 

For removing the black colour of the epidermis 

For enlarging the breasts of women 

For raising and hardening pendulous breasts 

For giving a fragrance to the skin 

For removing the evil savour of perspiration 

For anointing the body after bathing 

For causing a pleasant smell to the breath 

Drugs and charms for the purposes of fascinating, overcoming, and subduing either men or women 

Recipes for enabling a woman to attract and preserve her husband's love 

Magical collyriums for winning love and friendship 

Prescriptions for reducing other persons to submission 

Philtre pills, and other charms 

Fascinating incense, or fumigation 

Magical verses which have the power of fascination

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OF THE MEANS OF GETTING MONEY, OF THE SIGNS OF THE CHANGE OF A LOVER'S 

FEELINGS, AND OF THE WAY TO GET RID OF HIM 

 

MONEY is got out of a lover in two ways: 

By natural or lawful means, and by artifices. Old authors are of opinion that when a courtesan can get as much 

money as she wants from her lover, she should not make use of artifice. But Vatsyayana lays down that 

though she may get some money from him by natural means, yet when she makes use of artifice he gives her 

doubly more, and therefore artifice should be resorted to for the purpose of extorting money from him at all 

events

Now the artifices to be used for getting money from her lover are as follows: 

Taking money from him on different occasions, for the purpose of purchasing various articles, such as 

ornaments, food, drink, flowers, perfumes and clothes, and either not buying them, or getting from him more 

than their cost. 

Praising his intelligence to his face. 

Pretending to be obliged to make gifts on occasion of festivals connected with vows, trees, gardens, temples, 

or tanks.  

Pretending that at the time of going to his house, her jewels have been stolen either by the king's guards, or by 

robbers

Alleging that her property has been destroyed by fire, by the falling of her house, or by the carelessness of her 

servants

Pretending to have lost the ornaments of her lover along with her own. 

Causing him to hear through other people of the expenses incurred by her in coming to see him. 

Contracting debts for the sake of her lover. 

Disputing with her mother on account of some expense incurred by her for her lover, and which was not 

approved of by her mother. 

Not going to parties and festivities in the houses of her friends for the want of presents to make to them, she 

having previously informed her lover of the valuable presents given to her by these very friends. 

Not performing certain festive rites under the pretence that she has no money to perform them with. 

Engaging artists to do something for her lover. 

Entertaining physicians and ministers for the purpose of attaining some object. 

Assisting friends and benefactors both on festive occasions, and in misfortune. 

Performing household rites. 

Having to pay the expenses of the ceremony of marriage of the son of a female friend. 

Having to satisfy curious wishes including her state of pregnancy. 

Pretending to be ill, and charging her cost of treatment. 

Having to remove the troubles of a friend. 

Selling some of her ornaments, so as to give her lover a present. 

Pretending to sell some of her ornaments, furniture, or cooking utensils to a trader, who has been already 

tutored how to behave in the matter. 

Having to buy cooking utensils of greater value than those of other people, so that they might be more easily 

distinguished, and not changed for others of an inferior description. 

Remembering the former favours of her lover, and causing them always to be spoken of by her friends and 

followers

Informing her lover of the great gains of other courtesans. 

Describing before them, and in the presence of her lover, her own great gains, and making them out to be 

greater even than theirs, though such may not have been really the case. 

Openly opposing her mother when she endeavours to persuade her to take up with men with whom she has 

been formerly acquainted, on account of the great gains to be got from them. 

Lastly, pointing out to her lover the liberality of his rivals. 

Thus end the ways and means of getting money. 

A woman should always know the state of the mind, of the feelings, and of the disposition of her lover 

towards her from the changes of his temper, his manner, and the colour of his face. 

The behaviour of a waning lover is as follows: 

He gives the woman either less than is wanted, or something else than that which is asked for. 

He keeps her in hopes by promises. 

He pretends to do one thing, and does something else. 

He does not fulfil her desires. 

He forgets his promises, or does something else than that which he has promised. 

He speaks with his own servants in a mysterious way. 

He sleeps in some other house under the pretence of having to do something for a friend. 

Lastly, he speaks in private with the attendants of a woman with whom he was formerly acquainted. 

Now when a courtesan finds that her lover's disposition towards her is changing, she should get possession of 

all his best things before he becomes aware of her intentions, and allow a supposed creditor to take them away 

forcibly from her in satisfaction of some pretended debt. After this, if the lover is rich, and has always 

behaved well towards her, she should ever treat him with respect; but if he is poor and destitute, she should 

get rid of him as if she had never been acquainted with him in any way before. 

The means of getting rid of a lover are as follows: 

Describing the habits and vices of the lover as disagreeable and censurable, with the sneer of the lip, and the 

stamp of the foot. 

Speaking on a subject with which he is not acquainted. 

Showing no admiration for his learning, and passing a censure upon it. 

Putting down his pride. 

Seeking the company of men who are superior to him in learning and wisdom. 

Showing a disregard for him on all occasions. 

Censuring men possessed of the same faults as her lover. 

Expressing dissatisfaction at the ways and means of enjoyment used by him. 

Not giving him her mouth to kiss. 

Refusing access to her jaghana, i.e. the part of the body between the navel and the thighs. 

Showing a dislike for the wounds made by his nails and teeth. 

Not pressing close up against him at the time when he embraces her. 

Keeping her limbs without movement at the time of congress

Desiring him to enjoy her when he is fatigued. 

Laughing at his attachment to her. 

Not responding to his embraces. 

Turning away from him when be begins to embrace her. 

Pretending to be sleepy. 

Going out visiting, or into company, when she perceives his desire to enjoy her during the daytime. 

Mis-constructing his words. 

Laughing without any joke, or, at the time of any joke made by him, laughing under some pretence. 

Looking with side glances at her own attendants, and clapping her hands when he says anything. 

Interrupting him in the middle of his stories, and beginning to tell other stories herself. 

Reciting his faults and his vices, and declaring them to be incurable. 

Saying words to her female attendants calculated to cut the heart of her lover to the quick. 

Taking care not to look at him when he comes to her. 

Asking him what cannot be granted. 

And, after all, finally dismissing him. 

There are also two verses on this subject as follows: 

'The duty of a courtesan consists in forming connections with suitable men after due and full consideration, 

and attaching the person with whom she is united to herself; in obtaining wealth from the person who is 

attached to her, and then dismissing him after she has taken away all his possessions.' 

'A courtesan leading in this manner the life of a wife is not troubled with too many lovers, and yet obtains 

abundance of wealth.'

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ABOUT RE-UNION WITH A FORMER LOVER 

 

WHEN a courtesan abandons her present lover after all his wealth is exhausted, she may then consider about 

her reunion with a former lover. But she should return to him only if he has acquired fresh wealth, or is still 

wealthy, and if he is still attached to her. And if this man be living at the time with some other woman she 

should consider well before she acts. 

Now such a man can only be in one of the six following conditions: 

He may have left the first woman of his own accord, and may even have left another woman since then. 

He may have been driven away from both women. 

He may have left the one woman of her own accord, and been driven away by the other. 

He may have left the one woman of his own accord, and be living with another woman. 

He may have been driven away from the one woman, and left the other of his own accord. 

He may have been driven away by the one woman, and may be living with another. 

Now if the man has left both women of his own accord, he should not be resorted to, on account of the 

fickleness of his mind, and his indifference to the excellences of both of them. 

As regards the man who may have been driven away from both women, if he has been driven away from the 

last one because the woman could get more money from some other man, then he should be resorted to, for if 

attached to the first woman he would give her more money, through vanity and emulation to spite the other 

woman. But if he has been driven away by the woman on account of his poverty, or stinginess, he should not 

then be resorted to. 

In the case of the man who may have left the one woman of his own accord, and been driven away by the 

other, if he agrees to return to the former and give her plenty of money beforehand, then he should be resorted 

to

In the case of the man who may have left the one woman of his own accord, and be living with another 

woman, the former (wishing to take up with him again) should first ascertain if he left her in the first instance 

in the hope of finding some particular excellence in the other woman, and that not having found any such 

excellence, he was willing to come back to her, and to give her much money on account of his conduct, and 

on account of his affection still existing for her. 

Or, whether, having discovered many faults in the other woman, he would now see even more excellences in 

herself than actually exist, and would be prepared to give her much money for these qualities. 

Or, lastly, to consider whether he was a weak man, or a man fond of enjoying many women, or one who liked 

a poor woman, or one who never did anything for the woman that he was with. After maturely considering all 

these things, she should resort to him or not, according to circumstances. 

As regards the man who may have been driven away from the one woman, and left the other of his own 

accord, the former woman (wishing to reunite with him) should first ascertain whether he still has any 

affection for her, and would consequently spend much money upon her; or whether, being attached to her excellent qualities, he did not take delight in any other woman; or whether, being driven away from her 

formerly before completely satisfying his sexual desires, he wished to get back to her, so as to be revenged for 

the injury done to him; or whether he wished to create confidence in her mind, and then take back from her 

the wealth which she formerly took from him, and finally destroy her; or, lastly, whether he wished first to 

separate her from her present lover, and then to break away from her himself. If, after considering all these 

things, sire is of opinion that his intentions are really pure and honest, she can reunite herself with him. But if 

his mind be at all tainted with evil intentions, he should be avoided. 

In the case of the man who may have been driven away by one woman, and be living with another, if the man 

makes overtures to return to the first one, the courtesan should consider well before she acts, and while the 

other woman is engaged in attracting him to herself, she should try in her turn (though keeping herself behind 

the scenes) to gain him over, on the grounds of any of the following considerations: 

That he was driven away unjustly and for no proper reason, and now that he has gone to another woman, 

every effort must be used to bring him back to myself. 

That if he were once to converse with me again, he would break away from the other woman. 

That the pride of my present lover would be put down by means of the former one. 

That he has become wealthy, has secured a higher position, and holds a place of authority under the king. 

That he is separate from his wife. 

That he is now independent. 

That he lives apart from his father, or brother. 

That by making peace with him, I shall be able to get hold of a very rich man, who is now prevented from 

coming to me by my present lover. 

That as he is not respected by his wife, I shall now be able to separate him from her. 

That the friend of this man loves my rival, who hates me cordially, I shall therefore by this means separate the 

friend from his mistress. 

And lastly, I shall bring discredit upon him by bringing him back to me, thus showing the fickleness of his 

mind

When a courtesan is resolved to take up again with a former lover, her Pithamarda and other servants should 

tell him that his former expulsion from the woman's house was caused by the wickedness of her mother; that 

the woman loved him just as much as ever at that time, but could not help the occurrence on account of her 

deference to her mother's will; that she hated the union of her present lover, and disliked him excessively. In 

addition to this, they should create confidence in his mind by speaking to him of her former love for him, and 

should allude to the mark of that love that she has ever remembered. This mark of her love should be 

connected with some kind of pleasure that may have been practised by him, such as his way of kissing her, or 

manner 'of having connection with her. 

Thus end the ways of bringing about a reunion with a former lover. 

When a woman has to choose between two lovers, one of whom was formerly united with her, while the other 

is a stranger, the Acharyas (sages) are of opinion that the first one is preferable, because his disposition and character being already known by previous careful observation, he can be easily pleased and satisfied; but 

Vatsyayana thinks that a former lover, having already spent a great deal of his wealth, is not able or willing to 

give much money again, and is not therefore to be relied upon so much as a stranger. Particular cases may 

however arise differing from this general rule on account of the different natures of men. 

There are also verses on the subject as follows: 

'Reunion with a former lover may be desirable so as to separate some particular woman from some particular 

man, or some particular man from some particular woman, or to have a certain effect upon the present lover.' 

'When a man is excessively attached to a woman, he is afraid of her coming into contact with other men; he 

does not then regard or notice her faults and he gives her much wealth through fear of her leaving him.' 

'A courtesan should be agreeable to the man who is attached to her, and despise the man who does not care for 

her. If while she is living with one man, a messenger comes to her from some other man, she may either 

refuse to listen to any negotiations on his part, or appoint a fixed time for him to visit her, but she should not 

leave the man who may be living with her and who may be attached to her.' 

'A wise woman should only renew her connection with a former lover, if she is satisfied that good fortune, 

gain, love, and friendship, are likely to be the result of such a reunion.'

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OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF GAIN 
 
When a courtesan is able to realize much money every day, by reason of many customers, she should not 
confine herself to a single lover; under such circumstances, she should fix her rate for one night, after 
considering the place, the season, and the condition of the people, and having regard to her own good qualities 

and good looks, and after comparing her rates with those of other courtesans. She can inform her lovers, and friends,

and acquaintances about these charges. If, however, she can obtain a great gain from a single lover, 
she may resort to him alone, and live with him like a wife. 
Now the sages are of opinion that, when a courtesan has the chance of an equal gain from two lovers at the 
same time, a preference should be given to the one who would give her the kind of thing which she wants. But 
Vatsyayana says that the preference should be given to the one who gives her gold, because it cannot be taken 
back like some other things, it can be easily received and is also the means of procuring anything that may be 
wished for. Of such things as gold, silver, copper, bell metal, iron, pots, furniture, beds, upper garments, under 
vestments, fragrant substances, vessels made of gourds, ghee, oil, corn, cattle, and other things of a like 
nature, the first - gold - is superior to all the others. 
When the same labour is required to gain any two lovers, or when the same kind of thing is to be got from 
each of them, the choice should be made by the advice of a friend, or it may be made from their personal 
qualities, or from the signs of good or bad fortune that may be connected with them. 
When there are two lovers, one of whom is attached to the courtesan, and the other is simply very generous, 
the sages say that the preference should be given to the generous lover, but Vatsyayana is of opinion that the 
one who is really attached to the courtesan should be preferred, because he can be made to be generous, even 
as a miser gives money if he becomes fond of a woman, but a mail who is simply generous cannot be made to 
love with real attachment. But among those who are attached to her, if there is one who is poor, and one who 
is rich, the preference is of course to be given to the latter. 
When there are two lovers, one of whom is generous, and the other ready to do any service for the courtesan, 
some sages say that the one who is ready to do the service should be preferred, but Vatsyayana is of opinion 
that a man who does a service thinks that he has gained his object when he has done something once, but a 
generous man does not care for what he has given before. Even here the choice should be guided by the 
likelihood of the future good to be derived from her union with either of them. 
When one of the two lovers is grateful, and the other liberal, some sages say that the liberal one should be 
preferred, but Vatsyayana is of opinion that the former should be chosen, because liberal men are generally 
haughty, plain spoken, and wanting in consideration towards others. Even though these liberal men have been 
on friendly terms for a long time, yet if they see any fault in the courtesan, or are told lies about her by some 
other woman, they do not care for past services, but leave abruptly. On the other hand the grateful man does 
not at once break off from her, on account of a regard for the pains she may have taken to please him. In this 
case also the choice is to be guided with respect to what may happen in future. 
When an occasion for complying with the request of a friend, and a chance of getting money come together, 
the sages say that the chance of getting money should be preferred. But Vatsyayana thinks that the money can 
be obtained tomorrow as well as today, but if the request of a friend be riot at once complied with, he may 
become disaffected. Even here, in making the choice, regard must be paid to future good fortune. 
On such an occasion, however, the courtesan might pacify her friend by pretending to have some work to do, 
and telling him that his request will be complied with next day, and in this way secure the chance of getting 
the money that has been offered her. 
When the chance of getting money and the chance of avoiding some disaster come at the same time, the sages 
are of opinion that the chance of getting money should be preferred, but Vatsyayana says that money has only 
a limited importance, while a disaster that is once averted may never occur again. Here, however, the choice 
should be guided by the greatness or smallness of the disaster. 
The gains of the wealthiest and best kind of courtesans are to be spent as follows: 
Building temples, tanks, and gardens; giving a thousand cows to different Brahmans; carrying on the worship 
of the Gods, and celebrating festivals in their honour; and lastly, performing such vows as may be within their 
means. 
The gains of other courtesans are to be spent as follows: 
Having a white dress to wear every day; getting sufficient food and drink to satisfy hunger and thirst; eating 
daily a perfumed tambula, i.e. a mixture of betel nut and betel leaves; and wearing ornaments gilt with gold. 
The sages say that these represent the gains of all the middle and lower classes of courtesans, but Vatsyayana 
is of opinion that their gains cannot be calculated, or fixed in any way, as these depend on the influence of the 
place, the customs of the people, their own appearance, and many other things. 
When a courtesan wants to keep some particular man from some other woman; or wishes to get him away 
from some woman to whom he may be attached or to deprive some woman of the gains realized by her from 
him; or if she thinks that she would raise her position or enjoy some great good fortune or become desirable to 
all men by uniting herself with this man; or if she wishes to get his assistance in averting some misfortune; or 
is really attached to him and loves him; or wishes to injure some body through his means; or has regard to 
some former favour conferred upon her by him; or wishes to be united with him merely from desire; for any 
of the above reasons, she should agree to take from him only a small sum of money in a friendly way. 
When a courtesan intends to abandon a particular lover, and take up with another one; or when she has reason 
to believe that her lover will shortly leave her, and return to his wives; or that having squandered all his 
money, and become penniless, his guardian, or master, or father would come and take him away; or that her 
lover is about to lose his position or, lastly, that he is of a very fickle mind, she should, under any of these 
circumstances, endeavour to get as much money as she can from him as soon as possible. 
On the other hand, when the courtesan thinks that her lover is about to receive valuable presents; or get a 
place of authority from the king; or be near the time of inheriting a fortune; or that his ship would soon arrive 
laden with merchandise; or that he has large stocks of corn and other commodities; or that if anything was 
done for him it would not be done in vain; or that he is always true to his word; then should she have regard to 
her future welfare, and live with the man like a wife. 
There are also verses on the subject as follows: 
'In considering her present gains, and her future welfare, a courtesan should avoid such persons as have gained 
their means of subsistence with very great difficulty, as also those who have become selfish and hard-hearted 
by becoming the favourites of kings.' 
'She should make every endeavour to unite herself with prosperous and well-to-do people, and with those 
whom it is dangerous to avoid, or to slight in any way. Even at some cost to herself she should become 
acquainted with energetic and liberal-minded men, who when pleased would give her a large sum of money, 
even for very little service, or for some small thing.'
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OF GAINS AND LOSSES; ATTENDANT GAINS AND LOSSES; AND DOUBTS; AS ALSO OF THE 

DIFFERENT KINDS OF COURTESANS 

 

IT sometimes happens that while gains are being sought for, or expected to be realized, losses only are the 

result of our efforts. The causes of these losses are: 

Weakness of intellect 

Excessive love 

Excessive pride 

Excessive self conceit 

Excessive simplicity 

Excessive confidence 

Excessive anger 

Carelessness 

Recklessness 

Influence of evil genius 

Accidental circumstances 

The results of these losses are: 

Expense incurred without any result 

Destruction of future good fortune 

Stoppage of gains about to be realized 

Loss of what is already obtained 

Acquisition of a sour temper 

Becoming unamiable to every body 

Injury to health 

Loss of hair and other accidents 

Now gain is of three kinds: gain of wealth, gain of religious merit, and gain of pleasure; and similarly loss is 

of three kinds: loss of wealth, loss of religious merit, and loss of pleasure. At the time when gains are sought 

for, if other gains come along with them, these are called attendant gains. When gain is uncertain, the doubt of 

its being a gain is called a simple doubt. When there is a doubt whether either of two things will happen or not, it is called a mixed doubt. If while one thing is being done two results take place, it is called a 

combination of two results, and if several results follow from the same action, it is called a combination of 

results on every side. 

We shall now give examples of the above. 

As already stated, gain is of three kinds, and loss, which is opposed to gain, is also of three kinds. 

When by living with a great man a courtesan acquires present wealth, and in addition to this becomes 

acquainted with other people, and thus obtains a chance of future fortune, and an accession of wealth, and 

becomes desirable to all, this is called a gain of wealth attended by other gain

When by living with a man a courtesan simply gets money, this is called a gain of wealth not attended by any 

other gain. 

When a courtesan receives money from other people besides her lover, the results are the chance of the loss of 

future good from her present lover; the chance of disaffection of a man securely attached to her; the hatred of 

all; and the chance of a union with some low person, tending to destroy her future good. This gain is called a 

gain of wealth attended by losses. 

When a courtesan, at her own expense, and without any results in the shape of gain, has connection with a 

great man, or an avaricious minister, for the sake of diverting some misfortune, or removing some cause that 

may be threatening the destruction of a great gain, this loss is said to be a loss of wealth attended by gains of 

the future good which it may bring about. 

When a courtesan is kind, even at her own expense, to a man who is very stingy, or to a man proud of his 

looks, or to an ungrateful man skilled in gaining the hearts of others, without any good resulting from these 

connections to her in the end, this loss is called a loss of wealth not attended by any gain. 

When a courtesan is kind to any such man as described above, but who in addition is a favourite of the king, 

and moreover cruel and powerful, without any good result in the end, and with a chance of her being turned 

away at any moment, this loss is called a loss of wealth attended by other losses. 

In this way gains and losses, and attendant gains and losses in religious merit and pleasures may become 

known to the reader, and combinations of all of them may also be made. 

Thus end the remarks on gains and losses, and attendant gains and losses. 

In the next place we come to doubts, which are again of three kinds: doubts about wealth, doubts about 

religious merit, and doubts about pleasures. 

The following are examples: 

When a courtesan is not certain how much a man may give her, or spend upon her, this is called a doubt about 

wealth

When a courtesan feels doubtful whether she is right in entirely abandoning a lover from whom she is unable 

to get money, she having taken all his wealth from him in the first instance, this doubt is called a doubt about 

religious merit. 

When a courtesan is unable to get hold of a lover to her liking, and is uncertain whether she will derive any 

pleasure from a person surrounded by his family, or from a low person, this is called a doubt about pleasure. 

When a courtesan is uncertain whether some powerful but low principled fellow would cause loss to her on 

account of her not being civil to him this is called a doubt about the loss of wealth. 

When a courtesan feels doubtful whether she would lose religious merit by abandoning a man who is attached 

to her without giving him the slightest favour, and thereby causing him unhappiness in this world and the 

next, 1 this doubt is called a doubt about the loss of a religious merit. 

When a courtesan is uncertain as to whether she might create disaffection by speaking out, and revealing her 

love and thus not get her desire satisfied, this is called a doubt about the loss of pleasure. 

Thus end the remarks on doubts. 

Mixed Doubts 

The intercourse or connection with a stranger, whose disposition is unknown, and who may have been 

introduced by a lover, or by one who possessed authority, may be productive either of gain or loss, and 

therefore this is called a mixed doubt about the gain and loss of wealth. 

When a courtesan is requested by a friend, or is impelled by pity to have intercourse with a learned Brahman, 

a religious student, a sacrificer, a devotee, or an ascetic who may have all fallen in love with her, and who 

may be consequently at the point of death, by doing this she might either gain or lose religious merit, and 

therefore this is called a mixed doubt about the gain and loss of religious merit. 

If a courtesan relies solely upon the report of other people (i.e. hearsay) about a man, and goes to him without 

ascertaining herself whether he possesses good qualities or not, she may either gain or lose pleasure in 

proportion as he may be good or bad, and therefore this is called a mixed doubt about the gain and loss of 

pleasure. 

Uddalika has described the gains and losses on both sides as follows: 

If, when living with a lover, a courtesan gets both wealth and pleasure from him, it is called a gain on both 

sides

When a courtesan lives with a lover at her own expense without getting any profit out of it, and the lover even 

takes back from her what he may have formerly given her, it is called a loss on both sides. 

When a courtesan is uncertain whether a new acquaintance would become attached to her, and, moreover, if 

he became attached to her, whether he would give her anything, it is then called a doubt on both sides about 

gains

When a courtesan is uncertain whether a former enemy, if made up by her at her own expense, would do her 

some injury on account of his grudge against her; or, if becoming attached to her, would take away angrily 

from her anything that he may have given to her, this is called a doubt on both sides about loss. 

Babhravya has described the gains and losses on both sides as follows: 

When a courtesan can get money from a man whom she may go to see, and also money from a man whom she 

may not go to see, this is called a gain on both sides. 

When a courtesan has to incur further expense if she goes to see a man, and yet runs the risk of incurring an 

irremediable loss if she does not go to see him, this is called a loss on both sides. 

When a courtesan is uncertain whether a particular man would give her anything on her going to see him, 

without incurring expense on her part or whether on her neglecting him another man would give her 

something, this is called a doubt on both sides about gain. 

When a courtesan is uncertain whether, on going at her own expense to see an old enemy, he would take back 

from her what he may have given her, or whether by her not going to see him he would cause some disaster to 

fall upon her, this is called a doubt on both sides about loss. 

By combining the above, the following six kinds of mixed results are produced: 

Gain on one side, and loss on the other 

Gain on one side, and doubt of gain on the other 

Gain on one side, and doubt of loss on the other 

Loss on one side, and doubt of gain on the other 

Doubt of gain on one side, and doubt of loss on the other 

Doubt of loss on one side, and loss on the other 

A courtesan, having considered all the above things and taken counsel with her friends, should act so as to 

acquire gain, the chances of great gain, and the warding off of any great disaster. Religious merit and pleasure 

should also be formed into separate combinations like those of wealth, and then all should be combined with 

each other, so as to form new combinations. 

When a courtesan consorts with men she should cause each of them to give her money as well as pleasure. At 

particular times, such as the Spring Festivals, etc., she should make her mother announce to the various men, 

that on a certain day her daughter would remain with the man who would gratify such and such a desire of 

hers

When young men approach her with delight, she should think of what she may accomplish through them. 

The combination of gains and losses on all sides are gain on one side, and loss on all others; loss on one side 

and gain on all others; gain on all sides, loss on all sides. 

A courtesan should also consider doubts about gain and doubts about loss with reference both to wealth, 

religious merit, and pleasure. 

Thus ends the consideration of gain, loss, attendant gains, attendant losses, and doubts. 

The different kinds of courtesans are: 

A bawd 

A female attendant 

An unchaste woman 

A dancing girl 

A female artisan 

A woman who has left her family 

A woman living on her beauty 

And, finally, a regular courtesan 

All the above kinds of courtesans are acquainted with various kinds of men, and should consider the ways of 

getting money from them of pleasing them, of separating themselves from them, and of reuniting with them. 

They should also take into consideration particular gains and losses, attendant gains and losses, and doubts in 

accordance with their several conditions. 

Thus end the considerations of courtesans. 

There are also two verses on the subject as follows: 

'Men want pleasure, while women want money, and therefore this part, which treats of the means of gaining 

wealth, should be studied.' 

'There are some women who seek for love, and there are others who seek for money; for the former the ways 

of love are told in previous portions of this work, while the ways of getting money, as practised by courtesans, 

are described in this part.
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OF THE VARIOUS MODES OF STRIKING, AND OF THE SOUNDS APPROPRIATE TO THEM 

 

 

sexual intercourse can be compared to a quarrel, on account of the contrarieties of love and its tendency to 

dispute. The place of striking with passion is the body, and on the body the special places are: 

The shoulders 

The head 

The space between the breasts 

The back 

The jaghana, or middle part of the body 

The sides 

Striking is of four kinds: 

Striking with the back of the hand 

Striking with the fingers a little contracted 

Striking with the fist 

Striking with the open palm of the hand 

On account of its causing pain, striking gives rise to the hissing sound, which is of various kinds, and to the 

eight kinds of crying: 

The sound Hin 

The thundering sound 

The cooing sound 

The weeping sound 

The sound Phut 

The sound Phât 

The sound Sût 

The sound Plât 

Besides these, there are also words having a meaning, such as 'mother', and those that are expressive of 

prohibition, sufficiency, desire of liberation, pain or praise, and to which may be added sounds like those of 

the dove, the cuckoo, the green pigeon, the parrot, the bee, the sparrow, the flamingo, the duck, and the quail, 

which are all occasionally made use of. 

Blows with the fist should be given on the back of the woman while she is sitting on the lap of the man, and 

she should give blows in return, abusing the man as if she were angry, and making the cooing and the weeping 

sounds. While the woman is engaged in congress the space between the breasts should be struck with the back 

of the hand, slowly at first, and then proportionately to the increasing excitement, until the end. 

At this time the sounds Hin and others may be made, alternately or optionally, according to habit. When the 

man, making the sound Phât, strikes the woman on the head, with the fingers of his hand a little contracted, it 

is called Prasritaka, which means striking with the fingers of the hand a little contracted. In this case the 

appropriate sounds are the cooing sound, the sound Phât and the sound Phut in the interior of the mouth, and 

at the end of congress the sighing and weeping sounds. The sound Phât is an imitation of the sound of a 

bamboo being split, while the sound Phut is like the sound made by something falling into water. At all times 

when kissing and such like things are begun, the woman should give a reply with a hissing sound. During the 

excitement when the woman is not accustomed to striking, she continually utters words expressive of 

prohibition, sufficiently, or desire of liberation, as well as the words 'father', 'mother', intermingled with the 

sighing, weeping and thundering sounds. 1 Towards the conclusion of the congress, the breasts, the jaghana

and the sides of the woman should be pressed with the open palms of the hand, with some force, until the end 

of it, and then sounds like those of the quail or the goose should be made. 

There are two verses on the subject as follows: 

'The characteristics of manhood are said to consist of roughness and impetuosity, while weakness, tenderness, 

sensibility, and an inclination to turn away from unpleasant things are the distinguishing marks of 

womanhood. The excitement of passion, and peculiarities of habit may sometimes cause contrary results to 

appear, but these do not last long, and in the end the natural state is resumed.' 

The wedge on the bosom, the scissors on the head, the piercing instrument on the cheeks, and the pinchers on 

the breasts and sides, may also be taken into consideration with the other four modes of striking, and thus give 

eight ways altogether. But these four ways of striking with instruments are peculiar to the people of the 

southern countries, and the marks caused by them are seen on the breasts of their women. They are local 

peculiarities, but Vatsyayana is of opinion that the practice of them is painful, barbarous, and base, and quite 

unworthy of imitation. 

In the same way anything that is a local peculiarity should not always be adopted elsewhere, and even in the 

place where the practice is prevalent, excess of it should always be avoided. Instances of the dangerous use of 

them may be given as follows. The king of the Panchalas killed the courtesan Madhavasena by means of the 

wedge during congress. King Satakarni Satavahana of the Kuntalas deprived his great Queen Malayavati of 

her life by a pair of scissors, and Naradeva, whose hand was deformed, blinded a dancing girl by directing a 

piercing instrument in a wrong way. 

There are also two verses on the subject as follows: 

'About these things there cannot be either enumeration or any definite rule. Congress having once 

commenced, passion alone gives birth to all the acts of the parties.' 

'Such passionate actions and amorous gesticulations or movements, which arise on the spur of the moment, 

and during sexual intercourse, cannot be defined, and are as irregular as dreams. A horse having once attained 

the fifth degree of motion goes on with blind speed, regardless of pits, ditches, and posts in his way; and in the 

same manner a loving pair become blind with passion in the heat of congress, and go on with great 

impetuosity, paying not the least regard to excess. For this reason one who is well acquainted with the science 

of love, and knowing his own strength, as also the tenderness, impetuosity, and strength of the young women, 

should act accordingly. The various modes of enjoyment are not for all times or for all persons, but they 

should only be used at the proper time. and in the proper countries and places.'

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ABOUT WOMEN ACTING THE PART OF A MAN; AND OF THE WORK OF A MAN 
 

When a woman sees that her lover is fatigued by constant congress, without having his desire satisfied, she should,

with his permission, lay him down upon his back, and give him assistance by acting his part. She may 
also do this to satisfy the curiosity of her lover, or her own desire of novelty. 
There are two ways of doing this, the first is when during congress she turns round, and gets on the top of her 
lover, in such a manner as to continue the congress, without obstructing the pleasure of it; and the other is 
when she acts the man's part from the beginning. At such a time, with flowers in her hair hanging loose, and 
her smiles broken by hard breathings, she should press upon her lover's bosom with her own breasts, and 
lowering her head frequently, should do in return the same actions which he used to do before, returning his 
blows and chaffing him, should say, 'I was laid down by you, and fatigued with hard congress, I shall now 
therefore lay you down in return.' She should then again manifest her own bashfulness, her fatigue, and her 
desire of stopping the congress. In this way she should do the work of a man, which we shall presently relate. 
Whatever is done by a man for giving pleasure to a woman is called the work of a man, and is as follows: 
While the woman is lying on his bed, and is as it were abstracted by his conversation, he should loosen the 
knot of her undergarments, and when she begins to dispute with him, he should overwhelm her with kisses. 
Then when his lingam is erect he should touch her with his hands in various places, and gently manipulate 
various parts of the body. If the woman is bashful, and if it is the first time that they have come together, the 
man should place his hands between her thighs, which she would probably keep close together, and if she is a 
very young girl, he should first get his hands upon her breasts, which she would probably cover with her own 
hands, and under her armpits and on her neck. If however she is a seasoned woman, he should do whatever is 
agreeable either to him or to her, and whatever is fitting for the occasion. After this he should take hold of her 
hair, and hold her chin in his fingers for the purpose of kissing her. On this, if she is a young girl, she will 
become bashful and close her eyes. Anyhow he should gather from the action of the woman what things 
would be pleasing to her during congress. 
Here Suvarnanabha says that while a man is doing to the woman what he likes best during congress, he should 
always make a point of pressing those parts of her body on which she turns her eyes. 
The signs of the enjoyment and satisfaction of the woman are as follows: her body relaxes, she closes her 
eyes, she puts aside all bashfulness, and shows increased willingness to unite the two organs as closely 
together as possible. On the other hand, the signs of her want of enjoyment and of failing to be satisfied are as 
follows: she shakes her hands, she does not let the man get up, feels dejected, bites the man, kicks him, and 
continues to go on moving after the man has finished. In such cases the man should rub the yoni of the woman 
with his hand and fingers (as the elephant rubs anything with his trunk) before engaging in congress, until it is 
softened, and after that is done he should proceed to put his lingam into her. 
The acts to be done by the man are: 
Moving forward 
Friction or churning 
Piercing 
Rubbing 
Pressing 
Giving a blow 
The blow of a boar 
The blow of a bull 
The sporting of a sparrow 
When the organs are brought together properly and directly it is called 'moving the organ forward'. 
When the lingam is held with the hand, and turned all round in the yoni, it is called 'churning'. 
When the yoni is lowered, and the upper part of it is struck with the lingam, it is called 'piercing'. 
When the same thing is done on the lower part of the yoni, it is called 'rubbing'. 
When the yoni is pressed by the lingam for a long time, it is called 'pressing'. 
When the lingam is removed to some distance from the yoni, and then forcibly strikes it, it is called 'giving a 
blow'. 
When only one part of the yoni is rubbed with the lingam, it is called the 'blow of a boar'. 
When both sides of the yoni are rubbed in this way, it is called the 'blow of a bull'. 
When the lingam is in the yoni, and moved up and down frequently, and without being taken out, it is called 
the 'sporting of a sparrow'. This takes place at the end of congress. 
When a woman acts the part of a man, she has the following things to do in addition to the nine given above: 
The pair of tongs 
The top 
The swing 
When the woman holds the lingam in her yoni, draws it in, presses it, and keeps it thus in her for a long time, 
it is called the 'pair of tongs'. 
When, while engaged in congress, she turns round like a wheel, it is called the 'top'. This is learnt by practice 
only. 
When, on such an occasion, the man lifts up the middle part of his body, and the woman turns round her 
middle part, it is called the 'swing'. 
When the woman is tired, she should place her forehead on that of her lover, and should thus take rest without 
disturbing the union of the organs, and when the woman has rested herself the man should turn round and 
begin the congress again. 
There are also some verses on the subject as follows: 
'Though a woman is reserved, and keeps her feelings concealed; yet when she gets on the top of a man, she 
then shows all her love and desire. A man should gather from the actions of the woman of what disposition 
she is, and in what way she likes to be enjoyed. A woman during her monthly courses, a woman who has been 
lately confined, and a fat woman should not be made to act the part of a man.'
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OF THE AUPARISHTAKA OR MOUTH CONGRESS

 

THERE are two kinds of eunuchs, those that are disguised as males, and those that are disguised as females. 

Eunuchs disguised as females imitate their dress, speech, gestures, tenderness, timidity, simplicity, softness 

and bashfulness. The acts that are done on the jaghana or middle parts of women, are done in the mouths of 

these eunuchs, and this is called Auparishtaka. 1 These eunuchs derive their imaginable pleasure, and their 

livelihood from this kind of congress, and they lead the life of courtesans. So much concerning eunuchs 

disguised as females. 

Eunuchs disguised as males keep their desires secret, and when they wish to do anything they lead the life of 

shampooers. Under the pretence of shampooing, a eunuch of this kind embraces and draws towards himself 

the thighs of the man whom he is shampooing, and after this he touches the joints of his thighs and his 

jaghana, or central portions of his body. Then, if he finds the lingam of the man erect, he presses it with his 

hands and chaffs him for getting into that state. If after this, and after knowing his intention, the man does not 

tell the eunuch to proceed, then the latter does it of his own accord and begins the congress. If however he is 

ordered by the man to do it, then he disputes with him, and only consents at last with difficulty. 

The following eight things are then done by the eunuch one after the other: 

The nominal congress 

Biting the sides 

Pressing outside 

Pressing inside 

Kissing 

Rubbing 

Sucking a mango fruit 

Swallowing up 

At the end of each of these, the eunuch expresses his wish to stop, but when one of them is finished, the man 

desires him to do another, and after that is done, then the one that follows it, and so on. 

When, holding the man's lingam with his hand, and placing it between his lips, the eunuch moves about his 

mouth, it is called the 'nominal congress'. 

When, covering the end of the lingam with his fingers collected together like the bud of a plant or flower, the 

eunuch presses the sides of it with his lips, using his teeth also, it is called 'biting the sides'. 

When, being desired to proceed, the eunuch presses the end of the lingam with his lips closed together, and 

kisses it as if he were drawing it out, it is called the 'outside pressing'. 

When, being asked to go on, he puts the lingam further into his mouth, and presses it with his lips and then 

takes it out, it is called the 'inside pressing'. 

When, holding the lingam in his hand, the eunuch kisses it as if he were kissing the lower lip, it is called 

'kissing'. 

When, after kissing it, he touches it with his tongue everywhere, and passes the tongue over the end of it, it is 

called 'rubbing'. 

When, in the same way, he puts the half of it into his mouth, and forcibly kisses and sucks it, this is called 

'sucking a mango fruit'. 

And lastly, when, with the consent of the man, the eunuch puts the whole lingam into his mouth, and presses 

it to the very end, as if he were going to swallow it up, it is called 'swallowing up'. 

Striking, scratching, and other things may also be done during this kind of congress

The Auparishtaka is practised also by unchaste and wanton women, female attendants and serving maids, i.e. 

those who are not married to anybody, but who live by shampooing. 

The Acharyas (i.e. ancient and venerable authors) are of opinion that this Auparishtaka is the work of a dog 

and not of a man, because it is a low practice, and opposed to the orders of the Holy Writ, and because the 

man himself suffers by bringing his lingam into contact with the mouths of eunuchs and women. But 

Vatsyayana says that the orders of the Holy Writ do not affect those who resort to courtesans, and the law 

prohibits the practice of the Auparishtaka with married women only. As regards the injury to the male, that 

can be easily remedied. 

The people of Eastern India do not resort to women who practise the Auparishtaka. 

The people of Ahichhatra resort to such women, but do nothing with them, so far as the mouth is concerned. 

The people of Saketa do with these women every kind of mouth congress, while the people of Nagara do not 

practise this, but do every other thing. 

The people of the Shurasena country, on the southern bank of the Jumna, do everything without any 

hesitation, for they say that women being naturally unclean, no one can be certain about their character, their 

purity, their conduct, their practices, their confidences, or their speech. They are not however on this account 

to be abandoned, because religious law, on the authority of which they are reckoned pure, lays down that the 

udder of a cow is clean at the time of milking, though the mouth of a cow, and also the mouth of her calf, are 

considered unclean by the Hindoos. Again a dog is clean when he seizes a deer in hunting, though food 

touched by a dog is otherwise considered very unclean. A bird is clean when it causes a fruit to fall from a tree 

by pecking at it, though things eaten by crows and other birds are considered unclean. And the mouth of a 

woman is clean for kissing and such like things at the time of sexual intercourse. Vatsyayana moreover thinks 

that in all these things connected with love, everybody should act according to the custom of his country, and 

his own inclination. 

There are also the following verses on the subject: 

'The male servants of some men carry on the mouth congress with their masters. It is also practised by some 

citizens, who know each other well, among themselves. Some women of the harem, when they are amorous, 

do the acts of the mouth on the yonis of one another, and some men do the same thing with women. The way 

of doing this (i.e. of kissing the yoni) should be known from kissing the mouth. When a man and woman lie 

down in an inverted order, i.e. with the head of the one towards the feet of the other and carry on this 

congress, it is called the "congress of a crow".' 

For the sake of such things courtesans abandon men possessed of good qualities, liberal and clever, and 

become attached to low persons, such as slaves and elephant drivers. The Auparishtaka, or mouth congress, 

should never be done by a learned Brahman, by a minister that carries on the business of a state, or by a man 

of good reputation, because though the practice is allowed by the Shastras, there is no reason why it should be 

carried on, and need only be practised in particular cases. As for instance, the taste, and the strength, and the 

digestive qualities of the flesh of dogs are mentioned in works on medicine, but it does not therefore follow 

that it should be eaten by the wise. In the same way there are some men, some places and some times, with 

respect to which these practices can be made use of. A man should therefore pay regard to the place, to the 

time, and to the practice which is to be carried out, as also as to whether it is agreeable to his nature and to 

himself, and then he may or may not practise these things according to circumstances. But after all, these 

things being done secretly, and the mind of the man being fickle, how can it be known what any person will 

do at any particular time and for any particular purpose.
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OF THE WAY HOW TO BEGIN AND HOW TO END THE CONGRESS. DIFFERENT KINDS OF 

CONGRESS AND LOVE QUARRELS

 

IN the pleasure-room, decorated with flowers, and fragrant with perfumes, attended by his friends and 

servants, the citizen should receive the woman, who will come bathed and dressed, and will invite her to take 

refreshment and to drink freely. He should then seat her on his left side, and holding her hair, and touching 

also the end and knot of her garment, he should gently embrace her with his right arm. They should then carry 

on an amusing conversation on various subjects, and may also talk suggestively of things which would be 

considered as coarse, or not to be mentioned generally in society. They may then sing, either with or without 

gesticulations, and play on musical instruments, talk about the arts, and persuade each other to drink. At last 

when the woman is overcome with love and desire, the citizen should dismiss the people that may be with 

him, giving them flowers, ointments, and betel leaves, and then when the two are left alone, they should 

proceed as has been already described in the previous chapters. 

Such is the beginning of sexual union. At the end of the congress, the lovers with modesty, and not looking at 

each other, should go separately to the washing-room. After this, sitting in their own places, they should eat 

some betel leaves, and the citizen should apply with his own hand to the body of the woman some pure sandal 

wood ointment, or ointment of some other kind. He should then embrace her with his left arm, and with 

agreeable words should cause her to drink from a cup held in his own hand, or he may give her water to drink. 

They can then eat sweetmeats, or anything else, according to their likings and may drink fresh juice, 1 soup, 

gruel, extracts of meat, sherbet, the juice of mango fruits, the extract of the juice of the citron tree mixed with 

sugar, or anything that may be liked in different countries, and known to be sweet, soft, and pure. The lovers 

may also sit on the terrace of the palace or house, and enjoy the moonlight, and carry on an agreeable 

conversation. At this time, too, while the woman lies in his lap, with her face towards the moon, the citizen 

should show her the different planets, the morning star, the polar star, and the seven Rishis, or Great Bear. 

This is the end of sexual union

Congress is of the following kinds: 

Loving congress 

Congress of subsequent love 

Congress of artificial love 

Congress of transferred love 

Congress like that of eunuchs 

Deceitful congress 

Congress of spontaneous love 

When a man and a woman, who have been in love with each other for some time, come together with great 

difficulty, or when one of the two returns from a journey, or is reconciled after having been separated on 

account of a quarrel, then congress is called the 'loving congress'. It is carried on according to the liking of the 

lovers, and as long as they choose. 

When two persons come together, while their love for each other is still in its infancy, their congress is called 

the 'congress of subsequent love'. 

When a man carries on the congress by exciting himself by means of the sixty-four ways, such as kissing, etc., 

etc., or when a man and a woman come together, though in reality they are both attached to different persons, 

their congress is then called 'congress of artificial love'. At this time all the ways and means mentioned in the 

Kama Shastra should be used. 

When a man, from the beginning to the end of the congress, though having connection with the woman, thinks 

all the time that he is enjoying another one whom he loves, it is called the 'congress of transferred love'. 

Congress between a man and a female water carrier, or a female servant of a caste lower than his own, lasting 

only until the desire is satisfied, is called 'congress like that of eunuchs'. Here external touches, kisses, and 

manipulation are not to be employed. 

The congress between a courtesan and a rustic, and that between citizens and the women of villages, and 

bordering countries, is called 'deceitful congress'. 

The congress that takes place between two persons who are attached to one another, and which is done 

according to their own liking is called 'spontaneous congress'. 

Thus end the kinds of congress

We shall now speak of love quarrels. 

A woman who is very much in love with a man cannot bear to hear the name of her rival mentioned, or to 

have any conversation regarding her, or to be addressed by her name through mistake. If such takes place, a 

great quarrel arises, and the woman cries, becomes angry, tosses her hair about, strikes her lover, falls from 

her bed or seat, and, casting aside her garlands and ornaments, throws herself down on the ground. 

At this time, the lover should attempt to reconcile her with conciliatory words, and should take her up 

carefully and place her on her bed. But she, not replying to his questions, and 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. Dattaka says that she should then sit angrily near the 

door and shed tears, but should not go out, because she would be found fault with for going away. After a 

time, when she thinks that the conciliatory words and actions of her lover have reached their utmost, she 

should then embrace him, talking to him with harsh and reproachful words, but at the same time showing a 

loving desire for congress

When the woman is in her own house, and has quarrelled with her lover, she should go to him and show how 

angry she is, and leave him. Afterwards the citizen having sent the Vita, the Vidushaka or the Pithamarda 2 to 

pacify her, she should accompany them back to the house, and spend the night with her lover. 

Thus end the love quarrels. 

In conclusion. 

A man, employing the sixty-four means mentioned by Babhravya, obtains his object, and enjoys the woman 

of the first quality. Though he may speak well on other subjects, if he does not know the sixty-four divisions, 

no great respect is paid to him in the assembly of the learned. A man, devoid of other knowledge, but well 

acquainted with the sixty-four divisions, becomes a leader in any society of men and women. What man will 

not respect the sixty-four arts, 3 considering they are respected by the learned, by the cunning, and by the courtesans. As the sixty-four arts are respected, are charming, and add to the talent of women, they are called 

by the Acharyas dear to women. A man skilled in the sixty-four arts is looked upon with love by his own wife, 

by the wives of others, and by courtesans.

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ON MARRIAGE 

 

WHEN a girl of the same caste, and a virgin, is married in accordance with the precepts of Holy Writ, the 

results of such a union are the acquisition of Dharma and Artha, offspring, affinity, increase of friends, and 

untarnished love. For this reason a man should fix his affections upon a girl who is of good family, whose 

parents are alive, and who is three years or more younger than himself. She should be born of a highly 

respectable family, possessed of wealth, well connected, and with many relations and friends. She should also 

be beautiful, of a good disposition, with lucky marks on her body, and with good hair, nails, teeth, ears, eyes 

and breasts, neither more nor less than they ought to be, and no one of them entirely wanting, and not troubled 

with a sickly body. The man should, of course, also possess these qualities himself. But at all events, says 

Ghotakamukha, a girl who has been already joined with others (i.e. no longer a maiden) should never be 

loved, for it would be reproachable to do such a thing. 

Now in order to bring about a marriage with such a girl as described above, thee parents and relations of the 

man should exert themselves, as also such friends on both sides as may be desired to assist in the matter. 

These friends should bring to the notice of the girl's parents, the faults, both present and future, of all the other 

men that may wish to marry her, and should at the same time extol even to exaggeration all the excellencies, 

ancestral, and paternal, of their friend, so as to endear him to them, and particularly to those that may be liked 

by the girl's mother. One of the friends should also disguise himself as an astrologer, and declare the future 

good fortune and wealth of his friend by showing the existence of all the lucky omens 1 and signs, 2 the good 

influence of planets, the auspicious entrance of the sun into a sign of the Zodiac, propitious stars and fortunate 

marks on his body. Others again should rouse the jealousy of the girl's mother by telling her that their friend 

has a chance of getting from some other quarter even a better girl than hers. 

A girl should be taken as a wife, as also given in marriage, when fortune, signs, omens, and the words 3 of 

others are favourable, for, says Ghotakamukha, a man should not marry at any time he likes. A girl who is 

asleep, crying, or gone out of the house when sought in marriage, or who is betrothed to another, should not 

be married. The following also should be avoided: 

One who is kept concealed 

One who has an ill-sounding name 

One who has her nose depressed 

One who has her nostril turned up 

One who is formed like a male 

One who is bent down 

One who has crooked thighs 

One who has a projecting forehead 

One who has a bald head 

One who does not like purity 

One who has been polluted by another 

In the same way a girl who is called by the name of one of the twenty-seven stars, or by the name of a tree, or 

of a river, is considered worthless, as also a girl whose name ends in 'r' or 'l'. But some authors say that 

prosperity is gained only by marrying that girl to whom one becomes attached, and that therefore no other girl 

but the one who is loved should be married by anyone. 

When a girl becomes marriageable her parents should dress her smartly, and should place her where she can 

be easily seen by all. Every afternoon, having dressed her and decorated her in a becoming manner, they 

should send her with her female companions to sports, sacrifices, and marriage ceremonies, and thus show her 

to advantage in society, because she is a kind of merchandise. They should also receive with kind words and 

signs of friendliness those of an auspicious appearance who may come accompanied by their friends and 

relations for the purpose of marrying their daughter, and under some pretext or other having first dressed her 

becomingly, should then present her to them. After this they should await the pleasure of fortune, and with 

this object should appoint a future day on which a determination could be come to with regard to their 

daughter's marriage. On this occasion when the persons have come, the parents of the girl should ask them to 

bathe and dine, and should say, 'Everything will take place at the proper time', and should not then comply 

with the request, but should settle the matter later. 

When a girl is thus acquired, either according to the custom of the country, or according to his own desire, the 

man should marry her in accordance with the precepts of the Holy Writ, according to one of the four kinds of 

marriage

Thus ends marriage

There are also some verses on the subject as follows: 

'Amusement in society, such as completing verses begun by others, marriages, and auspicious ceremonies 

should be carried on neither with superiors, nor inferiors, but with our equals. That should be known as a high 

connection when a man, after marrying a girl, has to serve her and her relations afterwards like a servant, and 

such a connection is censured by the good. On the other hand, that reproachable connection, where a man, 

together with his relations, lords it over his wife, is called a low connection by the wise. But when both the 

man and the woman afford mutual pleasure to each other, and when the relatives on both sides pay respect to 

one another, such is called a connection in the proper sense of the word. Therefore a man should contract 

neither a high connection by which he is obliged to bow down afterwards to his kinsmen, nor a low 

connection, which is universally reprehended by all.

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OF CREATING CONFIDENCE IN THE GIRL

 

FOR the first three days after marriage, the girl and her husband should sleep on the floor, abstain from sexual 

pleasures, and eat their food without seasoning it either with alkali or salt. For the next seven days they should 

bathe amidst tire sounds of auspicious musical instruments, should decorate themselves, dine together, and 

pay attention to their relations as well as to those who may have come to witness their marriage. This is 

applicable to persons of all castes. On the night of the tenth day the man should begin in a lonely place with 

soft words, and thus create confidence in the girl. Some authors say that for the purpose of winning her over 

he should not speak to her for three days, but the followers of Babhravya are of opinion that if the man does 

not speak with her for three days, the girl may be discouraged by seeing him spiritless like a pillar, and, 

becoming dejected, she may begin to despise him as a eunuch. Vatsyayana says that the man should begin to 

win her over, and to create confidence in her, but should abstain at first from sexual pleasures. Women, being 

of a tender nature, want tender beginnings, and when they are forcibly approached by men with whom they 

are but slightly acquainted, they sometimes suddenly become haters of sexual connection, and sometimes 

even haters of the male sex. The man should therefore approach the girl according to her liking, and should 

make use of those devices by which he may be able to establish himself more and more into her

 

 confidence

These devices are as follows: 

He should embrace her first of all in a way she likes most, because it does not last for a long time. 

He should embrace her with the upper part of his body because that is easier and simpler. If the girl is grown 

up, or if the man has known her for some time, he may embrace her by the light of a lamp, but if he is not well 

acquainted with her, or if she is a young girl, he should then embrace her in darkness. 

When the girl accepts the embrace, the man should put a tambula or screw of betel nut and betel leaves in her 

mouth, and if she will not take it, he should induce her to do so by conciliatory words, entreaties, oaths, and 

kneeling at her feet, for it is a universal rule that however bashful or angry a woman may be she never 

disregards a man's kneeling at her feet. At the time of giving this tambula he should kiss her mouth softly and 

gracefully without making any sound. When she is gained over in this respect he should then make her talk, 

and so that she may be induced to talk he should ask her questions about things of which he knows or pretends 

to know nothing, and which can be answered in a few words. If she does not speak to him, he should not 

frighten her, but should ask her the same thing again and again in a conciliatory manner. If she does not then 

speak he should urge her to give a reply because, as Ghotakamukha says, 'all girls hear everything said to 

them by men, but do not themselves sometimes say a single word'. When she is thus importuned, the girl 

should give replies by shakes of the head, but if she has quarrelled with the man she should not even do that. 

When she is asked by the man whether she wishes for him, and whether she likes him, she should remain 

silent for a long time, and when at last importuned to reply, should give him a favourable answer by a nod of 

her head. If the man is previously acquainted with the girl he should converse with her by means of a female 

friend, who may be favourable to him, and in the confidence of both, and carry on the conversation on both 

sides. On such an occasion the girl should smile with her head bent down, and if the female friend say more 

on her part than she was desired to do, she should chide her and dispute with her. The female friend should 

say in jest even what she is not desired to say by the girl, and add, 'she says so', on which the girl should say 

indistinctly and prettily, 'O no! I did not say so', and she should then smile and throw an occasional glance 

towards the man. 

If the girl is familiar with the man, she should place near him, without saying anything, the tambula, the 

ointment, or the garland that he may have asked for, or she may tie them up in his upper garment. While she is 

engaged in this, the man should touch her young breasts in the sounding way of pressing with the nails, and if 

she prevents him doing this he should say to her, ' I will not do it again if you will embrace me', and should in 

this way cause her to embrace him. While he is being embraced by her he should pass his hand repeatedly over and about her body. By and by he should place her in his lap, and try more and more to gain her consent, 

and if she will not yield to him he should frighten her by saying 'I shall impress marks of my teeth and nails 

on your lips and breasts, and then make similar marks on my own body, and shall tell my friends that you did 

them. What will you say then?' In this and other ways, as fear and confidence are created in the minds of 

children, so should the man gain her over to his wishes. 

On the second and third nights, after her confidence has increased still more, he should feel the whole of her 

body with his hands, and kiss her all over; he should also place his hands upon her thighs and shampoo them, 

and if he succeed in this he should then shampoo the joints of her thighs. If she tries to prevent him doing this 

he should say to her, 'What harm is there in doing it?' and should persuade her to let him do it. After gaining 

this point he should touch her private parts, should loosen her girdle and the knot of her dress, and turning up 

her lower garment should shampoo the joints of her naked thighs. Under various pretences he should do all 

these things, but he should not at that time begin actual congress. After this he should teach her the sixty-four 

arts, should tell her how much he loves her, and describe to her the hopes which he formerly entertained 

regarding her. He should also promise to be faithful to her in future, and should dispel all her fears with 

respect to rival women, and, at last, after having overcome her bashfulness, he should begin to enjoy her in a 

way so as not to frighten her. So much about creating confidence in the girl; and there are, moreover, some 

verses on the subject as follows: 

'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. A man does not succeed either by implicitly following the inclination of a girl, or 

by wholly opposing her, and he should therefore adopt a middle course. 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. Moreover, 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 own man, she has recourse to 

other men.'

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ON COURTSHIP, AND THE MANIFESTATION OF THE FEELINGS BY OUTWARD SIGNS AND 

DEEDS

 

A POOR man possessed of good qualities, a man born of a low family possessed of mediocre qualities, a 

neighbour possessed of wealth, and one under the control of his father, mother or brothers, should not marry 

without endeavouring to gain over the girl from her childhood to love and esteem him. Thus a boy separated 

from his parents, and living in the house of his uncle, should try to gain over the daughter of his uncle, or 

some other girl, even though she be previously betrothed to another. And this way of gaining over a girl, says 

Ghotakamukha, is unexceptional, because Dharma can be accomplished by means of it as well as by any other 

way of marriage. 

When a boy has thus begun to woo the girl he loves, he should spend his time with her and amuse her with 

various games and diversions fitted for their age and acquaintanceship, such as picking and collecting flowers, 

making garlands of flowers, playing the parts of members of a fictitious family, cooking food, playing with 

dice, playing with cards, the game of odd and even, the game of finding out the middle finger, the game of six 

pebbles, and such other games as may be prevalent in the country, and agreeable to the disposition of the girl. 

In addition to this, he should carry on various amusing games played by several persons together, such as hide 

and seek, playing with seeds, hiding things in several small heaps of wheat and looking for them, blindman's 

buff, gymnastic exercises, and other games of the same sort, in company with the girl, her friends and female 

attendants. The man should also show great kindness to any woman whom the girl thinks fit to be trusted, and 

should also make new acquaintances, but above all he should attach to himself by kindness and little services 

the daughter of the girl's nurse, for if she be gained over, even though she comes to know of his design, she 

does not cause any obstruction, but is sometimes even able to effect a union between him and the girl. And 

though she knows the true character of the man, she always talks of his many excellent qualities to the parents 

and relations of the girl, even though she may not be desired to do so by him. 

In this way the man should do whatever the girl takes most delight in, and he should get for her whatever she 

may have a desire to possess. Thus he should procure for her such playthings as may be hardly known to other 

girls. He may also show her a ball dyed with various colours, and other curiosities of the same sort; and 

should give her dolls made of cloth, wood, buffalo-horn, wax, flour, or earth; also utensils for cooking food, 

and figures in wood, such as a man and woman standing, a pair of rams, or goats, or sheep; also temples made 

of earth, bamboo, or wood, dedicated to various goddesses; and cages for parrots, cuckoos, starlings, quails, 

cocks, and partridges; water-vessels of different sorts and of elegant forms, machines for throwing water 

about, guitars, stands for putting images upon, stools, lac, red arsenic, yellow ointment, vermilion and 

collyrium, as well as sandalwood, saffron, betel nut and betel leaves. Such things should be given at different 

times whenever he gets a good opportunity of meeting her, and some of them should be given in private, and 

some in public, according to circumstances. In short, he should try in every way to make her look upon him as 

one who would do for her everything that she wanted to be done. 

In the next place he should get her to meet him in some place privately, and should then tell her that the 

reason of his giving presents to her in secret was the fear that the parents of both of them might be displeased, 

and then he may add that the things which he had given her had been much desired by other people. When her 

love begins to show signs of increasing he should relate to her agreeable stories if she expresses a wish to hear 

such narratives. Or if she takes delight in legerdemain, he should amaze her by performing various tricks of 

jugglery; or if she feels a great curiosity to see a performance of the various arts, he should show his own skill 

in them. When she is delighted with singing he should entertain her with music, and on certain days, and at 

the time of going together to moonlight fairs and festivals, and at the time of her return after being absent 

from home, he should present her with bouquets of flowers, and with chaplets for the head, and with ear 

ornaments and rings, for these are the proper occasions on which such things should be presented. 

He should also teach the daughter of the girl's nurse all the sixty-four means of pleasure practised by men, and 

under this pretext should also inform her of his great skill in the art of sexual enjoyment. All this time he 

should wear a fine dress, and make as good an appearance as possible, for young women love men who live 

with them, and who are handsome, good looking and well dressed. As for the sayings that though women may 

fall in love, they still make no effort themselves to gain over the object of their affections, that is only a matter 

of idle talk. 

Now a girl always shows her love by outward signs and actions, such as the following: 

She never looks the man in the face, and becomes abashed when she is looked at by him; under some pretext 

or other she shows her limbs to him; she looks secretly at him though he has gone away from her side, hangs 

down her head when she is asked some question by him, and answers in indistinct words and unfinished 

sentences, delights to be in his company for a long time, speaks to her attendants in a peculiar tone with the 

hope of attracting his attention towards her when she is at a distance from him, does not wish to go from the 

place where he is, under some pretext or other she makes him look at different things, narrates to him tales 

and stories very slowly so that she may continue conversing with him for a long time, kisses and embraces 

before him a child sitting in her lap, draws ornamental marks on the foreheads of her female servants, 

performs sportive and graceful movements when her attendants speak jestingly to her in the presence of her 

lover, confides in her lover's friends, and respects and obeys them, shows kindness to his servants, converses 

with them, and engages them to do her work as if she were their mistress, and listens attentively to them when 

they tell stories about her lover to somebody else, enters his house when induced to do so by the daughter of 

her nurse, and by her assistance manages to converse and play with him, avoids being seen by her lover when 

she is not dressed and decorated, gives him by the hand of her female friend her ear ornament, ring, or garland 

of flowers that he may have asked to see, always wears anything that he may have presented to her, becomes 

dejected when any other bridegroom is mentioned by her parents, and does not mix with, those who may be of 

his party, or who may support his claims 

There are also some verses on the subject as follows: 

'A man, who has seen and perceived the feelings of the girl towards him, and who has noticed the outward 

signs and movements by which those feelings are expressed, should do everything in his power to effect a 

union with her. He should gain over a young girl by childlike sports, a damsel come of age by his skill in the 

arts, and a girl that loves him by having recourse to persons in whom she confides.'

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ABOUT THINGS TO BE DONE ONLY BY THE MAN, AND THE ACQUISITION OF THE GIRL 
THEREBY. ALSO WHAT IS TO BE DONE BY A GIRL TO GAIN OVER A MAN, AND SUBJECT HIM TO HER
 
Now when the girl begins to show her love by outward signs and motions, as described in the last chapter, the 
lover should try to gain her over entirely by various ways and means, such as the following: 

When engaged with her in any game or sport he should intentionally hold her hand. He should practise upon her

the various kinds of embraces, such as the touching embrace, and others already described in a preceding chapter.

He should show her a pair of human beings cut out of the leaf of a tree, and such like

things, at intervals. When engaged in water sports, he should dive at a distance from her, and come tip close

to her. He should show an increased liking for the new foliage of trees and such like things. He should 
describe to her the pangs he suffers on her account. He should relate to her the beautiful dream that he has had 
with reference to other women. At parties and assemblies of his caste he should sit near her, and touch her 
under some pretence or other, and having placed his foot upon hers, he should slowly touch each of her toes, 
and press the ends of the nails; if successful in this, he should get hold of her foot with his hand and repeat the 

same thing. He should also press a finger of her hand between his toes when she happens to be washing his feet

; and whenever he gives anything to her or takes anything from her, he should show her by his manner and look

how much he loves her. 
He should sprinkle upon her the water brought for rinsing his mouth; and when alone with her in a lonely 
place, or in darkness, he should make love to her, and tell her the true state of his mind without distressing her 
in any way. 
Whenever he sits with her on the same seat or bed he should say to her, 'I have something to tell you in 
private', and then, when she comes to hear it in a quiet place, he should express his love to her more by 
manner and signs than by words. When he comes to know the state of her feelings towards him he should 
pretend to be ill, and should make her come to his house to speak to him. There he should intentionally hold 
her hand and place it on his eyes and forehead, and under the pretence of preparing some medicine for him he 
should ask her to do the work for his sake in the following words: 'This work must be done by you, and by 
nobody else.' When she wants to go away he should let her go, with an earnest request to come and see him 
again. This device of illness should be continued for three days and three nights. After this, when she begins 
coming to see him frequently, he should carry on long conversations with her, for, says Ghotakamukha, 
'though a man loves a girl ever so much, he never succeeds in winning her without a great deal of talking'. At 
last, when the man finds the girl completely gained over, he may then begin to enjoy her. As for the saying 
that women grow less timid than usual during the evening, and in darkness, and are desirous of congress at 
those times, and do not oppose men then, and should only be enjoyed at these hours, it is a matter of talk only. 
When it is impossible for the man to carry on his endeavours alone, he should, by means of the daughter of 
her nurse, or of a female friend in whom she confides, cause the girl to be brought to him without making 
known to her his design, and he should then proceed with her in the manner above described. Or he should in 
the beginning send his own female servant to live with the girl as her friend, and should then gain her over by 
her means. 
At last, when he knows the state of her feelings by her outward manner and conduct towards him at religious 
ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, fairs, festivals, theatres, public assemblies, and such like occasions, he 
should begin to enjoy her when she is alone, for Vatsyayana lays it down, that women, when resorted to at 
proper times and in proper places, do not turn away from their lovers. 
When a girl, possessed of good qualities and well-bred, though born in a humble family, or destitute of 
wealth, and not therefore desired by her equals, or an orphan girl, or one deprived of her parents, but 
observing the rules of her family and caste, should wish to bring about her own marriage when she comes of 
age, such a girl should endeavour to gain over a strong and good looking young man, or a person whom she 
thinks would marry her on account of the weakness of his mind, and even without the consent of his parents. 
She should do this by such means as would endear her to the said person, as well as by frequently seeing and 
meeting him. Her mother also should constantly cause them to meet by means of her female friends, and the 
daughter of her nurse. The girl herself should try to get alone with her beloved in some quiet place, and at odd 
times should give him flowers, betel nut, betel leaves and perfumes. She should also show her skill in the 
practice of the arts, in shampooing, in scratching and in pressing with the nails. She should also talk to him on 
the subjects he likes best, and discuss with him the ways and means of gaining over and winning the 
affections of a girl. 
But old authors say that although the girl loves the man ever so much, she should not offer herself, or make 
the first overtures, for a girl who does this loses her dignity, and is liable to be scorned and rejected. But when 
the man shows his wish to enjoy her, she should be favourable to him and should show no change in her 
demeanour when he embraces her, and should receive all the manifestations of his love as if she were ignorant 
of the state of his mind. But when he tries to kiss her she should oppose him; when he begs to be allowed to 
have sexual intercourse with her she should let him touch her private parts only and with considerable 
difficulty; and though importuned by him, she should not yield herself up to him as if of her own accord, but 
should resist his attempts to have her. It is only, moreover, when she is certain that she is truly loved, and that 
her over is indeed devoted to her, and will not change his mind, that she should then give herself up to him, 
and persuade him to marry her quickly. After losing her virginity she should tell her confidential friends about 
it
Here end the efforts of a girl to gain over a man. 
There are also some verses on the subject as follows: 
'A girl who is much sought after should marry the man that she likes, and whom she thinks would be obedient 
to her, and capable of giving her pleasure. But when from the desire of wealth a girl is married by her parents 
to a rich man without taking into consideration the character or looks of the bridegroom, or when given to a 
man who has several wives, she never becomes attached to the man, even though he be endowed with good 
qualities, obedient to her will, active, strong, and healthy, and anxious to please her in every way. 1 A 
husband who is obedient but yet master of himself, though he be poor and not good looking, is better than one 
who is common to many women, even though he be handsome and attractive. The wives of rich men, where 
there are many wives, are not generally attached to their husbands, and are not confidential with them, and 
even though they possess all the external enjoyments of life, still have recourse to other men. A man who is of 
a low mind, who has fallen from his social position, and who is much given to travelling, does not deserve to 
be married; neither does one who has many wives and children, or one who is devoted to sport and gambling, 
and who comes to his wife only when he likes. Of all the lovers of a girl he only is her true husband who 
possesses the qualities that are liked by her, and such a husband only enjoys real superiority over her, because 
he is the husband of love.'
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ON CERTAIN FORMS OF MARRIAGE
 

When a girl cannot meet her lover frequently in private, she should send the daughter of her nurse to him, it is

understood that she has confidence in her, and had previously gained her over to her interests. On seeing 
the man, the daughter of the nurse should, in the course of conversation, describe to him the noble birth, the 
good disposition, the beauty, talent, skill, knowledge of human nature and affection of the girl in such a way 
as not to let him suppose that she had been sent by the girl, and should thus create affection for the girl in the 
heart of the man. To the girl also she should speak about the excellent qualities of the man, especially of those 
qualities which she knows are pleasing to the girl. She should, moreover, speak with disparagement of the 
other lovers of the girl, and talk about the avarice and indiscretion of their parents, and the fickleness of their 
relations. She should also quote samples of many girls of ancient times, such as Sakoontala and others, who, 
having united themselves with lovers of their own caste and their own choice, were ever happy afterwards in 
their society. And she should also tell of other girls who married into great families, and being troubled by 
rival wives, became wretched and miserable, and were finally abandoned. She should further speak of the 
good fortune, the continual happiness, the chastity, obedience, and affection of the man, and if the girl gets 
amorous about him, she should endeavour to allay her shame 2 and her fear as well as her suspicions about 
any disaster that might result from her marriage. In a word, she should act the whole part of a female 
messenger by telling the girl all about the man's affection for her, the places he frequented, and the 
endeavours he made to meet her, and by frequently repeating, 'It will be all right if the man will take you away 
forcibly and unexpectedly.' 
The Forms of Marriage 
When the girl is gained over, and acts openly with the man as his wife, he should cause fire to be brought 
from the house of a Brahman, and having spread the Kusha grass upon the ground, and offered an oblation to 
the fire, he should marry her according to the precepts of the religious law. After this he should inform his 
parents of the fact, because it is the opinion of ancient authors that a marriage solemnly contracted in the 
presence of fire cannot afterwards be set aside. 
After the consummation of the marriage, the relations of the man should gradually be made acquainted with 
the affair, and the relations of the girl should also be apprised of it in such a way that they may consent to the 
marriage, and overlook the manner in which it was brought about, and when this is done they should 
afterwards be reconciled by affectionate presents and favourable conduct. In this manner the man should 
marry the girl according to the Gandharva form of marriage. 
When the girl cannot make up her mind, or will not express her readiness to marry, the man should obtain her 
in any one of the following ways: 
On a fitting occasion, and under some excuse, he should, by means of a female friend with whom he is well 
acquainted, and whom he can trust, and who also is well known to the girl's family, get the girl brought 
unexpectedly to his house, and he should then bring fire from the house of a Brahman, and proceed as before 
described. 
When the marriage of the girl with some other person draws near, the man should disparage the future 
husband to the utmost in the mind of the mother of the girl, and then having got the girl to come with her 
mother's consent to a neighbouring house, he should bring fire from the house of a Brahman, and proceed as 
above. 
The man should become a great friend of the brother of the girl, the said brother being of the same age as 
himself, and addicted to courtesans, and to intrigues with the wives of other people, and should give him for his sister, as young men will sacrifice even their lives for the sake of those who may be of the same age, 
habits, and dispositions as themselves. After this the man should get the girl brought by means of her brother 
to some secure place, and having brought fire from the house of a Brahman should proceed as before. 
The man should on the occasion of festivals get the daughter of the nurse to give the girl some intoxicating 
substance, and then cause her to be brought to some secure place under the pretence of some business, and 
there having enjoyed her before she recovers from her intoxication, should bring fire from the house of a 
Brahman, and proceed as before. 
The man should, with the connivance of the daughter of the nurse, carry off the girl from her house while she 
is asleep, and then, having enjoyed her before she recovers from her sleep, should bring fire from the house of 
a Brahman, and proceed as before. 
When the girl goes to a garden, or to some village in the neighbourhood, the man should, with his friends, fall 
on her guards, and having killed them, or frightened them away, forcibly carry her off, and proceed as before. 
There are verses on this subject as follows: 
'In all the forms of marriage given in this chapter of this work, the one that precedes is better than the one that 
follows it on account of its being more in accordance with the commands of religion, and therefore it is only 
when it is impossible to carry the former into practice that the latter should be resorted to, As the fruit of all 
good marriages is love, the Gandharva 3 form of marriage is respected, even though it is formed under 
unfavourable circumstances, because it fulfils the object sought for. Another cause of the respect accorded to 
the Gandharva form of marriage is that it brings forth happiness, causes less trouble in its performance than 
the other forms of marriage, and is above all the result of previous love.'
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ON THE MANNER OF LIVING OF A VIRTUOUS WOMAN, AND OF HER BEHAVIOUR DURING 
THE ABSENCE OF HER HUSBAND
 

A VIRTUOUS woman, who has affection for her husband, should act in conformity with his wishes as if he were

a divine being, and with his consent should take upon herself the whole care of his family. She should keep

the whole house well cleaned, and arrange flowers of various kinds in different parts of it, and make the floor

smooth and polished so as to give the whole a neat and becoming appearance. She should surround the house

with a garden, and place ready in it all the materials required for the morning, noon and evening sacrifices

. Moreover she should herself revere the sanctuary of the Household Gods, for, says Gonardiya, 
'nothing so much attracts the heart of a householder to his wife as a careful observance of the things 
mentioned above'. 
Towards the parents, relations, friends, sisters, and servants of her husband she should behave as they deserve. 
In the garden she should plant beds of green vegetables, bunches of the sugar cane, and clumps of the fig tree, 
the mustard plant, the parsley plant, the fennel plant, and the xanthochymus pictorius. Clusters of various 
flowers such as the trapa bispinosa, the jasmine, the jasminum grandiflorum, the yellow amaranth, the wild 
jasmine, the tabernamontana coronaria, the nadyaworta, the china rose and others, should likewise be planted, 
together with the fragrant grass andropogon schaenanthus, and the fragrant root of the plant andropogon 
miricatus. She should also have seats and arbours made in the garden, in the middle of which a well, tank, or 
pool should be dug.[ 
The wife should always avoid the company of female beggars, female Buddhist mendicants, unchaste and 
roguish women, female fortune tellers and witches. As regards meals she should always consider what her 
husband likes and dislikes and what things are good for him, and what are injurious to him. When she hears 
the sounds of his footsteps coming home she should at once get up and be ready to do whatever he may 
command her, and either order her female servant to wash his feet, or wash them herself. When going 
anywhere with her husband, she should put on her ornaments, and without his consent she should not either 
give or accept invitations, or attend marriages and sacrifices, or sit in the company of female friends, or visit 
the temples of the Gods. And if she wants to engage in any kind of games or sports, she should not do it 
against his will. In the same way she should always sit down after him, and get up before him, and should 
never awaken him when he is asleep. The kitchen should be situated in a quiet and retired place, so as not to 
be accessible to strangers, and should always look clean. 
In the event of any misconduct on the part of her husband, she should not blame him excessively, though she 
be a little displeased. She should not use abusive language towards him, but rebuke him with conciliatory 
words, whether he be in the company of friends or alone. Moreover, she should not be a scold, for, says 
Gonardiya, 'there is no cause of dislike on the part of a husband so great as this characteristic in a wife'. Lastly 
she should avoid bad expressions, sulky looks, speaking aside, standing in the doorway, and looking at 
passers-by, conversing in the pleasure groves, and remaining in a lonely place for a long time; and finally she 
should always keep her body, her teeth, her hair and everything belonging to her tidy, sweet, and clean. 
When the wife wants to approach her husband in private her dress should consist of many ornaments, various 
kinds of flowers, and a cloth decorated with different colours, and some sweet-smelling ointments or 
unguents. But her everyday dress should be composed of a thin, close-textured cloth, a few ornaments and 
flowers, and a little scent, not too much. She should also observe the fasts and vows of her husband, and when 
he tries to prevent her doing this, she should persuade him to let her do it. 
At appropriate times of the year, and when they happen to be cheap, she should buy earth, bamboos, firewood, 
skins, and iron pots, as also salt and oil. Fragrant substances, vessels made of the fruit of the plant wrightea 
antidysenterica, or oval leaved wrightea, medicines, and other things which are always wanted, should be obtained when required and kept in a secret place of the house. The seeds of the radish, the potato, the 
common beet, the Indian wormwood, the mango, the cucumber, the egg plant, the kushmanda, the pumpkin 
gourd, the surana, the bignonia indica, the sandal wood, the premna spinosa, the garlic plant, the onion, and 
other vegetables, should be bought and sown at the proper seasons. The wife, moreover, should not tell to 
strangers the amount of her wealth, nor the secrets which her husband has confided to her. She should surpass 
all the women of her own rank in life in her cleverness, her appearance, her knowledge of cookery, her pride, 
and her manner of serving her husband. The expenditure of the year should be regulated by the profits. The 
milk that remains after the meals should be turned into ghee or clarified butter. Oil and sugar should be 
prepared at home; spinning and weaving should also be done there; and a store of ropes and cords, and barks 
of trees for twisting into ropes should be kept. She should also attend to the pounding and cleaning of rice, 
using its small grain and chaff in some way or other. She should pay the salaries of the servants, look after the 
tilling of the fields, and keeping of the flocks and herds, superintend the making of vehicles, and take care of 
the rams, cocks, quails, parrots, starlings, cuckoos, peacocks, monkeys, and deer; and finally adjust the 
income and expenditure of the day. The worn-out clothes should be given to those servants who have done 
good work, in order to show them that their services have been appreciated, or they may be applied to some 
other use. The vessels in which wine is prepared, as well as those in which it is kept, should be carefully 
looked after, and put away at the proper time. All sales and purchases should also be well attended to. The 
friends of her husband she should welcome by presenting them with flowers, ointment, incense, betel leaves, 
and betel nut. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law she should treat as they deserve, always remaining 
dependent on their will, never contradicting them, speaking to them in few and not harsh words, not laughing 
loudly in their presence, and acting with their friends and enemies as with her own. In addition to the above 
she should not be vain, or too much taken up with her enjoyments. She should be liberal towards her servants, 
and reward them on holidays and festivals; and not give away anything without first making it known to her 
husband. 
Thus ends the manner of living of a virtuous woman. 
During the absence of her husband on a journey the virtuous woman should wear only her auspicious 
ornaments, and observe the fasts in honour of the Gods. While anxious to hear the news of her husband, she 
should still look after her household affairs. She should sleep near the elder women of the house, and make 
herself agreeable to them. She should look after and keep in repair the things that are liked by her husband, 
and continue the works that have been begun by him. To the abode of her relations she should not go except 
on occasions of joy and sorrow, and then she should go in her usual travelling dress, accompanied by her 
husband's servants, and not remain there for a long time. The fasts and feasts should be observed with the 
consent of the elders of the house. The resources should be increased by making purchases and sales 
according to the practice of the merchants and by means of honest servants, superintended by herself. The 
income should be increased, and the expenditure diminished as much possible. And when her husband returns 
from his journey, she should receive him at first in her ordinary clothes, so that he may know in what way she 
has lived during his absence, and should bring to him some presents, as also materials for the worship of the 
Deity. 
Thus ends the part relating to the behaviour of a wife during the absence of her husband on a journey. 
There are also some verses on the subject as follows: 
'The wife, whether she be a woman of noble family, or a virgin widow 1 remarried, or a concubine, should 
lead a chaste life, devoted to her husband, and doing everything for his welfare. Women acting thus acquire 
Dharma, Artha, and Kama, obtain a high position, and generally keep their husbands devoted to them
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ON THE CONDUCT OF THE ELDER WIFE TOWARDS THE OTHER WIVES OF HER HUSBAND, 
AND ON THAT OF A YOUNGER WIFE TOWARDS THE ELDER ONES. ALSO ON THE CONDUCT 
OF A VIRGIN WIDOW RE-MARRIED; OF A WIFE DISLIKED BY HER HUSBAND; OF THE WOMEN 
IN THE KING'S HAREM; AND LASTLY ON THE CONDUCT OF A HUSBAND TOWARDS MANY 
WIVES 
 
THE causes of re-marrying during the lifetime of the wife are as follows: 
The folly or ill-temper of the wife 
Her husband's dislike to her 
The want of offspring 
The continual birth of daughters 
The incontinence of the husband 

From the very beginning, a wife should endeavour to attract the heart of her husband, by showing to him continually

her devotion, her good temper, and her wisdom. If however, she bears him no children, she should herself

toilette her husband to marry another woman. And when the second wife is married and brought to the house

, the first wife should give her a position superior to her own, and look upon her as a sister. In the 
morning the elder wife should forcibly make the younger one decorate herself in the presence of their 
husband, and should not mind all the husband's favour being given to her. If the younger wife does anything 
to displease her husband the elder one should not neglect her, but should always be ready to give her most 
careful advice, and should teach her to do various things in the presence of her husband. Her children she 
should treat as her own, her attendants she should look upon with more regard, even than on her own servants, 
her friends she should cherish with love and kindness, and her relations with great honour. 
When there are many other wives besides herself, the elder wife should associate with the one who is 
immediately next to her in rank and age, and should instigate the wife who has recently enjoyed her husband's 
favour to quarrel with the present favourite. After this she should sympathize with the former, and having 
collected all the other wives together, should get them to denounce the favourite as a scheming and wicked 
woman, without however committing herself in any way. If the favourite wife happens to quarrel with the 
husband, then the elder wife should take her part and give her false encouragement, and thus cause the quarrel 
to be increased. If there be only a little quarrel between the two, the elder wife should do all she can to work it 
up into a large quarrel. But if after all this she finds the husband still continues to love his favourite wife she 
should then change her tactics, and endeavour to bring about a conciliation between them, so as to avoid her 
husband's displeasure. 
Thus ends the conduct of the elder wife. 
The younger wife should regard the elder wife of her husband as her mother, and should not give anything 
away, even to her own relations, without her knowledge. She should tell her everything about herself, and not 
approach her husband without her permission. Whatever is told to her by the elder wife she should not reveal 
to others, and she should take care of the children of the senior even more than of her own. When alone with 
her husband she should serve him well, but should not tell him of the pain she suffers from the existence of a 
rival wife. She may also obtain secretly from her husband some marks of his particular regard for her, and 
may tell him that she lives only for him, and for the regard that he has for her. She should never reveal her 
love for her husband, nor her husband's love for her to any person, either in pride or in anger, for a wife that reveals the secrets of her husband is despised by him. As for seeking to obtain the regard of her husband, 
Gonardiya says, that it should always be done in private, for fear of the elder wife. If the elder wife be disliked 
by her husband, or be childless, she should sympathize with her, and should ask her husband to do the same, 
but should surpass her in leading the life of a chaste woman. 
Thus ends the conduct of the younger wife towards the elder. 
A widow in poor circumstances, or of a weak nature, and who allies herself again to a man, is called a widow 
remarried. 
The followers of Babhravya say that a virgin widow should not marry a person whom she may be obliged to 
leave on account of his bad character, or of his being destitute of the excellent qualities of a man, she thus 
being obliged to have recourse to another person. Gonardiya is of opinion that as the cause of a widow's 
marrying again is her desire for happiness, and as happiness is secured by the possession of excellent qualities 
in her husband, joined to love of enjoyment, it is better therefore to secure a person endowed with such 
qualities in the first instance. Vatsyayana however thinks that a widow may marry any person that she likes, 
and that she thinks win suit her. 
At the time of her marriage the widow should obtain from her husband the money to pay the cost of drinking 
parties, and picnics with her relations, and of giving them and her friends kindly gifts and presents; or she may 
do these things at her own cost if she likes. In the same way she may wear either her husband's ornaments or 
her own. As to the presents of affection mutually exchanged between the husband and herself there is no fixed 
rule about them. If she leaves her husband after marriage of her own accord, she should restore to him 
whatever he may have given her, with the exception of the mutual presents. If however she is driven out of the 
house by her husband she should not return anything to him. 
After her marriage she should live in the house of her husband like one of the chief members of the family, 
but should treat the other ladies of the family with kindness, the servants with generosity, and all the friends of 
the house with familiarity and good temper. She should show that she is better acquainted with the sixty-four 
arts than the other ladies of the house, and in any quarrels with her husband she should not rebuke him 
severely but in private do everything that he wishes, and make use of the sixty-four ways of enjoyment. She 
should be obliging to the other wives of her husband, and to their children she should give presents, behave as 
their mistress, and make ornaments and playthings for their use. In the friends and servants of her husband she 
should confide more than in his other wives, and finally she should have a liking for drinking parties, going to 
picnics, attending fairs and festivals, and for carrying out all kinds of games and amusements. 
Thus ends the conduct of a virgin widow remarried. 
A woman who is disliked by her husband, and annoyed and distressed by his other wives, should associate 
with the wife who is liked most by her husband, and who serves him more than the others, and should teach 
her all the arts with which she is acquainted. She should act as the nurse to her husband's children, and having 
gained over his friends to her side, should through them make him acquainted of her devotion to him. In 
religious ceremonies she should be a leader, as also in vows and fasts, and should not hold too good an 
opinion of herself. When her husband is lying on his bed she should only go near him when it is agreeable to 
him, and should never rebuke him, or show obstinacy in any way. If her husband happens to quarrel with any 
of his other wives, she should reconcile them to each other, and if he desires to see any woman secretly, she 
should manage to bring about the meeting between them. She should moreover make herself acquainted with 
the weak points of her husband's character, but always keep them secret, and on the whole behave herself in 
such a way as may lead him to look upon her as a good and devoted wife. 
Here ends the conduct of a wife disliked by her husband. 
The above sections will show how all the women of the king's seraglio are to behave, and therefore we shall 
now speak separately only about the king. 
The female attendants in the harem (called severally Kanchukiyas, 1 Mahallarikas, 2 and Mahallikas 3) should 
bring flowers, ointments and clothes from the king's wives to the king, and he having received these things 
should give them as presents to the servants, along with the things worn by him the previous day. In the 
afternoon the king, having dressed and put on his ornaments, should interview the women of the harem, who 
should also be dressed and decorated with jewels. Then having given to each of them such a place and such 
respect as may suit the occasion and as they may deserve, he should carry on with them a cheerful 
conversation. After that he should see such of his wives as may be virgin widows remarried, and after them 
the concubines and dancing girls. All of these should be visited in their own private rooms. 
When the king rises from his noonday sleep, the woman whose duty it is to inform the king regarding the wife 
who is to spend the night with him should come to him accompanied by the female attendants of that wife 
whose turn may have arrived in the regular course, and of her who may have been accidentally passed over as 
her turn arrived, and of her who may have been unwell at the time of her turn. These attendants should place 
before the king the ointments and unguents sent by each of these wives, marked with the seal of her ring, and 
their names and their reasons for sending the ointments should be told to the king. After this the king accepts 
the ointment of one of them, who then is informed that her ointment has been accepted, and that her day has 
been settled. 4 
At festivals, singing parties and exhibitions, all the wives of the king should be treated with respect and served 
with drinks. 
But the women of the harem should not be allowed to go out alone, neither should any women outside the 
harem be allowed to enter it except those whose character is well known. And lastly the work which the king's 
wives have to do should not be too fatiguing. 
Thus ends the conduct of the king towards the women of the harem, and of their own conduct. 
A man marrying many wives should act fairly towards them all. He should neither disregard nor pass over 
their faults, and should not reveal to one wife the love, passion, bodily blemishes and confidential reproaches 
of the other. No opportunity should be given to any one of them of speaking to him about their rivals, and if 
one of them should begin to speak ill of another, he should chide her and tell her that she has exactly the same 
blemishes in her character. One of them he should please by secret confidence, another by secret respect, and 
another by secret flattery, and he should please them all by going to gardens, by amusements, by presents, by 
honouring their relations, by telling them secrets, and lastly by loving unions. A young woman who is of a 
good temper, and who conducts herself according to the precepts of the Holy Writ, wins her husband's 
attachments, and obtains a superiority over her rivals. 
Thus ends the conduct of a husband towards many wives.
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OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MEN AND WOMEN. THE REASONS WHY WOMEN REJECT THE 

ADDRESSES OF MEN. ABOUT MEN WHO HAVE SUCCESS WITH WOMEN, AND ABOUT WOMEN 

WHO ARE EASILY GAINED OVER 

 

The wives of other people may be resorted to on the occasions already described in Chapter of this 

work, but the possibility of their acquisition, their fitness for cohabitation, the danger to oneself in uniting 

with them, and the future effect of these unions, should first of all be examined. A man may resort to the wife 

of another, for the purpose of saving his own life, when he perceives that his love for her proceeds from one 

the degree of intensity to another. These degrees are ten in number, and are distinguished by the following marks: 

Love of the eye 

Attachment of the mind 

Constant reflection 

Destruction of sleep 

Emaciation of the body 

Turning away from objects of enjoyment 

Removal of shame 

Madness 

Fainting 

Death 

Ancient authors say that a man should know the disposition, truthfulness, purity, and will of a young woman, 

as also the intensity, or weakness of her passions, from the form of her body, and from her characteristic 

marks and signs. But Vatsyayana is of opinion that the forms of bodies, and the characteristic marks or signs 

are but erring tests of character, and that women should be judged by their conduct, by the outward expression 

of their thoughts, and by the movements of their bodies. 

Now as a general rule Gonikaputra says that a woman falls in love with every handsome man she sees, and so 

does every man at the sight of a beautiful woman, but frequently they do not take any further steps, owing to 

various considerations. In love the following circumstances are peculiar to the woman. She loves without 

regard to right or wrong, 1 and does not try to gain over a man simply for the attainment of some particular 

purpose. Moreover, when a man first makes up to her she naturally shrinks from him, even though she may be 

willing to unite herself with him. But when the attempts to gain her are repeated and renewed, she at last 

consents. But with a man, even though he may have begun to love, he conquers his feelings from a regard for 

morality and wisdom, and although his thoughts are often on the woman, he does not yield, even though an 

attempt be made to gain him over. He sometimes makes an attempt or effort to win the object of his 

affections, and having failed, he leaves her alone for the future. In the same way, when a woman is once 

gained, he often becomes indifferent about her. As for the saying that a man does not care for what is easily 

gained, and only desires a thing which cannot be obtained without difficulty, it is only a matter of talk. 

The causes of a woman rejecting the addresses of a man are as follows: 

Affection for her husband 

Desire of lawful progeny 

Want of opportunity 

Anger at being addressed by the man too familiarly 

Difference in rank of life 

Want of certainty on account of the man being devoted travelling 

Thinking that the man may be attached to some other person 

Fear of the man's not keeping his intentions secret 

Thinking that the man is too devoted to his friends, and has too great a regard for them 

The apprehension that he is not in earnest 

Bashfulness on account of his being an illustrious man 

Fear on account of his being powerful, or possessed of too impetuous passion, in the case of the deer woman 

Bashfulness on account of his being too clever 

The thought of having once lived with him on friendly terms only 

Contempt of his want of knowledge of the world 

Distrust of his low character 

Disgust at his want of perception of her love for him 

In the case of an elephant woman, the thought that he is a hare man, or a man of weak passion 

Compassion lest anything should befall him on account of his passion 

Despair at her own imperfections 

Fear of discovery 

Disillusion at seeing his grey hair or shabby appearance 

Fear that he may be employed by her husband to test her chastity 

The thought that he has too much regard for morality 

The causes of a woman rejecting the addresses of a man are as follows: 

Affection for her husband 

Desire of lawful progeny 

Want of opportunity 

Anger at being addressed by the man too familiarly 

Difference in rank of life 

Want of certainty on account of the man being devoted travelling 

Thinking that the man may be attached to some other person 

Fear of the man's not keeping his intentions secret 

Thinking that the man is too devoted to his friends, and has too great a regard for them 

The apprehension that he is not in earnest 

Bashfulness on account of his being an illustrious man 

Fear on account of his being powerful, or possessed of too impetuous passion, in the case of the deer woman 

Bashfulness on account of his being too clever 

The thought of having once lived with him on friendly terms only 

Contempt of his want of knowledge of the world 

Distrust of his low character 

Disgust at his want of perception of her love for him 

In the case of an elephant woman, the thought that he is a hare man, or a man of weak passion 

Compassion lest anything should befall him on account of his passion 

Despair at her own imperfections 

Fear of discovery 

Disillusion at seeing his grey hair or shabby appearance 

Fear that he may be employed by her husband to test her chastity 

The thought that he has too much regard for morality 

Whichever of the above causes a man may detect, he should endeavour to remove it from the very beginning. 

Thus, the bashfulness that may arise from his greatness or his ability, he should remove by showing his great 

love and affection for her. The difficulty of the want of opportunity, or of his inaccessibility, he should 

remove by showing her some easy way of access. The excessive respect entertained by the woman for him should be removed by making himself very familiar. The difficulties that arise from his being thought a low 

character he should remove by showing his valour and his wisdom; those that come from neglect by extra 

attention; and those that arise from fear by giving her proper encouragement. 

The following are the men who generally obtain success with women: 

Men well versed in the science of love 

Men skilled in telling stories 

Men acquainted with women from their childhood Men 

who have secured their confidence 

Men who send presents to them 

Men who talk well 

Men who do things that they like 

Men who have not loved other women previously 

Men who act as messengers 

Men who know their weak points 

Men who are desired by good women 

Men who are united with their female friends 

Men who are good looking 

Men who have been brought up with them 

Men who are their neighbours 

Men who are devoted to sexual pleasures, even though these be with their own servants 

The lovers of the daughters of their nurse 

Men who have been lately married 

Men who like picnics and pleasure parties 

Men who are liberal 

Men who are celebrated for being very strong (Bull men) 

Enterprising and brave men 

Men who surpass their husbands in learning and good looks, in good qualities, and in liberality 

Men whose dress and manner of living are magnificent 

The following are the women who are easily gained over: 

Women who stand at the doors of their houses 

Women who are always looking out on the street 

Women who sit conversing in their neighbour's house 

A woman who is always staring at you 

A female messenger 

A woman who looks sideways at you 

A woman whose husband has taken another wife without any just cause 

A woman who hates her husband, or who is hated by him 

A woman who has nobody to look after her, or keep her in check 

A woman who has not had any children 

A woman whose family or caste is not well known 

A woman whose children are dead 

A woman who is very fond of society 

A woman who is apparently very affectionate with her husband 

The wife of an actor 

A widow 

A poor woman 

A woman fond of enjoyments 

The wife of a man with many younger brothers 

A vain woman 

A woman whose husband is inferior to her in rank or abilities 

A woman who is proud of her skill in the arts 

A woman disturbed in mind by the folly of her husband 

A woman who has been married in her infancy to a rich man, and not liking him when she grows up, desires a 

man possessing a disposition, talents, and wisdom suitable to her own tastes. 

A woman who is slighted by her husband without any cause 

A woman who is not respected by other women of the same rank or beauty as herself 

A woman whose husband is devoted to travelling 

The wife of a jeweller 

A jealous woman 

A covetous woman 

An immoral woman 

A barren woman 

A lazy woman 

A cowardly woman 

A humpbacked woman 

A dwarfish woman 

A deformed woman 

A vulgar woman 

An ill-smelling woman 

A sick woman 

An old woman 

There are also two verses on the subject as follows: 

'Desire, which springs from nature, and which is increased by art, and from which all danger is taken away by 

wisdom, becomes firm and secure. A clever man, depending on his own ability, and observing carefully the 

ideas and thoughts of women, and removing the causes of their turning away from men, is generally 

successful with them.'

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ABOUT MAKING ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE WOMAN, AND OF THE EFFORTS TO GAIN HER 

OVER 

 

ANCIENT authors are of opinion that girls are not so easily seduced by employing female messengers as by 

the efforts of the man himself, but that the wives of others are more easily got at by the aid of female 

messengers than by the personal efforts of the man. But Vatsyayana lays it down that whenever it is possible a 

man should always act himself in these matters, and it is only when such is impracticable, or impossible, that 

female messengers should be employed. As for the saying that women who act and talk boldly and freely are 

to be won by the personal efforts of the man, and that women who do not possess those qualities are to be got 

at by female messengers, it is only a matter of talk. 

Now when a man acts himself in the matter he should first of all make the acquaintance of the woman he 

loves in the following manner: 

He should arrange to be seen by the woman either on a natural or special opportunity. A natural opportunity is 

when one of them goes to the house of the other, and a special opportunity is when they meet either at the 

house of a friend, or a caste-fellow, or a minister, or a physician, as also on the occasion of marriage 

ceremonies, sacrifices, festivals, funerals, and garden parties. 

When they do meet, the man should be careful to look at her in such a way as to cause the state of his mind to 

be made known to her; he should pull about his moustache, make a sound with his nails, cause his own 

ornaments to tinkle, bite his lower lip, and make various other signs of that description. When she is looking 

at him he should speak to his friends about her and other women, and should show to her his liberality and his 

appreciation of enjoyments. When sitting by the side of a female friend he should yawn and twist his body, 

contract his eyebrows, speak very slowly as if he was weary, and listen to her indifferently. A conversation 

having two meanings should also be carried on with a child or some other person, apparently having regard to 

a third person, but really having reference to the woman he loves, and in this way his love should be made 

manifest under the pretext of referring to others rather than to herself. He should make marks that have 

reference to her, on the earth with his nails, or with a stick, and should embrace and kiss a child in her 

presence, and give it the mixture of betel nut and betel leaves with his tongue, and press its chin with his 

fingers in a caressing way. All these things should be done at the proper time and in proper places. 

The man should fondle a child that may be sitting on her lap, and give it something to play with, and also take 

the same back again. Conversation with respect to the child may also be held with her, and in this manner he 

should gradually become well acquainted with her, and he should also make himself agreeable to her 

relations. Afterwards, this acquaintance should be made a pretext for visiting her house frequently, and on 

such occasions he should converse on the subject of love in her absence but within her hearing. As his 

intimacy with her increases he should place in her charge some kind of deposit or trust, and take away from it 

a small portion at a time; or he may give her some fragrant substances, or betel nuts to be kept for him by her. 

After this he should endeavour to make her well acquainted with his own wife, and get them to carry on 

confidential conversations, and to sit together in lonely places. In order to see her frequently he should arrange 

so that the same goldsmith, the same jeweller, the same basket maker, the same dyer, and the same 

washerman should be employed by the two families. And he should also pay her long visits openly under the 

pretence of being engaged with her on business, and one business should lead to another, so as to keep up the 

intercourse between them. Whenever she wants anything, or is in need of money, or wishes to acquire skill in 

one of the arts, he should cause her to understand that he is willing and able to do anything that she wants, to 

give her money, or teach her one of the arts, all these things being quite within his ability and power. In the 

same way he should hold discussions with her in company with other people, and they should talk of the 

doings and sayings of other persons, and examine different things, like jewellery, precious stones, etc. On 

such occasions he should show her certain things with the values of which she may be unacquainted, and if she begins to dispute with him about the things or their value, he should not contradict her, but point out that 

he agrees with her in every way. 

Thus end the ways of making the acquaintance of woman desired. 

Now after a girl has become acquainted with the man as above described, and has manifested her love to him 

by the various outward signs and by the motions of her body, the man should make every effort to gain her 

over. But as girls are not acquainted with sexual union, they should be treated with the greatest delicacy, and 

the man should proceed with considerable caution, though in the case of other women, accustomed to sexual 

intercourse, this is not necessary. When the intentions of the girl are known, and her bashfulness put aside, the 

man should begin to make use of her money, and an interchange of clothes, flowers should be made. In this 

the man should take particular care that the things given by him are handsome and valuable. He should 

moreover receive from her a mixture of betel nut and betel leaves, and when he is going to a party he should 

ask for the flower in her hair, or for the flower in her hand. If he himself gives her a flower it should be a 

sweet smelling one, and marked with marks made by his nails or teeth. With increasing assiduity he should 

dispel her fears, and by degrees get her to go with him to some lonely place, and there he should embrace and 

kiss her. And finally at the time of giving her some betel nut, or of receiving the same from her, or at the time 

of making an exchange of flowers, he should touch and press her private parts, thus bringing his efforts to a 

satisfactory conclusion. 

When a man is endeavouring to seduce one woman, he should not attempt to seduce any other at the same 

time. But after he has succeeded with the first, and enjoyed her for a considerable time, he can keep her 

affections by giving her presents that she likes, and then commence making up to another woman. When a 

man sees the husband of a woman going to some place near his house, he should not enjoy the woman then, 

even though she may be easily gained over at that time. A wise man having a regard for his reputation should 

not think of seducing a woman who is apprehensive, timid, not to be trusted, well guarded, or possessed of a 

father-in-law, or mother-in-law.
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EXAMINATION OF THE STATE OF A WOMAN'S MIND 

 

WHEN a man is trying to gain over a woman he should examine the state of her mind, and act as follows: 

If she listens to him, but does not manifest to him in any way her own intentions, he should then try to gain 

her over by means of a go-between. 

If she meets him once, and again comes to meet him better dressed than before, or comes to him in some 

lonely place, he should be certain that she is capable of being enjoyed by the use of a little force. A woman 

who lets a man make up to her, but does not give herself up, even after a long time, should be considered as a 

trifler in love, but owing to the fickleness of the human mind, even such a woman can be conquered by always 

keeping up a close acquaintance with her. 

When a woman avoids the attentions of a man, and on account of respect for him, and pride in herself, will not 

meet him or approach him, she can be gained over with difficulty, either by endeavouring to keep on familiar 

terms with her, or else by an exceedingly clever go-between. 

When a man makes up to a woman, and she reproaches him with harsh words, she should be abandoned at 

once. 

When a woman reproaches a man, but at the same time acts affectionately towards him, she should be made 

love to in every way. 

A woman, who meets a man in lonely places, and puts up with the touch of his foot, but pretends, on account 

of the indecision of her mind, not to be aware of it, should be conquered by patience, and by continued efforts 

as follows: 

If she happens to go to sleep in his vicinity he should put his left arm round her, and see when she awakes 

whether she repulses him in reality, or only repulses him in such a way as if she was desirous of the same 

thing being done to her again. And what is done by the arm can also be done by the foot. If the man succeeds 

in this point he should embrace her more closely, and if she will not stand the embrace and gets up, but 

behaves with him as usual the next day, he should consider then that she is not unwilling to be enjoyed by 

him. If however she does not appear again, the man should try to get over her by means of a go-between; and 

if, after having disappeared for some time, she again appears, and behaves with him as usual, the man should 

then consider that she would not object to be united with him. 

When a woman gives a man an opportunity, and makes her own love manifest to him, he should proceed to 

enjoy her. And the signs of a woman manifesting her love are these: 

She calls out to a man without being addressed by him in the first instance. 

She shows herself to him in secret places. 

She speaks to him tremblingly and inarticulately. 

She has the fingers of her hand, and the toes of her feet moistened with perspiration, and her face blooming 

with delight. 

She occupies herself with shampooing his body and pressing his head. 

his body. 

She remains with both hands placed on his body motionless as if she had been surprised by something, or was 

overcome by fatigue. 

She sometimes bends down her face upon his thighs and, when asked to shampoo them does not manifest any 

unwillingness to do so. 

She places one of her hands quite motionless on his body, and even though the man should press it between 

two members of his body, she does not remove it for a long time. 

Lastly, when she has resisted all the efforts of the man to gain her over, she returns to him next day to 

shampoo his body as before. 

When a woman neither gives encouragement to a man, nor avoids him, but hides herself and remains in some 

lonely place, she must be got at by means of the female servant who may be near her. If when called by the 

man she acts in the same way, then she should be gained over by means of a skilful go-between. But if she 

will have nothing to say to the man, he should consider well about her before he begins any further attempts to 

gain her over. 

Thus ends the examination of the state of a woman's mind. 

A man should first get himself introduced to a woman, and then carry on a conversation with her. He should 

give her hints of his love for her, and if he finds from her replies that she receives these hints favourably, he 

should then set to work to gain her over without any fear. A woman who shows her love by outward signs to 

the man at his first interview should be gained over very easily. In the same way a lascivious woman, who 

when addressed in loving words replies openly in words expressive of her love, should be considered to have 

been gained over at that very moment. With regard to all women, whether they be wise, simple, or confiding, 

this rule is laid down that those who make an open manifestation of their love are easily gained over
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ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF A GO-BETWEEN

 

IF a woman has manifested her love or desire, either by signs or by motions of the body, and is afterwards 

rarely or never seen anywhere, or if a woman is met for the first time, the man should get a go-between to 

approach her. 

Now the go-between, having wheedled herself into the confidence of the woman by acting according to her 

disposition, should try to make her hate or despise her husband by holding artful conversations with her, by 

telling her about medicines for getting children, by talking to her about other people, by tales of various kinds, 

by stories about the wives of other men, and by praising her beauty, wisdom, generosity and good nature, and 

then saying to her: 'It is indeed a pity that you, who are so excellent a woman in every way, should be 

possessed of a husband of this kind. Beautiful lady, he is not fit even to serve you.' The go-between should 

further talk to the woman about the weakness of the passion of her husband, his jealousy, his roguery, his 

ingratitude, his aversion to enjoyments, his dullness, his meanness, and all the other faults that he may have, 

and with which she may be acquainted. She should particularly harp upon that fault or that failing by which 

the wife may appear to be the most affected. If the wife be a deer woman, and the husband a hare man, then 

there would be no fault in that direction, but in the event of his being a hare man, and she a mare woman or 

elephant woman, then this fault should be pointed out to her. 

Gonikaputra is of opinion that when it is the first affair of the woman, or when her love has only been very 

secretly shown, the man should then secure and send to her a go-between, with whom she may be already 

acquainted, and in whom she confides. 

But to return to our subject. The go-between should tell the woman about the obedience and love of the man, 

and as her confidence and affection increase, she should then explain to her the thing to be accomplished in 

the following way. 'Hear this, Oh beautiful lady, that this man, born of a good family, having seen you, has 

gone mad on your account. The poor young man, who is tender by nature, has never been distressed in such a 

way before, and it is highly probable that he will succumb under his present affliction, and experience the 

pains of death.' If the woman listens with a favourable ear, then on the following day the go-between, having 

observed marks of good spirits in her face, in her eyes, and in her manner of conversation, should again 

converse with her on the subject of the man, and should tell her the stories of Ahalya 1 and Indra, of 

Sakoontala 2 and Dushyanti, and such others as may be fitted for the occasion. She should also describe to her 

the strength of the man, his talents, his skill in the sixty-four sorts of enjoyments mentioned by Babhravya, his 

good looks, and his liaison with some praiseworthy woman, no matter whether this last ever took place or not. 

In addition to this, the go-between should carefully note the behaviour of the woman, which if favourable 

would be as follows: She would address her with a smiling look, would seat herself close beside her, and ask 

her, 'Where have you been? What have you been doing? Where did you dine? Where did you sleep? Where 

have you been sitting?' Moreover, the woman would meet the go-between in lonely places and tell her stories 

there, would yawn contemplatively, draw long sighs, give her presents, remember her on occasions of 

festivals, dismiss her with a wish to see her again, and say to her jestingly, 'Oh, well-speaking woman, why do 

you speak these bad words to me?', would discourse on the sin of her union with the man, would not tell her 

about any previous visits or conversations that she may have had with him, but wish to be asked about these, 

and lastly would laugh at the man's desire, but would not reproach him in any way. 

Thus ends the behaviour of the woman with the go-between. 

When the woman manifests her love in the manner above described, the go-between should increase it by 

bringing to her love tokens from the man. But if the woman be not acquainted with the man personally, the 

go-between should win her over by extolling and praising his good qualities, and by telling stories about his love for her. Here Auddalaka says that when a man or woman are not personally acquainted with each other, 

and have not shown each other any signs of affection, the employment of a go-between is useless. 

The followers of Babhravya on the other hand affirm that even though they be personally unacquainted, but 

have shown each other signs of affection there is an occasion for the employment of a go-between. 

Gonikaputra asserts that a go-between should be employed, provided they are acquainted with each other, 

even though no signs of affection may have passed between them. Vatsyayana however lays it down that even 

though they may not be personally acquainted with each other, and may not have shown each other any signs 

of affection, still they are both capable of placing confidence in a go-between. 

Now the go-between should show the woman the presents, such as the betel nut and betel leaves, the 

perfumes, the flowers, and the rings which the man may have given to her for the sake of the woman, and on 

these presents should be impressed the marks of the man's teeth, and nails, and other signs. On the cloth that 

he may send he should draw with saffron both his hands joined together as if in earnest entreaty. 

The go-between should also show to the woman ornamental figures of various kinds cut in leaves, together 

with ear ornaments, and chaplets made of flowers containing love letters expressive of the desire of the man, 3 

and she should cause her to send affectionate presents to the man in return. After they have mutually accepted 

each other's presents, then a meeting should be arranged between them on the faith of the go-between. 

The followers of Babhravya say that this meeting should take place at the time of going to the temple of a 

Deity, or on occasions of fairs, garden parties, theatrical performances, marriages, sacrifices, festivals and 

funerals, as also at the time of going to the river to bathe, or at times of natural calamities, 4 fear of robbers or 

hostile invasions of the country. 

Gonikaputra is of opinion however that these meetings had better be brought about in the abodes of female 

friends, mendicants, astrologers, and ascetics. But Vatsyayana decides that that place is only well suited for 

the purpose which has proper means of ingress and egress, and where arrangements have been made to 

prevent any accidental occurrence, and when a man who has once entered the house can also leave it at the 

proper time without any disagreeable encounter. 

Now go-betweens or female messengers are of the following different kinds: 

A go-between who takes upon herself the whole burden of the business 

A go-between who does only a limited part of the business 

A go-between who is the bearer of a letter only 

A go-between acting on her own account 

The go-between of an innocent young woman 

A wife serving as a go-between 

A mute go-between 

A go-between who acts the part of the wind 

A woman who, having observed the mutual passion of a man and woman, brings them together and arranges it 

by the power of her own intellect, such a one is called a go-between who takes upon herself the whole burden 

of the business. This kind of go-between is chiefly employed when the man and the woman are already is always done in all other cases) but by the woman also. The above name is also given to a go-between who, 

perceiving that the man and the woman are suited to each other, tries to bring about a union between them, 

even though they be not-acquainted with each other. 

A go-between who, perceiving that some part of the affair is already done, or that the advances on the part of 

the man are already made, completes the rest of the business, is called a go-between who performs only a 

limited part of the business. 

A go-between who simply carries messages between a man and a woman, who love each other, but who 

cannot frequently meet, is called the bearer of a letter or message. 

This name is also given to one who is sent by either of the lovers to acquaint either the one or the other with 

the time and place of their meeting. 

A woman who goes herself to a man, and tells him of her having enjoyed sexual union with him in a dream, 

and expresses her anger at his wife having rebuked him for calling her by the name of her rival instead of by 

her own name, and gives him something bearing the marks of her teeth and nails and informs him that she 

knew she was formerly desired by him, and asks him privately whether she or his wife is the best looking, 

such a person is called a woman who is a go-between for herself. Now such a woman should be met and 

interviewed by the man in private and secretly. 

The above name is also given to a woman who having made an agreement with some other woman to act as 

her go-between, gains over the man to herself, by the means of making him personally acquainted with 

herself, and thus causes the other woman to fail. The same applies to a man who, acting as a go-between for 

another, and having no previous connection with the woman, gains her over for himself, and thus causes the 

failure of the other man. 

A woman who has gained the confidence of the innocent young wife of any man, and who has learned her 

secrets without exercising any pressure on her mind, and found out from her how her husband behaves to her, 

if this woman then teaches her the art of securing his favour, and decorates her so as to show her love, and 

instructs her how and when to be angry, or to pretend to be so, and then, having herself made marks of the 

nails and teeth on the body of the wife, gets the latter to send for her husband to show these marks to him, and 

thus excite him for enjoyment, such is called the go-between of an innocent young woman. In such cases the 

man should send replies to his wife through the same woman. 

When a man gets his wife to gain the confidence of a woman whom he wants to enjoy, and to call on her and 

talk to her about the wisdom and ability of her husband, that wife is called a wife serving as a go-between. In 

this case the feelings of the woman with regard to the man should also be made known through the wife. 

When any man sends a girl or a female servant to any woman under some pretext or other, and places a letter 

in her bouquet of flowers, or in her ear ornaments, or marks something about her with his teeth or nails, that 

girl or female servant is called a mute go-between. In this case the man should expect an answer from the 

woman through the same person. 

A person, who carries a message to a woman, which has a double meaning, or which relates to some past 

transactions, or which is unintelligible to other people, is called a go-between who acts the part of the wind. In 

this case the reply should be asked for through the same woman. 

Thus end the different kinds of go-betweens. 

A female astrologer, a female servant, a female beggar, or a female artist are well acquainted with the business of a go-between, and very soon gain the confidence of other women. Any one of them can raise 

enmity between any two persons if she wishes to do so, or extol the loveliness of any woman that she wishes 

to praise, or describe the arts practised by other women in sexual union. They can also speak highly of the 

love of a man, of his skill in sexual enjoyment, and of the desire of other women, more beautiful even than the 

woman they are addressing, for him, and explain the restraint under which he may be at home. 

Lastly a go-between can, by the artfulness of her conversation, unite a woman with a man even though he may 

not have been thought of by her, or may have been considered beyond her aspirations. She can also bring back 

a man to a woman, who, owing to some cause or other, has separated himself from her.
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ABOUT THE LOVE OF PERSONS IN AUTHORITY FOR THE WIVES OF OTHER MEN 

 

KINGS and their ministers have no access to the abodes of others, and moreover their mode of living is 

constantly watched and observed and imitated by the people at large, just as the animal world, seeing the sun 

rise, get up after him, and when he sits in the evening, lie down again in the same way. Persons in authority 

should not therefore do any improper act in public, as such are impossible from their position, and would be 

deserving of censure. But if they find that such an act is necessary to be done, they should make use of the 

proper means as described in the following paragraphs. 

The head man of the village, the king's officer employed there, and the man 1 whose business it is to glean 

corn, can gain over female villagers simply by asking them. It is on this account that this class of woman are 

called unchaste women by voluptuaries. 

The union of the above mentioned men with this class of woman takes place on the occasions of unpaid 

labour, of filling the granaries in their houses, of taking things in and out of the house, of cleaning the houses, 

of working in the fields, and of purchasing cotton, wool, flax, hemp, and thread, and at the season of the 

purchase, sale, and exchange of various other articles, as well as at the time of doing various other works. In 

the same way the superintendents of cow pens enjoy the women in the cow pens; and the officers, who crave 

the superintendence of widows, of the women who are without supporters, and of women who have left their 

husbands, have sexual intercourse with these women. The intelligent accomplish their object by wandering at 

night in the village, and while villagers also unite with the wives of their sons, being much alone with them. 

Lastly the superintendents of markets have a great deal to do with the female villagers at the time of their 

making purchases in the market. 

During the festival of the eighth moon, i.e. during the bright half of the month of Nargashirsha, as also during 

the moonlight festival of the month of Kartika, and the spring festival of Chaitra, the women of cities and 

towns generally visit the women of the king's harem in the royal palace. These visitors go to the several 

apartments of the women of the harem, as they are acquainted with them, and pass the night in conversation, 

and in proper sports, and amusement, and go away in the morning. On such occasions a female attendant of 

the king (previously acquainted with the woman whom the king desires) should loiter about, and accost this 

woman when she sets out to go home, and induce her to come and see the amusing things in the palace. 

Previous to these festivals even, she should have caused it to be intimated to this woman that on the occasion 

of this festival she would show her all the interesting things in the royal palace. Accordingly she should show 

her the bower of the coral creeper, the garden house with its floor inlaid with precious stones, the bower of 

grapes, the building on the water, the secret passages in the walls of the palace, the pictures, the sporting 

animals, the machines, the birds, and the cages of the lions and the tigers. After this, when alone with her, she 

should tell her about the love of the king for her, and should describe to her the good fortune which would 

attend upon her union with the king, giving her at the time a strict promise of secrecy. If the woman does not 

accept the offer, she should conciliate and please her with handsome presents befitting the position of the 

king, and having accompanied her for some distance should dismiss her with great affection. 

Or, having made the acquaintance of the husband of the woman whom the king desires, the wives of the king 

should get the wife to pay them a visit in the harem, and on this occasion a female attendant of the king, 

having been sent thither, should act as above described. 

Or, one of the king's wives should get acquainted with the woman that the king desires, by sending one of the 

female attendants to her, who should, on their becoming more intimate, induce her to come and see the royal 

abode. Afterwards when she has visited the harem, and acquired confidence, a female confidante of the king, 

sent thither, should act as before described. 

Or, the king's wife should invite the woman, whom the king desires, to come to the royal palace, so that she 

might see the practice of the art in which the king's wife may be skilled, and after she has come to the harem, 

a female attendant of the king, sent thither, should act as before described. 

Or, a female beggar, in league with the king's wife, should say to the woman desired by the king, and whose 

husband may have lost his wealth, or may have some cause of fear from the king: 'This wife of the king has 

influence over him, and she is, moreover, naturally kind-hearted, we must therefore go to her in this matter. I 

shall arrange for your entrance into the harem, and she will do away with all cause of danger and fear from the 

king.' If the woman accepts this offer, the female beggar should take her two or three times to the harem, and 

the king's wife there should give her a promise of protection. After this, when the woman, delighted with her 

reception and promise of protection, again goes to the harem, then a female attendant of the king, sent thither, 

should act as directed. 

What has been said above regarding the wife of one who has some cause of fear from the king applies also to 

the wives of those who seek service under the king, or who are oppressed by the king's ministers, or who are 

poor, or who are not satisfied with their position, or who are desirous of gaining the king's favour, or who 

wish to become famous among the people, or who are oppressed by the members of their own caste, or who 

want to injure their caste fellows, or who are spies of the king, or who have any other object to attain. 

Lastly, if the woman desired by the king be living with some person who is not her husband, then the king 

should cause her to be arrested, and having made her a slave, on account of her crime, should place her in the 

harem. Or the king should cause his ambassador to quarrel with the husband of the woman desired by him, 

and should then imprison her as the wife of an enemy of the king, and by this means should place her in the 

harem

Thus end the means of gaining over the wives of others secretly. 

The above mentioned ways of gaining over the wives of other men are chiefly practised in the palaces of 

kings. But a king should never enter the abode of another person, for Abhira, 2 the king of the Kottas, was 

killed by a washerman while in the house of another, and in the same way Jayasana, the king of the Kashis, 

was slain by the commandant of his cavalry. 

But according to the customs of some countries there are facilities for kings to make love to the wives of other 

men. Thus in the country of the Andhras 3 the newly married daughters of the people thereof enter the king's 

harem with some presents on the tenth day of their marriage, and having been enjoyed by the king are then 

dismissed. In the country of the Vatsagulmas 4 the wives of the chief ministers approach the king at night to 

serve him. In the country of the Vaidarbhas 5 the beautiful wives of the inhabitants pass a month in the king's 

harem under the pretence of affection for the king. In the country of the Aparatakas 6 the people gave their 

beautiful wives as presents to the ministers and the kings. And lastly in the country of the Saurashtras 7 the 

women of the city and the country enter the royal harem for the king's pleasure either together or separately. 

There are also two verses on the subject as follows: 

'The above and other ways are the means employed in different countries by kings with regard to the wives of 

other persons. But a king, who has the welfare of his people at heart, should not on any account put them into 

practice.' 

'A king, who has conquered the 8 enemies of mankind, becomes the master of the whole earth.'
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