Class Notes on Kamasutra

Kamasutra -vedic religion begins to take a backseat, and new connection between the king and the gods emerges -this takes the form of great stone temples -Example: Gupta temple, 5th century CE in Bhitargaon -Vishnu becomes favored deity of the kings -the Brahmins of these temple get all income from temple land grants and are exempt from taxes to the king -these temples are open to everyone, people often perform pilgrimages and bring offerings -cash offerings become additional income for the Brahmins -this income is often used for things like musicians, dancers, etc. -the great Hindu temple becomes a ‘thing’ in this era Gupta Vaishanvism -Vishnu becomes favorite deity -the king seen as an earthly manifestation of Vishnu -rise of Vishnu temple all over Gupta territories -still many Buddhists practicing in Gupta territories -in this period, the rituals that continue to this day were started -one theory is that the various avatars of Vishnu were originally tribal gods that were incorporated into Hinduism The aims of humans -Dharma, artha, kama, moksha -unlike Abrahamic religions, pleasure is not sinful in Hinduism, but an essential aspect of human beings that should be cultivated -Prosperity (artha) and love(karma) are key to one’s duty (dharma) -erotic practice or kama ensures the transmission of life and the rules of behavior -this all applies only to the upper castes in most cases Kama Shastra -the rules of kama occur as early as the Vedic texts -they are mentioned in all Hindu texts -they are fully laid out in the body of texts called the Kama Shastra -Vatsayana, a Brahmin living during 3-4th century CE under Gupta rule complied the Kama Shastra -he put the rules from previous texts together and gave his own spin on them -it becomes a pleasure manual -he makes it clear that Kama is only the concern of Brahmins and Kshatriyas, and definitely not for the Shudras -says amorous relations between castes are allowed, but marriage is not Format -written in verse, meant to be memorized -supplementary to religious education, meant for both boys and girls to study when they are young -the text is addressed to the citizen -in this system, the art of sex is on the same spectrum as the arts of music or poetry, and needs to be learned and cultivated -the goal is a well-rounded citizen, exactly like the goal of a liberal arts education today Women in the Kamasutra -describes the duties of a faithful wife -also ways for men to seduce and please their wives -the text is addressed to men, but includes their duty to give their wife pleasure -courtesans (those who taught the arts of pleasure) played an important role in urban life -they were considered on par with other specialists, like specialists of music or poetry -young men would be sent to courtesans to learn the arts of pleasure -they were often wealthy autonomous women, no really the same as sex workers -they were often dancers or performers -many inscriptions slightly after the Gupta period mention courtesan women who donate money to build temples or houses Sexual variety -the Kamasutra describes lesbianism, male homosexuality, and the third gender -pleasure is not only heterosexual according to the Kamasutra, and all relationships are legitimate sources of pleasure -the third gender had a social and religious role- seen as auspicious Later variants -Kamasutra continued to be composed for centuries -eroticism continued to be part of temple sculpture long after the Guptas -erotic poetry, paintings, and other art were very popular up until colonialism -prudishness in India today is almost exclusively a result of British influence -in ancient India, homosexuality was not an identity but a practice -the third gender was an identity Marriage -how to pass down property is one of the main reasons for the practice of marriage -in order to ensure the legitimacy of the heirs, women were required to be virgins at marriage -women were married before puberty in order to ensure this legitimate passing down of property -this is why it’s interesting that the Kamasutra also values non-heterosexual pleasure Colonialism and Prudery -modern Indians are often embarrassed by the Kama sutra and the celebration of sexuality -up until yesterday, if a woman cheated on her husband she could be punished under criminal law (this was another British holdover) -colonialism introduced shame about sex