CHAPTER 2
On the aquistion of Dharma, Artha and Kama
Man, the period of whose life is one hundred years, should practise
Dharma, Artha and Kama at different times and in such a manner
that they may harmonize together and not clash in any way. He
should acquire learning in his childhood, in his youth and middle
age he should attend to Artha and Kama, and in his old age he
should perform Dharma, and thus seek to gain Moksha, i.e. release
from further transmigration. Or, on account of the uncertainty
of life, he may practise them at times when they are enjoined
to be practised. But one thing is to be noted, he should lead
the life of a religious student until he finishes his education.
Dharma is obedience to the command of the Shastra or Holy Writ
of the Hindoos to do certain things, such as the performance of
sacrifices, which are not generally done, because they do not
belong to this world, and produce no visible effect; and not to
do other things, such as eating meat, which is often done because
it belongs to this world, and has visible effects.
Dharma should be learnt from the Shruti (Holy Writ), and from
those conversant with it. Artha is the acquisition of arts, land,
gold, cattle, wealth, equipages and friends. It is, further, the
protection of what is acquired, and the increase of what is protected.
Artha should be learnt from the king's officers, and from merchants
who may be versed in the ways of commerce.
Kama is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by the five senses
of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting and smelling, assisted by
the mind together with the soul. The ingredient in this is a peculiar
contact between the organ of sense and its object, and the consciousness
of pleasure which arises from that contact is called Kama. Kama
is to be learnt from the Kama Sutra (aphorisms on love) and from
the practice of citizens.
When all the three, viz. Dharma, Artha and Kama, come together,
the former is better than the one which follows it, i.e. Dharma
is better than Artha, and Artha is better than Kama. But Artha
should always be first practised by the king for the livelihood
of men is to be obtained from it only. Again, Kama being the occupation
of public women, they should prefer it to the other two, and these
are exceptions to the general rule.
Objection 1
Some learned men say that as Dharma is connected with things not
belonging to this world, it is appropriately treated of in a book;
and so also is Artha, because it is practised only by the application
of proper means, and a knowledge of those means can only be obtained
by study and from books. But Kama being a thing which is practised
even by the brute creation, and which is to be found everywhere,
does not want any work on the subject.
Answer
This is not so. Sexual intercourse being a thing dependent on
man and woman requires the application of proper means by them,
and those means are to be learnt from the Kama Shastra. The non-application
of proper means, which we see in the brute creation, is caused
by their being unrestrained, and by the females among them only
being fit for sexual intercourse at certain seasons and no more,
and by their intercourse not being preceded by thought of any
kind.
Objection 2
The Lokayatikas 1 say: Religious ordinances should not be observed,
for they bear a future fruit, and at the same time it is also
doubtful whether they will bear any fruit at all. What foolish
person will give away that which is in his own hands into the
hands of another? Moreover, it is better to have a pigeon today
than a peacock tomorrow; and a copper coin which we have the certainty
of obtaining, is better than a gold coin, the possession of which
is doubtful.
Answer
It is not so.
1st. Holy Writ, which ordains the practice of Dharma, does not
admit of a doubt.
2nd. Sacrifices such as those made for the destruction of enemies,
or for the fall of rain, are seen to bear fruit.
3rd. The sun, moon, stars, planets and other heavenly bodies appear
to work intentionally for the good of the world.
4th. the existence of this world is effected by the observance
of the rules respecting the four classes of men and their four
stages of life.
5th. We see that seed is thrown into the ground with the hope
of future crops. Vatsyayana is therefore of opinion that the ordinances
of religion must be obeyed.
Objection 3
Those who believe that destiny is the prime mover of all things
say: We should not exert ourselves to acquire wealth, for sometimes
it is not acquired although we strive to get it, while at other
times it comes to us of itself without any exertion on our part.
Everything is therefore in the power of destiny, who is the lord
of gain and loss, of success and defeat, of pleasure and pain.
Thus we see that Bali3 was raised to the throne of Indra by destiny,
and was also put down by the same power, and it is destiny only
that call reinstate him.
Answer
It is not right to say so. As the acquisition of every object
presupposes at all events some exertion on the part of man, the
application of proper means may be said to be the cause of gaining
all our ends, and this application of proper means being thus
necessary (even where a thing is destined to happen), it follows
that a person who does nothing will enjoy no happiness.
Objection 4
Those who are inclined to think that Artha is the chief object
to be obtained argue thus. Pleasures should not be sought for,
because they are obstacles to the practice of Dharma and Artha,
which are both superior to them, and are also disliked by meritorious
persons. Pleasures also bring a man into distress, and into contact
with low persons; they cause him to commit unrighteous deeds,
and produce impurity in him; they make him regardless of the future,
and encourage carelessness and levity. And lastly, they cause
him to be disbelieved by all, received by none, and despised by
everybody, including himself. It is notorious, moreover, that
many men who have given themselves up to pleasure alone, have
been ruined along with their families and relations. Thus, king
Dandakya, of the Bhoja dynasty, carried off a Brahman's daughter
with evil intent, and was eventually ruined and lost his kingdom.
Indra, too, having violated the chastity of Ahalya, was made to
suffer for it. In a like manner the mighty Kichaka, who tried
to seduce Draupadi, and Ravana, who attempted to gain over Sita,
were punished for their crimes. These and many others fell by
reason of their pleasures.
Answer
This objection cannot be sustained, for pleasures, being as necessary
for the existence and well being of the body as food, are consequently
equally required. They are, moreover, the results of Dharma and
Artha. Pleasures are, therefore, to be followed with moderation
and caution. No one refrains from cooking food because there are
beggars to ask for it, or from sowing seed because there are deer
to destroy the corn when it is grown up. Thus a man practising
Dharma, Artha and Kama enjoys happiness both in this world and
in the world to come. The good perform those actions in which
there is no fear as to what is to result from them in the next
world, and in which there is no danger to their welfare. Any action
which conduces to the practice of Dharma, Artha and Kama together,
or of any two, or even one of them, should be performed, but an
action which conduces to the practice of one of them at the expense
of the remaining two should not be performed.
Footnotes
1 These were certainly materialists who seemed
to think that a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.
2 Among the Hindoos the four classes of men are
the Brahmans or priestly class, the Kshutrya or warlike class,
the Vaishya or agricultural and mercantile class, and the Shoodra
or menial class. The four stages of life are, the life of a religious
student, the life of a householder, the life of a hermit, and
the life of a Sunyasi or devotee.
3 Bali was a demon who had conquered Indra and
gained his throne, but was afterwards overcome by Vishnu at the
time of his fifth incarnation.
4 Dandakya is said to have abducted from the
forest the daughter of a Brahman, named Bhargava, and, being cursed
by the Brahman, was buried with his kingdom under a shower of
dust. The place was called after his name the Dandaka forest,
celebrated in the Bamayana, but now unknown. Ahalya was the wife
of the sage Gautama. Indra caused her to believe that he was Gautama,
and thus enjoyed her. He was cursed by Gautama and subsequently
afflicted with a thousand ulcers on his body. Kichaka was the
brother-in-law of King Virata, with whom the Pandavas had taken
refuge for one year. Kichaka was killed by Bhima, who assumed
the disguise of Draupadi. For this story the
Mahabarata should be referred to. The story of Ravana is told
in the Ramayana, which with the Mahabarata form the two great
epic poems of the Hindoos; the latter was written by Vyasa, and
the former by Valmiki.
CHAPTER 3
On the arts and sciences to be studied
Man should study the Kama Sutra and the arts and sciences subordinate
thereto, in addition to the study of the arts and sciences contained
in Dharma and Artha. Even young maids should study this Kama Sutra
along with its arts and sciences before marriage, and after it
they should continue to do so with the consent of their husbands.
Here some learned men object, and say that females, not being
allowed to study any science, should not study the Kama Sutra.
But Vatsyayana is of opinion that this objection does not hold
good, for women already know the practice of Kama Sutra, and that
practice is derived from the Kama Shastra, or the science of Kama
itself. Moreover, it is not only in this but in many other cases
that, though the practice of a science is known to all, only a
few persons are acquainted with the rules and laws on which the
science is based. Thus the Yadnikas or sacrificers, though ignorant
of grammar, make use of appropriate words when addressing the
different Deities, and do not know how these words are framed.
Again, persons do the duties required of them on auspicious days,
which are fixed by astrology, though they are not acquainted with
the science of astrology. In a like manner riders of horses and
elephants train these animals without knowing the science of training
animals, but from practice only. And similarly the people of the
most distant provinces obey the laws of the kingdom from practice,
and because there is a king over them, and without further reason.1
And from experience we find that some women, such as daughters
of princes and their ministers, and public women, are actually
versed in the Kama Shastra. A female, therefore, should learn
the Kama Shastra, or at least a part of it, by studying its practice
from some confidential friend. She should study alone in private
the sixty-four practices that form a part of the Kama Shastra.
Her teacher should be one of the following persons: the daughter
of a nurse brought up with her and already married,2 or a female
friend who can be trusted in everything, or the sister of her
mother (i.e. her aunt), or an old female servant, or a female
beggar who may have formerly lived in the family, or her own sister
who can always be trusted. The following are the arts to be studied,
together with the Kama Sutra:
· Singing
· Playing on musical instruments
· Dancing
· Union of dancing, singing, and playing instrumental music
· Writing and drawing
· Tattooing
· Arraying and adorning an idol with rice and flowers
· Spreading and arranging beds or couches of flowers, or
flowers upon the ground
· Colouring the teeth, garments, hair, nails and bodies,
i.e. staining, dyeing, colouring and painting the same
· Fixing stained glass into a floor
· The art of making beds, and spreading out carpets and
cushions for reclining
· Playing on musical glasses filled with water
· Storing and accumulating water in aqueducts, cisterns
and reservoirs
· Picture making, trimming and decorating
· Stringing of rosaries, necklaces, garlands and wreaths
· Binding of turbans and chaplets, and making crests and
top-knots of flowers
· Scenic representations, stage playing Art of making ear
ornaments Art of preparing perfumes and odours
· Proper disposition of jewels and decorations, and adornment
in dress
· Magic or sorcery
· Quickness of hand or manual skill
· Culinary art, i.e. cooking and cookery
· Making lemonades, sherbets, acidulated drinks, and spirituous
extracts with proper flavour and colour
· Tailor's work and sewing
· Making parrots, flowers, tufts, tassels, bunches, bosses,
knobs, etc., out of yarn or thread
· Solution of riddles, enigmas, covert speeches, verbal
puzzles and enigmatical questions
· A game, which consisted in repeating verses, and as one
person finished, another person had to commence at once, repeating
another verse, beginning with the same letter with which the last
speaker's verse ended, whoever failed to repeat was considered
to have lost, and to be subject to pay a forfeit or stake of some
kind
· The art of mimicry or imitation
· Reading, including chanting and intoning
· Study of sentences difficult to pronounce. It is played
as a game chiefly by women, and children and consists of a difficult
sentence being given, and when repeated quickly, the words are
often transposed or badly pronounced
· Practice with sword, single stick, quarter staff and
bow and arrow
· Drawing inferences, reasoning or inferring
· Carpentry, or the work of a carpenter
· Architecture, or the art of building
· Knowledge about gold and silver coins, and jewels and
gems
· Chemistry and mineralogy
· Colouring jewels, gems and beads
· Knowledge of mines and quarries
· Gardening; knowledge of treating the diseases of trees
and plants, of nourishing them, and determining their ages
· Art of cock fighting, quail fighting and ram fighting
· Art of teaching parrots and starlings to speak
· Art of applying perfumed ointments to the body, and of
dressing the hair with unguents and perfumes and braiding it
· The art of understanding writing in cypher, and the writing
of words in a peculiar way
· The art of speaking by changing the forms of words. It
is of various kinds. Some speak by changing the beginning and
end of words, others by adding unnecessary letters between every
syllable of a word, and so on
· Knowledge of language and of the vernacular dialects
· Art of making flower carriages
· Art of framing mystical diagrams, of addressing spells
and charms, and binding armlets
· Mental exercises, such as completing stanzas or verses
on receiving a part of them; or supplying one, two or three lines
when the remaining lines are given indiscriminately from different
verses, so as to make the whole an entire verse with regard to
its meaning; or arranging the words of a verse written irregularly
by separating the vowels from the consonants, or leaving them
out altogether; or
putting into verse or prose sentences represented by signs or
symbols. There are many other such exercises.
· Composing poems
· Knowledge of dictionaries and vocabularies
· Knowledge of ways of changing and disguising the appearance
of persons
· Knowledge of the art of changing the appearance of things,
such as making cotton to appear as silk, coarse and common things
to appear as fine and good
· Various ways of gambling
· Art of obtaining possession of the property of others
by means of muntras or incantations
· Skill in youthful sports
· Knowledge of the rules of society, and of how to pay
respect and compliments to others
· Knowledge of the art of war, of arms, of armies, etc.
· Knowledge of gymnastics
· Art of knowing the character of a man from his features
· Knowledge of scanning or constructing verses
· Arithmetical recreations
· Making artificial flowers
· Making figures and images in clay
A public woman, endowed with a good disposition, beauty and other
winning qualities, and also versed in the above arts, obtains
the name of a Ganika, or public woman of high quality, and receives
a seat of honour in an assemblage of men. She is, moreover, always
respected by the king, and praised by learned men, and her favour
being sought for by all, she becomes an object of universal regard.
The daughter of a king too as well as the daughter of a minister,
being learned in the above arts, can make their husbands favourable
to them, even though these may have thousands of other wives besides
themselves. And in the same manner, if a wife becomes separated
from her husband, and falls into distress, she can support herself
easily, even in a foreign country, by means of her knowledge of
these arts. Even the bare knowledge of them gives attractiveness
to a woman, though the practice of them may be only possible or
otherwise according to the circumstances of each case. A man who
is versed in these arts, who is loquacious and acquainted with
the arts of gallantry, gains very soon the hearts of women, even
though he is only acquainted with them for a short time.
Footnotes
1 The author wishes to prove that a great many
things are done by people from practice and custom, without their
being acquainted with the reason of things, or the laws on which
they are based, and this is perfectly true.
2 The proviso of being married applies to all
the teachers.
CHAPTER 4
The Life of a citizen
Having thus acquired learning, a man, with the wealth that he
may have gained by gift, conquest, purchase, deposit (1) or inheritance
from his ancestors, should become a householder, and pass the
life of a citizen (2). He should take a house in a city, or large
village, or in the vicinity of good men, or in a place which is
the resort of many persons. This abode should be situated near
some water, and divided into different compartments for different
purposes. It should be surrounded by a garden, and also contain
two rooms, an outer and an inner one. The inner room should be
occupied by the females, while the outer room, balmy with rich
perfumes, should contain a bed, soft, agreeable to the sight,
covered with a clean white cloth, low in the middle part, having
garlands and bunches of flowers (3) upon it, and a canopy above
it, and two pillows, one at the top, another at the bottom. There
should be also a sort of couch besides, and at the head of this
a sort of stool, on which should be placed the fragrant ointments
for the night, as well as flowers, pots containing collyrium and
other fragrant substances, things used for perfuming the mouth,
and the bark of the common citron tree. Near the couch, on the
ground, there should be a pot for spitting, a box containing ornaments,
and also a lute hanging from a peg made of the tooth of an elephant,
a board for drawing, a pot containing perfume, some books, and
some garlands of the yellow amaranth flowers. Not far from the
couch, and on the ground, there should be a round seat, a toy
cart, and a board for playing with dice; outside the outer room
there should be cages of birds (4), and a separate place for spinning,
carving and such like diversions. In the garden there should be
a whirling swing and a common swing, as also a bower of creepers
covered with flowers, in which a raised parterre should be made
for sitting.
Now the householder, having got up in the morning and performed
his necessary duties (5), should wash his teeth, apply a limited
quantity of ointments and perfumes to his body, put some ornaments
on his person and collyrium on his eyelids and below his eyes,
colour his lips with alacktaka (6), and look at himself in the
glass. Having then eaten betel leaves, with other things that
give fragrance to the mouth, he should perform his usual business.
He should bathe daily, anoint his body with oil every other day,
apply a lathering substance (7) to his body every three days,
get his head (including face) shaved every four days and the other
parts of his body every five or ten days (8). All these things
should be done without fail, and the sweat of the armpits should
also be removed. Meals should be taken in the forenoon, in the
afternoon, and again at night, according to Charayana. After breakfast,
parrots and other birds should be taught to speak, and the fighting
of cocks, quails, and rams should follow. A limited time should
be devoted to diversions with Pithamardas, Vitas, and Vidushakas
(9), and then should be taken the midday sleep (10). After this
the householder, having put on his clothes and ornaments, should,
during the afternoon, converse with his friends. In the evening
there should be singing, and after that the householder, along
with his friend, should await in his room, previously decorated
and perfumed, the arrival of the woman that may be attached to
him, or he may send a female messenger for her, or go for her
himself. After her arrival at his house, he and his friend should
welcome her, and entertain her with a loving and agreeable conversation.
Thus end the duties of the day.
The following are the things to be done occasionally as diversions
or amusements:
· Holding festivals (11) in honour of different Deities
· Social gatherings of both sexes
· Drinking parties
· Picnics
· Other social diversions
Festivals
On some particular auspicious day, an assembly of citizens should
be convened in the temple of Saraswati (12).There the skill of
singers, and of others who may have come recently to the town,
should be tested, and on the following day they should always
be given some rewards. After that they may either be retained
or dismissed, according as their performances are liked or not
by the assembly. The members of the assembly should act in concert,
both in times of distress as well as in times of prosperity, and
it is also the duty of these citizens to show hospitality to strangers
who may have come to the assembly. What is said above should be
understood to apply to all the other festivals which may be held
in honour of the different Deities, according to the present rules.
Social Gatherings
When men of the same age, disposition and talents, fond of the
same diversions and with the same degree of education, sit together
in company with public women (13), or in an assembly of citizens,
or at the abode of one among themselves, and engage in agreeable
discourse with each other, such is called a Sitting in company
or a social gathering. The subjects of discourse are to be the
completion of verses half composed by others, and the testing
the knowledge of one another in the various arts. The women who
may be the most beautiful, who may like the same things that the
men like, and who may have power to attract the minds of others,
are here done homage to.
Drinking Parties
Men and women should drink in one another's houses. And here the
men should cause the public women to drink, and should then drink
themselves, liquors such as the Madhu, Aireya, Sara and Asawa,
which are of bitter and sour taste; also drinks concocted from
the barks of various trees, wild fruits and leaves.
Going to Gardens or Picnics
In the forenoon, men having dressed themselves should go to gardens
on horseback, accompanied by public women and followed by servants.
And having done there all the duties of the day, and passed the
time in various agreeable diversions, such as the fighting of
quails, cocks and rams, and other spectacles, they should return
home in the afternoon in the same manner, bringing with them bunches
of flowers, etc. The same also applies to bathing in summer in
water from which wicked or dangerous animals have previously been
taken out, and which has been built in on all sides.
Other Social Diversions
Spending nights playing with dice. Going out on moonlight nights.
Keeping the festive day in honour of spring. Plucking the sprouts
and fruits of the mango trees. Eating the fibres of lotuses. Eating
the tender ears of corn. Picnicing in the forests when the trees
get their new foliage. The dakakashvedika or sporting in the water.
Decorating each other with the flowers of some trees. Pelting
each other with the flowers of the Kadamba tree, and many other
sports which may either be known to the whole country, or may
be peculiar to particular parts of it. These and similar other
amusements should always be carried on by citizens.
The above amusements should be followed by a person who diverts
himself alone in company with a courtesan, as well as by a courtesan
who can do the same in company with her maid servants or with
citizens.
A Pithamarda (14) is a man without wealth, alone in the world,
whose only property consists of his Mallika (15), some lathering
substance and a red cloth, who comes from a good country, and
who is skilled in all the arts; and by teaching these arts is
received in the company of citizens, and in the abode of public
women.
A Vita (16) is a man who has enjoyed the pleasures of fortune,
who is a compatriot of the citizens with whom he associates, who
is possessed of the qualities of a houseliolder, who has his wife
with him, and who is honoured in the assembly of citizens and
in the abodes of public women, and lives on their means and on
them. A Vidushaka (17) (also called a Vaihasaka, i.e. one who
provokes laughter) is a person only acquainted with some of the
arts, who is a jester, and who is trusted by all.
These persons are employed in matters of quarrels and reconciliations
between citizens and public women.
This remark applies also to female beggars, to women with their
heads shaved, to adulterous women, and to public women skilled
in all the various arts. Thus a citizen living in his town or
village, respected by all, should call on the persons of his own
caste who may be worth knowing. He should converse in company
and gratify his friends by his society, and obliging others by
his assistance in various matters, he should cause them to assist
one another in the same way.
There are some verses on this subject as follows: `A citizen discoursing,
not entirely in the Sanscrit language (18) nor wholly in the dialects
of the country, on various topics in society, obtains great respect.
The wise should not resort to a society disliked by the public,
governed by no rules, and intent on the destruction of others.
But a learned man living in a society which acts according to
the wishes of the people, and which has pleasure for its only
object is highly respected in this world.'
Footnotes
1 Gift is peculiar to a Brahman, conquest to
a Kshatrya, while purchase, deposit, and other means of acquiring
wealth belongs to the Vaishya.
2 This term would appear to apply generally to an inhabitant
of Hindoostan. it is not meant only for a dweller in a city, like
the Latin Urbanus as opposed to Rusticus.
3 Natural garden flowers.
4 Such as quails, partridges, parrots, starlings,
etc.
5 The calls of nature are always performed by
the Hindoos the first thing in the morning.
6 A colour made from lac.
7 This would act instead of soap, which was not
introduced until the rule of the Mahomedans.
8 Ten days are allowed when the hair is taken
out with a pair of pincers.
9 These are characters generally introduced in the Hindoo
drama; their characteristics will be explained further on.
10 Noonday sleep is only allowed in summer, when the
nights are short.
11 These are very common in all parts of India.
12 In the `Asiatic Miscellany', and in Sir W. Jones's
works, will be found a spirited hymn addressed to this goddess,
who is adored as the patroness of the fine arts, especially of
music and rhetoric, as the inventress of the Sanscrit language,
etc. etc. She is the goddess of harmony, eloquence and language,
and is somewhat analogous to Minerva. For farther information
about her, see Edward Moor's Hindoo Pantheon.
13 The public women, or courtesans (Vesya), of the early
Hindoos have often been compared with the Hetera of the Greeks.
The subject is dealt with at some length in H. H. Wilson's Select
Specimens of the Theatre of the Hindoos, in two volumes, Trubner
and Co., 1871. It may be fairly considered that the courtesan
was one of the elements, and an important element too, of early
Hindoo society, and that her education and intellect were both
superior to that of the women of the household. Wilson says, `By
the Vesya or courtesan, however, we are not to understand a female
who has disregarded the obligation of law or the precepts of virtue,
but a character reared by a state of manners unfriendly to the
admission of wedded females into society, and opening it only
at the expense of reputation to women who were trained for association
with men by personal and mental acquirements to which the matron
was a stranger.'
14 According to this description a Pithamarda would be
a sort of professor of all the arts, and as such received as the
friend and confidant of the citizen
15 A seat in the form of the letter T.
16 The Vita is supposed to represent somewhat the character
of the Parasite of the Greek comedy. It is possible that he was
retained about the person of the wealthy and dissipated as a kind
of private instructor, as well as an entertaining companion.
17 Vidushaka is evidently the buffoon and jester. Wilson
says of him that he is the humble companion, not the servant,
of a prince or man of rank, and it is a curious peculiarity that
he is always a Brahman. He bears more affinity to Sancho Panza,
perhaps than any other character in western fiction, imitating
him in his combination of shrewdness and simplicity, his fondness
of good living and his love of ease. In the dramas of intrigue
he exhibits some of the talents of Mercury, but with less activity
and ingenuity, and occasionally suffers by his interference. According
to the technical definition of his attributes he is to excite
mirth by being ridiculous in person, age, and attire.
18 This means, it is presumed, that the citizen should
be acquainted with several languages. The middle part of this
paragraph might apply to the Nihilists and Fenians of the day,
or to secret societies. It was perhaps a reference to the Thugs.
CHAPTER 5
About the kinds of women resorted to by the citizens, and of friends
and messengers
When Kama is practised by men of the four castes according to
the rules of the Holy Writ (i.e. by lawful marriage) with virgins
of their own caste, it then becomes a means of acquiring lawful
progeny and good fame, and it is not also opposed to the customs
of the world. On the contrary the practice of Kama with women
of the higher castes, and with those previously enjoyed by others,
even though they be of the same caste, is prohibited. But the
practice of Kama with women of the lower castes, with women excommunicated
from their own caste, with public women, and with women twice
married (1), is neither enjoined nor prohibited. The object of
practising Kama with such women is pleasure only.
Nayikas (2), therefore, are of three kinds, viz. maids, women
twice married, and public women. Gonikaputra has expressed an
opinion that there is a fourth kind of Nayika, viz. a woman who
is resorted to on some special occasion even though she be previously
married to another. These special occasions are when a man thinks
thus:
This woman is self-willed, and has been previously enjoyed by
many others besides myself. I may, therefore, safely resort to
her as to a public woman though she belongs to a higher caste
than mine, and, in so doing, I shall not be violating the ordinances
of Dharma.
Or thus:
This is a twice-married woman and has been enjoyed by others before
me; there is, therefore, no objection to my resorting to her.
Or thus:
This woman has gained the heart of her great and powerful husband,
and exercises a mastery over him, who is a friend of my enemy;
if, therefore, she becomes united with me she will cause her usband
to abandon my enemy.
Or thus:
This woman will turn the mind of her husband, who is very powerful,
in my favour, he being at present disaffected towards me, and
intent on doing me some harm.
Or thus:
By making this woman my friend I shall gain the object of some
friend of mine, or shall be able to effect the ruin of some enemy,
or shall accomplish some other difficult purpose.
Or thus:
By being united with this woman, I shall kill her husband, and
so obtain his vast riches which I covet.
Or thus:
The union of this woman with me is not attended with any danger,
and will bring me wealth, of which, on account of my poverty and
inability to support myself, I am very much in need. I shall therefore
obtain her vast riches in this way without any difficulty.
Or thus:
This woman loves me ardently, and knows all my weak points; if
therefore, I am unwilling to be united with her, she will make
my faults public, and thus tarnish my character and reputation.
Or she will bring some gross accusation against me, of which it
may be hard to clear myself, and I shall be ruined. Or perhaps
she will detach from me her husband who is powerful, and yet under
her control, and will unite him to my enemy, or will herself join
the latter.
Or thus:
The husband of this woman has violated the chastity of my wives,
I shall therefore return that injury by seducing his wives.
Or thus:
By the help of this woman I shall kill an enemy of the king, who
has taken shelter with her, and whom I am ordered by the king
to destroy.
Or thus:
The woman whom I love is under the control of this woman. I shall,
through the influence of the latter, be able to get at the former.
Or thus:
This woman will bring to me a maid, who possesses wealth and beauty,
but who is hard to get at, and under the control of another.
Or lastly thus:
My enemy is a friend of this woman's husband, I shall therefore
cause her to join him, and will thus create an enmity between
her husband and him. For these and similar other reasons the wives
of other men may be resorted to, but it must be distinctly understood
that is only allowed for special reasons, and not for mere carnal
desire.
Charayana thinks that under these circumstances there is also
a fifth kind of Nayika, viz. a woman who is kept by a minister,
or who repairs to him occasionally; or a widow who accomplishes
the purpose of a man with the person to whom she resorts. Suvarnanabha
adds that a woman who passes the life of an ascetic and in the
condition of a widow may be considered as a sixth kind of Nayika.
Ghotakamukha says that the daughter of a public woman, and a female
servant, who are still virgins, form a seventh kind of Nayika.
Gonardiya puts forth his doctrine that any woman born of good
family, after she has come of age, is an eighth kind of Nayika.
But these four latter kinds of Nayikas do not differ much from
the first four kinds of them, as there is no separate object in
resorting to them. Therefore, Vatsyayana is of opinion that there
are only four kinds of Nayikas, i.e. the maid, the twice-married
woman, the public woman, and the woman resorted to for a special
purpose.
The following women are not to be enjoyed:
· A leper
· A lunatic
· A woman turned out of caste
· A woman who reveals secrets
· A woman who publicly expresses desire for sexual intercourse
· A woman who is extremely white
· A woman who is extremely black
· A bad-smelling woman
· A woman who is a near relation
· A woman who is a female friend
· A woman who leads the life of an ascetic
· And, lastly the wife of a relation, of a friend, of a
learned Brahman, and of the king The followers of Babhravya say
that any woman who has been enjoyed by five men is a fit and proper
person to be enjoyed. But Gonikaputra is of opinion that even
when this is the case, the wives of a relation, of a learned Brahman
and of a king should be excepted.
The following are of the kind of friends:
· One who has played with you in the dust, i.e. in childhood
· One who is bound by an obligation
· One who is of the same disposition and fond of the same
things
· One who is a fellow student
· One who is acquainted with your secrets and faults, and
whose faults and secrets are also known to you
· One who is a child of your nurse
· One who is brought up with you one who is an hereditary
friend
These friends should possess the following qualities:
· They should tell the truth
· They should not be changed by time
· They should be favourable to your designs
· They should be firm
· They should be free from covetousness
· They should not be capable of being gained over by others
· They should not reveal your secrets
Charayana says that citizens form friendship with washermen,
barbers, cowherds, florists, druggists, betel-leaf sellers, tavern
keepers, beggars, Pithamardas, Vitas and Vidushekas, as also with
the wives of all these people.
A messenger should possess the following qualities:
· Skilfulness
· Boldness
· Knowledge of the intention of men by their outward signs
· Absence of confusion, i.e. no shyness
· Knowledge of the exact meaning of what others do or say
· Good manners
· Knowledge of appropriate times and places for doing different
things
· Ingenuity in business
· Quick comprehension
· Quick application of remedies, i.e. quick and ready resources
And this part ends with a verse:
`The man who is ingenious and wise, who is accompanied by a friend,
and who knows the intentions of others, as also the proper time
and place for doing everything, can gain over, very easily, even
a woman who is very
hard to be obtained.'
Footnotes
1 This term does not apply to a widow, but to
a woman who has probably left her husband, and is living with
some other person as a married woman, maritalement, as they say
in France.
2 Any woman fit to be enjoyed without sin. The
object of the enjoyment of women is twofold, viz. pleasure and
progeny. Any woman who can be enjoyed without sin for the purpose
of accomplishing either the one or the other of these two objects
is a Nayika. The fourth kind of Nayika which Vatsya admits further
on is neither enjoyed for pleasure or for progeny, but merely
for accomplishing some special purpose in hand. The word Nayika
is retained as a technical term throughout.
