Kama Sutra Summary

The Kama Sutra is a widely known work of literature; most people recognize this book for its erotic teaching of sexual positions. Although “sexual unions” are a small portion of the Kama Sutra, there are many other lessons to be learned from this doctrine in accordance to Hindu laws. This Ancient manuscript was written by a religious student and philosopher by the name of Vatsyayana; his ideas were based on old Hindu legends and lost texts that are prevalent in Indian culture. Although no one is quite certain of when Vatsyayana lived, it is said to be between fourth century BC and sixth century AD (Burton & Spellman, 1986, p.13). In 1838 a Sir Richard F. Burton translated the Kama Sutra for the Kama Sastra Society of London and Benares; this is the most well known translation and is the most commonly used (Burton & Spellman, 1986, p.50). Burton made his translation simple, but it is still difficult to apprehend the Kama Sutra with out some knowledge of the book’s organization and style as well as the common concepts of Indian and Hindu culture; by examining those first you can then appreciate the content of the Kama Sutra.

The first thing to acknowledge is the actual meaning of the title. According to John Spellman, who wrote the introduction to the Kama Sutra: The Classic Hindu Treatise on Love and Social Conduct, the word Kama means pleasure and Sutra is a type of writing style (Burton & Spellman, 1986, p.9-10). Vatsyayana’s writing style is descriptive and exploratory, and is made up of 36 chapters divided into seven parts; each part consists of common aphorisms, principles, and short guidelines to express these styles. Vatsyayana uses common Hindu legends as poetic examples to emphasize his principles and guidelines, in fact, many Hindu literatures personify abstract qualities in their teachings (Burton & Spellman, 1986,