The Karma Sutra

The Karma Sutra is one the most popular documents ever written in the art of lovemaking. More than just a manual for lovemaking positions, the Karma Sutra tells of the union of pleasure and spirituality. The Indian scholar Mallanaga Vatsyayana wrote this unique Sanskrit literature about human sexual behavior within the 2nd and 4th centuries A.C.E. It has since become a standard manual in unifying men and women through the pleasure of sex. It includes detailed descriptions on the different sexual positions as well as psychological insights and practical advice on sex, love, and relationships.

Karma Sutra derives its name from "Kama" which means sexual pleasure and "Sutra" meaning the tie that binds things together. It is a part of a group of texts called Kama Shastra or "Discipline of Karma", which dates back to 17th century B.C.E. Kama Shastra's first traditional interpretation is based on the story of the sacred bull Nandi, Shiva's doorkeeper who documented the lovemaking acts of the god and his wife Parvati.

The Karma Sutra is composed of 36 chapters with 1250 verses and divided into 7 parts. First, is the introduction which features the contents of the book. The second part is about sexual union and the different ways to stimulate desire such as the types of embraces, caresses, kisses and the 64 types of sexual acts.

It has a total of 10 chapters. The third part is about the acquisition of a wife, which includes insights on marriage forms, relaxing and obtaining the girl, managing alone and union of marriage. The fourth part is about the conducts of the only wife, the chief wife, and the other wives. The fifth part include chapters about the behavior of woman and man, getting to know each other, examination of sentiments, the king's pleasure and behavior in the women's quarters.

The sixth part is about courtesans and advices on choosing loves, being friends with an ex-lover, various money-making ways which also includes lessons on profits and losses. The last chapter is about how to attract other people by improving physical attractions and arousing one's sexual power.

The Karma Sutra book was first intended for the affluent male members of society and was never intended for public release. However, because of its rich content about spirituality and its relation to various lovemaking postures, it has been used as a Tantric lovemaking manual even until today. Tantra follows the five principal positions found in the Karma Sutra: man on his back, woman on top; woman on her back, man on top; woman and man on their sides, facing each other; woman with her back to the man; and seated positions, normally face-to-face. However, most scholars would argue that the Karma Sutra is not a Tantric text and both are two different spiritual and sexual practices.