By Rami Sastri,

At the time Vatsyayana penned the words of the Kama Sutra, he had no idea what he was beginning. He and his contemporaries were highly educated, religious men of the Hindu faith. The work that Vatsyayana put onto parchment was not intended as a corrupting influence but was more the advice of one who had traveled a path and wanted to share the knowledge of the journey. Even though, Vatsyayana refers to “public women” or prostitutes, explaining the differences between them and their uses, and coaches his male students on the proper way to seduce a married woman while admitting that relations with another mans mate are to be avoided, he was a fairly moral man for the society of his time. If he and his contemporaries could see the later works of today, they might question our own moral fiber.

What Did Vatsyayana Start?

Vatsyayana published the Kama Sutra as a way of sharing his knowledge but to some societies this knowledge would seem ill gained. He spoke of the use of consorts, both male and female, and of various forms of sexual intercourse. These positions came as quite a shock to Victorian era English men and women when Sir Richard Burton published the first English translation of the work. While it outwardly brought fainting, shuddering and a conflagration, in private people were titillated by the work and it began to eat at the back of their minds just how some of those positions worked and whether that male enhancement recipe that called for the stings of a wasp really did work permanently. Burton, himself having three Indian mistresses, was quoted to say,”We British never knew of this kind of love-making. Had we known, we would not have ruined the lives of so many British virgins.” This comment was made after his visit to a prostitute of the day. While folks claimed an aversion to the subject matter, they were privately drawn to it and the morals of the society began a subtle change.

As the secrets of the Kama Sutra slowly leaked out, the common man thought to himself that this or that new idea sounded quite interesting. For a time period when the missionary position was the only church sanctioned union, some of the ideas of the Kama Sutra must have sounded very intriguing. Now and then a recipient of the Kama Sutra’s knowledge would decide to give something a try and come back with a sore back or a pulled tendon but with each torn ligament there was also a tear in the morals of the society.

How Far Did This Influence Reach?

The influence of the Kama Sutra did not stop with the English countryside. Far from it, the influence has spread to nearly all parts of the world and has become even more pervasive as the quality of communication has increased. With the Internet and the eased restrictions on the publications of printed material;s, the Kama Sutra finds a larger following all the time. Unfortunately, many people have forgotten Vatsyayna’s original goal for the Kama Sutra which was to put sex and its pleasures in their proper perspective. Society has become very promiscuous and quick to go for what feels good to the individual. Thus we find a moral breakdown unparalleled by any other time in history.

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