Insight Editions · No. 465
The Complete Kama Sutra
The First Unabridged Modern Translation of the Classic Indian Text by Vatsyayana
Vatsyayana, translated by Alain Daniélou
A complete study edition of Alain Daniélou's translation of the Kama Sutra with the Jayamangala commentary of Yashodhara and the modern Hindi commentary of Devadatta Shastri: the three aims of life, the sixty-four arts, the townsman's life, techniques of love, marriage, wives, other men's wives, courtesans and occult practices.
A study guide to The Complete Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana, translated by Alain Daniélou (Park Street Press, 1994). Shared free for personal reading; not for sale and not endorsed by the translator's estate or publishers. Please read and buy the original.
CORE CLAIM
Pleasure is one of the three aims of life and, like wealth and virtue, it must be learned. Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra is a systematic manual of love, sex, courtship, marriage, adultery and courtesan life for the cultivated townsman, and Daniélou's edition presents it whole, with its two commentaries, as an impartial study rather than an erotic book.
SCOPE
A translation of the full text in 7 parts and 36 chapters, with the twelfth-century Jayamangala commentary of Yashodhara and extracts from the modern Hindi commentary of Devadatta Shastri. Daniélou's introduction, an editor's note and five appendices (texts quoted, characters, works consulted, plants and herbs, special terms).
KEY FIGURES
Vatsyayana (compiler, around the fourth century A.D.), his predecessors Nandi, Shvetaketu, the Babhravyas, Dattaka, Suvarnanabha, Ghotakamukha, Gonardiya and Gonikaputra; the commentators Yashodhara and Devadatta Shastri.
BEST FOR
Readers who want to know what the Kama Sutra actually contains beyond the famous positions, and how it fits the classical theory of the aims of life.
The Book on One Page
Daniélou's translation, published by Park Street Press (Inner Traditions) in 1994, was billed as the first unabridged modern translation, and its distinctive feature is that it keeps the commentaries alongside the sutras.
Vatsyayana, "a Brahman and a great man of letters" living in Pataliputra (modern Patna) around the fourth century A.D., compiled earlier works on erotic science that "had become difficult to access". Daniélou argues that the book therefore describes customs of the Maurya period, reviewed in the Gupta period, and shares its style with Kautilya's Artha Shastra. It is "not a pornographic work" but "an impartial and systematic study of one of the essential aspects of existence", above all a picture of "the art of living for the civilized and refined citizen".
The seven parts move from theory to practice and from the couple to society: 1. General remarks: the three aims of life, the sixty-four arts, the life of the townsman, and reflections on lovers and go-betweens. 2. Amorous advances: types of partners, embraces, kisses, scratching, biting, positions, blows and sighs, role reversal, oral sex, and the conduct of a love meeting. 3. Acquiring a wife: forms of marriage, winning the trust of a bride, courtship and the love marriage (gandharva). 4. Duties of wives: the only wife and the many wives of a polygamous household. 5. Other men's wives: why women yield or refuse, go-betweens, kings' pleasures and the harem. 6. Courtesans: choosing lovers, keeping them, extracting money, breaking off and calculating profit and loss. 7. Occult practices: charms, aphrodisiacs, remedies for impotence and devices.
| Part | Title | One-line payload |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Remarks | Aims of life, arts, the townsman's day, kinds of lovers. |
| 2 | Amorous Advances | Types, embraces, kisses, marks, positions, variants, the love meeting. |
| 3 | Acquiring a Wife | Eight forms of marriage; winning a bride; the love marriage. |
| 4 | Duties and Privileges of Wives | The only wife; co-wives and the chief wife. |
| 5 | Other Men's Wives | Women's motives; go-betweens; kings; the harem. |
| 6 | About Courtesans | Choosing, keeping and leaving lovers; income and loss. |
| 7 | Occult Practices | Charms, tonics, impotence, accessories. |
Introduction and Editor's Note
Daniélou explains the history of the text, how he translated it, and the society it describes.
The aims of life
Indian thinkers saw life as transmission: each living being exists to pass on its code, and pleasure is the lure that makes it do so. Human life thus has three worldly aims, dharma (virtue), artha (wealth) and kama (pleasure), with moksha (liberation) as a separate, fourth domain. Vatsyayana treats belief in a future life as "a kind of wager" and "on the whole sides with the materialists", while the commentators side with the believers.
Predecessors and date
Tradition attributes the first formulation of erotic science to Nandi, Shiva's companion. Shvetaketu, son of Uddalaka, summarized it; the Babhravyas of Panchala condensed it; later authors treated parts. Dattaka wrote on courtesans "with the aid of a famous courtesan of Pataliputra". Vatsyayana gathered these works while studying in Benares, and says he checked the practices "through personal experience". The mention of a first-century B.C. king and later borrowing by Varahamihira fix the limits of the date.
Commentaries and translation
Sutras are condensed verses meant to be memorized and explained by a teacher, so the commentaries "are an integral part of the teaching". Daniélou includes Yashodhara's Jayamangala (around the twelfth century) and Devadatta Shastri's modern Hindi commentary. Technical terms are often misleading: yoga means "sexual intercourse", tantra "technique", upanishad "occult and magical practices". He apologizes for a literal style chosen so as not to modernize a text "considered sacred".
Society, city and women
The reader addressed is the nagaraka, the wealthy, cultivated townsman, merchant or official, who loves music, painting and theater, eats meat and drinks wine. Women "enjoyed great freedom"; widows could remarry; suttee appears only in the modern commentary. Courtesans were "the ornaments of the city" and carriers of the arts. Daniélou insists "sacred prostitution has never existed in India" and recalls the dancer Bala Saraswati and the Benares singer Siddheshvari Devi. Same-sex relations and other variants are described as part of sexual life.
Puritanism in modern India
He blames modern Indian puritanism on "Islamic and Anglo-Saxon prejudice", accuses Gandhi of sending disciples to smash erotic temple sculpture (halted, he says, by Tagore), and attacks the criminal law on "unnatural" sex. The editor's note explains the simplified Sanskrit transcription and thanks Sanskritist George Thompson.
CRITICAL LENS. The introduction's history (writing disappearing in India "as a result of the Aryan invasions", the Maurya dating of the content) is Daniélou's view, and most scholars date the text to the third century A.D. or so without such claims. His remark that Gandhi sent "squads" to smash sculptures is not documented in the book. The statement on Section 377 also needs correction: that article dates from the British Indian Penal Code of 1860, not from Nehru's government, and India's Supreme Court read it down for consenting adults in 2018.
General Remarks
Five chapters set out the place of love among the aims of life and the setting in which love is practiced.
1. Contents of the book
Erotic science is needed because townsmen "cannot without instruction behave like men of culture": "Those that claim to accomplish something without knowing its theory are like those who read texts traced by worms." The chapter lists the whole contents and notes that "novelty is another name for desire".
2. The three aims of life
Over a hundred-year life, a man must pursue virtue, wealth and pleasure "without one being prejudicial to another". Kama is defined as the mind's inclination toward pleasures of the senses. When they conflict, "virtue is more important than success and fortune," and money more important than love. Vatsyayana answers objections: animals need no teacher, but humans, unlike animals, "begin again" and need art; materialists doubt rites, but tradition should not be dropped; fatalists credit destiny, but effort still matters.
3. Acquisition of knowledge
Erotic science should be studied alongside other subjects, by men and also by women. The chapter lists the sixty-four arts: music, dance, painting, garlands, perfumes, cooking, carpentry, magic, mechanical devices, memory games and more. Educated courtesans (ganika) hold "an honored place in society".
4. Conduct of the well-bred townsman
After study and marriage, the nagaraka settles in a refined house with a vina, drawing tools, books and garlands. His day is set out: bath, meals, mynah birds and parrots, cockfights, conversation with companions, siesta, evening parties. Festivals, drinking parties, picnics and the spring festival of the god of love are described. A cultivated man without money can live by teaching courtesans.
5. Reflections on intermediaries
Love should first be satisfied within caste and through proper marriage. The chapter classifies women a man may approach, the arguments others use to justify affairs, the types of lovers (official or secret; superior, average, inferior) and the go-betweens who help them.
Takeaway. Before any technique, the Kama Sutra sets love inside a balanced life and a culture of the arts. Pleasure is ranked below virtue and wealth, not above them.
Amorous Advances
The famous part: ten chapters on the technique of lovemaking.
1. Types and compatibility
Partners are classified by the size of their organs (the man as hare, bull or horse; the woman as doe, mare or elephant), by duration and by the intensity of desire. Equal matches are best. The commentary adds the later typology of four kinds of women, such as the chitrini. Debates among ancient masters on whether women's pleasure resembles men's are reported, and different kinds of attraction (habit, imagination, sympathy, the senses) are named.
2. Embraces
The preliminaries are said to have "sixty-four elements", perhaps because they were once described in sixty-four chapters. Embraces are named and graded, and the chapter adds a language of gestures and the role of betel.
3. Kisses
Kissing, scratching and biting "are constantly used", but must be guided by knowledge while one still keeps control; later "all control is lost". Kinds of kisses are named, such as the crosswise kiss and "the awakening kiss".
4 and 5. Scratching and biting
Marks of nails and teeth signal passion, possession and memory during absence. The places suitable and unsuitable are listed, and local custom must be respected.
6. Copulation and positions
Positions are adjusted to the partners' sizes and preferences, from simple postures to standing and water positions; regional practices are noted.
7. Blows and sighs
Sexual relations are conceived "as a kind of combat". Slaps on certain areas and the sounds that answer them are classified.
8. Role reversal
When the man is tired, the woman may take the active role (purushayita). The chapter also discusses women who love women (svairini) and the man's techniques of movement.
9. Oral sex
The chapter describes oral practices, including between men and between women, and reports differing opinions on their propriety by region and partner.
10. Before and after
Signs of affection must continue "before and after copulation". The ideal evening includes music, drink, betel, then talk and moonlight on the terrace afterward. Lovers' quarrels and reconciliations are described. Touch "predominates" from beginning to end.
CRITICAL LENS. This part treats pain, blows and force as normal parts of sex, and at one point the text says that if a girl resists "she should be violated". Modern readers should be clear that consent is not optional and that such passages describe an ancient male-centered view, not acceptable conduct. Daniélou presents the text without comment, in keeping with his "impartial" approach.
Acquiring a Wife
Five chapters on marriage, from arranged unions to elopement.
1. Forms of marriage
The chapter lists eight forms of marriage, from the "priestly" (Brahma), where a girl is given with nothing in return, to forms by purchase, mutual consent or abduction. It describes the inquiries made by both families, the signs and omens consulted, and the defects that make a match undesirable. "Friendship and love must be practiced between equals, neither with superiors nor with inferiors."
2. Relaxing the bride
After the wedding the couple sleep chastely on the ground for three days. The husband wins her trust with gifts, conversation and patience, asking "Do you want me or not?" until she agrees.
3 and 4. Winning a girl
If a boy cannot obtain the girl he loves through her parents, he can court her with games, stories, friends and go-betweens, watching for the signs of her interest. The girl, for her part, is advised how to choose and manage a suitor: a devoted, modest husband is better than a brilliant but inconstant one.
5. Union by marriage
The gandharva marriage, by mutual agreement, is presented as "the most just, the one in which love and sexuality are harmoniously combined." "Without love, marriage has no purpose." Other forms, by elopement and abduction, are also described.
CRITICAL LENS. The text and commentary assume very young brides, and Daniélou's own introduction notes that the girl "often appears to have been merely a child". The forms of marriage by abduction or trickery describe practices the law books themselves ranked lowest. These passages should be read historically, not as advice.
Duties and Privileges of Wives
Two chapters on the wife in a monogamous and a polygamous household.
1. The only wife
The good wife manages the house, garden and accounts: she plants vegetables, herbs and spices, keeps the stores, avoids waste, cares for the husband's tastes, and greets him at the door. She dresses simply, shares his fasts, keeps his secrets and does not assert herself at parties. In his absence she lives modestly.
2. The chief wife and co-wives
In a polygamous household the chief wife treats the younger wives as sisters while keeping her rank; younger wives manage relations with her and with the husband. A widow remarried into the household teaches the arts and helps others. A barren wife is in a difficult position, and Vatsyayana urges compassion for her. The husband must keep all his wives satisfied, each in her own way.
Takeaway. Though Vatsyayana describes polygamy in detail, Daniélou notes in his introduction that "Vatsyayana extols the advantages of having a single wife."
Other Men's Wives
Six chapters on adultery, presented as a study of behavior rather than a recommendation.
1. Why women yield or refuse
The chapter lists a man's motives and a woman's reasons for refusing (her children, fear for her future, her husband's anger, his poverty, her own defects). It also lists women who are easily won, such as those married by force or neglected by husbands who are "irascible, dirty, impotent" or absent. The commentary insists the work "has nothing to do with ethics": virtue, prosperity and love are "like the warp and woof of cloth".
2 and 3. Approaches and testing feelings
Union comes "after a long association". The lover builds acquaintance, watches for signs, and tests whether her consent is real and whether she has another liaison.
4. The go-between
The messenger woman praises the lover and finds fault with the husband. Eight kinds of go-between are named, from the fully trusted to "the wind" who passes unnoticed.
5. Kings' pleasures
Kings and ministers "cannot enter other people's houses, since the conduct of the powerful is observed and imitated." The chapter describes how they nonetheless use servants and invitations, and warns with examples of kings killed in such adventures.
6. The harem
Women of the inner apartments, many wives with one husband, often "obtain their satisfaction among themselves", and the chapter describes how outsiders slip in and the risks involved.
CRITICAL LENS. Vatsyayana himself states that he describes adultery only for knowledge and recommends it only in special cases. The part also portrays village women as available to chiefs and treats them as objects, which records abuse of power rather than accepted ethics. Read it as social history.
About Courtesans
Six chapters, largely from Dattaka, on the courtesan's profession.
1. Choosing a lover
A courtesan, aided by her companions and assistants, judges a suitor's wealth, generosity, health and character. People take lovers for passion, money, protection, revenge or learning.
2. A steady lover
To keep a chosen lover, she behaves "like a wife", plays the pupil of the sixty-four arts, shows affection and gratitude. The commentary praises courtesans as "a singular work of the Creator" for their skill in music, dance and conversation.
3. Getting money
She obtains her due by normal exchange or by tricks: inventing emergencies, playing rivals against each other.
4. Renewing old ties
She may return to a former lover to replace a current one, weighing who left whom and why.
5. Occasional profits
Courtesans are of three kinds: tied to one man, to several, or to none. The independent one earns "occasional profits" and must choose lovers who will bring lasting gain. Some famous courtesans of legend later "devoted themselves to the gods".
6. Profit and loss
The final chapter is a calculus of gains and losses, doubts and risks, distinguishing purely commercial relations from those that serve virtue, as when a courtesan saves a lovesick Brahman and so preserves his family.
The courtesan as professional. These chapters read like a business manual, with risk analysis and client management. They support Daniélou's claim that courtesans were a recognized, educated profession, though they also show how much depended on calculation.
Occult Practices
Two chapters on charms, tonics and remedies.
1. Success in love
Part seven, called Aupanishadika, is an appendix on magic: ointments, powders and mantras to win partners, increase attraction and achieve "perfect erotic satisfaction", with plant recipes drawn from medicine (ayurveda).
2. Arousing weakened desire
Two forms of impotence are treated, organic weakness and lack of excitement. Remedies include oral stimulation, devices, tonics and drinks, and methods said to enlarge the organ. The closing passage argues that eroticism is "a highly important mental activity" and that society devised rules to control and use this force.
CRITICAL LENS. The appendix on plants itself warns that some identifications "remain uncertain" and that readers should "use great circumspection in experimenting with the proposed recipes". Some recipes include toxic substances such as arsenic compounds. Treat the whole part as historical, not medical, advice.
The Whole Book
What the Kama Sutra teaches, and what Daniélou's edition adds.
Master takeaways
- Pleasure is a legitimate aim of life, alongside virtue and wealth.
- Virtue ranks above wealth, wealth above pleasure when they conflict.
- Love must be learned, like any art; humans are not animals.
- The sixty-four arts are the culture in which love takes place.
- The townsman's refined life is the setting: house, garden, music, festivals.
- Compatibility matters: of type, size, timing and desire.
- Affection before and after is as important as technique.
- The love marriage is the "most just" form of marriage.
- The wife's household role is described as skilled management.
- Adultery and the harem are analyzed, not recommended.
- Courtesans were professionals of art and seduction.
- Commentaries are part of the text; Daniélou keeps them.
Frameworks and mental models
| Name | What it says | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Three aims (trivarga) | Virtue, wealth, pleasure in balance | Placing love in a whole life |
| Sixty-four arts | Love belongs to a broad culture | Seeing eroticism as art |
| Types by size and temperament | Hare, bull, horse; doe, mare, elephant | Reading the compatibility chapters |
| Eight forms of marriage | From gift to abduction | Understanding classical marriage |
| Eight go-betweens | Kinds of intermediaries | Reading Part Five |
| Profit and loss | Courtesan's calculus | Reading Part Six |
On the whole book. Daniélou's Complete Kama Sutra is valuable for giving the full text with its commentaries and for stressing its place in Indian thought on the aims of life. Its literal style can be awkward, and his introduction mixes useful context with his own polemics and disputed history. The text itself reflects an elite, male, urban world: force, very young brides and the use of servants and village women appear without criticism. Readers may wish to compare it with the translation by Wendy Doniger and Sudhir Kakar for a different scholarly approach.
Who's who
| Name | Role in the book |
|---|---|
| Vatsyayana | Compiler of the Kama Sutra |
| Nandi | Shiva's companion, mythical first author |
| Shvetaketu | Early summarizer of erotic science |
| Babhravyas | School that condensed the science |
| Dattaka | Author on courtesans |
| Suvarnanabha, Ghotakamukha, Gonardiya, Gonikaputra | Earlier specialists cited |
| Yashodhara | Author of the Jayamangala commentary |
| Devadatta Shastri | Modern Hindi commentator |
| Bala Saraswati, Siddheshvari Devi | Artists Daniélou cites in the introduction |
Connect it
- Virtue, Success, Pleasure, and Liberation sets out the theory of the aims of life that frames the Kama Sutra.
- Manimekhalai, the Tamil epic Daniélou mentions in his introduction, offers a picture of courtesan life.
- The Way to the Labyrinth, chapter 21, explains why he translated the work.
About This Edition
An independent study guide to The Complete Kama Sutra: The First Unabridged Modern Translation of the Classic Indian Text by Vatsyayana, translated by Alain Daniélou (Park Street Press, Rochester, Vermont, 1994).
This edition summarizes the translation part by part for personal study. It avoids explicit detail where a summary is enough and does not reproduce the recipes. It follows Daniélou's terms and order. CRITICAL LENS boxes flag passages on consent, age and medicine, and claims in the introduction that are disputed. This study edition is separate from the site's edition of the Doniger and Kakar translation. Please read the original for the full text and commentaries.