Men of karma sutra
In the preface of Kama Sutra, Vatsyayana cites the work of previous authors based on which he compiled his own Kama Sutra. Although Kama Sutra did not originally have illustrative images, part 2 of the work describes different sex positions.
John Keay says that the Kama Sutra is a compendium that was collected into its present form in the 2nd century CE. Historians attribute Kamasutra to be composed between 400 BCE and 200 CE. The Kama Sutra is the oldest and most notable of a group of texts known generically as Kama Shastra (Sanskrit: Kāma Śāstra).
The majority of the book, notes Jacob Levy, is about the philosophy and theory of love, what triggers desire, what sustains it, how and when it is good or bad. Kama Sutra, in parts of the world, is presumed or depicted as a synonym for creative sexual positions in reality, only 20% of Kama Sutra is about sexual positions.
#MEN OF KARMA SUTRA MANUAL#
Contrary to popular perception, especially in the western world, Kama sutra is not exclusively a sex manual it presents itself as a guide to a virtuous and gracious living that discusses the nature of love, family life and other aspects pertaining to pleasure oriented faculties of human life. " Kāma" which is one of the four goals of Hindu life, means desire including sexual desire the latter being the subject of the textbook, and " sūtra" literally means a thread or line that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. The Kama Sutra (कामसूत्र) is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana.