Kamasutra, words people only dare to whisper
Kamasutra, words people only dare to whisper
Jalan Kesempurnaan Melalui Kamasutra, Sex, Cinta & Kasih
(Road to Perfection through Kamasutra, Sex and Love)
Anand Krishna
Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, 1998
IX + 122 pp
JAKARTA (JP): Kamasutra. It's one of the most familiar words in the world -- so familiar that many people do not know exactly what it means. They may think that it is about the Indian art of acrobatic lovemaking, and many people are too embarrassed to discuss the book openly.
This lack of knowledge also makes people only dare to whisper, steal glances and then giggle when they come across a book with the word kamasutra in the title.
Kamasutra (some versions spell it Kama Sutra) is a Hindu literary work written some 1,600 years ago by Bhagavan Vatsyayana. However, this was only a rewritten version of the original work which consisted of Indian texts which were even more ancient.
It is true that the most famous part of Kamasutra is about sexual intercourse positions.
In fact, this book also speaks of mankind in totality; of manners, behavior, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual satisfaction. Kamasutra was originally written for the aristocratic class of ancient India.
In Vatsyayana's teachings, the ideal life is one that is in line with dharma, artha and kama. Dharma is the search for religious meaning, artha for prosperity and kama for satisfaction and love. Unfortunately, this idealism no longer fits the present day context. The main difference is that the world now is more egalitarian than at the time of Vatsyayana.
As Kamasutra does not exclusively deal with sexual acts, it is not considered taboo. In Central India there is a temple, Khajuraho, that boasts reliefs of the sexual positions discussed in Kamasutra. The Khajuraho temple was once used as a sort of classroom to teach sex education. When a girl or a boy reached adolescence, he or she was taken to the Khajuraho temple by their parents or their teacher.
For the community of Central Java, the information contained in the Khajuraho temple should not be too startling. The Sukuh temple near Surakarta offers nearly the same information as Khajuraho, and was probably originally designed to serve the same function as the temple in India.
Khajuraho also served as a place to study tantra. It is said that tantra teaches one how to reach spiritual perfection without abandoning worldly things. According to tantra, the worldly and the spiritual can go hand in hand. The world is a step that can bring you to the summit of spiritual awareness.
From the standpoint of tantra, it is easy to understand why discussions on sex are never considered taboo. To study Kamasutra, you must also think clearly and maturely.
Author Anand Krishna will certainly not fulfill your hopes if you are only dreaming of seeing erotic pictures.
He first explains the real meaning of Kamasutra, dismissing the misconception that the work is pornographic. In fact, he asserts, Kamasutra is a great literary work.
He also differentiates between love and sex. For example, he mentions that the positions of sexual intercourse discussed in Kamasutra can be performed only if you love your partner.
If you only think of sex, you will be carried away by desire. You will have no patience and you will not be able to practice the postures of the Kamasutra. If you are overwhelmed by passion or if you often change sexual partners, you will not be able to practice the postures of the Kamasutra. You must know your partner for a long time, thus extramarital affairs can automatically be prevented if you follow the Kamasutra.
From passion to compassion, from sexual desire to the highest awareness, from sex to love. This is the essence of the teachings of the Kamasutra.
So, if you see the book in a shop do not feel embarrassed. Buy it, read it and enjoy it without suspicion or prejudice -- who knows, it may help you improve your marital life.
Kamasutra is an increasingly popular source of knowledge about the art of lovemaking.
-- A. Ariobimo Nusantara
The reviewer is a graduate of Gadjah Mada's School of Archeology in Yogyakarta.