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.