Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana’s Kamasutra

A Babhravya who is called Pbliala by Tivata the commentator is mentioned in the Pc-pratigakhya as the author of the Krama-petelza of the Itgveda and Proli.ssor Weber 2 holds that this Babhravya Paficala and the Pancala people through him took a leading part in fixing and arranging the text of the Rgveda. [...] Some of the most revolting ceremonies in the Agvannedlia sacrifice seem to have originated in the Paileala country.' The Pafic51a people were evidently credited ancient times with special knowledge in matters relating to the sexes and one of them is said to have changed even the natural sex as we see in the ease of gikhaiglin the son of the Paficala king Drupada.' Polyandry as we see it in th [...] The latter is evidently the same as Vii tsyayana's Knemincira the author of a monograph on the Aupanishadika portion of the Kamkistra and most probably one and the same work has been referred to by the two authors there being nothing extrordinary in the fact that the sections dealing with the secrets and mysteries (upanishad) of both poetics and ertics should coalesce.° Kautilya in the [...] The Keimasiitra defines' Kama or desire as the consciousness of the enjoyment of appropriate objects through the five organs?f sense and especially through the organ of touch ) cbntrolled and directed by the mind associated with the soul.' NoW„ this is exactly the position held with regard to the method of direct perception or pratyaksha expounded in the Noyasiltra as well as in the Bltdshya. [...] We thus see that from the literary data given above the earlier limit to the composition of the Kamastitra may be assigned on the basis of Vatsyayana's quotations from the Grhya and Dharma Sutras the Arthagastra of Kautilya and the Illahabhashya of Patafijali and that the lower limit may be fixed at circa 400 A. C. based on the dates of Kadidasa and Subandhu and further that there are strong r