Kama
Kama, the second aim of life, has to do with fun or, more generally, pleasure. In Indian mythology, Kama is the counterpart of Cupid; he is the Hindu god of love. Kama refers to the emotional being, the feelings and desires of a person.
According to Indian philosophy, people who are denied their emotional lives and the fulfillment of pleasurable desires are repressed and live under a continual strain. All of this is ruinous to their sanity and well-being.
Kama teaching is exciting because it runs counter to the frustrations that result from arranged marriages of convenience. Traditional Hindu marriages became more and more family-managed affairs. There were no limits as to how meddlesome the parents might be. Bargains struck by the heads of families, based on the horoscopes cast by astrologers and on economic and social considerations, determined the fate of the young bride and groom.
Hinduism acknowledges that seeking pleasures and avoiding pain are fundamental to human psychology, and therefore pleasure is one of the ends — or goals — of existence. But people do come to the realization that pleasure is not all there is. In fact, the nonstop pursuit of pleasure is rather trivial and ultimately boring; people desire something more lasting.
The principal surviving classic of India's kama teaching is Vatsayana's celebrated Kama Sutra. This sensual work has earned India a reputation for sensuality that is rather misleading; the subject of sex is treated on a secular and technical level. The Kama Sutra is more or less a textbook for lovers and courtesans. In such a planned environment, with its arranged marriages, there have been plenty of dull and painful households where a copy of the Kama Sutra would come in handy.
Despite the sensuality described — and depicted — in the lovemaking classic Kama Sutra, the average Hindu holds an austere, chaste, and extremely restrained attitude about sexual activity. The goal of the ideal life is to be immersed in spiritual pursuits and to have mystical experiences that result in a union with God.
Not all Indian literature is imbued with a hankering for increased spirituality. Vatsayana also gives a veritable guide for the “man about town” who enjoys “the good things of life, has a cultured taste, and moves in the most refined social and artistic circles.”
After acquisition of learning, a person should with the help of the material resources obtained by him through gifts from others, personal gain, commerce or service, marry and set up a home, and then follow the ways of the man of taste and culture.
He may make his abode, in accordance with the calling chosen by him, in a city, in a commercial center, or a town; any of these that he chooses should be inhabited by good people. There he should make for himself a house, with water nearby, having a garden, provided with separate apartments for different activities.
— Kama Sutra 1.4
Who was the Kama Sutra written for?
There is little doubt that the Kama Sutra was written for a predominantly male audience, setting out to cater to their sexual desires. Some passages refer to how men might better satisfy women's sexual pleasure, but even this is framed in a male-centered way.
The text continues that the retiring room shall have a “fine couch” with two pillows, not to mention a swing in the garden. The sensual life should be replete with a bath every day, a massage every second day, and a salve every third day to ward off stiffness of the legs. A male's aesthetic will also include excursions to attending festivals, salons for enjoying literature and art, drinking parties, excursions to parks, and group games.
