The Complete Kama Sutra: The First Unabridged Modern Translation of the Classic Indian Text: Complete Kama Sutra

Mallanaga Vatsyayana, Alain Danielou

ISBN 10: 0892815256 / ISBN 13: 9780892815258

Published by Inner Traditions Bear and Compan, 1993

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Synopsis:

The world's oldest and most widely read guide to the pleasures and techniques of sex, the Kama Sutrawas compiled in the fourth century A.D. by a Brahmin and religious scholar name Vatsyayana, who worked from texts dating back to the fourth century B.C. Until the present, the only English translation of his Hindu love classic was that of the famous English explorer Sir Richard Burton, published in 1883. Unlike Burton's version, Alain Daniélou's new translation preserves the numbered verse divisions of the original and includes two essential commentaries: the Fayamangalacommentary, written in Sanskrit by Yashodhara during the Middle Ages, and a modern Hindi commentary by Devadatta Shastri. Whereas Burton's Victorian reluctance to translate certain terms obscured our understanding of the philosophy and techniques of the Kama Sutra, Daniélou has preserved the full explicitness of the original, dealing with everything from the art of scratching to relations with the wives of others. Realistic and pragmatic in its approach, the Kama Sutradeals without ambiguity or hypocrisy with all aspects of sexual life--including marriage, adultery, prostitution, group sex, sadomasochism, male and female homosexuality, and transvestism. The text paints a fascinating portrait of an India whose openness to sexuality gave rise to a highly developed expression of the erotic.

About the Author: Alain Daniélou (1907-1994) spent more than 15 years in the traditional society of India, using only the Sanskrit and Hindi languages and studying music and philosophy with eminent scholars. He was duly initiated into esoteric Shaivism, which gave him unusual access to texts transmitted through the oral tradition alone. He is the author of more than 30 books on the religion, history, and arts of India and the Mediterranean.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Complete Kama Sutra: The First ...
Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear and Compan
Publication Date: 1993
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Used; Good