39709231 Anangrang Another Kamsutra

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I~ I MAltA' ~ I ~ A~ GAHAN GA AN INDIAN EROTIC

CHAUKHAMBHA ORIENTAL RESEARCH STUDIES NO. 24

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17 ALYANAMALLA'S ANANGARANGA • AN INDIAN EROTIC ( Sanskrit Text with English Translation)

S. N. PRASAD M. A., D. Phil.

Birla Institute ojTechnoiogy and Science, Pilani

Publisher I CHAUKHAMBHA ORIENTALIA P. O. Chaukhambha, Post Box No. 32 Gokul Bhawan, K. 37/109, Gopal Mandir Lane VARANASI-221001 (India) Telephone: 63354 Telegram : Gokulotsav

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PREFACE Ever since I became aware of the vital role of sex in human relationship I have been fascinated by the masterly treatment of making Jove in the Anatiga Ranga of Kalya1)amalla. Though this significant work was produced in early ] 6th century, its insight and wisdom retain freshness and what was stated there is valid even to·day. Human nature in its essentials seldom changes much, and this is especiall y so in the case of instincts, natural urges} and intuitions which exercise a deep impact on the at t of making love. Kalya1)amalia's Alla/igaRanga is the last important treatise in the tradition of Kokkoka Pandit. Kalya1)amalla conceives sexual Jove both as a science and an art and therefore he lays almost equal emphasis on its technique, power and pleasure. The opening chapter which is in the nature of an introduction is fullowed by an exhaustive treatment of errogenous zones in the female body-a knowledge of which is essential for the sex foreplay to arouse and warnJ up the partner. \Vith great knowledge and experience he proceeds to classify women into different categories and describts the periods and duration of the sexual fxcitement of each and the best ways and means of handling each situation effectively. The second chapLer treats the subject with further details. In the third chapter il fresh classification of male and fcmale on the basis or tbe size and depth of their orgaus is given. The climax of the treatment of the theme l1aturally follows n~xt. Coitus and sex congress are discussed in minute details .. Kalyal}.amalla gives as 'many as' nine categories of coitus on the basis of its intensity-vigorous, gentle and moderate. Again coitus has been fU.l'~her classified on the basis of its duration and intensity of passion. It is ~nteresting to observe that he has developed titillation of the female organ into a fine art. lIe' is the first to insist 011 titillation by the male ul'gau (liligak,wblzalla) and not by fiugers alone, as bad beell suggested in the earlier texts. And this gives him an occasion to desL:ribe the structure, figure, and general built of women coming from different pal ts and regions of the country. Orgasm, naturally is the end and climax of all sexual union, a means to fullest sexual delight and fulfilment. KalyaI,lamalla, therefore, pays special attention to discussing the ways of achieving orgasm. Being aware of the limitations of human strength and virility and the many impairments, caused to the sexual organs by self-abuse and other wrong practices, he describes the artificial aids, specialised drugs and magical preparations which become necessary in such cases. They serve as aids to repair damages and build up vitality and also act as agents for contraction and expansion of female organ for the added pleasure which the coitus gives. Kalya~lamalla believes that aphrodisiacs may be necessary for both the sexes and so tries to administer to their needs.

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Female vanity and sex appeal of female body receives his attention next. Recipes are given for developing breasts, making them shapely, rounded, plump and hard and medicinal ingradients are suggested for removig unwanted hair, and for nourishing the growth of glossy hair of the head which have through the ages constituted a necessary part of Hindu female beauty. KalyaJ;lamalla puts special emphasis on the female sensitivity and response to lover's fondling, embraces, caresses and other modes of arousal. The range of the volume in fact is so wide that it covers almost the entire gamut of sexul relations-the selection of marriage partners, the conduct and bearing of the newly weds, the extra marital relations and function amI modus operandi of the messenger and the go-between. Though a little freedom to browse in the neighbour's green pasture is permitted, rank promiscuity is disapproved and sex taboos are clearly mentioned. In the last chapter as a summation of all that has gone before he com,entrates on the sexual congress, its various tcchniques, postures-supine (uttiina) , sideways ( tiryakabandha), standing (iisthita), sitting (asita), bending ( nata), and in the inverse ( puruffiiyita ) female riding the male. KalyaJ;lamalIa reveals the significance of sex in human life as perhaps no other writer has done. An eruuite scholar as he was, Kalyal}.amalla with rare insight observed that in this world of passing shadows there is but one reality, and that is the pleasure of the company of woman. He rates it equal to the pleasure of the union with the Infinite. According to him sublimation of the sexual desire is as essential for the happiuess and weJlbeing of man as food. He cautions that, howsoever, heavenly the uelights of sex may be, over-indulgence is self.defeating and fraught with dangers.

Dated J 4-4-83

S. N, Prasad

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authorities quoted in the text are duly acknowledged in footnotes. However special mention should be made of Mulk Raj Anand,I W. G. Archer 2, N. N. BhattacharyyaS, S. K. De·, Devangana Desai6 , M .S. Randhawa!;, and S. C. Upadhyaya7 and other scholars from whom I have drawn heavily in this work for illustrations and other useful information. The monographs have been of immense help to me. It is my pleasant duty to acknowledge my deep debt of gratitude to these authors.

1. Mulk Raj Anand, Kama Kala--Some Notes on the Philosophical Basis oj Hindu Erotic Sculpture' Geneva, 1958.

2. W. G. Archer, Indian Painting jrnm the Punjab Hills, London, 1973. 3. N. N . Bhattacharyya. History of IncUan Erolic Literatare, Delhi. 1975. 4. S. K. De, Ancient Indian Ero/ics and Erotic Literature, Calcutta, 1959. 5. Devangana Desai, Erotic Sculptures oj India, Delhi, 1975. 6. M. S. Randhawa, Kangra Paintings on Love, Delhi, 1962.

7. S. C. Upadhyaya, Kuml1sutra ajVatsyliyana, Bombay, 1961.

INTRODUCTION The theme of love is universal phenomenon but what is more significant is that in ancient India this universal theme was studied in a scientific manner and the scholars, saints, seers and philosophers developed this study as a separate branch of learning entitled Kamaliistra. Besides ancient Indian Eroties the treatment of love occupied unique place both in the pre-classical and classical literature of India. The earliest known love-poems in the world are mentioned in the Samvada hymns of the lJg-veda 1 • It is a poem of eighteen stanzas in which there is a dialogue between Puriiravas and a divine damsel, Urvasl. This romantic theme had attracted several classical writers of subsequent ages 2 • Even a poet like Kalidasa used this story for his finest drama Urvasr.yam. When in despair, Pururavas speaks of self.destruction and wants to throw himself from the rocks to the fierce wolves the heartless Urvasi only replies: "With women there can be no lasting friendship ~ Hearts of hyenas are the hearts of women !" Another romantic poem in the same text is the dialogue of Yam a and Yamis. In this poem the sister of Yama, Yami, attempts to enthrall the love of her brother, Varna. She is persuading her brother that the gods themselves desire that he should unite himself with her so that the human race may not die out. It seems that the ancient myth of descent of human race from the primeval twin underlives the conversation : -

"I, Yami, am possessed by love of Yam a, That I may rest on the same couch beside him, I as a wife would yield myself to my husband, Like car wheels let us speed in the same task." Rllt Yama repulses her advances as a sin which the ever watchful gods would condemn:

They stand not still, they never close their eyelids, Those sentinels of gods who wander round us. Not me,-go quickly, wanton, with another Whirl round with him like the wheels of a chariot. To which she replies with more passion than reason: Is he a brother when she hath no lord ? Is she a sister when destuction coineth ? 1. ~V., X. 95. 2. Satapatha BrahmaQa; 11. 5. 1 ff, Klithakam, 8. 10. 3. Harjvamsa PUra1J4, 2. 29~ Vif!'u PuraIJ4, 4.6. 19 VifIJu PuraQa, 4. 6. 19ff, K. S. S., 17. 4.

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Forced by my love these many words I utter Come near me and hold me in thy close embrace. And on his repeated refusals she bursts forth: Alas, thou art indeed a weakling Yama; We find in thee no trace of heart or spirit. As round thee the woodbine clings, Another, and not J, girdle-like will cling round thee. There is, however, no indication in the lJ-gveda that sexology had yet become the subject of special study. But erotic imagery is freely used in the lJ-gveda. The act of consummation is openly described in which the husband says to his wife to spread out her thighs where within he can eagerly thrust his organl • Moreover, the ~gvedic gods were not sexually moral (in the present sense of the term ). There are several stories of rapes 2 • This reflects the society of that time. It took many centuries to get the whole of the lJ-gveda being composed, and this period had obviously seen a historic transformation from pre-class to class societys. In Upani~adic literature the sex problems, mainly in genetics, and rules for approaching a woman have been discussed with interest. The Brhadara'l}yaka Upani~ad provides m some knowledge pertaining to sexology: He who desires that woman concerned should show ardour in the coitus should intimately contact and touch by mouth the vulvar cleft and the pubes and then insert his penis·. He who desires that pregnancy should not take place through the coitus performance, shall withhold his breath so that the semen may not be dischargedll • He who desires that the coitus should lead to conception must discharge his semen with simultaneous orgasm of the other into the receptacle(l. The SUtra literature is directly connected with the Brah m31)a literature. Sexual life has been treated as a part of religious life, the main purpose of which is to raise offsprings. Woman was considered as a cultivable land ( k~etra ) under the exclusive monopoly of the farmer ( man). This group of texts give emphasis on domestic aspect of sex life and impose strict prohibitions on sexual relations outside of marriage. This shows that unsettled nomadic life of the Aryans had completely settled and rna intained a peaceful harmonious domestic life. The sexual rituals of Brahmal)a literature have been reinterpreted with a different viewpoint. It was realised to pinpoint clearly the social norms and values to keep, protect and compact the social order of the society, to remove inbalances and to provide checks and balances. Then the codification of laws took place, and Manu and other later Dharmasastras developed. There is certainly no room for love in the Dharmsastras. Women were treated as instruments of gross sexual pleasure. 1. RV•• X. 85. 2. ibid. II. 15.6; IV 30, 8--11. X. 73. 6; X. 138.5 See also D. D. Kosambi, JBBRAS, Vol. XXVlIj pp. 19ff. 3. N. N. Bhattacharya, History oj Indian Erotic Literature, p. 35. 4. Brhadlira!'yaka Upani~ad, VI 4. 9. S. Ibid, VI. 4. 10. 6. Ibid, VI. 4. 11.

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It will be correct to point out that misogynistic ideas were designed to serve as the theoretical basis for the establishment of male dominated society!. But before that no one bothered about female chastity. The special enthusiasm to introduce these ideas clearly shows that previously women had sexual liberty, and this liberty was snatched and crushed by force in order to establish patriarchy. It is interesting to mention PaI,lQu-Kuntl dialogue from the Ma/zii,bhiirata. PaI,l