Why Vatsyayana wrote Kamasutram

Kamasutram

SALUTATION TO DHARMA, ARTHA AND KAMA [१.१.१- धर्मअर्थकामेभ्यो नमः]

In the beginning, the Prajapati created men and women, and in the form of commandments in one hundred thousand chapters laid down rules for regulating their existence with regard to Dharma[1] Artha[2] and Kama[3] Some of these commandments, namely those which treated of Dharma, were separately written by Swayambhu Manu; those that related to Artha were compiled by Brihaspati; and those that referred to Kama were expounded by Nandi, the follower of Mahadeva, in one thousand chapters.

Now these ‘Kama Sutra’ , written by Nandi in one thousand chapters, were reproduced by Shvetaketu, the son of Uddvalaka, in an abbreviated form in five hundred chapters, and this work was again similarly reproduced in an abridged form, in one hundred and fifty chapters, by Babhravya, an inhabitant of the Punchala (South of Delhi) country.

These one hundred and fifty chapters were then put together under seven heads or parts named severally—

1st. Sadharana (general topics).

2nd. Samprayogika (embraces, etc.).

3rd. Kanya Samprayuktaka (union of males and females).

4th. Bharyadhikarika (on one’s own wife).

5th. Paradika (on the wives of other people).

6th. Vaisika (on courtesans).

7th. Aupamishadika (on the arts of seduction, tonic medicines, etc.).

The sixth part of this last work was separately expounded by Dattaka at the request of the public women of Pataliputra (Patna), and in the same way Charayana explained the first part of it. The remaining parts, viz., the second, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh were each separately expounded by—

Suvarnanabha (second part).
Ghotakamukha (third part).
Gonardiya (fourth part).
Gonikaputra (fifth part).
Kuchumara (seventh part), respectively.

Thus the work being written in parts by different authors was almost unobtainable, and as the parts which were expounded by Dattaka and the others treated only of the particular branches of the subject to which each part related, and moreover as the original work of Babhravya was difficult to be mastered on account of its length, Vatsyayana, therefore, composed his work in a small volume as an abstract of the whole of the works of the above-named authors.

१.१.५- प्रजापतिर् हि प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा ताषां स्थितिनिबन्धनं त्रिवर्गस्य साधनम् अध्यायानां शतसहस्रेणअग्रे प्रोवाच//

१.१.६- तस्यएकदेशिकं मनुः स्वायंभुवो धर्मअधिकारिकं पृथक् चकार//

१.१.७- बृहस्पतिर् अर्थअधिकारिकम्//

१.१.८- महादेवअनुचरश् च नन्दी सहस्रेणअध्यायानां पृथक् कामसूत्रं प्रोवाच//

१.१.९- तद् एव तु पञ्चभिर् अध्यायशतैर् औद्दालकिः श्वेतकेतुः संचिक्षेप//

१.१.१०- तद् एव तु पुनर् अध्यर्धेनअध्यायशतेन साधारणसांप्रयोगिककन्यासंप्रयुक्तकभार्याअधिकारिकपारदारिकवैशि कऔपनिषदिकः सप्तभिर् अधिकरणैर् बाभ्रव्यः पाञ्चालः संचिक्षेप//

१.१.११- तस्य षष्ठं वैशिकम् अधिकरणं पाटलिपुत्रिकाणां गणिकानां नियोगाद् दत्तकः पृथक् चकार//

१.१.१२- तत्प्रसङ्गाच् चारायणः साधारणम् अधिकरणं पृथक् प्रोवाच/ सुवर्णनाभः सांप्रयोगिकम्/ घोटकमुखः कन्यासंप्रयुक्तकम्/ गोनर्दीयो भार्याअधिकारिकम्/ गोणिकापुत्रः पारदारिकम्/ कुचुमार औपनिषदिकम् इति/

१.१.१३- एवं बहुभिर् आचार्यैस् तच्छास्त्रं खण्डशः प्रणीतम् उत्सन्नकल्पम् अभूत्/

१.१.१४- तत्र दत्तकआदिभिः प्रणीतानां शास्त्रअवयवानाम् एकदेशत्वात्, महद् इति च बाभ्रवीयस्य दुरध्येयत्वात्, संक्षिप्य सर्वम् अर्थम् अल्पेन ग्रन्थेन कामसूत्रम् इदं प्रणीतम्//