In the literature of all countries there will be found a certain
number of works treating especially of love. Everywhere the
subject is dealt with differently, and from various points of view.
In the present publication it is proposed to give a complete
translation of what is considered the standard work on love in
Sanscrit literature, and which is called the 'Vatsyayana Kama Sutra,' or Aphorisms on Love, by Vatsyayana.
While the introduction will bear with the evidence concerning the
date of the writing, and the commentaries written upon it, the
chapters following the introduction will give a translation of the
work itself. It is, however, advisable to furnish here a brief analysis
of works of the same nature, prepared by authors who lived and
wrote years after Vatsya had passed away, but who still considered
him as a great authority, and always quoted him as the chief guide
to Hindoo erotic literature.
Besides the treatise of Vatsyayana the following works on the
same subject are procurable in India:—
The Ratirahasya, or secrets of love.
The Panchasakya, or the five arrows.
The Smara Pradipa, or the light of love.
The Ratimanjari, or the garland of love.
The Rasmanjari, or the sprout of love.
The Anunga Runga, or the stage of love; also called
Kamaledhiplava, or a boat in the ocean of love.
The author of the 'Secrets of Love' (No. 1) was a poet named
Kukkoka. He composed his work to please one Venudutta, who
was perhaps a king. When writing his own name at the end of each
chapter he calls himself "Siddha patiya pandita," i.e., an ingenious
man among learned men. The work was translated into Hindi years
ago, and in this the author's name was written as Koka. And as the
same name crept into all the translations into other languages in
India, the book became generally known, and the
