Part four, chapters one and two of the Kamisutra. This LibriVox recording is
in the public domain and is read by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina.
The Kamasutra by Vetsiayana, Part four about a wife. Chapter one on
the manner of living of a virtuous woman and of her behavior during the absence
of her husband. A virtuous woman who has affection for her husband should act
in conformity with his wishes as if he were a divine being, and with
his consent, should take upon herself the whole care of his family. She
should keep the whole house well cleaned, and arrange flowers of various kinds and
different parts of it, and make the floor smooth and polished, so as
to give the whole a neat and becoming appearance. She should surround the house
with a garden and place ready in it all the materials required for the morning,
noon, and even sacrifices. Moreover, she should herself revere the sanctuary
of the household gods. For says Gunnardia, nothing so much attracts the heart
of the householder to his wife. As a careful observance of the things mentioned
above towards the parents, relations, friends, sisters, and servants of her
husband. She should behave as they deserve. In the garden, she should
plant beds of green vegetables, bunches of the sugar cane, and clumps of
the fig tree, the mustard plant, the parsley plant, the fennel plant,
and the xanthochaimus. Pictorious clusters of various flowers such as the Trapa bispinosa,
the jasmine, the Jasminium grandiflorum, the yellow amaranth, the wild jasmine,
the Taberna montana, coronaria, the nattiwarta, the China rose, and
others should likewise be planted, together with the fragrant grass Andropoga schynanthus and the
fragrant root of the plant Adropogon miricatis. She should also have seats and arbors
made in the garden, in the middle of which a well, tank or
pulls should be dug. The wife should always avoid the company of female beggars,
female Buddhist mendicants, unchased and roguish women, female fortune tellers and witches.
As regards meals, she should always consider what her husband likes and dislikes,
and what things are good for him and what are injurious to him.
When she hears the sounds of his footsteps coming home, she should at once
get up and be ready to do whatever he may command her, and either
order her female servant to wash his feet or wash them herself. When going
anywhere with her husband, she should put on her ornaments, and without his
consent. She should not either give or accept invitations, or attend marriages and
sacrifices, or sit in the company of female friends friends, or visit the
temples of the gods. And if she wants to engage in any kind of
games or sports, she should not do it against his will. In the
same way, she should always sit down after him and get up before him,
and should never awaken him when he is asleep. The kitchen should be
situated in a quiet and retired place, so as not to be accessible to
strangers, and should always look clean. In the event of any misconduct on
the part of her husband, she should not blame him excessively, though she
be a little displeased. She should not use abusive language towards him, but
rebuke him with conciliatory words, whether he be in the company of friends or
alone. Moreover, she should not be a scold, for says Gnardia,
there is no cause of dislike on the part of a husband so great as
this characteristic in a wife. Lastly, she should avoid bad expressions, sulky
looks, speaking aside, standing in the doorway and looking at passers, by
conversing in the pleasure groves, and remaining in a lonely place for a long
time. And finally, she should always keep her body, her teeth,
her hair, and everything belonging to her tidy, sweet and clean. When
the wife wants to approach her husband in private, her dress should consist of
many ornaments, various kinds of flowers, and a cloth decorated with different colors,
and some sweet smelling ointments or unguents. But her everyday dress should be
composed of a thin, close chextured cloth, a few ornaments and flowers,
and a little scent, not too much. She should also observe the fasts
and vows of her husband, and when he tries to prevent her doing this,
she should persuade him to let her do it at appropriate times of the
year, and when they happen to be cheap, she should buy earth,
bamboos, firewood, skins, and iron as also salt and oil, fragrant
substances, vessels made of the fruit of the plant, rytea anti dysenterica or
oval leafed ritea. Medicines and other things which are always wanted, should be
obtained when required and kept in a secret place of the house. The seeds
of the radish, the potato, the common beet, the Indian wormwood,
the mango, the cucumber, the eggplant, the kushmanda, the pumpkin,
gourd, the serena, the bignonia indica, the sandalwood, the premna spinosa,
the garlic plant, the onion, and other vegetables should be bought and
sown at the proper seasons. The wife, moreover, should not tell to
strangers the amount of her wealth, nor the secrets which her husband has confided
to her. She should surpass all the women of her own rank in life,
in her cleverness, her appearance, her knowledge of cookery, her pride,
and her manner of serving her husband. The expenditure of the year should
be regulated by the profits. The milk that remains after the meals should be
turned into ghee or clarified butter. Oil and sugar should be prepared at home
spinning and weaving should also be done there, and a store of ropes and
cords and barks of trees for twisting into ropes should be kept. She should
also attend to the pounding and cleaning of rice, using its small grain and
chaff in some way or other. She should pay the salaries of the servants,
look after the tilling of the fields and keeping of the flocks and herds,
superintend the making of vehicles, and take care of the rams, cocks,
quails, parrots, starlings, cuckoos, peacocks, monkeys and deer,
and finally adjust the income and expenditure of the day. The worn out clothes
should be given to those servants who have done good work, in order to
show them that their services have been appreciated, or they may be applied to
some other use. The vessels in which wine is prepared, as well as
those in which it is kept, should be carefully looked after and put away
at the proper time. All sales and purchases should also be well attended.
To the friends of her husband, she should welcome by presenting them with flowers,
ointment, incense, betel leaves and betel nut. Her father in law
and mother in law. She should treat as they deserve, always remaining dependent
on their will, never contradicting them, speaking to them in few and not
harsh words, not laughing loudly in their presence, and acting with their friends
and enemies as with her own. In addition to the above, she should
not be vain or too much taken up with her enjoyments. She should be
liberal towards her servants and reward them on holidays and festivals, and not give
away anything without first making it known to her husband. Thus ends the manner
of living of a virtuous woman. During the absence of her husband on a
journey, the virtuous woman should wear only her auspicious ornaments and observe the fasts
in honor of the gods, while anxious to hear the news of her husband.
She should still look after her household affairs. She should sleep near the
elder women of the house and make herself agreeable to them. She should look
after and keep in repair the things that are liked by her husband, and
continue the works that have been begun by him. To the abode of her
relations, she should not go except on occasions of joy and sorrow, and
then she should go in her usual traveling dress, accompanied by her husband's servants,
and not remain therefore a long time. The fasts and feasts should be
observed with the consent of the elders of the house. The resources should be
increased by making purchases and sales according to the practice of the merchants, by
means of honest servants superintended by herself. The income should be increased and the
expenditure diminished as much as possible. And when her husband returns from his journey,
she should receive him at first in her ordinary clothes, so that he
may know in what way she has lived during his absence, and should bring
to him some presents, as also materials for the worship of the deity.
Thus ends the part relating to the behavior of a wife during the absence of
her husband on a journey. There are also some verses on the subject.
As follows, the wife, whether she be a woman of noble family or
a virgin widow, remarried or a concubine, should lead a chaste life,
devoted to her husband and doing everything for his welfare. Footnote virgin widow probably
refers to a girl married in her infancy or when very young and whose husband
had died before she arrived at the age of puberty. Infant marriages are still
the common custom of the Hindus and a footnote. Women acting thus acquire dharma,
artha and kaima, obtain a high position, and generally keep their husbands
devoted to them. Chapter two on the conduct of the elder wife towards the
other wives of her husband, and on that of a younger wife towards the
elder ones. Also on the conduct of a virgin widow remarried, of a
wife disliked by her husband, of the women in the King's Harem, and
lastly, on the conduct of a husband towards many wives. The causes of
remarrying during the lifetime of the wife are as follows. One the folly or
ill temper of the wife, two, her husband's dislike to her, three,
the want of offspring, four, the continual birth of daughters, five
the incontinence of the husband. From the very beginning, the wife should endeavor
to attract the heart of her husband by showing to him continually her devotion,
her good temper, and her wisdom. If however, she bears him no
children, she should herself tell her husband to marry another woman, And when
the second wife is married and brought to the house, the first wife should
give her a position superior to her own, and look upon her as a
sister. In the morning, the elder wife should forcibly make the younger one
decorate herself in the presence of their husband, and should not mind all the
husband's favor being given to her. If the younger wife does anything to displease
her husband, the elder one should not neglect her, but should always be
ready to give her most careful advice, and should teach her to do various
things. In the presence of her husband. Her children, she should treat
as her own. Her attendants. She should look upon with more regard even
than on her own servants. Her friends, she should cherish with love and
kindness, and her relations with great honor. When there are many other wives
besides herself, the elder wife should associate with the one who is immediately next
to her in rank and age, and should instigate the wife who has recently
enjoyed her husband's favor to quarrel with a present favorite. After this, she
should sympathize with the former, and, having collected all the other wives together,
should get them to denounce the favorite as a scheming and wicked woman,
without however, committing herself in any way. If the favored wife happens to
quarrel with the husband, then the elder wife should take her part and give
her false encouragement, and thus cause the quarrel to be increased. If there
be only a little quarrel between the two, the elder wife should do all
she can to work it up into a large quarrel. But if after this
she finds the husband still continues to love his favorite wife, she should then
change her tactics and endeavor to bring about a conciliation between them, so as
to avoid her husband's displeasure. Thus ends the conduct of the elder wife.
The younger wife should regard the elder wife of her husband as her mother,
and should not give anything away, even to her own relations, without her
knowledge. She should tell her everything about herself, and not approach her husband
without her permission. Whatever is told to her by the elder wife, she
should not reveal to others, and she should take care of the children of
the senior even more than of her own. When alone with her husband,
she should serve him well, but should not tell him of the pain she
suffers from the existence of a rival wife. She may also obtained secretly from
her husband some marks of his particular regard for her, and may tell him
that she lives only for him and for the regard that he has for her.
She should never reveal her love for her husband, nor her husband's love
for her, to any person, either in pride or in anger. For
a wife that reveals the secrets of her husband is despised by him. As
for seeking to obtain the regard of her husband, Gonardia says that it should
always be done in private, for fear of the elder wife. If the
elder wife be disliked by her husband or be childless, she should sympathize with
her, and should ask her husband to do the same, but should surpass
her in leading the life of a chaste woman. Thus ends the conduct of
the younger wife towards the elder. A widow in poor circumstances or of a
weak nature, and who allies herself again again to a man, is called
a widow remarried. The followers of Babhavria say that a virgin widow should not
marry a person whom she may be obliged to leave on account of his bad
character, or of as being destitute of the excellent qualities of a man,
she thus being obliged to have recourse to another person. Gunnardia is of opinion
that as the cause of a widow's marrying again is her desire for happiness,
and his happiness is secured by the possession of excellent qualities in her husband,
joined to love of enjoyment. It is better therefore to secure a person endowed
with such qualities in the first instance. Batesiayana, however, thinks that a
widow may marry any person that she likes and that she thinks will suit her.
At the time of her marriage, the widow should obtain from her husband
the money to pay the cost of drinking parties and picnics with her relations,
and of giving them and her friend's cadinly gifts and presents. Or she may
do these things at her own cost if she likes. In the same way,
she may wear either her husband's ornaments or her own, as to the
presence of affection mutually exchanged between the husband and herself. There is no fixed
rule about them. If she leaves her husband after marriage of her own accord.
She should restore to him whatever he may have given her, with the
exception of the mutual presence. If, however, she is driven out of
the house by her husband, she should not return anything to him. After
her marriage, she should live in the house of her husband like one of
the chief members of the family, but should treat the other ladies of the
family with kindness, the servants with generosity, and all the friends of the
house with familiarity and good temper. She should show that she is better acquainted
with the sixty four arts than the other ladies of the house, And in
any quarrels with her husband, she should not rebuke himself severely, but in
private do everything that he wishes, and make use of the sixty four ways
of enjoyment. She should be obliging to the other wives of her husband and
to their children. She should give presents, behave as their mistress, and
make ornaments and playthings for their use. In the friends and servants of her
husband she should confide more than in his other wives. And finally, she
should have a liking for drinking parties, going to picnics, attending fairs and
festivals, and for carrying out all kinds of games and amusements. Thus ends
the conduct of a virgin widow remarried. A woman who is disliked by her
husband and annoyed and distressed by his other wives, should associate with the wife
who is liked most by her husband, and who serves him more than the
others, and should teach her all the arts with which she is acquainted.
She should act as the nurse of her husband's children, and, having gained
over his friends to her side, should through them make him acquainted of her
devotion to him. In religious ceremonies, she should be a leader, as
also in vows and fasts, and should not hold too good an opinion of
herself. When her husband is lying on his bed, she should only go
near him when it is agreeable to him, and should never rebuke him or
show obstinacy in any way. If her husband happens to quarrel with any of
his other wives, she should reconcile them to each other, and if he
desires to see any woman secretly, she should manage to bring about the meeting
between them. She should moreover make herself acquainted with the weak points of her
husband's character, but always keep them secret, and on the whole behave herself
in such a way as may lead him to look upon her as a good
and devoted wife. Here ends the conduct of a wife disliked by her husband.
The above sections will show how all the women of the King Seralio are
to behave, and therefore we shall now speak separately only about the king.
The female attendants in the harem called severally canchukiyas footnote, a name given to
the maid servants of the zenana of the kings in ancient times on account of
their always keeping their breasts covered with a cloth, called kanchuki. It was
customary the olden time for the maid servants to cover their breasts with a cloth,
while the queens kept their breasts uncovered. This custom is distinctly to be
seen in the Ajunta Cave paintings end footnote. Mahala rica's footnote. The meaning
of this word is a superior woman, so it would seem that a mahalarrica
must be a person in authority over the maid servants of the house end footnote
and mahalikas footnote. This was also appertaining to the rank of women employed in
the harem. In latter times this place was given to eunuchs and footnote should
bring flowers, ointments, and clothes from the king's wives to the King,
and he, having received these things, should give them his presents to the
servants, along with the things worn by him the previous day. In the
afternoon, the King, having dressed and put on his ornaments, should interview
the women of the harem, who should also be dressed and decorated with jewels.
Then, having given to each of them such a place and such respect
as may suit the occasion, and as they may deserve, he should carry
on with them a cheerful conversation. After that, he should see such of
his wives as may be virgin widows remarried, and after them the concubines and
dancing girls. All of these should be visited in their own private rooms.
When the king rises from his noonday sleep deep the woman whose duty it is
to inform the king regarding the wife who is to spend the night with him,
should come to him, accompanied by the female attendants of that wife whose
turn may have arrived in the regular course, and of her who may have
been accidentally passed over as her turn arrived, and of her who may have
been unwell at the time of her turn. These attendants should place before the
King the ointments and unguents sent by each of these wives, marked with the
seal of her ring, and their names and their reasons for sending the ointments
should be told to the king. After this, the kings accepts the ointment
of one of them, who then is informed that her ointment has been accepted
and that her day has been settled. Footnote. As kings generally had many
wives, it was usual for them to enjoy their wives by turns, but
as it happened sometimes that some of them lost their turns owing to the king's
absence or to their being unwell. Than in such cases, the women whose
turns had been passed over and those whose turns had come used to have a
sort of lottery, and the ointment of all the claimants was sent to the
king, who accepted the ointment of one of them, and thus settled the
question. And a footnote. At festivals, singing parties, and exhibitions,
all the wives of the king should be treated with respect and served with drinks.
But the women of the harem should not be allowed to go out alone.
Neither should any women outside the harem be allowed to enter it, except
those whose character is well known. And lastly, the work which the king's
wives have to do should not be too fatiguing. Thus ends the conduct of
the king towards the women of the Harem, and of their own conduct.
A man marrying many wives should act fairly towards them all. He should neither
disregard nor pass over their faults, and should not reveal to one wife the
love, passion, bodily blemishes, and confidential reproaches of the other. No
opportunity should be given to any one of them of speaking to him about their
rivals. And if one of them should begin to speak ill of another,
he should chide her and tell her that she has exactly the same blemishes in
her character. One of them he should please by secret confidence, another by
secret respect, and another by secret flattery. And he should please them all
by going to gardens, by amusements, by presence, by honoring their relations,
by telling them secrets, and lastly by loving unions. A young woman
who is of a good temper, and who conducts herself according to the precepts
of the Holy writ wins her husband's attachment and obtains a superiority over her rivals.
Thus ends the conduct of a husband towards many wives. This is also
the end of Part four.