The Kama Sutra is not so much about sex as it is about sexuality. Many people believe the Kama Sutra to be a book of sexual positions. It is true that there are ten chapters of the book dedicated to different sexual positions and ways to please your sexual partner, but the premise of the book is in getting to the sexual part and to maintain a good, loving relationship where sex is about pleasing each other and knowing how to make the other feel good but in a socially proper manner.
Kama Sutra is often confused with Tantra or Tantric sex. The difference between these are that Kama Sutra is how to make love properly and how to conduct yourself before and after making love. Tantra is the art of sex and how to please your partner, make sex last longer, and, most importantly, the intimacy of sex. Both Kama Sutra and Tantra have eastern origins and they are often intermixed for the perfect before, during, and after sexual experience.
The Kama Sutra covers all sexual bases. The positions are only a small part of the book's teachings. It teaches things that are now considered fetishes or taboo in western society. The Kama Sutra teaches partners how to bite, scratch and hit each other during love making. The book also teaches a woman how to be a courtesan or prostitute, and it teaches homosexual positions as well as heterosexual ones. The book teaches how to use "instruments" on each other for pleasure, and when all else fails, how to cast a magical spell or administer aphrodisiacs to enhance sexual pleasure.
The Kama Sutra has been translated and rewritten a minimum of six times to the English language. Even when reading the translated versions of the book, some of the phrases and terms will take some getting used to. Most people, when first looking at the book, will scan it and spend the most time in the ten chapters of sexual positions. Be careful not to take some of the phrases too literally, though. Elephant sex does not mean sex with an elephant, it is simply a term used for a particular position.
The most popular translation, and possibly the first to the English language, was by Sir Richard Burton. The best translation, in this author's opinion, is by Alain Danilou and called The Complete Kama Sutra. I like this version because this one seem to be the closest to the original text. However, neither of these translations come with the benefit of illustrations. The illustrated version is called The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra by Lance Dane, also an excellent version.
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