The Kama Sutra: Part VI Chapter 1








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CHAPTER I
OF THE CAUSES OF A COURTESAN RESORTING TO MEN; OF THE MEANS OF ATTACHING TO
HERSELF THE MAN DESIRED; AND OF THE KIND OF MAN THAT IT IS DESIRABLE TO BE
ACQUAINTED WITHBy
having intercourse with men courtesans obtain sexual pleasure, as well as their
own maintenance. Now when a courtesan takes up with a man from love, the action
is natural; but when she resorts to him for the purpose of getting money, her
action is artificial or forced. Even in the latter case, however, she should
conduct herself as if her love were indeed natural, because men repose their
confidence on those women who apparently love them. In making known her love to
the man, she should show an entire freedom from avarice, and for the sake of her
future credit she should abstain from acquiring money from him by unlawful
means.
A courtesan, well dressed and wearing her ornaments,
should sit or stand at the door of her house, and, without exposing herself too
much, should look on the public road so as to be seen by the passers by, she
being like an object on view for sale.1
She should form friendships with such persons as would enable her to separate
men from other women, and attach them to herself, to repair her own misfortunes,
to acquire wealth, and to protect her from being bullied, or set upon by persons
with whom she may have dealings of some kind or another.
These persons are:

The guards of the town, or the police
The officers of the courts of justice
Astrologers
Powerful men, or men with interest
Learned men
Teachers of the sixty-four arts
Pithamardas or confidants
Vitas or parasites
Vidushakas or jesters
Flower sellers
Perfumers
Vendors of spirits
Washermen
Barbers
Beggars And such other persons as may be found necessary for the
particular object to be acquired.
The following kinds of men may be taken up with, simply
for the purpose of getting their money:


Men of independent income
Young men
Men who are free from any ties
Men who hold places of authority under the king
Men who have secured their means of livelihood without difficulty
Men possessed of unfailing sources of income
Men who consider themselves handsome
Men who are always praising themselves
One who is a eunuch, but wishes to be thought a man
One who hates his equals One who is naturally liberal
One who has influence with the king or his ministers
One who is always fortunate
One who is proud of his wealth
One who disobeys the orders of his elders
One upon whom the members of his caste keep an eye
An only son whose father is wealthy
An ascetic who is internally troubled with desire
A brave man
A physician of the king
Previous acquaintances On the other hand, those who are possessed
of excellent qualities are to be resorted to for the sake of love, and fame.
Such men are as follows:
Men of high birth, learned, with a good knowledge of the
world, and doing the proper things at the proper times, poets, good story
tellers, eloquent men, energetic men, skilled in various arts, far-seeing into
the future, possessed of great minds, full of perseverance, of a firm devotion,
free from anger, liberal, affectionate to their parents, and with a liking for
all social gatherings, skilled in completing verses begun by others and in
various other sports, free from all disease, possessed of a perfect body,
strong, and not addicted to drinking, powerful in sexual enjoyment, sociable,
showing love towards women and attracting their hearts to himself, but not
entirely devoted to them, possessed of independent means of livelihood, free
from envy, and last of all, free from suspicion.
Such are the good qualifies of a man.
The woman also should have the following characteristics:
She should be possessed of beauty, and amiability, with
auspicious body marks. She should have a liking for good qualifies in other
people, as also a liking for wealth. She should take delight in sexual unions,
resulting from love, and should be of a firm mind, and of the same class as the
man with regard to sexual enjoyment.
She should always be anxious to acquire and obtain
experience and knowledge, be free from avarice, and always have a liking for
social gatherings, and for the arts.
The following are the ordinary qualities of all women:
To be possessed of intelligence, good disposition, and
good manners; to be straightforward in behaviour, and to be grateful; to
consider well the future before doing anything; to possess activity, to be of
consistent behaviour, and to have a knowledge of the proper times and places for
doing things; to speak always without meanness, loud laughter, malignity, anger,
avarice, dullness, or stupidity; to have a knowledge of the Kama Sutra, and to
be skilled in all the arts connected with it.
The faults of women are to be known by the absence of
any of the above mentioned good qualities.
The following kinds of men are not fit to be resorted to
by courtesans:
One who is consumptive; one who is sickly; one whose
mouth contains worms; one whose breath smells like human excrement; one whose
wife is dear to him; one who speaks harshly; one who is always suspicious; one
who is avaricious; one who is pitiless; one who is a thief; one who is
self-conceited; one who has a liking for sorcery; one who does not care for
respect or disrespect; one who can be gained over even by his enemies by means
of money; and lastly, one who is extremely bashful.
Ancient authors are of opinion that the causes of a
courtesan resorting to men are love, fear, money, pleasure, returning some act
of enmity, curiosity, sorrow, constant intercourse, Dharma, celebrity,
compassion, the desire of having a friend, shame, the likeness of the man to
some beloved person, the search after good fortune, the getting rid of the love
of somebody else, the being of the same class as the man with respect to sexual
union, living in the same place, constancy, and poverty. But Vatsyayana decides
that desire of wealth, freedom from misfortune, and love are the only causes
that affect the union of courtesans with men.
Now a courtesan should not sacrifice money to her love,
because money is the chief thing to be attended to. But in cases of fear, etc.,
she should pay regard to strength and other qualities. Moreover, even though she
be invited by any man to join him, she shoUld not at once consent to a union,
because men are apt to despise things which are easily acquired. On such
occasions she should first send the shampooers, and the singers, and the
jesters, who may be in her service, or, in their absence the Pithamardas, or
confidants, and others, to find out the state of his feelings, and the condition
of his mind. By means of these persons she should ascertain whether the man is
pure or impure, affected, or the reverse, capable of attachment, or indifferent,
liberal or niggardly; and if she finds him to her liking, she should then employ
the Vita and others to attach his mind to her.
Accordingly, the Pithamarda should bring the man to her
house, under the pretence of seeing the fights of quails, cocks, and rams, of
hearing the mania (a kind of starling) talk, or of seeing some other spectacle,
or the practice of some art; or he may take the woman to the abode of the man.
After this, when the man comes to her house the woman should give him something
capable of producing curiosity, and love in his heart, such as an affectionate
present, telling him that it was specially designed for his use. She should also
amuse him for a long time by telling him such stories, and doing such things as
he may take most delight in. When he goes away she should frequently send to him
a female attendant, skilled in carrying on a jesting conversation, and also a
small present at the same time. She should also sometimes go to him herself
under the pretence of some business, and accompanied by the Pithamarda.
Thus end the means of attaching to herself the man
desired.
There are also some verses on the subject as follows:
`When a lover comes to her abode, a courtesan should
give him a mixture of betel leaves and betel nut, garlands of flowers, and
perfumed ointments, and, showing her skill in arts, should entertain him with a
long conversation. She should also give him some loving presents, and make an
exchange of her own things with his, and at the same time should show him her
skill in sexual enjoyment. When a courtesan is thus united with her lover she
should always delight him by affectionate gifts, by conversation, and by the
application of tender means of enjoyment.'



Footnotes

1
In England the lower classes of courtesans walk the streets: in India and
other places in the East, they sit at the windows, or at the doors of their
houses.


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