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Kama Sutra
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CHAPTER II:
On The Acquisition of Dharma, Artha and Kama
MAN, the period of whose life is one hundred
years, should practise Dharma, Artha and Kama at different times and in such a
manner that they may harmonize together and not clash in any way. He should
acquire learning in his childhood, in his youth and middle age he should attend
to Artha and Kama, and in his old age he should perform Dharma, and thus seek to
gain Moksha, i.e. release from further transmigration. Or, on account of the
uncertainty of life, he may practise them at times when they are enjoined to be
practised. But one thing is to be noted, he should lead the life of a religious
student until he finishes his education.
Dharma is obedience to the command of the
Shastra or Holy Writ of the Hindoos to do certain things, such as the
performance of sacrifices, which are not generally done, because they do not
belong to this world, and produce no visible effect; and not to do other things,
such as eating meat, which is often done because it belongs to this world, and
has visible effects.
Dharma should be learnt from the Shruti (Holy
Writ), and from those conversant with it.
Artha is the acquisition of arts, land, gold,
cattle, wealth, equipages and friends. It is, further, the protection of what is
acquired, and the increase of what is protected.
Artha should be learnt from the king's
officers, and from merchants who may be versed in the ways of commerce.
Kama is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by
the five senses of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting and smelling, assisted by
the mind together with the soul. The ingredient in this is a peculiar contact
between the organ of sense and its object, and the consciousness of pleasure
which arises from that contact is called Kama.
Kama is to be learnt from the Kama Sutra
(aphorisms on love) and from the practice of citizens.
When all the three, viz. Dharma, Artha and Kama,
come together, the former is better than the one which follows it, i.e. Dharma
is better than Artha, and Artha is better than Kama. But Artha should always be
first practised by the king for the livelihood of men is to be obtained from it
only. Again, Kama being the occupation of public women, they should prefer it to
the other two, and these are exceptions to the general rule.
Objection 1
Some learned men say that as Dharma is
connected with things not belonging to this world, it is appropriately treated
of in a book; and so also is Artha, because it is practised only by the
application of proper means, and a knowledge of those means can only be obtained
by study and from books. But Kama being a thing which is practised even by the
brute creation, and which is to be found everywhere, does not want any work on
the subject.
Answer
This is not so. Sexual intercourse being
a thing dependent on man and woman requires the application of proper means by
them, and those means are to be learnt from the Kama Shastra. The
non-application of proper means, which we see in the brute creation, is caused
by their being unrestrained, and by the females among them only being fit for
sexual intercourse at certain seasons and no more, and by their intercourse not
being preceded by thought of any kind.
Objection 2
The Lokayatikas1
say: Religious ordinances should not be observed, for they bear a future fruit,
and at the same time it is also doubtful whether they will bear any fruit at
all. What foolish person will give away that which is in his own hands into the
hands of another? Moreover, it is better to have a pigeon today than a peacock
tomorrow; and a copper coin which we have the certainty of obtaining, is better
than a gold coin, the possession of which is doubtful.
Answer
It is not so. 1st. Holy Writ, which
ordains the practice of Dharma, does not admit of a doubt.
2nd. Sacrifices such as those made for the
destruction of enemies, or for the fall of rain, are seen to bear fruit.
3rd. The sun, moon, stars, planets and other
heavenly bodies appear to work intentionally for the good of the world.
4th. the existence of this world is effected by
the observance of the rules respecting the four classes of men and their four
stages of life.2
5th. We see that seed is thrown into the ground
with the hope of future crops.
Vatsyayana is therefore of opinion that the
ordinances of religion must be obeyed.
Objection 3
Those who believe that destiny is the
prime mover of all things say: We should not exert ourselves to acquire wealth,
for sometimes it is not acquired although we strive to get it, while at other
times it comes to us of itself without any exertion on our part. Everything is
therefore in the power of destiny, who is the lord of gain and loss, of success
and defeat, of pleasure and pain. Thus we see that Bali3
was raised to the throne of Indra by destiny, and was also put down by the same
power, and it is destiny only that call reinstate him.
Answer
It is not right to say so. As the
acquisition of every object presupposes at all events some exertion on the part
of man, the application of proper means may be said to be the cause of gaining
all our ends, and this application of proper means being thus necessary (even
where a thing is destined to happen), it follows that a person who does nothing
will enjoy no happiness.
Objection 4
Those who are inclined to think that
Artha is the chief object to be obtained argue thus. Pleasures should not be
sought for, because they are obstacles to the practice of Dharma and Artha,
which are both superior to them, and are also disliked by meritorious persons.
Pleasures also bring a man into distress, and into contact with low persons;
they cause him to commit unrighteous deeds, and produce impurity in him; they
make him regardless of the future, and encourage carelessness and levity. And
lastly, they cause him to be disbelieved by all, received by none, and despised
by everybody, including himself. It is notorious, moreover, that many men who
have given themselves up to pleasure alone, have been ruined along with their
families and relations. Thus, king Dandakya, of the Bhoja dynasty, carried off a
Brahman's daughter with evil intent, and was eventually ruined and lost his
kingdom. Indra, too, having violated the chastity of Ahalya, was made to suffer
for it. In a like manner the mighty Kichaka, who tried to seduce Draupadi, and
Ravana, who attempted to gain over Sita, were punished for their crimes. These
and many others fell by reason of their pleasures.4
Answer
This objection cannot be sustained, for
pleasures, being as necessary for the existence and well being of the body as
food, are consequently equally required. They are, moreover, the results of
Dharma and Artha. Pleasures are, therefore, to be followed with moderation and
caution. No one refrains from cooking food because there are beggars to ask for
it, or from sowing seed because there are deer to destroy the corn when it is
grown up.
Thus a man practising Dharma, Artha and Kama
enjoys happiness both in this world and in the world to come. The good perform
those actions in which there is no fear as to what is to result from them in the
next world, and in which there is no danger to their welfare. Any action which
conduces to the practice of Dharma, Artha and Kama together, or of any two, or
even one of them, should be performed, but an action which conduces to the
practice of one of them at the expense of the remaining two should not be
performed.
Footnotes
1
These were certainly materialists who seemed to think
that a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.
2
Among the Hindoos the four classes of men are the
Brahmans or priestly class, the Kshutrya or warlike class, the Vaishya or
agricultural and mercantile class, and the Shoodra or menial class. The four
stages of life are, the life of a religious student, the life of a
householder, the life of a hermit, and the life of a Sunyasi or devotee.
3
Bali was a demon who had conquered Indra and gained his
throne, but was afterwards overcome by Vishnu at the time of his fifth
incarnation.
4
Dandakya is said to have abducted from the forest the
daughter of a Brahman, named Bhargava, and, being cursed by the Brahman, was
buried with his kingdom under a shower of dust. The place was called after his
name the Dandaka forest, celebrated in the Bamayana, but now unknown.
Ahalya was the
wife of the sage Gautama. Indra caused her to believe that he was Gautama, and
thus enjoyed her. He was cursed by Gautama and subsequently afflicted with a
thousand ulcers on his body.
Kichaka was the brother-in-law of King Virata, with whom
the Pandavas had taken refuge for one year. Kichaka was killed by Bhima, who
assumed the disguise of Draupadi. For this story the Mahabarata should be
referred to.
The story of Ravana is told in the
Ramayana, which with the Mahabarata form the two great epic poems of the Hindoos;
the latter was written by Vyasa, and the former by Valmiki.
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