Kāmasūtra

The Kāmasūtra, composed by Vātsyāyana, is a treatise on desire, love, and the art of living, often reduced in popular culture to its discussion of sexual positions.

Content

The text covers courtship, marriage, conduct in married life, relations with other men’s wives, courtesans, and the art of seduction, alongside a broader discussion of the good life.

Significance

It is one of the earliest and most influential Indian texts on the pursuit of kāma (desire, pleasure) as a legitimate life goal, complementing dharma and artha.

Verification

3rd-century CE dating is conventional; manuscript evidence is limited. Text translated into many languages and widely studied in Indology.

• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).