| Sumario: | This article investigates the intellectual history of kāmaśāstra (theory of erotics) by asking how the Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyana (ca. third-fourth century ce) theorizes oral sex (aupariṣṭaka) and why it does so in this way. To this end, it analyzes Chapter 2.9, which covers the subject of oral sex. This chapter is particularly significant for two reasons. First, in this chapter, Vātsyāyana describes the "thirdnature" gender category (tṛtīyā prakṛti), which is absent from later kāmaśāstra works. Second, it demonstrates his dialectic style, through which he engages with other scholarly views on aspects of kāma (pleasure), such as oral sex, to reconcile the sometimes conflicting values of kāma and dharma (religious norms). With a particular focus on Vātsyāyana's authorial authority, this article shows that he resolves objections to oral sex by identifying exceptions and then explaining his position using dharmic categories and precedents. In doing so, he makes oral sex--an act that integrates nonprocreative, nonheteronormative bodies and desires into kāmaśāstra--acceptable under certain conditions. Vātsyāyana advocates erotic pleasure, while ensuring it does not transgress dharmic ideals.
|
|---|