Kamashastra Discourse (Life in Ancient India)
by Nidheesh Kannan B. | 2018 | 52,434 words
This page relates ‘Review of Literature� of the study on Kamashastra representing the discipline of Kama (i.e., ‘sensual pleasure�). The Kamasutra of Vatsyayana from the 4th century is one of the most authoratitive Sanskrit texts belonging this genre. This study focusses on the vision of life of ancient India reflected in Kamashastra.
Review of Literature
The 峾ūٰ of ٲⲹԲ with its earliest Sanskrit commentary by ۲śǻ Indrapāla namely ⲹṅg and the most recent Hindi commentary by Devadatta Shastri called are available. The authentic English translations of 峾ūٰ by Sir. Richard Francis Burton, Alain Danielou and Wendy Doniger and Sudhir Kakar etc. have also been made use of. More than 20 published works as post 峾ūٰ literature are also available for reference. But literary histories, more or less, concentrate only on an outer-layer analysis regarding 峾śٰ.
Three Ph. D theses entitled Influence of 峾śٰ on Classical Sanskrit Literature (1986) by Vishwanath K. Hampiholi, Karnataka University, Dharwad, Purusharthas: Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha-Their Relevance and Currency Today and for Tomorrow (1995) by George V. C. from the School of Gandhian Thought and Development Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala and A Critical Comparative Study of 峾puruṣārtha with Reference to ٳśٰ and 峾śٰ (2012) by Dipakkumar P. Joshi, from Gujarat University, Ahmadabad in Gujarati language are available. An M. Phil Dissertation under the title Significance of Sexual Pleasure in Human Sexuality: An Understanding in the Light of Emphasis on Sexual Pleasure in 峾ūٰ (2013) by Vikas Prabhu, from the Department of Philosophy, Christ University, Bangalore also is available. An ongoing Ph. D research work has been traced from Karnataka Sanskrit University registered in the year 2013 by Santosh More entitled 峾 -Its Relevance and Importance in the four Pursuits of Human Life. Recently published book The Mare�s trap: Nature and Culture in Kamasutra (2015) by Wendy Donigar is a scholarly work which tries to restore the 峾ūٰ in its proper place in the Sanskrit canon, as a landmark of India’s secular literature. Besides these, Research papers and articles in various journals and books have been used as sources of information.