Kamasutra 1.2

1.2

trivargapratipattiḥ

1.2.1

śatāyur vai puruṣo vibhajya kālam anyonyānubaddhaṃ parasparasyānupaghātakaṃ trivargaṃ seveta//

Man, the period of whose life is one hundred years, should practice 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 practice them at times when they are enjoined to be practiced. But one thing is to be noted, he should lead the life of a religious student until he finishes his education.

1.2.2

bālye vidyāgrahaṇādīn arthān//

1.2.3

kāmaṃ ca yauvane//

1.2.4

sthāvire dharmaṃ mokṣaṃ ca//

1.2.5

anityatvād āyuṣo yathopapādaṃ vā seveta//

1.2.6

brahmacaryam eva tv ā vidyāgrahaṇāt//

1.2.7

alaukikatvād adṛṣṭārthatvād apravṛttānāṃ yajñādīnāṃ śāstrāt pravartanam, *laukikatvād dṛṣṭārthatvāc ca pravṛttebhyaś ca māṃsabhakṣaṇādibhyaḥ śāstrād eva nivāraṇaṃ dharmaḥ//

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.

1.2.8

taṃ śruter dharmajñasamavāyāc ca pratipadyeta//

Dharma should be learnt from the Shruti (Holy Writ), and from those conversant with it.

1.2.9

vidyābhūmihiraṇyapaśudhānyabhāṇḍopaskaramitra^ādīnām arjanam arjitasya vivardhanam arthaḥ//

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.

1.2.10

tam adhyakṣapracārād vārtāsamayavidbhyo vaṇigbhyaś ceti//

Artha should be learnt from the king's officers, and from merchants who may be versed in the ways of commerce.

1.2.11

srotratvak cakṣur jihvāghrāṇānām ātmasaṃyuktena manasādhiṣṭhitānāṃ sveṣu sveṣu viṣayeṣv ānukūlyataḥ pravṛttiḥ kāmaḥ//

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.

1.2.12

sparśaviśeṣaviṣayāt tv asyābhimānikasukhānuviddhā phalavaty arthapratītiḥ prādhānyāt kāmaḥ//

1.2.13

taṃ kāmasūtrān nāgarikajanasamavāyāc ca pratipadyeta//

Kama is to be learnt from the Kama Sutra (aphorisms on love) and from the practice of citizens.

1.2.14

eṣāṃ samavāye pūrvaḥ pūrvo garīyān//

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 practiced 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.

1.2.15

arthaś ca rājñaḥ/ tan mūlatvāl lokayātrāyāḥ/ veśyāyāś ceti trivargapratipattiḥ//

1.2.16

dharmasyālaukikatvāt tadabhidhāyakaṃ śāstraṃ yuktam/ upāyapūrvakatvād arthasiddheḥ/ upāyapratipattiḥ śāstrāt//

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 practiced 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 practiced even by the brute creation, and which is to be found everywhere, does not want any work on the subject.

1.2.17

tiryag yoniṣv api tu svayaṃ pravṛttatvāt kāmasya nityatvāc ca na śāstreṇa kṛtyam astīty ācāryāḥ//

1.2.18

saṃprayogaparādhīnatvāt strīpuṃsayor upāyam apekṣate//

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.

1.2.19

sā copāyapratipattiḥ kāmasūtrād iti vātsyāyanaḥ//

1.2.20

triyag yoniṣu punar anāvṛtatvāt strījāteś ca, ṛtau yāvad arthaṃ pravṛtter abuddhipūrvakatvāc ca pravṛttīnām anupāyaḥ pratyayaḥ//

1.2.21

na dharmāṃś caret/ eṣyat phalatvāt, sāṃśayikatvāc ca//

The Lokayatikas 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.

1.2.22

ko hy abāliśo hastagataṃ paragataṃ kuryāt//

1.2.23

varam adya kapotaḥ śvo mayūrāt//

1.2.24

varaṃ sāṃśayikān niṣkād asāṃśayikaḥ kārṣāpaṇaḥ/ iti *laukāyatikāḥ//

1.2.25

śāstrasyānabhiśaṅkyatvād abhicārānuvyāhārayoś ca kvacit phaladarśanān nakṣatracandrasūryatārāgrahacakrasya lokārthaṃ buddhipūrvakam iva pravṛtter darśanād varṇāśramācārasthitilakṣaṇatvāc ca lokayātrāyā hastagatasya ca bījasya bhaviṣyataḥ sasyārthe tyāgadarśanāc cared dharmān iti vātsyāyanaḥ//

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.

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.

1.2.26

nārthāṃś caret/ prayatnato 'pi hy ete 'nuṣṭhīyamānā naiva kadācit syuḥ// ananuṣṭhīyamānā api yadṛcchayā bhaveyuḥ//

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 Bali was raised to the throne of Indra by destiny, and was also put down by the same power, and it is destiny only that can reinstate him.

1.2.27

tat sarvaṃ kālakāritam iti//

1.2.28

kāla eva hi puruṣān arthānarthayor jayaparājayayoḥ sukhaduḥkhayoś ca sthāpayati//

1.2.29

kālena balir indraḥ kṛtaḥ/ kālena *vyavaropitaḥ/ kāla eva punar apy enaṃ karteti kālakāraṇikāḥ//

1.2.30

puruṣakārapūrvakatvāt sarvapravṛttīnām upāyaḥ pratyayaḥ//

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.

1.2.31

avaśyaṃ bhāvino 'py arthasyopāyapūrvakatvād eva/ na niṣkarmaṇo bhadram astīti vātsyāyanaḥ//

1.2.32

na kāmāṃś caret/ dharmārthayoḥ pradhānayor evam anyeṣāṃ ca satāṃ pratyanīkatvāt/ anarthajanasaṃsargam asad vyavasāyam aśaucam anāyatiṃ caite puruṣasya janayanti//

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.

1.2.33

tathā pramādaṃ lāghavam apratyayam agrāhyatāṃ ca/

1.2.34

bahavaś ca kāmavaśagāḥ sagaṇā eva vinaṣṭāḥ śrūyante//

1.2.35

yathā dāṇḍakyo nāma bhojaḥ kāmād brāhmaṇakanyām abhimanyamānaḥ sabandhurāṣṭro vinanāśa//

1.2.36

devarājaś cāhalyām atibalaś ca kīcako draupadīṃ rāvaṇaś ca sītām apare cānye ca bahavo dṛśyante kāmavaśagā vinaṣṭā ity arthacintakāḥ//

1.2.37

śarīrasthitihetutvād āhārasadharmāṇo hi kāmāḥ/ phalabhūtāś ca dharmārthayoḥ//

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.

1.2.38

boddhavyaṃ tu doṣeṣv iva/ na hi bhikṣukāḥ santīti sthālyo nādhiśrīyante/ na hi mṛgāḥ santīti yavā nopayanta iti vātsyāyanaḥ// bhavanti cātra ślokāḥ: ---

1.2.39

evam arthaṃ ca kāmaṃ ca dharmaṃ copācaran naraḥ/
ihāmutra ca niḥśalyam atyantaṃ sukham aśnute//

Thus a man practicing 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.

1.2.40

kiṃ syāt paratrety āśaṅkā kārye yasmin na jāyate/
na cārthaghnaṃ sukhaṃ ceti śiṣṭās tatra vyavasthitāḥ//

1.2.41

trivargasādhakaṃ yat syād dvayor ekasya vā punaḥ/
kāryaṃ tad api kurvīta na tv ekārthaṃ dvibādhakam//