Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c6.144

c6.144

Gauḍa is mentioned several times by Vatsyayana and appears to have been a separate kingdom from Vaṅga at the time that he wrote; thus he makes a separate mention of the love-intrigues in the king's harem in the two countries, though they are virtually of the same character, in as much as he says that among the Gauḍas these intrigues were carried on with Brahmins, relatives and servants etc.,² that is, with men who had ordinarily access to the harem as in Vaṅga. In two other passages Vātsyāyana refers to the sense of beauty of the men and the softness and delicacy of the women of Gauḍa : thus while comparing the various fashions of dressing the nails by men in different parts of India, he says, “Large nails, which give grace to the hands, and attract the heart of women from their appearance, are possessed by the Bengalees.”³ Burton here translates ‘Gauḍānām” by Bengalees. In another passage where Vātsyāyana compares the characteristics of the women of various parts of India, he speaks of the ladies of Gauḍa as soft and sweet in their speech, full of love and tender in their bodies.¹ Here the Commentary explains Gauḍyaḥ as Pūrvadeśabhavāḥ, and evidently Gauḍa of Vātsyāyana is northern Bengal. Vātsyāyana has separately mentioned Vaṅga showing that it formed a separate kingdom comprising the eastern districts of modern Bengal.