Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c7.34

c7.34

The Vaisyas and the Śūdras are not expressly mentioned by Vātsyāyana, but we have seen that their caste occupations are referred to by him, and besides, he mentions a number of artisans and craftsmen whose occupations are in some way connected with the life of luxury and ease that the Nāgaraka led. These are the Mālākāra—‘the maker of garlands’, the Gāndhika—‘the perfumer’, the Rajaka and the Nīlikusumbharañjaka—‘the dyer and the cleaner of clothes’, the Nāpita—‘the barber’, the Sauṇḍika—‘the vendor of spirituous liquors’, the Tāmbūlika—‘the seller of betel leaves’, the Suvarṇika or Suvarṇakāra—‘the goldsmith’, the Māṇikāra—‘the jeweller’, the Vaikatika—‘the diamond-cutter’, the Kuśīlava—‘the actor’, the Gāyana—‘the singer’ and so on². We may compare with these last the artiste spies of Kautilya having opportunities of espying the private character of citizens, *viz.*, the actor (*naṭa*), the dancer (*Narttaka*), the singer (*Gayana*), the musician (*Vādaka*), the man who lives on his tongue (*Vāgjīvana*) and the bard (*Kuśīlava*)¹. Many of the craftsmen no doubt formed separate castes that varied according to their occupations but were commonly included under the general name of *Śūdra*. We have a mention of some females that were skilled in the arts, the *Śilpakārikā*—‘a woman practising the arts’, the *Naṭṭor Nāṭakīyā*—‘the actress’, and the *Kalāvidagdhā*—‘the female artiste’². Here also we are reminded of Kautilya’s *Śilparatyah striyah*—‘the women proficient in the arts’, who had access to the inner apartments of the people³. He speaks of the *Śilpakārikā* also⁴.