Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c8.3

c8.3

With regard to marriage, Vātsyāyana is in general agreement with the *Dharmaśāstras*, both with reference to the ideals as well as the procedure to be followed in the preliminary pourparlers leading to a settlement between the parties and also the ceremonies with which the hymeneal knot was finally tied. We have already seen how he quotes Āpastamba with regard to the selection of a bride. The influence of Manu upon him must have been immense, in as much as we find that according to Vātsyāyana it was Manu that separated the Dharma portion from the all-embracing cyclopædia of Prajāpati.² Yājñavalkya, again, according to the generally accepted view of scholars, could not have been far removed from his time,³ and an agreement between the two may naturally be expected. In addition to the *Dharmaśāstra* rules, however, Vātsyāyana often looks at matters from the common sense point of view and delineates the actual state of things in his time.