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Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c8.s3: The House of a Nāgaraka

Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vātsyāyana's Kāmasūtra c8.s3

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The House of a Nāgaraka

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The house that the *nāgaraka* builds for his residence shows his taste and love of beauty and the simple but choice furniture and decorations that adorn his rooms show his love of art and his many-sided culture. As we have seen before, the *nāgaraka* builds his house in a city. It has to be in close proximity to a supply of water and is divided into two parts, the inner belonging to the ladies and the outer where, as we shall see presently, the master of the house attends to business and receives visitors. There is a number of rooms each set apart for its special purpose, and attached to the house there must be a *vṛkṣavāṭikā* or a garden with wide grounds, if possible, where flowering plants and fruit-trees can grow as well as kitchen vegetables.¹ In the middle of the ground should be excavated either a well, or if there is room enough, a tank or a lake.² This garden is attached to the inner court and is looked after by the mistress of the house. It is the duty of a good housewife says Vātsyāyana, to procure the seeds of the common Indian kitchen vegetables and medicinal herbs and plant them each in its season.³ In neat and clean spots in the garden where the ground has been well dressed, the lady of the house plants beds of green vegetables,—clumps of the tall sugarcane, patches of stunted shrubs of the mustard and similar herbs, and thickets of the dark *tamāla*.⁴ equally receives her tender care; she has to see that it is laid out with beds of plants that yield an abundance of flowers—those that regale the nose with their sweet perfume, like the *mallikā*, the *jāti* or the *naramālikā*, as well as those that delight the eye like the *japā* with its crimson glory or the *kuraṇṭaka* (amaranth) with its unfading yellow splendour, and besides, there should be in this garden, rows of shrubs yielding fragrant leaves or roots, like *bylaka* and *uśīra*. In the gardens there are arbors and sometimes vine-groves where she gets built *sthaṇḍilas* or raised platforms with pleasant and comfortable seats for rest or recreation.¹ Flowers should be spread on these seats in these sweet sylvan retreats and a swing be hung at a spot well guarded from the sun by its leafy arbor.² An abundance of various flowers should also be arranged with art, here and there over the residential house which must be kept scrupulously clean, the floor should be beautifully smooth and polished so as to soothe the eyes; besides attending to these duties, the lady of the house should also see that at her abode the morning, noon and evening rites—sacrifices and gifts—are duly observed and the gods worshipped at the sanctuaries of the household; for she must realise, as an ancient teacher, *Gonardīya*, has observed, that nothing pleases and charms the heart of a householder so much as a well-kept, neat and tidy home where the gods are respected and the religious duties well observed.¹ The mistress of the house should also see that her kitchen is situated in a quiet and retired spot and is clean and attractive.² The proper keeping of the house was thus the particular care of the wife of the nāgaraka and the erection of a noble pile of buildings is, according to our author, among the most earnest desires of women.³

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¹ तत् भवनमासन्नोदकं वृक्षवाटिकाविभक्तकम्मकं द्विवामगृहं कारयेत् ।.. *Kāmasūtra*, p. 42 (*sūtra* 4).

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² मध्ये कूपं वापी दीर्घिकां वा खानयेत् ।—*Ibid*, p. 225 (*sūtra* 8).

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³ मूलकालुकपलङ्गीदमनकात्रातकीर्हकत्रपुसवार्ताक कुष्माण्डालाबुशूरणकनासास्तनय-गुसातिलपर्णीकाप्रिमन्थलगुनपलाण्डुप्रभृतीनां सर्वोषधीनां च बीजग्रहणं काले दापयेत् । *Ibid*, p 228 (*sūtra* 29).

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⁴ परिप्तेषु च हरितशाकप्रानितस्तम्बाम्जीरकसर्पपाजमोदशतपुष्पातमलगुल्मांश्च कारयेत् ।—*Ibid*, p. 225 (*sūtra* 6).

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¹ कुब्जकामलकमल्लिकाजातीकुरंटकनवमालिकातगरनन्द्यावर्तजपागुल्मानन्यांश्च बहु-पुष्पान् बालकोशीरपातालिकांश्च वृत्तवाटिकायां च स्थण्डिलानि मनोज्ञानि कारयेत् ।—*Ibid*, p. 225 (*sūtra* 7), also वृत्तवाटिकां सुद्रोकामण्डपं ।—*Ibid*, p. 284 (*sūtra* 17).

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² स्वास्तीर्णां प्रेङ्खान्दोला वृत्तवाटिकायां सप्रच्छाया स्थण्डिलपीठिका च सकुसुमेति भवनविन्यासः ।—*Ibid*, p. 45 (*sūtra* 15).

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¹ वेश्म च शुचि सुसंस्थानं विरचितविविधकुसुमं संस्त्याम्भूमितलं 'ह्यदर्शनं विश्वव्याचरितवलिकम पूजितदैवत' कुर्यात् । न स्वातौऽम्बद् गृहस्थानां चित्रग्राहकमसीति गोनर्दीयः ।—Ibid, p. 224 (*sūtra* 3).

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² महानसं च सुगुप्तं स्याद्दर्शनीयं च ।—Ibid, p. 227 (*sūtra* 18).

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³ गृहस्योदारस्य करणां महार्हभण्डैः परिचारकैश्च गृहपरिच्छदस्योज्ज्वलता ।—Ibid, p. 341 (*sūtra* 26).

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Large and magnificent houses *harmyas* and *prāsādas*, were known to Vātsyāyana; the nāgaraka sometimes might enjoy moonlight on the terrace of a palace and examine the stars and planets with his beloved.⁴ The walls of the houses were sometimes beautifully polished so as to reflect the image of a girl, and not infrequently the roof of the house stood on pillars, *stambhas*.⁵ The *Buddhacarita* mentions an iron pillar and the *Saundarananda Kāvya* speaks of a pillar of gold and also of a minor support or *upastambha*.⁶ The floor of a palace was sometimes decorated with mosaic work, being inlaid with coral or with precious stones. In the palace-gardens there were *samudra-gṛhas* or cool summer-houses surrounded by water, washed as it were, by the sea, and also rooms in the walls of which there were secret passages for water to circulate and take away the heat.¹ Bhāsa's *Svapna-Vāsavadattam* (Act V) has such a *samudra-grha*, and in later dramas also it is not rare; the *Viṣṇu-Smṛti* (V. 117) prescribes punishment for a *samudragṛha-bhedaka*. Secret pleasure-houses standing amidst the waters of garden tanks are referred to by Kālidāsa.² Besides the garden, Vātsyāyana has not given much detailed description of the *antaḥpura* or the inner sanctum of the ladies. Bhāsa designates it as the inner court with apartments or houses on four sides (*abhyantara-catuḥśālā*), which suggests the plan of construction of the inner apartments of an Indian house from very ancient times.³ This plan combined the advantages of seclusion and privacy together with provision for light and air.

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⁴ इत्येतलस्थितयोधी चन्द्रिकासेवनार्थमासनम् ।—Ibid, p. 174 (*sūtra* 19).

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⁵ आदर्श कृष्ये सलिलै वा प्रयोव्यायाम्न्यासुखनमाकारमदर्शनामेव कार्यम् ।—Ibid, p. 110 (*sūtra* 30); तदैव कृयासन्धीन सभसन्दीन वा स्फटकमवपीडयेदिति पीडितकम् ।—Ibid, p. 96 (*sūtra* 13).

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⁶ सभमायसम्—*Buddhacarita*, xiv, 12; सुवर्णस्तम्भवर्णाः ।—*Saundarananda Kāvya*, i. 19; उपस्तम्भः पिपातिषो दुर्व्वलस्य वेश्मनः ।—Ibid, xiv, 15.

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¹ वह्निः प्रवालकुट्टिमं ते दर्शयिष्यामि मणिभूमिकां इषवाटिकां मदीकामण्डप' समुद्रगृहप्रासादान् गूढभित्तिसंचाराधिवकर्माणि ।—*Kāmasūtra*, pp. 283-84 (*sūtra* 17).

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² दीर्घिकाः गूढमोहनगृहाः ।—*Raghuvamśa*, xix. 9.

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³ प्रवेशतामभ्यन्तरचतःशालम् ।—Bhāsa, *Cārudatta*, ed. by T.Gaṇapati Śāstri, Act I. See also *Catuḥśāla* in Bhāsa's *Avimāraka*, Trivandrum Sans. Series, pp. 23, 42, 86.

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Vātsyāyana describes with greater fulness the outer chambers which the master called particularly his own and where he spent by far the greater portion of his day and night. An examination of the furniture and equipments of these chambers will give us an insight into the life of the man of wealth and fashion in the third century after Christ. The articles that Vātsyāyana first draws attention to, in the master's apartment, are two couches with beds, soft and comfortable and spotlessly white, sinking in the middle, and having rests for the head and feet at the top and the bottom. At the head of his bed is a *kūrca-sthāna*, a stand or perhaps a niche for placing an image of the deity that he worships, as the commentary, Jayamaṅgalā explains; besides, at the head there is also an elevated shelf serving the purposes of a table whereon are placed articles necessary for his toilet in the early dawn, namely, fragrant ointments such as sandal-paste, a garland of flowers, small pots containing bees' wax and sweet perfumes, the skin of the *mātuluṅga* or the citron fruit for perfuming the mouth and also betel-leaves prepared with spices and scents. On the floor is a vessel for catching the spittle (*patadgraha*). On the wall, on brackets (elephants' tusks—*nāgadantaka*) are ranged his *vīṇā*, the national instrument of music in ancient India, a casket containing brushes and other requisites for painting, a book—preferably a poetical work—and garlands of the yellow amarnath (*kuraṇṭaka*), chosen because it does not fade or wither soon and therefore is good for decorating the rooms. Not far from the couch, on the floor, is spread a carpet with cushions for the head, and besides, there are boards for playing at chess and dice. Outside the room is the *nāgaraka*'s aviary where are hung cages of birds for game and sport;¹ we read in the *Buddhacarita* that the birds in such household aviaries in the city of Kapilavastu were disturbed by the hurried movements of ladies hastening to catch a glimpse of the young prince Siddhārtha as he passed along the street.² At a somewhat retired spot in the house are places where our *nāgaraka* amuses himself by working at the lathe or the chisel.³

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¹ बाह्ये च वासगृहे सुस्रस्तस्रगुपधानं मध्ये विनतं शुक्लोत्तरच्छदं शयनीयं स्यात्, प्रतिशयिका च। तस्य शिरोभागे कुंचस्थानम्। वेदिका च। तत्र राशिषमनुलेपनं माला' सिकथकरसकं सौगंधिकपुटिका मातुलुंगत्वक्षस्ताम्बूलानि च स्युः। भूमौ पत्रग्रहः। नागदन्तसक्ता वीणा, चित्रफलकं, वर्तिकासमुद्रको, यः कश्चित् पुस्तकः, कुरण्टकमालाश्च। नातिदूरे भूमौ हस्ताभरणं समस्तकम्। आधर्षफलकं द्यूतफलकं च। तस्य बहिः क्रीडाशकुनिपञ्जरराणि।—*Kāmasūtra*, pp. 43-45 (*sūtras* 5-13).

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² विभावयन्त्यो दृष्टपथिस्रजश्चिन्वन्ति वेगाच्च समाचिपन्त्यः।—*Buddhacarita*. iii. 15.

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³ एकान्ते च तक्षतक्षणाभ्यवहार्यं च क्रीडानाम्।—*Kāmasūtra*, p. 45 (*sūtra* 14).

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