Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c8.s3.1

c8.s3.1

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