Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c8.s6.t1.1

c8.s6.t1.1

While the life of a *nāgaraka* has been painted by Vātsyāyana as a round of pleasures, that of his wife presents a striking contrast and is a round of duties. The picture presented by him of a wife is in no way inferior to the ideal held up in the *Dharmaśāstras* and in many respects he gives greater details.¹ She attends on her husband with all the love and devotion a devotee shows to the deity he worships. She ministers to his personal needs, looks after his food and drink, as well as his toilet and his amusements; she tries to appreciate his likes and dislikes, welcomes his friends with proper presents, respects and loves his parents and relatives and is liberal to his servants; when she finds that he is coming home, she hastens to meet him and waits upon him herself; in his games and sports she follows him; even when offended, she does not speak too bitterly to him. She may attend a festive assembly only with his permission and in the company of her friends. She does not even give away anything without his knowledge. She should do nothing that might rouse his suspicion against her fidelity; she should avoid the company of women of questionable character such as female ascetics, actresses, fortune-tellers, or women given to the practice of black art (mūlakārikā), nor should she loiter about in solitary parts of the house. She might take lessons in the Kāmasūtra or in the subsidiary arts, if her husband so wishes, and he may occasionally himself give these lessons.¹ One is here reminded of Bhāsa's Udayana who calls his beloved queen "his dear disciple,"² and of the beautiful line of Kālidāsa (with whom our author has so many points of contact) where Aja mourns the loss of Indumatī, his "beloved pupil in the fine arts."³