Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c8.s7.t5.11

c8.s7.t5.11

A number of artisans are mentioned by Vātsyāyana as helping the *nāgaraka* in the decoration of his person and thus in his quest of love, and are spoken of by Vātsyāyana as his friends: among them we find in the first place, the florist who looks after his flowerbeds, who makes garlands for his neck and chaplets for his head, and who helps him in preparing floral decorations for presentation to his beloved.⁴ Next comes the perfumer (*saugandhika*) whom, as we have seen, he patronised very liberally. Then we have the goldsmith, the betel-leaf-seller, as also the washerman, the barber and the wine-seller. The women folk of these artisans were also regarded by him as his friends (*mitrāṇi*).⁵ This establishment of friendly relations between the wealthy *nāgaraka* and the craftsman appears to indicate a great respect for the crafts which are nowhere in Vātsyāyana spoken of as implying any inferior rank or position.