Comparing Two Works of Erotic Literature: The Perfumed Garden and The KamaSutra

Comparisons are always odious but sometimes they can stimulate the thinking process and lead an intellectual further on his path of seeking knowledge. The Perfumed Garden and the Kama sutra are two works that concern the sexual side of human life. Both were written in a bygone age and have stood the test of time.

The Kama sutra written in Sanskrit is the older book having been complied in the 2nd century in reference to the Julian calendar on the Christian Common Era. It probably dates to 101-200.The author of the Kama sutra is supposed to be Vatsyayna. However we know very little about the author except that he was a Brahmin. The purpose of writing the book was to show a way to realization of God. The perfumed garden on the other hand was written in Arabic and came much later. The book is credited to Sheik Nefzaouj and was compiled in the 16th century. Not much is known of the Sheik either. It has no pious intentions like the Kama Sutra but is plainly written with the idea of arousing sensual pleasure. However both books were translated by Richard Burton an English man and we must remain forever indebted to him for his painstaking effort. The western world has not produced any ancient erotic manuals, perhaps because of the straight jacket approach of Christianity and the earlier puritan approach. But the eastern manuals recognized the sexual side of man and the result is two great masterpieces of erotic literature. Both the books though dealing with sex have followed different approaches. The perfumed garden is more like a story book with nearly 22 stories as part of the text. These are erotic stories and the effort of the sheik is to integrate them with the main text and bring out the essence of the sexual nature of man. They also serve as a guide for attaining extreme bliss- for one cannot deny the fact that the sex act by itself is the most potent form of pleasure in the world.

Vatsyayana's Kama sutra on the other hand is a relatively clinical book. The book represents a different culture and is closely entwined with religion. Hindu philosophy has recognized tantra and sex as a form of achieving god and the authors main purpose is an exposition of this aspect of the Hindu religion. The book reads more like a manual or treatise and reading it one can glean that the books intentions are different from the book written by Sheik. As per the original translation of Burton in 1883 the Kama sutra has 1250 verses distributed over 36 chapters which are further divided into 7 parts. The book deals with all aspects of sex including types of women, the sexual poses, diets for rejuvenation and a host of other sex matters. It is a monumental work and one can glean a lot of knowledge from this book. The perfumed garden on the other hand is pure erotica and reads more like a fairy tale book. It engrosses the readers with its stories. Interspersed with the stories is good advise on all matters relating to sex. Over the centuries both books have been read and reread any number of times and are a source of intense gratification to most readers. It is a moot point that most works on the sexual side of mans relationship with a woman has emerged from the orient. I will recommend reading both the books -nothing can be better than that.