The text presents twenty-six forms of kisses, ranging from those appropriate for showing respect and affection, to those during foreplay and sex. Sharma (1999), The Puruṣārthas: An Axiological Exploration of Hinduism Archived 29 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Journal of Religious Ethics, Vol. Human relationships, including the sexual type, are neither segregated nor repressed by gender or caste, rather linked to individual's wealth (success in artha).

Vatsyayana mentions different types of nayikas (urban girls) such as unmarried virgins, those married and abandoned by husband, widow seeking remarriage and courtesans, then discusses their kama/sexual education, rights and mores.

The best kiss for an intimate partner, according to kamasutra, is one that is based on the awareness of the avastha (the emotional state of one's partner) when the two are not in a sexual union.

The original Kama Sutra was an ancient text that provided insights into finding happiness and fulfilment with your partner - but it also depicted varied sexual positions and techniques, for a satisfying sex life. Its uniqueness lies in that it discusses the theme of sexual pleasure without any feeling of shyness or shame. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Refractions of Desire, Feminist Perspectives in the Novels of Toni Morrison, Michèle Roberts, and Anita Desai.According to Doniger, the Kamasutra discusses same-sex relationships through the notion of the tritiya prakriti, literally, "third sexuality" or "third nature". With positions ranging from slow and sensual to frisky and fun, this book features all the classics as well as adventurous new positions to try. David Shulman, a professor of Indian Studies and Comparative Religion, agrees with Doniger that the Burton translation is misguided and flawed. The various forms of intimacy reflect the intent and provide means to engage a combination of senses for pleasure.

However, this method of knowledge preservation and transmission has its foundation in the Vedas, which themselves are cryptic and require a commentator and teacher-guide to comprehend the details and the inter-relationship of the ideas. In reality, according to Doniger, the real Kamasutra is much more and is a book about "the art of living", about understanding one's body and a partner's body, finding a partner and emotional connection, marriage, the power equation over time in intimate relationships, the nature of adultery and drugs (aphrodisiacs [72]) along with many simple to complex variations in sex positions to explore.First, he had the courage to publish it in the colonial era against the political and cultural mores of the British elite. God's Body, or, The Lingam Made Flesh: Conflicts over the Representation of the Sexual Body of the Hindu God Shiva". The majority of the book is about the philosophy and theory of love, what triggers desire, what sustains it, and how and when it is good or bad. Jyoti Puri, who has published a review and feminist critique of the text, states that the " Kamasutra is frequently appropriated as indisputable evidence of a non-Western and tolerant, indeed celebratory, view of sexuality" and for "the belief that the Kamasutra provides a transparent glimpse into the positive, even exalted, view of sexuality".