The Kama Sutra

Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vatsyayana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses. "Kama" which is one of the three goals of Hindu life, means sensual or sexual pleasure, and "sutra" literally means a thread or line that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Contrary to popular perception, especially in the western world, Kama sutra is not an exclusive sex manual; it presents itself as a guide to a virtuous and gracious living that discusses the nature of love, family life and other aspects pertaining to pleasure oriented faculties of human life The Kama Sutra has 1250 verses, distributed in 36 chapters, which are further organized into 7 parts. This famous work includes discussions broken down by chapters like General Remarks, Amorous Advances, Acquiring a Wife, and the Privileges of a Wife. It's also famous for describing over 60 different types of sexual acts and for discussing how to improve physical attraction.