The term Kama Sutra is derived from two words - Kama and Sutra. Kama is a Sanskrit word which typically means desire, intention, or wish. It can also be used to mean pleasure and love. As a proper name, the word Kama refers to the Hindu god of Love. Sutra on the other hand, signifies a threaded discussion on a series of short rules. Sutra is a standard term for a type of technical text.



The Kama Sutra is the most prominent and famous part of a group of texts from India known as the Kama Shastra or Discipline of Kama.

It is one of the original surviving examples of a love manual written by the Hindus. The work was compiled by an Indian sage named Vatsyayana at a time between the second and fourth centuries. Vatsyayana's work was based on the Kama Shastras which went back to as early as the seventh century BC. His work contained the norms and customs of the patriarchal society of Northern India.

Written for a typical male living in the city, the Kama Sutra was never intended to be a guide on the art of lovemaking for the masses, nor was it ever intended to be a type of Tantric love manual. Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra was mainly used to provide insight to the interaction between man and women. The writing described the different types of men and women and gave detailed descriptions of positions for love making. The love making positions described in the Kama Sutra only became interpreted in a Tantric way at about after three hundred years since the Kama Sutra started becoming popular.

The five basic positions in the Tantric interpretation of Kama Sutra are listed below. These positions may also have several variations:

-Man lying on his back with the woman on top

-Woman lying on her back with the man on top

-Man and woman both lying on their sides facing each other

-Woman with her back to the man

-Man and woman in seated positions, typically facing each other

Tantra is a sensual science, thus, the Tantric interpretation of the love making positions make them relevant to a spiritual type of practice. In general, tantras recommend the use of just a handful of positions in a spiritual sex session.