Kama Sutra Meaning: What It Really Is (+ 21 Positions)

The Kama Sutra is a third-century Sanskrit text written by the Indian scholar Vatsyayana. Most people think it is a book of sex positions. Positions are a small part of it. The bulk covers desire, courtship, marriage and how to live well, with pleasure treated as one of the four goals of life.

What is Kama Sutra? A book on how to create a deeper, intimate connection that strengthens your relationship?

That would be drastically simplifying this ancient text. Think of it as a university degree on pleasure, relationships, and intimacy. Here’s your chance to take off all the layers of cultural conditioning around sex and come back to its most potent form.

#17 is not one to miss if you’re looking for something completely new to try with your partner!

So, if you want to enhance loving intimacy, let's dive into the waters of the Kama Sutra.

What is Kama Sutra? A guide to pleasure

Kamasutra is an ancient text from India, but we’ll explore more about its history in a moment.

For now, know that Kama has many meanings. The most direct translation is "desire" or "longing." However, one of the most encompassing is "love”.

Sutra literally means thread. Sutras were short, to-the-point sentences written by Brahmanic writers. When "threaded" together, they became a handbook guiding one toward recognition of a higher and more meaningful life.

The Kama Sutra itself is a guidebook for pleasure.

The texts' section on sexuality "was designed to teach a man how to make sure that the woman was fully pleasured," sex expert Seema Anand explains, author of The Arts of Seduction.

Gavin Flood explains Kāma as "love" without violating Dharma (moral responsibility), Artha (material prosperity), and a person's journey towards Moksha (spiritual liberation).

The history of Kama Sutra

The Kāmasūtra is a third-century ancient Sanskrit text written by the Indian scholar and Brahmin Vatsyayana for the pursuit of intimate and emotional fulfillment in life.

British explorer and linguist Sir Richard Burton was the first to translate the Kama Sutra into English in 1883 and, because of censorship laws at the time, had to publish it privately. Shockingly, it wasn't until the 1960's that the book was formally published in the U.S.

Tantra and Kama Sutra, what is the difference?

Where Kama Sutra is a guide on relationships, connection, and sex — the Tantra holds a far broader scope. Both stem from ancient Indian literature. However, Kama Sutra positions are more similar to red Tantra than classical Tantra.

A snapshot of Tantra would look a bit like this:

• Deity worship (universal energy forms)
• Meditations and visualizations
• Chakra work
• Exploring the polarity of Shiva and Shakti, the divine masculine and feminine
• Nada yoga — the yoga of sound
• Chanting and mantras
• Pranyama and asana practice
• Yantra (geometric diagrams to celebrate our sacred universe)
• Pranic explorations and shifts along the body's nadis and chakras
• We can see that Tantra holds sex as a sacred activity that celebrates life, and the rich tapestry of the practice illuminates a path to liberation, fulfillment, peace, and bliss

How to practice Kama Sutra?

The Kama Sutra, as we've explored, isn't just a book on physical intimacy — it's a comprehensive ancient text on how to navigate relationships. It's the art of living.

What’s fascinating is that the Kama Sutra can provide so much wisdom in our time and in Western culture. It offers practical insights on how to win a woman over, find union with a former lover, or cherish your life partner with pleasure.

The text acknowledges the Hindu concept of Purusharthas and lists desire, intimacy, and emotional fulfillment as one of the pillar goals of life, known as Kama.

Practicing Kama Sutra involves being a progressive, enlightened lover who sees each intimate act as an opportunity to transform pleasure into fulfillment. These universal aims serve as a guide to help you discover your soul's purpose.  

What is the original teaching of the Kama Sutra?

When exploring the Kama Sutra, it should never be reduced to physical intimacy alone.

If the text were merely a how-to on physical union followed by a list of Kama Sutra positions, it wouldn't still be widely used and celebrated today.

It explores many other topics that enrich a person's life, from how to live as a householder to how to find an equal union in a relationship. Vatsyayana reveals how two people can draw closer in connection.

Just a few verses that Vatsyayana details include:

1. Aphrodisiacs
2. Increasing fertility
3. Matching the shapes of partners' sexual genitals for optimal compatibility
4. Self-care and personal hygiene for attraction
5. Men's and women's health benefits for a Karmic life
6. Personal grooming and etiquette
7. Strengthening male vitality and energy (similar to the modern jelqing exercise)
8. Enhancing feminine energy flow and vitality
9. Kissing and love bites
10. The art of marking and scratching during initmacy
11. Resolving arguments and quarrels between lovers
12. Uplifting each other in marriage

And yes, there's plenty of advice on sex positions and their unique benefits!

What are the best Kama Sutra sex positions?

The best Kama Sutra positions are not the acrobatic ones. Vatsyayana grouped positions by what suits the pairing, including matching partners for physical compatibility, which is why the text spends more time on fit than on difficulty. Difficulty was never the point. The 21 below cover that range. Some, like the Lotus position and Yab Yum, are seated and face to face, built for eye contact and slow breathing rather than speed. Others, like Splitting the Bamboo and Suspended Congress, ask for flexibility and strength from at least one partner. The Congress of a Crow is the classic 69. Vatsyayana himself says of several that they can be learned only through practice, which is the honest answer to which is best: the one you and your partner can hold long enough to stop thinking about the position. As the text states,

"So long as lips shall kiss, and eyes shall see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

1. Fixing of a nail

One partner extends a leg while the other gently leans forward to align closely, creating a sense of balance and trust. This posture promotes mindfulness, cooperation, and synchronized breathing, fostering a deeper connection.

Vatsyayana himself states that this one is learned through practice only.

2. Packed position

The female partner lies down on a comfortable surface, crosses her legs, and then draws them up to her chest. The man then lies or leans on top for a profoundly intimate encounter.

3. Lotus position

If you're seeking emotional comfort and spiritual connection, the lotus position should be your priority. Find yab-yum, the man sits crossed-legged, and his partner crosses their legs on top of him with their ankles at his back. Undulate into each other's embrace, and don't forget about the eye contact.

4. Janukurpara Pose

The partner lifts the woman and locks his elbows under her knees. He then supports her butt with his hand while the woman places her arms around the partner’s neck for leverage. The male partner unites, maintaining eye contact during this intense lovemaking.

5. The curled angel

The man lies on his side for ultimate pleasure and draws his girlfriend or wife close. During physical union, there is plenty of opportunity for him to kiss her neck and feel the tension rise.

6. The glowing juniper

The glowing juniper is a beautiful and tender place for lovers. The man sits on his heels and drapes his partner's torso along his thighs, her legs on either side of him. He embraces her, wrapping his arms around the front and back of her upper body and using this embrace to anchor his movements.

7. The cross

It starts with the woman lying on her side with her legs stretched. Next, the man straddles her bottom leg, sits on his heels, and lifts one foot supporting it with his shoulder. This one adds a fiery element to your love life.

8. Elephant position

The woman lies on her front as her partner enters from behind. The receiver can either keep her legs straight, or bend one up to the side to deepen sensation.

9. Congress of a cow

A firm favorite amongst many adventurous couples, the congress of a cow injects wildness into a relationship or marriage. The female partner finds a table-top position while the other partner "mounts her like a bull" in the words of Vatsyayana.

10. Vadavaka

This position is more commonly known as the cowgirl position. The man lies down with his legs together while the female partner sits on top — straddling him while sitting upright and facing towards his head. The woman can arch her back to explore different depths and sensations.

11. Yawning position

Yawning position, also known as jrimbhitaka in Sanskrit, involves the receiver lying on their back and looping their ankles over the giver’s shoulder. This fun alternative to missionary work gives a profound sense of union.

12. Lotus position

The lotus position represents the union of the masculine and feminine energies, making it a powerful bonding of the partners’ life forces. The man sits cross-legged, with the woman sitting on his lap, her legs wrapped around his torso.

13. Twining of the creeper

A tremendous upright position for when you don't even make it to the bedroom. Both partners stand facing each other, and the woman hooks her leg around the man’s hips, embracing him like a creeper vine. Then, the male partner starts to rock into her with desire.

14. Milk and water embrace

The man, or giving partner, sits on the bed, and the female partner, or receiver, sits down on him with her back to his chest. This is an excellent option for controlling depth and energy. The woman can take the lead, or the man can thrust into her using his hands to stabilize.

15. Splitting the bamboo

If you're looking for a variation on the missionary position, give this one a try. The female partner lies on the bed, rolling slightly onto one hip. She lifts that same leg on her male partner's shoulder, and her opposite leg remains stretched out on the bed. This position gives him control over rhythm and intensity.

16. Suspended congress

In this sex position, the male partner stands and lifts his woman, wrapping her legs around his torso. You can find a wall to press her against for balance and let the heat build as he rocks into her.

17. Turning position

The man, during lovemaking, turns around and enjoys the woman without leaving her. She embraces him around the back all the time. This is known as the "turning position" and is learned only through practice.

18. The bridge

A man has to be both strong and flexible for this pose — so it might be time to try yoga for men.

He takes the wheel position (Urdhva Dhanurasana) or bridge pose (Setubandha Sarvangasana), and his partner straddles his leg and controls the rhythm and intensity of penetration.

19. The snail

Your wife or girlfriend will likely be head over heels for this pose. Why?

Because it allows for intense deep internal stimulation and begins with her lying down with her knees close to her chest, next, the man comes to a kneeling stance and rolls her hips high enough for physical union, and you both ripple in pleasure.

20. Bird position

The man squats as the woman gets in close, wrapping her legs around his torso. They then draw each other close in an embrace while penetrating deeply and kissing like crazy.

21. Congress of a crow

In the classic '69, you're really elevating the pleasure! Men and women alike love the intimacy and passion of this pose.

Most people don't spend nearly enough time engaging in mutual, mindful touch—so why not make it the main course?

The man lies down while his partner sits on his face, leaning over his lingam. Have fun playing and teasing each other to a state of pure bliss.

What are the best books on Kama Sutra?

The best books on the Kama Sutra are the translations that keep Vatsyayana's full text rather than pulling out the positions and discarding the rest. Most modern Kama Sutra books do the opposite. They reprint a few dozen positions with new photography and leave out the chapters on courtship, marriage, household life and the ethics of desire, which is the bulk of what Vatsyayana actually wrote. He wrote in the third century and the sutras were terse by design, so the editions worth owning are the ones with commentary explaining what a line meant in its own time. Sir Richard Burton's 1883 translation is the one most English editions descend from, and at over 140 years old it reads best alongside a modern scholarly edition rather than on its own. The five below give you a grounding in the original rather than a picture book.

Many modern books on Kama Sutra are available that often just focus on sexual positions.

So, here are a few recommendations that will give you a comprehensive grounding on Vatsyayana's work:

1. The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana by Vatsyayana (Author), Bhagavanlal Indrajit (Translator), Shivaram Parashuram Bhide (Translator)
2. The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra by Lance Dane
3. Kama Sutra: The Book of Sex Positions by Sadie Cayman
4. Kama Sutra Sex Guide for Couples by Samantha Mandala
5. The Kama Sutra by W.G. Archer (Editor), F.F. Arbuthnot (Translator), K.M. Panikaar (Introduction), Sir Richard Burton (Translator)

Conclusion and next steps

So, now you know — the Kama Sutra is not some sex manual but a torchlight into your pleasure, relationships, and desires.

With the partner poses we've shared, you'll be able to match them up to your and your partner's mood and energy levels for explosive connection.

If you're ready to go further, then the sacred sexuality of Tantra is an excellent next step to deepen your intimacy and love life.

I'm Steffo, a renowned relationship coach. If you're a man ready to take that next step, here is the free training to tap into your inner prowess and enhance your masculine energy.

Kama Sutra FAQ