Erotic Literature of Ancient India

This is not just another wrapper on Sir Richard Burton's tired Victorian translations. This anthology covers at least 1000 years of India's history, and hints at 7000 more. The bulk of the text is Mulchandani's own commentary and historical outline. It's thoroughly well researched, but still lively and informative. And, although it stays close to intensely and varied sexual themes, it is never crude. Quite the opposite, the tone ranges from friendly and factual to reverential. For most of those thousands of years, India's population was largely agrarian. They depended on the fertility of the land and its creatures for their lives, and on their own fertility for their loves. If biblical literalists can make so much of one act of creation, think how much more splendid it must be to witness and be part of the new acts of creation that happen every day. This lovely book presents extracts from many eras' tributes to the power of that creative force. The first of this book's chapters celebrates bhakti, holy bliss in the surrender of self - an ideal that proves itself in physical surrender and bliss. Next, Mulchandani presents the Krishna mythos. Krishna is many things, but the enveloping lover above all. The poetic extracts glory in his seduction of the hundreds of cowherd (gopi) girls in a single moment, but also in his devotion to Radha and her devotion to him. A later chapter traces the texts more familiar to western readers, from Vatsyayana's third century sutra to Kokkoka's 11th century "secrets of love" and beyond. Then, Mulchandani presents a brief summary of tantrism, devotional practices that dig into the deepest energies of men and women to elevate them to their highest. The coffee-table format is filled with lovely and inspiring artwork. The high standards of the book's text leave me just a little disappointed here. Reproduction standards are generally very high, with brilliant colors and sharp printing, but I want just a little more. Where did the picture come from, and when, and from what society? Mulchandani's captions are tangential at best, and the photo credits say nothing about the images' provenance. Maybe I'm picking a nit here, but it's one that matters to me. It doesn't matter enough to stop me from enjoying this gorgeous book, or from coming back to it. For once, the many quotes from love poems and erotic paeans equal the book's imagery. I recommend this to anyone happy with their human and animal spirit. //wiredweird