The text was composed by Vatsyayana, (~5th century CE philosopher) as a brief summary of various earlier works belonging to a tradition known generically as Kama Shastra. Kama Sutra Sutra signifies a thread, or discourse threaded on a series of aphorisms. Sutra was a standard term for a technical text, thus also the Yogasutram of Patanjali. Tradition holds that the author was a celibate scholar living in Pataliputra, an important center of learning in modern day Bihar. Most scholarly estimates place him in the 4th century. If this date is correct, Vatsayana lived during the heart of the Gupta Empire (or period), an era known for its massive contributions to classical Sanskrit literature and Vedic culture. The attribution of the name "Mallanaga" to Vatsyayana, the author of the Kama Sutra, is due to the confusion of his role as editor of the Kama Sutra with that of the mythical creator of erotic science. However, according to tradition, this "summary" was still too vast to be accessible. Later, a scholar called Babhravya, together with a group of his disciples, produced a summary of Shvetaketu's summary that was itself encyclopaedic in scope. Suvarnanabha's text mentions Shatakarni Shatavahana, a king of the 1st century BC who killed his own wife accidentally during sadistic practices, thus giving a hint on the time period it was written. Time and background of Kama SutraMost scholarly estimates place Vatsyayana in the 4th century AD, during the heart of the Gupta period. More cautious estimates use inter-textual evidence to set a range for the time of his writing. In his text, Vatsyayana claims that his inspiration stemmed from the fact that the various major works of Kama Shastra had become difficult to access, thus requiring someone to collect and summarize them. Vatsyayana believed there were eight ways of making love, multiplied by eight positions within each of these. The chapter listing sexual positions is the best-known, and a translation (different from Burton's) is in wide circulation on the Internet. This chapter was pirated from the 1980 translation of Indra Sinha and first appeared on the internet server wiretap. It is commonly mistaken to be the entirety of the Sutra. The remainder gives guidance on how to be a good citizen and insights into men and women in relationships. Vatsyayana believed that Sex itself was not wrong, but doing it frivolously was sinful. The Kama Sutra has helped people enjoy the art of sex at a deeper level and can be considered a technical guide to sexual enjoyment, as well as providing insight into the sexual mores and practices of India in those times. Pleasure and the Spiritual Life The Indian tradition believes that human life is a spiritual journey, with each and every aspect governed by one or more of the following motives: 1). While the first three, mutually tied to each other, form a group and represent the aims of life, Moksha - the highest ideal, is independent and beyond them. All our actions are governed by one or more of the three motives, individually, or in combination. Dharma is superior to Artha, which in its turn is higher than Kama. For example, when pursuing money, Dharma is not be compromised, and when Artha and Kama are in discord, the latter needs to be sacrificed. Thus we realize that Vatsyayana has the self-confidence to acknowledge the relative superiority enjoyed by the other ideals over the subject he is expounding. His ambition is not to establish Kama as an ultimate principle, but rather to make us realize its correct and relevant position in the sphere of human existence. Therefore, in the Kama Sutra, sensuality is not glorified in its own right, but given its rightful place in our lives. While sexual practices do exist within the very wide tradition of Hindu tantra, the Kama Sutra is not a tantric text, and does not touch upon any of the sexual rites associated with some forms of tantric practice. An influential recent translation is that of Indra Sinha, published in 1980. This translation featured the original text attributed to Vatsayana, along with a medieval and modern commentary.