Once she takes up with a lover, the courtesan acts like an only wife in order to please him. To put it briefly, she gives him pleasure but is not attached to him, even though she behaves as if she is.
(1–2)
The courtesan represents herself as dependent on a mother who is hard-hearted by nature and thinks only of money, or, in her absence, on an adopted mother. Neither cares much for the lover and tends to force the daughter to come away from him. At this the courtesan exhibits displeasure and dejection, fear and embarrassment, but she never disobeys her mother’s orders. If she has some reason for not going to the lover, she feigns a sudden, singular illness, nothing repulsive, just invisible and temporary, and makes that a pretext, sending him leftover flowers and betel leaves through a servant girl.
(3–11)
While making love, she marvels at his techniques, acts like his pupil in the sixty-four arts and repeatedly practises his lessons. Her behaviour accords with his personality when they are alone. She tells him her desires, but conceals any abnormalities in her secret places. In bed, she never ignores his turning towards her and reciprocates his touching her private parts.
(12–19)
She kisses and embraces him when he is asleep, and watches him when his mind is preoccupied. When he is on the road, she gazes at him from the house but, if he notices her, looks bashful to preclude any impression of cunning. She hates what he hates, likes what he likes, takes pleasure in whatever pleases him and follows him in grief and joy. She is curious about his women but never angry for long, though she suspects others for the nail and tooth marks on his body, even when she herself has made them. Her own passion she never expresses in words, but makes it known through gestures and signals or, wordlessly, by the pretence of being drunk, unwell or dreaming.
(20–26)
When her lover talks about his own admirable deeds, she grasps the point of his words and takes it into account while praising him. But she replies only if he has shown himself to be devoted to her. She concurs with all that he says except for the subject of his other wives. When he sighs or yawns, stumbles or falls, she wishes him good health. If he sneezes, cries out or seems astonished, she exclaims ‘Live long!’ When he is out of sorts, she pretends to be unwell too.
(27–32)
She does not praise others in front of her lover, nor disparage them for faults similar to his. What he gives, she wears, but does not dress up or eat if he blames her for no reason or is in some trouble. She then grieves with him and prefers to pay for a royal exit permit and leave the country with him, for her life is meaningful only because she has him. When he comes into money, achieves a desired goal or recovers from some illness, she makes an offering earlier vowed to her favourite god.
(33–40)
She eats little and is always well turned out. In her singing she includes her lover’s name and lineage. When she is tired she draws comfort from his hand, putting it on her breast or brow as she falls asleep. She also sleeps sitting in his lap, and follows him when he leaves her.
(41–43)
She wants to have a child by him and does not wish for a life longer than his. When they are alone she does not talk of things unknown to him. She dissuades him from making vows and keeping fasts, saying ‘Let this be on me!’ and, if she cannot, does the same herself. If he disagrees, she tells him that even he cannot stop her.
(44–47)
She makes no distinction between what is his or hers, does not go to parties and other gatherings without him and boasts of wearing his used flower garlands and eating his leftover food. She praises his family, his character, artistic skills and learning, clan and class, wealth and land, friends and merits, age and sweetness of temper. If he knows singing and such arts, she urges him to indulge in them.
(48–52)
She goes to him without concern for danger, cold, heat or rain, saying, ‘May he alone be mine, even in the next life.’ She conforms to his favoured tastes, feelings and attitudes, and is suspicious of magic and sorcery. Always arguing with her mother on the subject of going to him, if she is forced to go to someone else she asks instead for some poison, a dagger, a rope, or will just not eat, to kill herself. This she conveys to her lover through confidential servants or directly so that he may understand her conduct, for she never argues with her mother about money matters or does anything without consulting her.
(53–61)
When her lover goes away on a journey, she makes him swear that he will return quickly. During his absence she abstains from makeup, or wearing jewellery except for good luck, such as a single conch-shell bangle. Remembering their time together, she visits fortune-tellers and soothsayers and expresses envy of the heavenly constellations, the sun, the moon and the stars, for he can see them but not her. ‘May we be united!’ she says on seeing him in a dream, but when alarmed by some bad omen she performs the rites of propitiation. On his return, she prays to Kama, the god of love, makes offerings to all the gods, has a filled jar fetched by her girl friends for thanksgiving and puts out the ritual food for the crows. But all these, except for the crow ceremony, are done only after they have first made love.
(62–71)
To a devoted lover, she talks of following him in death. The signs of such a lover are that he trusts her feelings, has the same attitudes, does her bidding, is free of suspicion and does not care for wealth. All that has been said here is meant to cite examples from the rules of Dattaka. What is unsaid, one should practise in accordance with local customs and the nature of men. Here are two verses on this:
As they are subtle, excessively greedy,
and their nature is little known,
women’s feelings are hard to fathom,
even by those whom they desire.
They want someone, then turn indifferent,
give delight, and then abandon,
they even extract all one’s money:
women just cannot be understood.
(72–76)
Getting money from an infatuated man can be both natural and contrived. According to many teachers, a courtesan need not contrive expedients if she can get as much as she wants or more by being natural. According to Vatsyayana, a man will give even the double of the amount agreed if he is induced with expedients.
(1–3)
And these are the expedients for getting his money. To repay loans taken for the procurement of ornaments, cooked and uncooked food, drinks, flowers, clothes, perfumes and other material, or for the refund of a monetary deposit. By praising his wealth to his face. On the pretext of goodwill gifts needed for festivals connected with vows, tree plantations, orchards, temples, lakes and parks.
(4–6)
She says that her jewellery was stolen by the guards or by robbers when she was on her way to him. Or, that a fire in the house, the breach of a wall, or some carelessness has caused a loss of property and of the jewellery borrowed for or belonging to the lovers. She also informs him through her confidential servants of the expenses she has incurred in going to him. She takes a loan for him, and has an argument with her mother about the resultant expense. She declines to go to friends’ parties as she has nothing to give them as a present when, as she had already mentioned, they had brought valuable gifts for her. Then she suddenly stops her daily routine.
(7–13)
She gets artisans to make things for the lover, does favours to ministers and physicians for having some work done and helps the lover’s friends and benefactors in their difficulties. There are also the pretexts of work needed in the house, a ceremony for the son of her girl friend, a pregnancy, an illness and helping another friend in trouble. She talks of having to sell part of her jewellery for the lover’s sake, showing to a merchant what she wears, together with the household utensils and furniture. And on occasions when similar household effects of other courtesans are pooled together, she takes the best of them for her lover’s house.
(14–20)
She never forgets to praise in public the favours she received earlier from her lover, but gets her confidential servants to talk within his hearing of the larger rewards earned by other elite courtesans. Then she tells them, in his presence and with some embarrassment, of her own much greater rewards irrespective of whether she ever got them or not. While she openly refuses previous clients who try to re-establish a liaison with a larger offer, she also tells her lover of the generosity of his rivals. And, when she thinks that he will not come back, she goes begging to him like a child. These are the expedients for getting money.
(21–26)
A man’s loss of interest can always be deduced from the changes in his attitude and the look on his face. He gives her less than usual or an extra amount. He makes contact with her rivals. Pretending to do one thing, he does something else. He cuts off his normal routine, forgets a promise or says he never made it and speaks with his people in a sign language. He sleeps somewhere else on the pretext of some work for a friend and talks privately to the servants of his former mistress.
(27–35)
Before he can become aware of it, the courtesan should then take possession of all his money, under whatever pretext, and get a creditor to seize it forcibly from her. If this is disputed, it can then be taken to court. This concludes the lover’s cooling-off.
(36–38)
A lover who did favours in the past, and is still attached, needs to be looked after even though he now yields but little fruit. But one without resources and any means should be got rid of by some expedient, or with the help of another man. And these could be the ways. Doing something he dislikes. Practising what he condemns. Curling her lip in a sneer. Stamping her foot on the ground. Talking of things he knows nothing about. Expressing not wonder but contempt at what he does not know. Deflating his pride. Associating with his superiors. Ignoring him. Criticizing those with faults like his. And staying away from him.
(39–41)
She gets agitated by his behaviour when making love. Does not offer him her mouth. Shields her pelvic zone. Is disgusted at the wounds he makes by scratching and biting. Crosses her arms to prevent his embrace. Stiffens her limbs and crosses her thighs. Wants to sleep. And, when she sees that he is tired, she urges him on, mocks him when he cannot do it and turns off when he wants to. Noticing his arousal even during the day, she goes out to be with a crowd.
(42)
She misconstrues what he says. Laughs when he has not said anything funny and, when he has, chuckles and speaks about something else. With a side glance at him, she looks at and slaps a servant. She interrupts what he is saying with another story, talks publicly about his lies and the vices he cannot give up and exposes his secrets through a servant girl. She does not see him when he comes, and she asks him for the impossible. The release then comes by itself. This is what Dattaka has said about the client.
(43–44)
There are two verses on this:
After having checked him out,
to get together with the client,
pleasing him when he is hooked
and relieving him of his wealth,
finally, to let him go:
this is the courtesan’s way.
With the methods here prescribed,
the courtesan in her liaisons
is not excessively cheated
by the clients, and collects
a large amount of money.
(45–46)