The kiss

Chumbanavikalpa Prakarana

ome people opine that there is no fixed time or order between the embrace and the kiss, and the pressing or scratching with nails or fingers. They maintain that these should generally be done before sexual union takes place, while striking and making various sounds should generally take place at the time of the union. Vatsyayana, however, thinks that anything may take place at any time, for love does not care for time or order.

Some women of the inner court are amorous and also indulge in oral congress on the yonis of each other. Here they are in the midst of intense desire with their lips sealed in a deep throbbing kiss as their hand explore each others bodies.

On the occasion of the first congress, kissing, scratching, and so on, should be done moderately, should not be continued for a long time, and should be done alternately. On subsequent occasions the lovers may continue for a long time, and for kindling love, all methods may be used at the same time.

Kissing Spots

The places for kissing are the forehead, eyes, cheeks, throat, bosom, lips, and the interior of the mouth. The people of the Lat country also kiss on the joints of the thighs, the arms and the navel.

Kisses of a Young Girl

For a young girl there are three kinds of kisses:

If a girl only touches the mouth of her lover with her own, but does not initiate any action herself, this is called a nominal kiss.

If a girl, setting aside her bashfulness, wishes to touch the lip pressed onto her mouth and moves her lower lip but not the upper one, this is known as the throbbing kiss.

When a girl touches her lover's lips with her tongue, closes her eyes and places her hands on those of her lover, this is known as the touching kiss.

The nayika suddenly curves backwards to present her lover with a reverse bent kiss.

Other Views on Kisses

If the lips of two lovers are brought into direct contact with each other, this is a straight kiss.

If the heads of two lovers are bent towards each other and they kiss, this described as a bent kiss.

When one of them turns up the other's face by holding the head and chin, and then kisses him/her, it is termed a turned kiss.

In these three kinds of kisses, when one presses the lower lip of the other with great force, this is known as a pressed kiss.

There is also a fifth kind of kiss called the greatly pressed kiss, which is effected by taking hold of the lower lip between two fingers, touching it with the tongue and pressing it with great force with the lip.

Kisses of Passion

A wager may also be laid as to who will get hold of the lips of the other first. If the woman loses, she should pretend to cry, shake her hands, turn away and argue with her lover that "another wager should be laid". If she loses a second time, she should get hold of the man's lower lip and hold it between her teeth so that it does not slip away. Then she should laugh loudly, deride him, dance about, and joke with him, moving her eyebrows and rolling her eyes. These are the wagers and quarrels for kissing, but they may also be applied to pressing or scratching with the nails and fingers, biting and striking. All these, however, are only peculiar to men and women of intense passion.

If a man kisses the upper lip of a woman, and she in return kisses his lower lip, this is referred to as the kiss of the upper lip.

When one of them takes both the lips of the other between his/ her own, it is called a clasping kiss, but a woman only takes this kiss from a man who has no moustache. And during this kiss, if one of them touches the other's teeth, tongue and palate with the tongue, this is called the fighting of the tongue. The pressing of the teeth against the mouth of the other should also be practiced.

Moderate, Pressed, Contracted, Soft

Kissing is of four kinds: moderate, pressed, contracted and soft, according to the part of the body which is kissed, for different kinds of kisses are appropriate for different parts of the body.

If a woman looks at her lover while he is asleep and kisses him to show her desire to unite, this is a kiss that kindles love.

If a woman kisses her lover while he is engaged in business, or quarreling with her, or paying attention to something else, this would be a kiss that turns away.

When a lover coming home late at night kisses his beloved who is asleep on her bed, to show her his desire, this is a kiss that awakens. The woman may pretend to be asleep at the time of her lover's arrival, so that she may get to know his intention and obtain respect from him.

The ivory plaques display a sequence of events elapsed during the lover's secret rendezvous. In the first plaque the woman reaches out to plant a kiss of encouragement to her lover as she finds he is looking elsewhere and his mind is paying attention to something else. Eventually the lovers take alternate sips of wine as their passion takes a feverish pace.

The two lovers look lovingly into each other's eyes as their body and spirit conjoin in the ecstasy of their physical union.

A person who kisses the reflection of the loved one in a mirror, in water, or on the shadow on a wall, gives a kiss showing intention. When a person kisses a child sitting on his lap; or a picture, an image or figure in the presence of the person loved by him, this becomes a transferred kiss.

At night in a theatre, or in an assembly of men of the same caste, when a man comes up to a woman and kisses one finger of her hand if she is standing, or a toe of her foot if she is sitting; or when a woman massaging her lover's body, places her face on his thigh as if she is sleepy, to inflame his passion, and kisses his thigh or great toe, this is called a demonstrative kiss.

There is a shloka even on this subject :

Whatever things may be done by one of the lovers to the other, the same should be returned by the other; if the woman kisses him, he should kiss her in return; if she strikes him, he should also strike her in return.

The nayika climbs onto his lap and controls the flow of bodies by encircling her arms around his neck and her legs around his thighs in an embrace like the mixture of milk and water.

The nayaka contracts his fingers to form a hollow of the palm and fondles the space between the breasts. The relaxed position of the couple indicates the beginning moments of a highly stormy and prolonged session, which is to follow.