The first printed Sanskrit edition of the Kama Sutra - Nirnaya Sagar Press - Bombay - 1891

The first Sanskrit edition of the Kama Sutra - In its original language.

"For private circulation only"

-“Prepared by Gaṅgāprasāda, known to Pandit Durga Prasad of the great king of Kāśī (Benares)"

-Printed at the Nirṇaya Sāgar Press, Bombay (Mumbai), India.

-1891

-1 preliminary leaf, 3, 371 (1) pages (complete). Interleaved with blanks - a study copy. A few annotations to the start of book 2 "On Sexual Union".

-Octavo format: 24 cm.

Very good condition. Contemporary cloth binding with splitting starting to front board.

This is the first printed edition of the Kama Sutra in its original Sanskrit.

The edition was published in Jaipur in 1891 with the heading “for private circulation only” highlighting Victorian sensibilities at the time. The text was prepared by Pandit Durga Prasad and aimed at local scholars and educated westerners.

First written around 2000 years ago, and ascribed to Vatsyayana, manuscript editions have been circulating for millennia. The first printed edition was not produced until 1883 when Sir Francis Burton published an English edition at the fictional “Hindoo Kama Shastra Society” in Benares (Varanasi).

Although best known for its sexual content, the Kama Sutra had a much deeper meaning - as it aims to be a guide to human relationships, courtship and marriage. Kama - the pursuit of pleasure - is described as a legitimate life goal alongside dharma (duty) and artha (prosperity)