Conjugal Love in India

The purpose of Rati stra was to provide instruction and advice to young Hindu couples before and after they cohabit as a couple. The desired outcome of lovemaking has always been, according to Hindu law and custom, the production of male issues. Conjugal love or Rati stra is the means to assure that auspicious result. Kenneth Zysk s Conjugal Love in India is a study of traditional Hindu ideas about love in the domestic abode, and deals with the two principal Sanskrit treatises on the subject, Rati stra and Ratiraman a. These two works, leaving no stone unturned, cover every aspect of conjugal life, from the finding and selection of a suitable pair to procreation. With an introduction that situates the doctrine of conjugal love (rati stra) and the texts that explain it in the history of brahminic scholasticism. This work will help to elucidate aspects of Indian history and culture in the medieval and modern periods, and will provide a good basis for comparative studies with similar themes in other cultures."