Editing Kama Sutra (section)

===Purusharthas===
{{Main|Purusharthas}}
The Hindu tradition has the concept of the ''[[Purusharthas]]'' which outlines "four main goals of life".<ref>Hopkins, p. 78.</ref><ref>Flood (1996), p. 17.</ref> It holds that every human being has four proper goals that are necessary and sufficient for a fulfilling and happy life:<ref>[a] A. Sharma (1982), The Puruṣārthas: a study in Hindu axiology, Michigan State University, {{ISBN|978-99936-24-31-8}}, pp 9–12; See review by Frank Whaling in Numen, Vol. 31, 1 (Jul., 1984), pp. 140–142;<br>[b] A. Sharma (1999), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/40018229 The Puruṣārthas: An Axiological Exploration of Hinduism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229174154/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40018229 |date=29 December 2020 }}, The Journal of Religious Ethics, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Summer, 1999), pp. 223–256;<br>[c] Chris Bartley (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy, Editor: Oliver Learman, {{ISBN|0-415-17281-0}}, Routledge, Article on Purushartha, pp 443</ref>
*[[Dharma]] – signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with ''[[rta]]'', the order that makes life and universe possible,<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/dharma.aspx#1 The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, ''Dharma''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926234045/http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/dharma.aspx#1 |date=26 September 2016 }}, The [[Oxford Dictionary of World Religions]]: "In Hinduism, dharma is a fundamental concept, referring to the order and custom which make life and a universe possible, and thus to the behaviours appropriate to the maintenance of that order."</ref> and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and ''right way of living''.<ref name=tce>Dharma, The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed. (2013), Columbia University Press, Gale, {{ISBN|978-0-7876-5015-5}}</ref> Hindu dharma includes the religious duties, moral rights and duties of each individual, as well as behaviors that enable social order, right conduct, and those that are virtuous.<ref name=tce/> Dharma, according to Van Buitenen,<ref name=vanbuitenen>J. A. B. Van Buitenen, Dharma and Moksa, Philosophy East and West, Vol. 7, No. 1/2 (Apr. - Jul., 1957), pp 33–40</ref> is that which all existing beings must accept and respect to sustain harmony and order in the world. It is, states Van Buitenen, the pursuit and execution of one's nature and true calling, thus playing one's role in cosmic concert.<ref name=vanbuitenen/>
*[[Artha]] – signifies the "means of life", activities and resources that enables one to be in a state one wants to be in.<ref name=johnk>John Koller, Puruṣārtha as Human Aims, Philosophy East and West, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct., 1968), pp. 315–319</ref> ''Artha'' incorporates wealth, career, activity to make a living, financial security and economic prosperity. The proper pursuit of artha is considered an important aim of human life in Hinduism.<ref>James Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Rosen Publishing, New York, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, pp 55–56</ref><ref name=bruces>Bruce Sullivan (1997), Historical Dictionary of Hinduism, {{ISBN|978-0-8108-3327-2}}, pp 29–30</ref>
*[[Kama]] – signifies desire, wish, passion, emotions, pleasure of the senses, the [[aesthetic]] enjoyment of life, affection, or love, with or without sexual connotations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Macy |first1=Joanna |year=1975 |title=The Dialectics of Desire |journal=Numen |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=145–60 |publisher=BRILL |doi=10.1163/156852775X00095 |jstor=3269765}}</ref> [[Gavin Flood]] explains<ref name=gavinf>Gavin Flood (1996), The meaning and context of the Purusarthas, in Julius Lipner (Editor) - The Fruits of Our Desiring, {{ISBN|978-1-896209-30-2}}, pp 11–13</ref> kāma as "love" without violating dharma (moral responsibility), artha (material prosperity) and one's journey towards moksha (spiritual liberation).
*[[Moksha]] – signifies emancipation, liberation or release.<ref>John Bowker, The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-19-213965-8}}, pp. 650</ref> In some schools of Hinduism, ''moksha'' connotes freedom from ''[[saṃsāra]]'', the cycle of death and rebirth, in other schools moksha connotes freedom, self-knowledge, self-realization and liberation in this life.<ref>See:
* E. Deutsch, The self in Advaita Vedanta, in Roy Perrett (Editor), Indian philosophy: metaphysics, Volume 3, {{ISBN|0-8153-3608-X}}, Taylor and Francis, pp 343–360;
* T. Chatterjee (2003), Knowledge and Freedom in Indian Philosophy, {{ISBN|978-0-7391-0692-1}}, pp 89–102; Quote - "Moksa means freedom"; "Moksa is founded on atmajnana, which is the knowledge of the self."</ref><ref>See:
* Jorge Ferrer, Transpersonal knowledge, in Transpersonal Knowing: Exploring the Horizon of Consciousness (editors: Hart et al.), {{ISBN|978-0-7914-4615-7}}, State University of New York Press, Chapter 10
* Andrew Fort and Patricia Mumme (1996), Living Liberation in Hindu Thought, {{ISBN|978-0-7914-2706-4}};
</ref>

Each of these pursuits became a subject of study and led to prolific Sanskrit and some Prakrit languages literature in ancient India. Along with [[Dharmaśāstra|Dharmasastras]], [[Arthashastra|Arthasastras]] and Mokshasastras, the Kamasastras genre have been preserved in palm leaf manuscripts. The ''Kamasutra'' belongs to the Kamasastra genre of texts. Other examples of Hindu Sanskrit texts on sexuality and emotions include the ''[[Ratirahasya]]'' (called ''Kokashastra'' in some Indian scripts), the ''[[Anangaranga]]'', the ''Nagarasarvasva'', the ''Kandarpachudmani'', and the ''Panchasayaka''.{{sfn|Wendy Doniger|Sudhir Kakar|2002|pp=xii-xiii}}<ref>[a] {{cite journal|title= Rethinking the History of the "Kāma" World in Early India| author= Daud Ali| journal= Journal of Indian Philosophy| volume= 39| number= 1|year= 2011| pages= 1–13| jstor=23884104| doi=10.1007/s10781-010-9115-7| doi-access= free}};<br>[b] {{cite journal| title= Padmaśrī's "Nāgarasarvasva" and the World of Medieval Kāmaśāstra|author= Daud Ali| journal=Journal of Indian Philosophy| volume= 39| number= 1| year= 2011| pages= 41–62| jstor= 23884106| doi=10.1007/s10781-010-9116-6|s2cid= 170779101}}</ref><ref name=desmond2011p15>{{cite journal| title= The Pleasure is Mine: The Changing Subject of Erotic Science|author=Laura Desmond| journal= Journal of Indian Philosophy| volume= 39|number= 1| year= 2011| pages= 15–39|publisher= Springer| jstor= 23884105| doi=10.1007/s10781-010-9117-5|s2cid=170502725}}</ref>

The defining object of the Indian Kamasastra literature, according to Laura Desmond – an anthropologist and a professor of Religious Studies, is the "harmonious sensory experience" from a good relationship between "the self and the world", by discovering and enhancing sensory capabilities to "affect and be affected by the world".<ref name=desmond2011p15/> Vatsyayana predominantly discusses Kama along with its relationship with Dharma and Artha. He makes a passing mention of Moksha in some verses.{{sfn|Wendy Doniger|Sudhir Kakar |2002 |pp=xi-xvi}}