by Seema Anand
Ayurveda explains that each finger of the hand represents a different element. From the thumb to the little finger each holds the energies of fire (agni), air (vayu), space (aakash), earth (prithvi) and water (jal) respectively. So each finger will have a different impact when used. If you combine two or more fingers the energies change accordingly. The reaction of each erogenous point when massaged or scraped with a specific combination of fingers will be different. If you press slightly to the north or the south of the point, even that will change the reaction—the combinations are endless.
The finger combinations are known as mudras and each one is different.
Some can make the woman melt into orgasm, some will agitate her into a quivering mass of anticipation, some can make her calm and deep like a pool of honey while others will flare her up like burnt chillies.
Try them all to see which will do what.
Karana—this is the index finger on its own. The ancient love texts say that the index finger should not be used on its own. The index finger is the energy of vayu (air) which, according to Vedic science, is the manifestation of the universe. Everything begins and ends with vayu—everything is born from it and, in the end, everything will be absorbed into it. And so this finger is too powerful to be used by itself, the burst of energy will numb the excitement instead of generating it.
Kanak—with the middle finger sitting on top of the index finger, massage and scrape gently with the nails. This is an excellent mudra for the start of sex. Part the lips of the yoni and gradually insert the two fingers, but only as far as the clitoris. Twist the hand back and forth, get everything moving.
Vikan—this is the same as the Kanak but with reversed fingers, so the index finger sits on the middle finger. Notice this changes both the width and the length of the mudra. It can now be used to go further into the vulva. This is great for building up excitement.
Kankara—this mudra uses the second, third and little fingers while keeping the thumb and index finger closed. With this combination you penetrate through to the deepest point in the vulva. This calms the itch that nothing else can ever reach.
Kamayudh—the middle and little fingers joined to the thumb create the shape of Kamadeva’s bow. This is also good for widening and loosening the yoni.
Kamausadh—join the little and middle fingers to resemble the crescent moon. The crescent moon is the most effective way to reach the erogenous points on the ‘ceiling’ of the yoni, in particular, a point just behind the clitoris. The Kamausadh can arouse even those women who are the most difficult to bring to sexual excitement.
Madankhush—the ring and middle fingers together create a mudra very aptly known as the Hook of Kamadeva, because it has the power to completely ‘hook’ the lover. When used to massage and scrape gently on the sides of the yoni, it is irresistible and will make the woman reach the heights of orgasm very quickly.
Manmathpataka or Elephant Trunk—the middle and little fingers are joined together to create this very versatile mudra that can be used in any direction to leave you feeling agitated and wanting more.
Stotra—the little finger is inserted on its own and churned round and round. The rest of the fingers balled up against the lips of the yoni create an additional circular massaging action that can prove hypnotic.
Pataka or Flag—this mudra represents the width and fluttery movement of a flag. Insert both the index and middle fingers into the yoni and then spread the fingers out and move them up and down in rapid motions. This will leave her clawing your back in her uncontainable arousal.
Trishul—the index and middle fingers are placed side by side, the ring finger is placed under them and they are inserted together and spread.
Shani Bhog—as above, but with all the fingers together side by side.
Karihast—this one also uses three fingers but here one joins the index and ring finger while keeping the middle finger separate and poised above the other two. Using all three fingers together has the advantage of taking several erogenous zones by surprise. It can create a combination of sensations that will take a woman from zero to sixty in record time. However, not all women can take the excitement of this mudra—some find it too agitating.
The study of ungli prayog, or the art of the fingers, was an intense and complex one because women are so diverse in their sexual needs and habits. Some women come to arousal very quickly and easily while others are extremely difficult to excite.
Each vulva is different in texture—smooth, rough, covered in knots and bumps, wrinkled in folds—the first being the most acutely responsive to any kind of touch, the next three progressively needing more and more stimulation. Different seasons, times of the month, phases of the moon also have an impact on sensitivity and arousal.
Fingers can do for a woman what nothing else can because they can access areas that are otherwise hard to penetrate. They can change the pressure, the touch and the sensations at will. There is no pleasure like it.
And it was an extremely useful tool for men as well. With the clever and judicious use of fingers a man could disguise his own weaknesses.
The Kama Sutra says that if the man’s organ is inadequate he should use his fingers to bring his lover to full excitement and only after she has had her first orgasm should he penetrate her. This way she will be content at having reached her climax and be less likely to judge him for his lack of ability. His pride will remain intact.
If the man had the onus of satisfying several women (a harem), again the fingers were an excellent alternative. Far better than modern-day Viagra, using fingers is less exhausting, can provide more variety, put less pressure on the knees and back and has no side effects. Plus you could manage more than one woman at a time. Indian miniature paintings abound in depictions of kings pleasuring four different women at a time with the digits of each limb (fingers and toes of both hands and feet).
Another instance where fingers came in handy was if the yoni was too tight, leading to discomfort and no pleasure for either partner. The fingers could loosen and relax the area to prepare it for sex.
It was also common practice, in the case of kings and ministers, for the woman to be prepared beforehand (by maids or the harem eunuchs) for a night of lovemaking. Her yoni would be massaged and stimulated so that by the time she went to her lover she was in the right frame of mind.
If the fingers are used with dexterity and knowledge, the yoni will be like the proverbial water jar riddled with holes—very wet.
The ungli prayog of the Kama Sutra resonates with romance and seduction—it was about intensifying pleasure, not sexual gratification.
The mudras of ungli prayog were so evocative—of different pleasures, of different lovers, of different occasions—that they became part of the vocabulary of the epic romances of ancient and medieval India. Sanskrit and Tamil literatures of those periods were known for their exquisite descriptions, their ability to suggest the actions of lovers in delicious detail without ever baldly stating them. For instance, the mere mention of the Kamausadh mudra meant that the beloved was a woman who was used to many men and therefore needed a great deal of time and stimulation to come to arousal. There was no need for explicit langauge—it was enough to tell us that the lover had launched Kamausadh on his beloved for the reader to know that the ‘swing of the God of love’ (the vulva) would be conquered.
My Advice
The Kama Sutra says that a woman’s heaven and hell reside between her legs—now is a good time to explore this, to understand how the fingers can be used for pleasure and fulfilment.
True seduction comes from within—it doesn’t happen in emptiness. You have to fill yourself with the joy of your own sensuality, saturate your soul with it, allow it to radiate from you. You need to know what makes you happy before you can demand it from someone else.
Explore and be explored. Don’t just leave it to your partner to pleasure you—become familiar with your own pleasure as well.
Ancient wisdom explains that the gener
ating of pleasure is a shared act and yet pleasure spots are very individual—one cannot know what the other wants. Successful lovers teach each other what floats their boat.
Start with getting comfortable with your body. If you have never felt inside yourself perhaps today is the day to begin. The Kama Sutra says there are four distinct types of textures to the vulva—wouldn’t you like to know yours? Also, if there are a few dozen erogenous spots in there, wouldn’t it be interesting to see which ones work for you? If you can find what gives you enjoyment you can help your partner understand your needs better as well.
Set aside some time for yourself when you know you will not be interrupted. Keep enough time to enjoy the experience—this is ‘you’ time. Set the scene—a comfortable place with lots of room to move (you may find yourself rolling around from your stomach to your back). Choose the kind of lighting that works for you and apply some lubricant to your fingers—nothing heavy or sticky or messy, it’ll only put you off. I suggest baby oil. And just have fun.
We must learn to take responsibility for ourselves. If you want your partner to be a good lover you have to first understand, at least to some extent, what makes your nerve endings go ‘ping’—that way you can direct traffic more effectively.
There are dozens of combinations of fingers prescribed in the ancient love texts for ungli prayog but as with everything else, Vatsyayan reiterates that no matter how many lists he makes and how much information he gathers, there will always be something new or some variation that he hasn’t thought of. Lovers are encouraged to try all sorts of new things, use all available knowledge to better themselves in the arts of seduction—but only after they experimented with everything that he has listed because there is no substitute for experience.
The great thing about using the fingers is that it’s not difficult or exhausting and can bring equal pleasure to both partners.
Make it a bigger part of your seduction portfolio—not only does it offer you a place in heaven, the rewards right here are great too.
Dildos—Romance, Seduction, Fulfilment
Dildos were very important according to the Kama Sutra. Artificial devices and sexual aids were not about solitary masturbation—they were arts of seduction, tools that lovers could use to bring each other to greater heights of passion and fulfilment. In fact, metallurgy and woodwork are amongst the sixty-four essential skills mentioned in the Kama Sutra—so that lovers could make their own dildos.
The lover’s main purpose during sex was to bring their partner to ultimate fulfilment through all the many arts of touching, loving and pleasuring taught by the Kama Sutra. But that was not always possible. For instance, if the genital sizes did not match—if the man was too small and the woman too large or vice versa—it could make things difficult. Or if there were multiple women to satisfy—as in a harem. Or if the man was impotent or weak, if he was too fat, if the woman had a very high sex drive, if it was a homosexual couple, if the woman wished to penetrate her partner, etc. There were many reasons why sexual fulfilment was not always possible.
In such cases, the Kama Sutra recommended using a device of some kind—because, as we’ve repeatedly seen, unsatisfactory sex was never an option. But, says Vatsyayan, if you are going to use a dildo it must be done properly—that is, by imitating the exact manner and thrusts of the superior lover so you can stimulate all the different erogenous points inside the yoni—because only then would the gates of heaven open and fulfilment be achieved.
The Kama Sutra recommends ten distinct strokes for using dildos.
Upasriptaka or Straight In and Straight Out—According to the Kama Sutra this is the best and ‘most decent’ way to have sex, where the dildo is moved in and out in the most straightforward fashion, ‘like a wild horse bucking through a swiftly running stream’.* The perfect position is where the woman is lying down on her back with the legs raised and ankles supported. Vary the thrusts to suit your pleasure.
Manthana or Churning—The dildo is held in the hand and turned round and round as though you are churning the yoni ‘like a flight of sea gulls wheeling around and playing in the waves’. It can be inserted to whatever depth you wish. As I’ve mentioned earlier, there are six erotic nerves that run through the length of the yoni, on all sides and at different depths—churning can excite all these points. It is said the pleasure from this can be so powerful that if the woman is not strong enough to handle it, she will faint.
Hula or Rod or Piercing—Here, the word ‘piercing’ means ‘to plunge’. This dildo is used in a downward thrust but only to the tip of the vulva ‘in the way that the sparrow picks out the grains of rice that have been left in the mortar’. Repeat in constant and small movements. This is excellent for creating anticipation and building up excitement.
Avamardhana or Devastator—This is the same as the Hula, but here the dildo is plunged to the end of the vulva ‘in the way that large stones sink when thrown into the sea’. For this movement the woman must lie on her back and arch her buttocks upwards in an almost ninety degree angle so as to allow unrestricted access. Placing a square pillow under the hips will help.
Piditaka or Cruel—This is once again the same as the Hula, but in this the dildo is removed some distance from the yoni and then brought down hard so that it penetrates the lips and drives through to the end with force, ‘in the way that a frightened mouse rushes into its hole’. Once inside, continue to press hard for as long as it is bearable. Extra lubrication is essential to make sure that this is pleasurable rather than painful.
Nirghata or Thunderbolt—For this, the hips should be raised quite high with the help of a cushion. Maintain regular and gentle thrusts for a while and then stop for a long pause, thrust again for a while, stop again for a long pause, repeating till the vulva is lulled into a sleepy rhythm, and then suddenly let the dildo fall into the yoni again like an arrow ‘rising and then plunging down, in the same way that the full sail of a boat braves a heavy gale’.
Varahaghata or Thrust of the Wild Boar—Lying on your side, face to face with your partner, rub the dildo with pressure in slow repetitions on only one side of the yoni, ‘pushing in slowly, in the way that a snake enters its hole when about to hibernate for the winter’. Anyone who can pleasure his beloved in this manner will win her for all eternity. Even in the land of Yama she will not forget him.
Vrishaghata or Thrust of the Bull—This is like the Varahaghata, but here the dildo strikes two sides of the yoni in quick and alternate succession, ‘flailing to the right and the left, in the same way a brave warrior breaks up the ranks of the enemy’.
Chitakavilasa or Love Game of the Bird—Alternate between deep and shallow thrusts, changing the rhythm constantly, like the pecking of a bird. It is a great way to bring the lovemaking to climax.
Samputa or Box—Lying down absolutely straight, on top of each other, insert the dildo. Do not thrust, just press in small movements as you lie together, just as a hawk skims the ground with his feet when trying to grab an elusive rabbit. The Samputa does not depend so much on the position; it is more about the movement of the device. The pressing is supposed to be the most pleasurable sensation of all and a favourite with most people.
Sexual devices and aids came in all sizes and shapes—small ones, big ones, huge ones of almost intimidating proportions, ones that looked like gymnastic equipment and even some that would have taken a small army to operate. But the most popular device seems to have been the humble dildo. In spite of its lack of glamour and artistic creativity it was obviously the most practical, the safest and—so long as you could learn how to thrust and move it properly—most likely to deliver results.
Lovers were encouraged to make their own dildos. As I’ve mentioned, according to the Kama Sutra, vulvas are different not only in size and sensitivity, but also in stimulation levels. Some are smooth and soft and need very little stimulation to come to arousal, some are rough and covered with knots and bumps and require far more friction to get them going; what was ex
citing for one could be painful for another, what was pleasantly rough here was boringly smooth there. A one-size-fits-all dildo would not really do the job—it was best to make one for yourself to perfectly suit your own needs.
Therefore, metallurgy and woodwork was one of the sixty-four essential skills for lovers mentioned in the Kama Sutra so that dildos could be made customized for specific arousal types.
Dildos could be made of precious metals like gold or silver, ordinary metals like tin or lead or even different types of wood. The best kinds were the wooden ones because, once polished and thoroughly oiled, they had the most natural feel of all. When covered with well-oiled leather, this made it as close to the real thing as possible.
If one had to use a metal one, then tin was the best because, when inserted, this felt cool and soft like semen and had a ‘pleasant roughness’. But if the dildo was going to be a gift from a lover, then the Kama Sutra said that no woman worth her salt should accept anything other than one made of gold—she is to say ‘this is the one that feels most like you when it is inside me. It makes me think of you and my love is increased.’
In a pinch, if nothing else was available, the Kama Sutra says that fruits and vegetables of the right shape work equally well, like bamboo, gourds, cucumber. They should be rigorously cleaned and rubbed with either oil or honey before use. In the end, the most natural product is the best.
Sometimes the dildo was made to be worn as a sheath. It was a hollow contraption that opened and closed like a suit of armour to wear over the penis in order to have sex in the ‘normal’ way—in case of impotence or weak erections. In ancient India, something as trifling as impotence was never an obstacle to sex. The sheath dildo was made with protective guards at the base to cover the testicles to prevent it from slipping backwards during a moment of excitement and slicing something off. This little prosthetic could be made of wood or metal. It was generally covered with leather and then attached to the waist with elastic bands to make it as close to the real thing as possible. And it came highly recommended for its psychological benefits—knowing that you were physically penetrating your lover was excellent for the ego.
