Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

PERCEPTIONS

Study of 64 arts indicates that all

The 64 arts for a perfect wife :

Vat-

syayana in his

Kamasutra

prescribes

knowledge of 64 arts as necessary for a girl

to succeed in love. He says that courte-

sans, princesses, daughters of ministers,

bankers and businessmen should be well

versed in the science of love. Married

women should learn the science with the

consent of their husbands. It can be learnt

from 1. The married daughter of one's wet

nurse. 2. An intimate and trustworthy

woman friend. 3. A mother's sister of the

same age. 4. An old maid servant. 5. A

mendicant woman capable of being taken

into confidence. 6. An elder sister. The 64

arts of love are :

Vocal music;

Instrumental music;

Dancing;

Painting;

Decoration of the forehead;

Floor decoration with multi-colours;

Giving the bed a beautiful effect with

flowers;

Colouring and dyeing the teeth, gar-

ments, hair, nails and the body;

Floor decoration with coloured stones

and gems;

10.

Spreading out carpets and cushions

for reclining;

11.

Swimming and other aquatic sports;

12.

Practising spells to subdue oppo-

nents.

13.

Stringing flowers into garlands and

ornaments for decorating the body;

14.

Making floral crowns and chaplets,

15.

Art of dressing oneself and making

costumes for different occasions —

theatrical or private performances;

16.

Designing and wearing earrings of

aesthetic taste;

17.

Making of scents and other perfumery

articles;

18.

Making of jewellery and renovation of

old ornaments;

19.

Playing magical tricks for the amuse-

ment and entertainment of guests;

20.

Making of toilet and other beautifying

agents; knowledge of make-up;

21.

Sleight of hand;

22.

Efficiency in the art of cooking;

23.

Knowledge of preparing beverages,

other drinks sweet or acid, alcoholic

drinks with strong flavour and colour,

chatneys etc.;

24.

Sewing, darning, needle-work of vari-

ous kinds and embroidery;

25.

Making parrots, flowers, tassels,

bunches, knobs etc. out of yam and

thread;

spheres of learning from music to ma

26.

Mimicking the sounds of guitar and

tabor (

damru

);

27.

Setting of riddles, puzzles, and the art

of solving them;

28.

Practising repartee in extempore verse

(this means one person reciting a

verse and another person catching up

the last quarter of his verse and

thereon composing a recitation of his

own);

29.

Making of sentences of words difficult

to interpret and not easy to pronounce;

30.

Reading of classics tunefully and mel-

odiously;

31.

Witnessing dramas and making a criti-

cal study of them;

32.

Extempore filling up the missing line in

a verse;

33.

Making articles of furniture and mats

from cane and reed;

34.

Wood-carving;

35.

Carpentry and building engineering;

36.

Assaying of gold and silver articles,

and gems;

37.

Knowledge of chemistry and metal-

lurgy;

38.

Tinting crystals and various precious

metals;

39.

Gardening;

40.

Training rams, birds like cocks, par-

tridges and pheasants for mock fights;

41.

Taming parrots and starlings and

teaching them how to talk and sending

messages through them;

42.

Skill in rubbing and massaging the

body and shampooing and dressing the

hair;

43.

Understanding finger signals to ex-

change messages;

44.

Deciphering coded messages;

45.

Knowledge of the languages and dia-

lects of various countries;

46.

Decoration of horses, elephants, carts

and carriages with flowers and bun-

ting;

47.

Understanding omens and auguries;

48.

Knowledge of apparatus and machin-

ery of various kinds;

49.

Training of memory;

50.

Going through books in a special man-

ner along with others;

51.

Composing poetry in various lan-

guages;

52.

Compilation of dictionaries and ency-

clopedias;

53.

Knowledge of rhetoric and prosody;

54.

Art of tasteful illusion, such as

disguising cotton as silk and making

rough and cheap clothes appear

delicate and beautiful.

tial arts are accessible to women.

55.

Art of wearing clothes in a way that the

privy parts remain properly covered in

spite of violent movements of the

body;

56.

Games of chance, dice, chess etc.

57.

Playing with balls and dolls like chil-

dren;

58.

Various kinds of exercises and physi-

cal culture;

59.

Training in politics;

60.

Knowledge of military strategy;

61.

Art of judging character from facial

features;

62.

Making of artificial flowers;

63.

Making of figures and images in clay;

64.

Arithmetical games.

Advice to Shakuntala

Honour thy betters; ever be respectful

To those above thee :

Should thy wedded lord

Treat thee with harshness, thou must never be

Harsh in return, but patient and submissive.

Be to thy menials courteous; and to all

Placed under thee, considerate and kind.

Be never self-indulgent, but avoid

Excess in pleasure; and when fortune smiles,

Be not puffed up. Thus to thy husband's house

Wilt thou a blessing prove, and not a curse.