Page:The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana.djvu/188

152 occur again. Here however, the choice should be guided by the greatness or smallness of the disaster.

The gains of the wealthiest and best kind of courtezans are to be spent as follows:

Building temples, tanks, and gardens; giving a thousand cows to different Brahmans; carrying on the worship of the Gods, and celebrating festivals in their honor; and, lastly, performing such vows as may be within their means.

The gains of other courtezans are to be spent as follows:

Having a white dress to wear every day; getting sufficient food and drink to satisfy hunger and thirst; eating daily a perfumed tambula, i.e., a mixture of betel nut and betel leaves; and wearing ornaments gilt with gold. The Sages say that these represent the gains of all the middle and lower classes of courtezans, but Vatsyayana is of opinion that their gains cannot be calculated, or fixed in any way, as these depend on the influences of the place, the customs of the people, their own appearance, and many other things.

When a courtezan wants to keep some particular man from some other woman; or wishes to get him away from some woman to whom he may be attached; or to deprive some woman of the gains realized by her from him; or if she thinks that she would raise her position; or enjoy some great good fortune; or become desirable to all men by uniting herself with this man; or if she wishes to get his assistance in averting some misfortune; or is really attached to him and loves him or wishes to injure somebody through his means; or has regard to some former favor conferred upon her by him; or wishes to be united with him merely from desire; for any of the above reasons, she should agree to take from him only a small sum of money in a friendly way.

When a courtezan intends to abandon a particular lover, and take up with another one; or when she has reason to believe that her lover will shortly leave her, and return to his wives; or that having squandered all his money, and become penniless, his guardian, or master, or father would come and take him away; or that her lover is about to lose his position, or lastly, that he is of a very fickle mind, she should, under any of these circumstances, endeavour to get as much money as she can from him as soon as possible.

On the other hand, when the courtezan thinks that her lover is about to receive valuable presents; or get a place of authority from the King; or be near the time of inheriting