The Kamasutra, attributed to Vātsyāyana (circa 3rd–5th century CE), is an influential Sanskrit treatise compiled from earlier sources. Ostensibly a handbook of kama — desire and pleasure — it surveys courtship, marriage, household life, aesthetics, and the arts of love alongside social etiquette and urban culture. Far from a mere sex manual, its key themes are the place of desire among the four human aims (purusharthas), the cultivation of taste, skillful communication, and ethical moderation in relationships. Historically prized for its literary subtlety and social observation, the Kamasutra remains relevant today as a resource for cultural history, gender studies, relationship insight, and the aesthetics of intimacy, offering nuanced perspectives on human longing and companionship.