"""Ka-ma,"" one of the four goals of Hindu life, means sensual or sexual pleasure. ""Su-tra"" means a thread or line that holds things together; metaphorically, an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual. Thus, the Kama Sutra is literally a manual of sexual pleasure, but also a discussion of virtuous and gracious living, and of love. This ancient Indian Hindu text is the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature. It was composed between 2,400 and 1"