The Kamasutra is often misunderstood as merely a manual of sexual positions. In truth, it is a treatise on the art of living—an intricate guide to relationships, pleasure, aesthetics, and intimacy as a path to harmony. One of its most beautiful characteristics is its use of metaphor. Natural imagery — flowers, animals, birds, and insects — appear throughout the text to describe the subtleties of union. Among these metaphors, the image of “the cicada on a bough” is both intriguing and evocative.
In this essay, we will explore the deeper meaning of this metaphor in the Kamasutra, examine its technical interpretation as a posture or style of love-making, unpack its symbolic and philosophical implications, and place it within the larger cultural and spiritual framework of ancient India. The aim is to present a fully rounded, nearly 3000-word exploration that honors both the poetic spirit and the practical instruction of the text.
Natural Imagery in the Kamasutra
Before we narrow our focus to the cicada, it is important to recognize that Vātsyāyana often borrowed imagery from nature to describe the erotic. For example, he compares lovers to mandarin ducks, bees in a lotus, swans, and even creeping vines. Such metaphors were not merely decorative — they were pedagogical tools, giving readers a visual impression of how two bodies might come together.
The Kamasutra existed in a world where human life was viewed as part of the larger order of nature (ṛta). To describe passion, Vātsyāyana looked to the cycles of plants, animals, and insects — each a microcosm of cosmic desire. The cicada, a creature that clings to branches and produces its resonant summer song, was an especially evocative choice.
The Cicada as a Symbol
The Cicada’s Song and the Call of Desire
Cicadas are well-known for their distinct sound, a buzzing chorus that fills the summer air. In Indian poetics, the arrival of such sounds heralds a season of fertility, monsoon rains, and abundance. Their droning is not merely noise but an erotic signal — a reminder of ripeness and readiness.
In this way, the cicada becomes a metaphor for the awakening of sexual energy. Just as the insect announces itself from the tree, so too does passion vibrate through the human body. The “cicada on a bough” is thus an emblem of aroused longing, a moment when lovers are attuned to the pulse of nature.
Clinging and Attachment
Equally important is the cicada’s posture. It clings tightly to the branch on which it perches, its limbs wrapped around it. This clinging is a perfect image for a certain kind of embrace in love-making — one where the receiving partner wraps themselves around the penetrating partner, refusing to let go, holding as if life depends on it.
Thus, the “cicada on a bough” speaks not only to desire but also to the intensity of attachment, the refusal to be dislodged, the need to merge and hold fast.
Technical Interpretation — The Position
Description of the Posture
In a physical sense, the “cicada on a bough” can be understood as a position in which:
- One partner (usually the receptive one) clings closely to the other, much like a cicada grips the branch.
- This may take place standing, with the clinging partner wrapping their legs around the standing partner’s torso.
- The supporting partner holds the other’s weight by grasping beneath the thighs or hips.
- The position is characterized by full-body contact — chest to chest — and the sensation of being suspended, just as the cicada is poised on the branch.
This is an intimate, almost acrobatic posture, requiring balance, strength, and a high degree of trust between lovers. It is especially prized for the intensity of stimulation and closeness it produces.
Sensory and Psychological Impact
This position allows for:
- Deep penetration due to the vertical alignment of bodies.
- Intense eye contact, which strengthens emotional intimacy.
- Complete bodily union, as the clinging partner has arms and legs wrapped around the lover, leaving little space between them.
- Rhythmic rocking, mimicking the swaying of a branch, which may heighten pleasure.
Psychologically, the posture gives the clinging partner a sense of surrender while simultaneously asserting agency — they are held, yet they are the ones who grip. The supporting partner feels strong, protective, and deeply connected. The mutual dependency mirrors the interconnectedness of nature.
The Poetics of Suspension
In Sanskrit love poetry (śṛṅgāra-rasa), suspension is a recurring motif. Lovers are often depicted as “hanging” in each other’s embrace, as if the world has stopped. The cicada-on-a-bough image resonates with this suspension — time slows, bodies are weightless, and the bough of the tree becomes a metaphor for the axis of the universe.
Here, erotic union is not merely physical — it is cosmological. The branch is the cosmic pillar, the lover is the clinging creature, and the act becomes a ritual of transcendence. This is where the Kamasutra elevates itself above a simple manual of positions and becomes a spiritual text.
Symbolism of the Tree and the Branch
The Tree as the Axis of Life
In Indian cosmology, the tree is a symbol of life itself. The branch (śākhā) is the limb that holds fruits, flowers, and nests — the site of creation and sustenance. To cling to a branch is to cling to life, to nourishment, to the very process of growth. The cicada-on-a-bough posture thus becomes an act of affirming vitality.
Feminine and Masculine Polarity
The branch can be seen as the masculine principle — firm, supportive, upright — while the cicada represents the feminine principle — receptive, holding, encircling. Together, they form a unity. This is a recurring theme in Tantric philosophy, where Śiva (the axis) and Śakti (the energy that moves around it) merge to produce bliss.
Seasonal and Emotional Context
The Summer Season
Cicadas are most vocal during summer, which in classical Indian literature is associated with viraha (the pain of separation) and śṛṅgāra (the joy of union). The droning of cicadas was often imagined as a lament for absent lovers — but also as a call that invites reunion. Thus, making love in the cicada-on-a-bough posture might have been recommended during such seasons to soothe longing with physical union.
Emotional Resonance
The posture, because of its closeness and the “clinging” quality, is especially suited for moments of intense emotional need — after reconciliation, during farewell, or at the height of passion. It is a posture of possession and reassurance: “I will not let you go.”
Practical Considerations
While poetic, the position is physically demanding. The supporting partner requires:
Good balance
Strong arms and core strength
The ability to support the lover’s weight for several minutes
The clinging partner, too, must engage their legs and core muscles to hold the position. Vātsyāyana often advises that lovers should be of roughly similar build for such postures, or that the supporting partner should be stronger.
Tips for Comfort
Choose a surface with good footing to avoid slipping.
Begin with shorter durations and increase as strength improves.
Use supportive props (a wall or sturdy furniture) if needed to reduce strain.
These practical details show that the Kamasutra was not purely idealistic — it was attentive to the lived realities of lovers.
Psychological and Spiritual Dimension
In clinging like a cicada, one partner symbolically expresses dependence and devotion. The act becomes an allegory of surrender — the ego dissolves, and one becomes fully absorbed in the other.
From a yogic perspective, this union can be seen as the merging of prāṇa (life-breath) and apāna (downward breath), bringing about a state of equilibrium. The rhythmic motion while hanging can create a meditative trance, deepening intimacy beyond the physical.
Comparative Analysis
The cicada-on-a-bough posture has parallels in other cultures:
In Chinese bedchamber arts, there is a posture known as “The Monkey Hangs from the Tree,” with similar characteristics of clinging.
In Japanese erotic scrolls (shunga), there are depictions of lovers in standing embraces supported by furniture or trees.
In the West, some modern texts refer to this as the “Suspended Congress” or “Wraparound Embrace.”
These cross-cultural echoes show that human creativity in erotic expression converges on similar archetypes — clinging, hanging, swaying — as a way to intensify passion.
Literary Echoes
Sanskrit poets like Kālidāsa, Bhartṛhari, and Jayadeva often used tree imagery to describe lovers. Jayadeva’s Gītagovinda describes Rādhā clinging to Kṛṣṇa’s neck “like a vine to a tree.” The cicada metaphor is a natural cousin of this image — the same idea but with a slightly more dynamic, buzzing, passionate connotation.
