by Satyanarayana Dasa There are popular statements found in smṛtis and nīti sāśtra that women have eight times more kāma than men. For example:  strīṇāṁ aṣṭa-guṇā-kāmaḥ (Bṛhat-pārāśara-smṛti) kāmaśca aṣṭā-guṇaḥ smṛtaḥ (Garuḍa-purāṇa 1.109.33, Hitopadeśa 2.71) The word kāma in these statements is often thought of as sexual “lust,” giving the impression that śāstra considers women to