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Kamadeva

Kāmadeva is the Hindu god of love. His other names include Ananga (incorporeal), Kandarpa ("God of amour"), Manmatha (churner of hearts), Madana (intoxicating), Ratikānta (lord of the seasons), Pushpavān or just Kāma ("desire").

Kāmadeva is represented as a young and handsome winged man who wields a bow and arrows. His bow is made of sugarcane with honeybees on it and his arrows are decorated with five kinds of fragrant flowers. His companions are a cuckoo, a parrot, hummingbees, the season of spring and the gentle breeze. All of these are symbols of spring season.

According to the Shiva purānam, Kāmadeva is a son (actually a creation) of Brahma, creator of the universe. According to other sources including the Skanda purānam, Kāmadeva is a brother of Prasuti; they are both the children of Shatarupa, a creation of Brahmā. All sources concur on the fact that Kāmadeva is wed to Ratī, a daughter of Prasuti and Daksha (another son/creation of Brahmā). According to some beliefs, Kāmadeva was also once reincarnated as Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukminī.

Legends

Perhaps the best-known legend concerning Kāmadeva pertains to his annihilation and subsequent resurrection at the hands of Shiva. As related in the Kumārasāmbhavam, Kandarpa (Kāmadeva) resolved to aid the maiden Pārvatī in gaining the favour of Shiva. Kandarpa shot his arrows-of-desire at Shiva in order to disrupt the latter's meditation and help Pārvati gain the attention of the lord. The ploy backfired badly; Shiva was momentarily distracted but immediately realised what had happened. He was enraged, opened his dreadful third eye, and annihilated Kandarpa with a single fiery glance. Kandarpa's body was instantly reduced to ashes. The calamity was more than merely personal, since with the annihilation of Kāma (desire), the world became barren and unregenerative. Eventually, the marriage of Shiva and Pārvatī nevertheless came to be held. Later, at the behest of the gods and upon the intercession made by Parvati in favour of Kāmadeva's lamenting wife Rati, Shiva resurrected him to life, thus ensuring the procreative continuity of the world. Shiva resurrected Kandarpa, but only as a mental image, representing the true emotional and mental state of love rather than physical lust. Holi, the Indian festival of colours, and especially the bonfire traditionally lit on that day, are believed by some to commeration this legend.

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