Kamadeva
Kama (Sanskrit: कामदेव, IAST: Kāmadeva), also known as Kamadeva and Manmatha, is the Hindu god of erotic love, desire, pleasure and beauty, often portrayed alongside his consort and female counterpart, Rati. He is depicted as a handsome young man decked with ornaments and flowers, armed with a bow of sugarcane and shooting arrows of flowers.
| Kamadeva | |
|---|---|
God of Love, Desire, Pleasure and Beauty | |
A gouache painting of Kamadeva, circa 1820 | |
| Other names | Manmatha, Madana, Ananga |
| Devanagari | कामदेव |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Kāmadeva |
| Affiliation | Deva |
| Abode | Kamaloka |
| Mantra | काम (kāma) |
| Weapon | Sugarcane bow and floral arrows |
| Symbol | Makara |
| Mount | Parrot |
| Texts | Atharvaveda, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Harivamsha, Puranas |
| Gender | Male |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Brahma (father) |
| Consort | Rati |
| Children | Harsha and Yasha (sons) |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Eros |
| Roman equivalent | Cupid |
The Atharva Veda regards Kamadeva as the wielder of the creative power of the universe, also describing him to have been "born at first, him neither the gods nor the fathers ever equaled". Mentioned as a manasaputra (mind-born son) of the creator god Brahma in the Puranas, Kamadeva's most popular myth is his incineration by Shiva's third eye while the latter was meditating, and later embodied on earth as the eldest son of Krishna and his chief consort Rukmini, Pradyumna.