God Of Love - Kama Dev
In the ancient Indian scripture Rigveda, we first meet Kamadeva (kamadev). His name joins ‘kama,’ meaning desire, and ‘deva,’ God, and thus he’s known as the ‘God of Desire’. An interesting way to picture him? Imagine a person flying on a parrot, holding a bow made from a sugarcane stalk. Now, think of the bow string – it’s a line of buzzing bees! As for his arrows, they’re not the usual ones. They’re flower-tipped, symbolizing desire. That’s Kamadeva’s unique way to spread love – those arrows can make anyone fall in love!
Tale of Lord Shiva and kamadev
Kamadeva was cursed by Shiva and was finally brought back to life only after Shiva and Parvati were happily married!
There could be two reasons for this. For starters, Kamadeva was considered a part of the Vaishanava tradition, thought to be Vishnu and Lakshmi‘s son. Later on, Krishna took over as the ideal lover. Krishna, one of our most widely beloved gods, is perceived as the timeless lover alongside Radha and the gopis. In Mathura, there’s even a trace of a festival dedicated to the local god of love – Madana, that was absorbed by Krishna’s followers. There is celebration in the city that used to be the Madana Leela is now honored as Krishna’s Raas Leela!
Kamadeva, a character dating back to the Rigveda, has a name that simply means ‘God of Desire.’ His description is vivid, involving him riding a parrot and holding a bow crafted from a stalk of sugar-cane. This bow is strung with a line of bees that hum. His arrows? They’re not your common ones. They’re flower-tipped, representing desire itself! Supposedly, their influence can make anyone fall in love!
The Indian Kamadeva, the Greek God Eros, and the Roman Cupid share clear similarities in storytelling. The most outstanding story is when Kamadeva disturbed Lord Shiva‘s meditation to help Parvati, a king’s daughter, get his attention. Shiva, upset by the intrusion, lashed out at Kama with a curse. The love God returned to life once Shiva and Parvati tied the knot. It appears Kamadeva never truly bounced back as there aren’t many stories about him afterward.
