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Design Resource
Iconography in Hinduism
Decoding the Pictorial Script
by
Kamadeva
Kamadeva
Kamadeva is the Hindu god of love or desire. He is generally regarded as the son of Vishnu and Lakshmi, under the forms of Krishna and Rukmini, but he is also described in some accounts as the son of Brahma.
According to one hymn in the Rig Veda, Kama is worshipped and is said to be unequalled by the gods; according to another, he is the god of sexual love, like Eros of the Greeks, and Cupid of the Latins.
Kama is known in Hindu mythology as a victim of Shiva’s anger.
Interesting facts about Kamadeva
Kamadeva is wed to Ratī, a daughter of Prasuti and Daksha (another son/creation of Brahmā) who herself personified sensual pleasure.
His second wife is Priti, the personification of affection, by whom he has a daughter Trishna or "thirst," representative of insatiable desire.
He travels about through the three worlds, accompanied by his wife Rati, a cuckoo and the humming bees, spring personified.
Other names of Kamadeva are:
Madan meaning ‘He who intoxicates with love’
Manmatha meaning ‘He who agitates the mind’
Mara meaning ‘He who wounds’
Pradyumna meaning ‘He who is without body’
Kusumeshu meaning ‘He whose arrows are flowers’
Resources
Wilkins, W. (1882). Hindu Mythology. New Delhi: Rupa. co.