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God of Love Kamadeva and his wife, Goddess of Passion Rati
(c) Kailash Raj (Exotic Indian Arts)
I am a devotee of Kamadeva and Rati, the god of love and the goddess of lust, passion respectively. Kamadeva Kāmadeva (Sanskrit: कामदेव) is the Hindu deity of love. His other names include Ragavrinta (stalk of sassion), Ananga (incorporeal), Kandarpa ("inflamer even of a god"), Manmatha (churner of hearts), Manosij (he who is born of mind, a contraction of the Sanskrit phrase Sah Manasah jāta), Madana (intoxicating), Ratikānta (lord of the seasons), Pushpavān, Pushpadhanva (one with bow of flowers) or just Kāma ("longing"). Kamadeva, is son of Hindu goddess Sri and, additionally, is the incarnation of Pradyumna, Krishna’s son. In his spiritual form he is believed to be Krishna, by Vaishnava followers in Hinduism.
Etymology The name Kama-deva (IAST kāma-deva) can be translated as 'divine love' or 'god of love'. Kamadeva is also a known as a name of Vishnu in Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata (SB 5.18.15). It is also sometimes used as name of Shiva and the name of author of Sanskrit work Prayaschita padyata. Kamadeva is one of the names and epithets used for Krishna. Deva means heavenly or divine. Kama (IAST kāma) can be literary translated as wish, desire or longing, especially as in sensual love or sexuality. Kama is also a name used for Agni. The name is also used in Rig Veda. Iconography 
Kāmadeva is represented as a young and handsome winged man who wields a bow and arrows. His bow is made of sugarcane with a string of honeybees, and his arrows are decorated with five kinds of fragrant flowers. The five flowers are: Ashoka tree flowers, white and blue lotus flowers, Mallika tree and Mango tree flowers. A terracotta murti of Kamadeva of great antiquity is housed in the Mathura Museum, UP, India. Worship The deity of Kamadeva along with his consort Rati is included in the pantheon of Vedic-Brahmanical deities such as Shiva and Parvati. In Hindu traditions for the marriage ceremony itself, the bride's feet are often painted with pictures of Suka, the parrot vahana of Kamadeva. One should not misunderstand or associate worship of Kamadeva, as being sexually oriented, as the religious rituals addressed to him offer a means of purification and reentry into the community. Devotion to Kamadeva keeps desire within the framework of the religious tradition. Kamadeva also appears in other stories and becomes the object of certain devotional rituals for those seeking health, physical beauty, husbands, wives, and sons. In one story Kamadeva himself succumbs to desire, and must then worship his lover in order to be released from this passion and its curse. Mythology According to Hindu mythology, the world is looked after the Trinity of Gods - Lord Brahma, the creator; Lord Vishnu, the nurturer; and Lord Shiva, the destroyer. According to a legend, Goddess Sati, the daughter of Daksha Prajapati, one of the first sons of Lord Brahma, married Lord Shiva against the wishes of her father. Thus, Daksha did not invite her and her husband to a grand yagya arranged by him. When Sati came to know about the event in her father's house, she thought it to be a slip of mind and proceeded to participate in the event despite the warnings of her husband. But once she reached there, she realized her fault and was infuriated by the insult of her husband. As a penance for her disobedience, she entered the fire. When Lord Shiva came to know of her sudden demise, he was furious. Even after he controlled his anger, he started a severe meditation and renounced all work. The world's balance soon crumbled in his absence and Sati took rebirth as Goddess Parvati to try and win Lord Shiva's heart and wake him up from his trance. She tried all ways to get the attention of Shiva. When she had exhausted all her feminine ways, she invoked the help of Kamadava, the Indian cupid-god, who agreed to help her in the cause of the world despite the risks involved. He shot his love-arrow on Shiva's heart. Disturbed in his trance, Lord Shiva opened his third eye that fired anger and instantly incinerated Kamadeva. It is said that it was on the day of Holi that Kamadeva had sacrificed himself for the good of all beings. Later, when Lord Shiva realized his mistake, he granted Kamadeva immortality in invisible form. To this day, people offer sandalwood paste to Kamadeva to relieve from his stinging burns and mango blossoms that he loved on Holi. Rati 
Statue of Goddess Rati and her husband Kamadeva
Rati is the goddess of sexual passions. She is the wife of Kamadeva (god of love). While Kamadeva is the epitome of manliness and handsomeness, Rati is an epitome of female beauty and charm. Though Rati is the daughter of the fiery sun god Daksha, she is associated with water. The Apsaras - a group of water goddesses as changeable as the tides - include this Hindu love goddess. Rati's passionate powers inspired a book similar to the Karma Sutra called "Ratirahasya" which translates to "the secrets of love". Within its' explicit pages the love goddesses' secrets are exposed which include numerous techniques to bring a lovers sexual pleasures. Here is another statue of the Goddess Rati:
 The goddess is holding casually the great sugarcane bow that launches arrows of desire. Sugarcane is full of juice, rasa, which is also the word for 'flavor' and specific sexual desires; sugarcane has been the traditional euphemism for something else that fills with fluid and elongates under the influence of desire, so the entire sculpture is a hilarious pun. ;) |