The trio love gods—Kamdeva, cupid and Eros speak invincibility of sex. Part 111

Kama is a Sanskrit word that has multitude of meanings such as “wish", "desire", and "intention" in addition to the specific meanings of "pleasure" and "(sexual) love". In Indian mythology it is a proper name that refers to Kamdeva, the Hindu universal God of Love According to Shivpuran, Kamdeva is a son meaning a creation of Brahma, creator of the universe. Lord Kame’s bow is made of sugarcane with honeybees sitting on it. The arrows are beautifully decorated with sweet smelling flowers. The string of the bow is made of a chain of honeybees. Parrot, cuckoo and humming bees are his companions.

The Indian cupid and Eros Kamdeva is regarded son of vishu a Lakshmi under the incarnation or form of Krishna and rukmani. We find the mention of Kamdeva in the oldest scriptures of Hindus the Vedas. In the Rig-Veda it is described as first movement that arose in the one after it has come into life through the powers of abstraction. In Atharva Veda this kam or desire is not of sexual enjoyment and color but of good in general, is celebrated as great power superior to all the gods. According to one hymn of Rig-Veda Kama is worshipped and is unequal of all gods. According to another hymn he is god of sexual love. Intermingling with the sexual tones of cupid and Eros in one hymn Kama is addressed as,” May Kama having well directed the arrow, which is winged with pain, barbed with longing, and has desire for its shaft, pierce thee in the heart. This sexual content and aspect of Kama is most notable in puranas, the repository of Indian mythology.

The incineration of Kama: Madana-bhasma

The myth of incinerating of Kama by Shivji is very popular among Indian folks.Kama is known in Hindu mythology as victim of Shiva’s wrath and anger. It occurs in its most developed form in the Matsya puran (verses 227-255) but is also repeated with variants in the shaiva purana and other Puranas.

The story or myth of Kama’s incineration runs like this. A demon named tarka or Tarakasur is distressing and torturing gods and Indra But only the son of Shiva could defeat and kill the demon. Brahma who advises that Parvati woo Shiva; their offspring will be able to defeat Tarka. Indra assigns Kamdeva to break Shiva's meditation. To create a congenial atmosphere, Kamdeva (Madana) creates an untimely spring (akAl vasanta). He evades and eludes Shiva's guard, Nandin, by taking the form of the fragrant southern breeze, and enters Shiva's abode. After he awakens Shiva with a flower arrow, Shiva, furious, opens his third eye, which incinerates Madana instantaneously and he is turned into ash. She enjoins him to resuscitate Madana, and Shiva agrees to let Madana live but in a disembodied form, hence Kamdeva is also called 'Ananga' i.e. bodiless. The spirit of love embodied by Kama is now disseminated across the cosmos: it affects Shiva whose union with Parvati is consummated. Their son kartikeya goes on to defeat Tarka.

Another version of myth says that Shiva at the loss of his wife sati was in grief and had become insensible to love. The gods instigated Kama to wound Shiva with his arrows. Kama was successful as parvati in new form and his new wife was near him who at once captivated the grief stricken deity. Angry with Kama over his indignance he caused a flame of fire from his third eye which consumed and incinerated Kama to ashes. Shiva got angry with Kama for the interruption of his devotion and concentration. In the vamana puran there is lengthy description of Kama’s arrows.

Kama or sex in its gross form represents the evil side of human life. Shiva’s third eye that burns the Kama is the knowledge of Kama. Kama can only be extinct with knowledge not by running or hiding from it but being face to face with it. Only the enlightenment and knowledge can kill gross desires including Kama. Kama here in this myth is reborn after his death. This shows or represents that kam or desires once cherished never die. The re- birth of Kama deity is eruption of unconscious collective mind. Our desires never die but these are buried deep in unconscious. Collective unconscious is the graveyards of all our desires.kama’s arrows depict the killing instinct and ability of Kama. How deep wounds Kama can cause? We all know how the obsessions are killing mankind? Obsessions are arrows of Kama deity. No obsession can bear without suppression/ repression of Kama. All our anxieties and phobias are bear from repressed desires or Kama.